Like with any industry, there are various misconceptions about the trucking field. These trucking myths can give people the wrong idea about what truck driving is all about. Therefore, it’s important to know the facts from the fiction…
Trucking Myths: Common Misconceptions
“Trucking is unhealthy”
One of the most common trucking myths is that the job is unhealthy. At first glance, it might appear that this is true. After all, truckers spend most of their days sitting and driving. Many people also assume they only eat fast food due to the convenience. This creates an image of the messy, unhealthy truck driver.
However, many drivers actually go above and beyond to keep themselves healthy. For instance, they’ll pack their own healthy meals rather than stop for fast food. They’ll also make it a point to get some exercise in when they stop at rest stops. In fact, many rest stops also come with facilities that’ll let truck drivers keep themselves clean.
“Trucking doesn’t pay well”
Another kind of trucking myths are those related to pay. Many people think that truckers don’t make a lot of money. Usually, this is because they assume the job itself seems so easy to do on the surface. As a result, they don’t expect truck drivers to make all that much money.
In reality, trucking is actually a pretty well-paying career path. This is because while it might seem easy, truck driving is actually an intensive task. Since 2015, average trucking salaries have been going up by at least 12% annually. For private fleet drivers, their average income is $73,000 annually, which is actually higher than the average national income.
“Truckers cause a lot of accidents”
Accidents tend to be the basis for a lot of trucking myths. Usually, people will remember seeing accidents involving a truck on the news, and assume they get into accidents all the time. The thing is, the news tends to report on these accidents more than others, even when “normal” accidents are far more common.
Tractor trailer drivers are actually three times less likely to get into accidents compared to other cars. Accidents which involve trucks only make up 2.4 % of all accidents. For those accidents they do get into, truck drivers usually aren’t at fault.