What is holding you back from starting your career? Is it the thought that you can’t handle the daily tasks required to be a truck driver? Is it a lack of funding, drive, a disability, or knowledge? There are many reasons people get held back in their desired career path, but many times there are options to help you get around those issues and on your way to a successful career. Let me share a story with you that will hopefully inspire you to get started down the path of your choice.
In my mind truck driving is one of the most demanding careers someone can do. It involves long hours away from family, mile after mile on open highways, and unexpected delays that are out of a driver’s control. It can be hard days on the road as a professional driver and it would be easy to come up with excuses why a different career may be more enticing. What keeps people engaged in a career with so many obstacles?
For those that have been drivers or continue to drive will have a different take on a driving career. Drivers will often talk of the open road, the places they have seen, and the people they’ve met. Many enjoy the independence and not having a boss looking over your shoulder. Then there are the trucks themselves that keep many of us in the industry. There is a certain feeling you get guiding a big rig down the road. Then there are the people that take dedication to the next level and have the knowledge that without truck the shelves of your local store would be pretty empty.
I have read articles in the past about drivers that have found creative ways to get around their disabilities and have seen some creative ways they have done so. Every time I read about anyone overcoming an obstacle such as a disability in any industry I have to admire their dedication and creativeness. Recently I came across a video posted by another driver as a driver in a wheelchair was fueling his truck and taking care of the day to day duties of being a professional driver. Watching this video without any sound is inspiring in itself as this driver did not let the fact that he was in a wheelchair stop him from a career in driving. I will add the link to the video below but since it is on Facebook you may need an account to view it.
https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=566181053733165&id=455374048147200
To sum up the video for you in case you couldn’t view it this driver had a custom wheelchair ramp built in his truck in the sleeper part allowing him to get in and out of the truck through the sleeper compartment. The video shows him fueling the truck, washing the windows, and then getting back into the truck. Very inspiring to say the least.
So if a disability such as being in a wheelchair is still not enough to keep a driver from a career on the road as a professional driver then what is holding you back? If I had been this driver I am sure looking at the size of the truck and the configuration of the vehicle would have been enough to have me think twice about a career in trucking. Even if you think you can’t do it it is worth talking to people in the industry to see if there is a way around the issue. It may be all you need to start a great career.
About the Author
Bruce Outridge has been in the transportation industry for over 30 years. He is an author of the books Driven to Drive and Running By The Mile, and host of The Lead Pedal Podcast. TTSAO also known as the Truck Training Schools Association of Ontario has certified member schools in the truck training vocation ensuring quality entry level drivers enter the transportation industry. To learn more about the TTSAO or to find a certified school in your area visit www.ttsao.com