Truck Drivers, Heavy and Tractor-Trailer

Career Description: Drive a tractor-trailer combination or a truck with a capacity of at least 26,000 GVW, to transport and deliver goods, livestock, or materials in liquid, loose, or packaged form. May be required to unload truck. May require use of automated routing equipment. Requires commercial drivers' license.

Industry: Transportation and Material Moving

Other Job Titles for Truck Drivers, Heavy and Tractor-Trailer:

• Realistic: Realistic occupations frequently involve work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They often deal with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery. Many of the occupations require working outside, and do not involve a lot of paperwork or working closely with others.
• Investigative: Investigative occupations frequently involve working with ideas, and require an extensive amount of thinking. These occupations can involve searching for facts and figuring out problems mentally.
• Artistic: Artistic occupations frequently involve working with forms, designs and patterns. They often require self-expression and the work can be done without following a clear set of rules.
• Social: Social occupations frequently involve working with, communicating with, and teaching people. These occupations often involve helping or providing service to others.
• Enterprising: Enterprising occupations frequently involve starting up and carrying out projects. These occupations can involve leading people and making many decisions. Sometimes they require risk taking and often deal with business.
• Conventional: Conventional occupations frequently involve following set procedures and routines. These occupations can include working with data and details more than with ideas. Usually there is a clear line of authority to follow.
• First Interest High-Point: Primary-Rank Descriptiveness
• Second Interest High-Point: Secondary-Cutoff/Rank Descriptiveness
• Third Interest High-Point: Tertiary-Cutoff/Rank Descriptiveness

• Follow appropriate safety procedures for transporting dangerous goods.
• Check vehicles to ensure that mechanical, safety, and emergency equipment is in good working order.
• Maintain logs of working hours and of vehicle service and repair status, following applicable state and federal regulations.
• Obtain receipts or signatures for delivered goods and collect payment for services when required.
• Check all load-related documentation to ensure that it is complete and accurate.
• Maneuver trucks into loading or unloading positions, following signals from loading crew and checking that vehicle and loading equipment are properly positioned.
• Drive trucks with capacities greater than 3 tons, including tractor-trailer combinations, to transport and deliver products, livestock, or other materials.
• Secure cargo for transport, using ropes, blocks, chain, binders, or covers.
• Read bills of lading to determine assignment details.
• Report vehicle defects, accidents, traffic violations, or damage to the vehicles.
• Read and interpret maps to determine vehicle routes.
• Couple and uncouple trailers by changing trailer jack positions, connecting or disconnecting air and electrical lines, and manipulating fifth-wheel locks.
• Collect delivery instructions from appropriate sources, verifying instructions and routes.
• Drive trucks to weigh stations before and after loading and along routes to document weights and to comply with state regulations.
• Operate equipment, such as truck cab computers, CB radios, and telephones, to exchange necessary information with bases, supervisors, or other drivers.
• Check conditions of trailers after contents have been unloaded to ensure that there has been no damage.
• Crank trailer landing gear up and down to safely secure vehicles.
• Wrap goods using pads, packing paper, and containers, and secure loads to trailer walls, using straps.
• Perform basic vehicle maintenance tasks such as adding oil, fuel, and radiator fluid, or performing minor repairs.
• Load and unload trucks, or help others with loading and unloading, operating any special loading-related equipment on vehicles and using other equipment as necessary.
• Inventory and inspect goods to be moved to determine quantities and conditions.
• Remove debris from loaded trailers.
• Climb ladders to inspect loads, ensuring that cargo is secure.
• Follow special cargo-related procedures, such as checking refrigeration systems for frozen foods or providing food and water for livestock.
• Give directions to laborers who are packing goods and moving them onto trailers.
• Install and remove special equipment such as tire chains, grader blades, plow blades, and sanders.
• Collaborate with other drivers as part of a driving team on some trips.
• Perform emergency roadside repairs such as changing tires and installing light bulbs, tire chains, and spark plugs.
• Place empty carts and pallets in trailers so they will be available to facilitate placement and movement of goods.
• Operate trucks equipped with snowplows and sander attachments to maintain roads in winter weather.
• Secure and release mooring lines of ships.
• Sew canvas and other materials to make and repair tents, tarps, scrims, and backings, using sewing machines.

Emerging Tasks

• Follow relevant safety regulations and state laws governing vehicle operation, and ensure that passengers follow safety regulations.
• Operate vehicles with specialized equipment, such as wheelchair lifts to transport and secure passengers with special needs.
• Handle high voltage sources and hang electrical cables.
• Perform cash handling tasks, such as making change, balancing and recording cash drawer, and distributing tips.
• Perform personnel activities, such as supervising and scheduling employees.
• Provide customer assistance and information, such as giving directions and handling wheelchairs.

• Analyzing Data or Information: Identifying the underlying principles, reasons, or facts of information by breaking down information or data into separate parts.
• Assisting and Caring for Others: Providing personal assistance, medical attention, emotional support, or other personal care to others such as coworkers, customers, or patients.
• Coaching and Developing Others: Identifying the developmental needs of others and coaching, mentoring, or otherwise helping others to improve their knowledge or skills.
• Communicating with Persons Outside Organization: Communicating with people outside the organization, representing the organization to customers, the public, government, and other external sources. This information can be exchanged in person, in writing, or by telephone or e-mail.
• Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates: Providing information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person.
• Controlling Machines and Processes: Using either control mechanisms or direct physical activity to operate machines or processes (not including computers or vehicles).
• Coordinating the Work and Activities of Others: Getting members of a group to work together to accomplish tasks.
• Developing and Building Teams: Encouraging and building mutual trust, respect, and cooperation among team members.
• Developing Objectives and Strategies: Establishing long-range objectives and specifying the strategies and actions to achieve them.
• Documenting/Recording Information: Entering, transcribing, recording, storing, or maintaining information in written or electronic/magnetic form.
• Drafting, Laying Out, and Specifying Technical Devices, Parts, and Equipment: Providing documentation, detailed instructions, drawings, or specifications to tell others about how devices, parts, equipment, or structures are to be fabricated, constructed, assembled, modified, maintained, or used.
• Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships: Developing constructive and cooperative working relationships with others, and maintaining them over time.
• Estimating the Quantifiable Characteristics of Products, Events, or Information: Estimating sizes, distances, and quantities; or determining time, costs, resources, or materials needed to perform a work activity.
• Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards: Using relevant information and individual judgment to determine whether events or processes comply with laws, regulations, or standards.
• Getting Information: Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.
• Guiding, Directing, and Motivating Subordinates: Providing guidance and direction to subordinates, including setting performance standards and monitoring performance.
• Handling and Moving Objects: Using hands and arms in handling, installing, positioning, and moving materials, and manipulating things.
• Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events: Identifying information by categorizing, estimating, recognizing differences or similarities, and detecting changes in circumstances or events.
• Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Material: Inspecting equipment, structures, or materials to identify the cause of errors or other problems or defects.
• Interacting With Computers: Using computers and computer systems (including hardware and software) to program, write software, set up functions, enter data, or process information.
• Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others: Translating or explaining what information means and how it can be used.
• Judging the Qualities of Things, Services, or People: Assessing the value, importance, or quality of things or people.
• Making Decisions and Solving Problems: Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.
• Monitor Processes, Materials, or Surroundings: Monitoring and reviewing information from materials, events, or the environment, to detect or assess problems.
• Monitoring and Controlling Resources: Monitoring and controlling resources and overseeing the spending of money.
• Operating Vehicles, Mechanized Devices, or Equipment: Running, maneuvering, navigating, or driving vehicles or mechanized equipment, such as forklifts, passenger vehicles, aircraft, or water craft.
• Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work: Developing specific goals and plans to prioritize, organize, and accomplish your work.
• Performing Administrative Activities: Performing day-to-day administrative tasks such as maintaining information files and processing paperwork.
• Performing for or Working Directly with the Public: Performing for people or dealing directly with the public. This includes serving customers in restaurants and stores, and receiving clients or guests.
• Performing General Physical Activities: Performing physical activities that require considerable use of your arms and legs and moving your whole body, such as climbing, lifting, balancing, walking, stooping, and handling of materials.
• Processing Information: Compiling, coding, categorizing, calculating, tabulating, auditing, or verifying information or data.
• Provide Consultation and Advice to Others: Providing guidance and expert advice to management or other groups on technical, systems-, or process-related topics.
• Repairing and Maintaining Electronic Equipment: Servicing, repairing, calibrating, regulating, fine-tuning, or testing machines, devices, and equipment that operate primarily on the basis of electrical or electronic (not mechanical) principles.
• Repairing and Maintaining Mechanical Equipment: Servicing, repairing, adjusting, and testing machines, devices, moving parts, and equipment that operate primarily on the basis of mechanical (not electronic) principles.
• Resolving Conflicts and Negotiating with Others: Handling complaints, settling disputes, and resolving grievances and conflicts, or otherwise negotiating with others.
• Scheduling Work and Activities: Scheduling events, programs, and activities, as well as the work of others.
• Selling or Influencing Others: Convincing others to buy merchandise/goods or to otherwise change their minds or actions.
• Staffing Organizational Units: Recruiting, interviewing, selecting, hiring, and promoting employees in an organization.
• Thinking Creatively: Developing, designing, or creating new applications, ideas, relationships, systems, or products, including artistic contributions.
• Training and Teaching Others: Identifying the educational needs of others, developing formal educational or training programs or classes, and teaching or instructing others.
• Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge: Keeping up-to-date technically and applying new knowledge to your job.

Detailed Work Activities

• collect payment
• direct and coordinate activities of workers or staff
• drive tractor-trailer truck
• drive truck with capacity greater than 3 tons
• examine vehicle to detect malfunctions, damage, or maintenance needed
• follow traffic laws
• load, unload, or stack containers, materials, or products
• maintain driver log according to I.C.C. regulations
• maintain or repair cargo or passenger vehicle
• maintain records, reports, or files
• move or fit heavy objects
• operate cleaning equipment
• perform safety inspections in transportation setting
• prepare reports
• prepare safety reports
• read maps
• service vehicle with water, fuel, or oil
• transport passengers or cargo
• use established traffic or transportation procedures
• use geographic positioning system (GPS)
• use local or regional geographical knowledge to transportation
• use truck-mounted hydraulic lifts or other accessories
• use two-way radio or mobile phone
• use vehicle repair tools or safety equipment
• use weighing or measuring devices in transportation
• verify cargo against shipping papers
• work as a team member
• wrap products
• prepare safety reports
• prepare technical reports or related documentation
• recognize characteristics of alloys
• recognize characteristics of metals
• recognize public safety hazards
• recommend action to ensure compliance
• recommend personnel actions, such as promotions, transfers, and dismissals
• record test results, test procedures, or inspection data
• repair commercial transportation equipment
• review traffic routing or control plans
• sell products or services
• signal directions or warnings to coworkers
• study time, motion, or work methods of workers
• test electrical/electronic wiring, equipment, systems or fixtures
• test mechanical products or equipment
• understand technical operating, service or repair manuals
• use electrical or electronic test devices or equipment
• use knowledge of investigation techniques
• use local or regional geographical knowledge to transportation
• use oral or written communication techniques
• verify investigative information

Overall Experience
Some previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience may be helpful in these occupations, but usually is not needed. For example, a teller might benefit from experience working directly with the public, but an inexperienced person could still learn to be a teller with little difficulty.

Job Training
Employees in these occupations need anywhere from a few months to one year of working with experienced employees.

Education
These occupations usually require a high school diploma and may require some vocational training or job-related course work. In some cases, an associate's or bachelor's degree could be needed.

Examples
These occupations often involve using your knowledge and skills to help others. Examples include sheet metal workers, forest fire fighters, customer service representatives, pharmacy technicians, salespersons (retail), and tellers.

• Average hourly wage (2007) -$17.41
• Average annual wage (2007) - $36,220.00

• Projected growth (2006-2016): 10.38%
• Projected need (2006-2016): 193,012
• Employment (2006): 1,859,848

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