Starting out, the pay is fairly decent at around $35,000 - $40,000 a year, the benefits are the standard that you find at most jobs and each trucking company has their own policies when it comes to perks and/or bonuses. Sometimes, though, the inconveniences (and potential dangers) of the job don’t always seem worth the effort.

After awhile, being on the road feels like second-nature and becomes your main lifestyle. Going back to family once every month or two is the vacation. It’s very much like the military in that sense - you are gone so much that you and your family are used to being apart and making do. Being home actually requires transition for all involved.

While the opportunity to see different places and the beauty of the country is part of the draw of the job, and the pay is on the rise, it’s a profession with a very high turn-over and it’s every driver for themselves. Truck driving is an isolating job - there's no real opportunity to bond with others and it’s already difficult to keep the bonds you do have. Everyone is going their own way and are on a time limit, where time is always money. If the big motivation to do the job is money, a driver will eventually want to become a truck-owner themselves.  If they are able to hack it for the first couple of years in the industry, the next logical step is to own a truck outright. That truck becomes your own business.
When asked about his future goals as a truck driver, Scott smiles, but his answer is conflicted.  “Once it gets into your blood, it’s hard to stop. It also depends on whether you have a family or not, which I no longer do. If I did or ever want to again, I wouldn’t see the point in being gone on the road. It takes its toll. But for now, I’ll keep rolling.”
It takes an adventurous, courageous and strong-minded individual to make a living as a truck driver. These men and women work long hours, drive in dangerous conditions and are pressured by constant time-limits to deliver the millions of goods all over the country that the rest of us depend on and expect to be available when we need or want it. While being away from their own comforts of home and family, they ensure that we can comfortably and safely enjoy ours.
