If you are into driving big vehicles, interacting with people, and need a steady job that will always have openings throughout most major cities then you may want to consider becoming a bus or a truck driver. Bus drivers are always in high demand due to the large amount of people choosing to use public transportation rather than purchase a vehicle and deal with weaving in and out of traffic everyday. Truck drivers are also in high demand since there is always product that needs to be moved from one place to another and the amount of qualified people to drive the trucks has become scarce. Becoming a bus or truck driver is easy if you have a clean driving record and are willing to take the steps necessary to train to become a qualified driver. In this article I will be going over the basic requirements that you will need to take in order to pursue a career in bus or truck driving.
Get Your Commercial Drivers License
The first thing you will need to do if you haven’t already is obtain a commercial drivers license. Getting your commercial drivers license, or CDL for short, is not only going to open up jobs for you to be a bus driver, it will also open the door if you want to drive all types of big rigs as well. However, getting your CDL is not as easy as obtaining your normal drivers license. You will need to go through physical and written tests throughout the process. Each state has different requirements for getting your CDL so you will need to check with your local department of motor vehicles to see what exactly you need to do. For example in Florida you need to be at least 18 years old, provide two forms of ID, provide your social security information, show proof of a passed physical exam, pass all physical and written tests, and then finally you will need to pay all the fees required to get your license.
Driving Record
Before applying for or training to become a bus or truck driver you will need to make sure that your license is clean first. I hate to break the news to you, but if your driving record consists of traffic infractions such as a DUI, reckless driving, driving with license suspended, or numerous speeding and moving violations you are most likely not qualified to drive a bus or truck for anyone in your city. If you have a few points on your driving record from a couple old speeding tickets contact your DMV to see if there are any classes you can take online or in person in order to knock the points off your license. It may cost you some money to take the class but getting the points off your driving record will be beneficial to you when you are trying to find a job.
Training
Getting in and driving a bigger vehicle like a bus or a big truck can feel nerve-racking your first time. As with most things in life, it will take some practice. Many institutes offer training classes which teach you everything you need to know about driving the larger vehicles. You will learn quickly that turning, parking, and driving in general is much different than that of your normal vehicle. There are also schools that offer year long programs that teach you how to drive these types of vehicles, give you plenty of practice, and then actually help you find a job when you graduate their program.
Conclusion
Once you have followed the three steps above the last thing you will need to do is go out and find yourself a job. It will be up to you what you feel is the best type of job for you; whether it be driving a school bus, a city bus, or transporting something in an 18 wheeler. Make sure when applying for a job you present yourself well and show the employer that you have completed all the steps necessary to obtain your commercial driving license. You will most likely have to go through some more training for the company that hires you as well. The more you learn the better you will get at your job, which means more opportunities in your future!
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This article was composed by Colin Quinn. Colin is a guest blogger who writes various articles for www.DriverPhysicals.com – an Orlando based company that will let you know where to go in order to get a physical for your Commerical Drivers License. Conlin enjoys writing in his free time and more of his content can be found on Google+.