SIX NATIONS — Ever thought of a career in trucking? There are jobs waiting for anyone who loves the road, and especially now when major department stores and mom and pop shops are beginning to sell their products on-line these days. Someone has to transport these goods, fast and directly.
A well tuned transportation system can mean the difference between the success and failure of big and small businesses alike. It’s always a matter of supply and demand. Can a customer buy a widget on-line and have it at their door in a couple of days? That happens because of truck drivers.
The paradigm shift in shopping has produced a serious shortage of drivers across the country, and it pays well.
After Phil Sault, now pastor of Chiefswood Christian Fellowship, Six Nations Indian Reservation, recently retired from the road, doesn’t know how many miles he may have travelled in his 50+ years driving for various trucking firms.
Now 72, Sault still has a love for the road and admits to missing it sometimes. He was 16, when he quit school and he needed a job to sustain himself. After joining a construction crew, he eventually leaned how to drive the big rigs and he had been occupying the cab of a truck for the next half century.
“It’s been a great experience,” says Sault. “You get to see the country, develop friends — in my day it was on the C.B. radio — it really was fun, for the most part. The only boss you really had was your wrist watch, getting the load to the customer safe and on time.”
He admits, however, that sometimes the days and hours away are hard on a family. He suggests one’s life partner should be in on the decision to become a driver, but once the balance has been found, it can work out, as millions of trucker families have found.
Becoming a transport driver is easier than you may think, for both men and women. In many cases, to qualify for a position as a driver, you must have a Valid Class 1 license, a minimum three years driving experience, and a clean drivers abstract. There are many employers that offer training classes and hands on experience as well. Think about it. It just might be the right job for you.
