Freight Trucking

Thumbs down to Stephen Franklin and Darnell Little, the authors of the Chicago Tribune article Bone-Weary Haulers Raise Risks on Road (subheading: As truckers struggle to make ends meet, they push the limits of endurance and highway safety).

The article, published December 10, 2006, uses anecdotal stories, incomplete statistics and ignorance of the trucking lifestyle to paint truckers as sleepy menaces. A more appropriate title for the article might be “The Hassles Truckers Handle Make Trucking Hard.” But that wouldn’t be nearly as eye-catching. Read the rest of this entry »

Trucking jobs aren’t just about driving. When you think of a job in trucking, you think about riding down the big road, living the American dream, steering and gearing.

But there’s more to trucking that sitting behind the wheel.

There’s regular old freight trucking (dry goods like toilet paper, cereal, packages). But there’s also flatbed trucking (steel coils, pipes), refrigerated trucking–called reefers (temperature sensitive goods like ice cream, frozen dinners, produce), tankers (liquid or gaseous substances like gasoline, milk, and propane), and car hauling.

All of these require special knowledge and training.
Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: Trucking Jobs, Freight Trucking, Flatbed Trucking, Refrigerated Trucking, Reefers