We get a lot of questions from people who are looking to start their truck driving career, so we thought we’d take the opportunity to interview one of our drivers and get a ‘Day in the Life’ example to share.
Here is an example of a day in the life of Rob, a senior member of our team:
I start my days early. The earlier the start, the earlier the finish.
Every day is different and I cannot always be sure that I will be able to find a place to pull off the highway and take a lunch break. It’s not easy to find parking for a 53′ trailer at restaurants — so I make a point to make a lunch and snacks at home to bring with me for the day.
When I get to work, I help the freight handlers route my deliveries in the proper order. There could be as many as 15 deliveries, so I work with them to ensure we are preparing the best route to make all my drop-offs on schedule.
Next, I supervise the loading of my trailer. I am responsible for all of the freight that I am delivering, so I need to keep clear records of every item that is loaded onto my truck. I also review the placement of the freight to ensure that everything is loaded in a safe manner and is properly secured — you don’t want anything shifting during your travels.
Once the freight is fully loaded, I prepare my tractor by doing a pre-trip inspection, I hook up my trailer, and I stop at our maintenance shop so a technician can ensure everything is safe and in proper working order.
Then I’m off!
My route and my drive vary which keeps things interesting because I get to meet new people every day. I also face new driving challenges. Driving a 53′ trailer is challenging, especially in cities because you always need to be on the lookout for other vehicles, cyclists, and pedestrians.
After every delivery, I update my phone so that our dispatch system gets an update and can inform my customers of the status of their deliveries.
Once I complete all my scheduled deliveries, I will begin doing pick-ups that were sent to me by dispatch via my phone. At every pickup, I review the bills of lading to ensure accuracy, and I check that the freight is secure and makes the most of all the usable space in the trailer.
When my trailer is full, I will head back to the terminal and do the following:
- fuel my truck
- conduct my post-trip inspection
- finalize my log book
- hand in all my paperwork, including my signed delivery receipts, bills of lading, log book, pre & post-trip inspection reports, trip manifest, and fuel receipts.
Then my day is done and it’s time to go home.
It’s a good job with good hours and I look forward to coming back the next day and doing it all again!
If you are interested in becoming a driver for Minimax Express, click here to view our latest job postings.