3 Alternative Trucking Careers to Consider

Have a truck driving career, but feel like a change? Sick of the solitude of the long haul and all the heavy lifting? Don’t feel like sitting in a cab for quite so many hours each day, but don’t feel qualified for anything else? Don’t stress. There are actually plenty of alternative careers for qualified truckers out there. You just need to get yourself in the game.

1. Dispatch

While you’d still need some training, who better than a trucker who knows the ropes to work dispatching loads? You’re familiar with the lifestyle and the lingo, and the ins and outs of hauling. Check with your current employer first, for ease of 401k, IRA, and health insurance transfer, then branch out.

2. Loading

If you don’t mind the heavy work and a probable pay cut (dock workers often make less than an OTR driver), you could easily get a more stable 9-5 kind of job—even at your own company—on the loading dock. You’ll be home a whole lot more, and could have a regular schedule for once.

3. Management

You’ve thought of being an owner-operator, but you’re starting to feel even more ambitious. Why not step into the big leagues? Get yourself some educational training in business administration (try vocational schools and two year associates programs, or even online enrichment programs, to get some certification). A bit of business education combined with your existing experience and skills would make you an asset in trucking company management. You could work for an existing company, or even make it your goal to run your own someday. Either way, you’ll be out of one driver’s seat and into another.