Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Driver Drive a tractor-trailer combination or a truck with a capacity of at least 26,001 pounds Gross Vehicle Weight (GVW). May be required to unload truck. Requires commercial drivers' license. Includes tow truck drivers.
Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Driver is Also Know as
In different settings, Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Driver is titled as
- CDL Driver (Commercial Driver's License Driver)
- Driver
- Line Haul Driver
- Log Truck Driver
- Over the Road Driver (OTR Driver)
- Production Truck Driver
- Road Driver
- Semi Truck Driver
- Tractor Trailer Driver
- Truck Driver
Education and Training of Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Driver
Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Driver is categorized in Job Zone Two: Some Preparation Needed
Experience Required for Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Driver
Some previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is usually needed. For example, a teller would benefit from experience working directly with the public.
Education Required for Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Driver
These occupations usually require a high school diploma.
Degrees Related to Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Driver
- Bachelor in Truck and Bus Driver/Commercial Vehicle Operator a
- Associate Degree Courses in Truck and Bus Driver/Commercial Vehicle Operator a
- Masters Degree Courses in Truck and Bus Driver/Commercial Vehicle Operator a
Training Required for Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Driver
Employees in these occupations need anywhere from a few months to one year of working with experienced employees. A recognized apprenticeship program may be associated with these occupations.
Related Ocuupations
Some Ocuupations related to Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Driver in different industries are
- Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators
- Light Truck Drivers
- Tank Car, Truck, and Ship Loaders
- Loading and Moving Machine Operators, Underground Mining
- Shuttle Drivers and Chauffeurs
- Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand
- Bus and Truck Mechanics and Diesel Engine Specialists
- Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors
- Rail Yard Engineers, Dinkey Operators, and Hostlers
- Railroad Brake, Signal, and Switch Operators and Locomotive Firers
- Taxi Drivers
- Locomotive Engineers
- Highway Maintenance Workers
- Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators
- Dispatchers, Except Police, Fire, and Ambulance
- Hoist and Winch Operators
- Railroad Conductors and Yardmasters
- Crane and Tower Operators
- Pile Driver Operators
- Bus Drivers, Transit and Intercity
What Do Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Driver do?
- Follow appropriate safety procedures for transporting dangerous goods.
- Check vehicles to ensure that mechanical, safety, and emergency equipment is in good working order.
- Maintain logs of working hours or of vehicle service or repair status, following applicable state and federal regulations.
- Obtain receipts or signatures for delivered goods and collect payment for services when required.
- Maneuver trucks into loading or unloading positions, following signals from loading crew and checking that vehicle and loading equipment are properly positioned.
- Drive trucks with capacities greater than 13 tons, including tractor-trailer combinations, to transport and deliver products, livestock, or other materials.
- Secure cargo for transport, using ropes, blocks, chain, binders, or covers.
- Read bills of lading to determine assignment details.
- Report vehicle defects, accidents, traffic violations, or damage to the vehicles.
- Read and interpret maps to determine vehicle routes.
- Couple or uncouple trailers by changing trailer jack positions, connecting or disconnecting air or electrical lines, or manipulating fifth-wheel locks.
- Collect delivery instructions from appropriate sources, verifying instructions and routes.
- Check conditions of trailers after contents have been unloaded to ensure that there has been no damage.
- Crank trailer landing gear up or down to safely secure vehicles.
- Perform basic vehicle maintenance tasks, such as adding oil, fuel, or radiator fluid, performing minor repairs, or washing trucks.
- Inventory and inspect goods to be moved to determine quantities and conditions.
- Remove debris from loaded trailers.
- Follow special cargo-related procedures, such as checking refrigeration systems for frozen foods or providing food or water for livestock.
- Give directions to laborers who are packing goods and moving them onto trailers.
- Install or remove special equipment, such as tire chains, grader blades, plow blades, or sanders.
- Perform emergency roadside repairs, such as changing tires or installing light bulbs, tire chains, or spark plugs.
- Operate trucks equipped with snowplows or sander attachments to maintain roads in winter weather.
- Drive electric or hybrid-electric powered trucks or alternative fuel-powered trucks to transport and deliver products, livestock, or other materials.
- Operate idle reduction systems or auxiliary power systems to generate power from alternative sources, such as fuel cells, to reduce idling time, to heat or cool truck cabins, or to provide power for other equipment.
- Plan or adjust routes based on changing conditions, using computer equipment, global positioning systems (GPS) equipment, or other navigation devices, to minimize fuel consumption and carbon emissions.
- Inspect loads to ensure that cargo is secure.
- Check all load-related documentation for completeness and accuracy.
- Drive trucks to weigh stations before and after loading and along routes in compliance with state regulations.
- Operate equipment, such as truck cab computers, CB radios, phones, or global positioning systems (GPS) equipment to exchange necessary information with bases, supervisors, or other drivers.
- Load or unload trucks or help others with loading or unloading, using special loading-related equipment or other equipment as necessary.
- Wrap and secure goods using pads, packing paper, containers, or straps.
Qualities of Good Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Driver
- Far Vision: The ability to see details at a distance.
- Control Precision: The ability to quickly and repeatedly adjust the controls of a machine or a vehicle to exact positions.
- Multilimb Coordination: The ability to coordinate two or more limbs (for example, two arms, two legs, or one leg and one arm) while sitting, standing, or lying down. It does not involve performing the activities while the whole body is in motion.
- Spatial Orientation: The ability to know your location in relation to the environment or to know where other objects are in relation to you.
- Response Orientation: The ability to choose quickly between two or more movements in response to two or more different signals (lights, sounds, pictures). It includes the speed with which the correct response is started with the hand, foot, or other body part.
- Rate Control: The ability to time your movements or the movement of a piece of equipment in anticipation of changes in the speed and/or direction of a moving object or scene.
- Reaction Time: The ability to quickly respond (with the hand, finger, or foot) to a signal (sound, light, picture) when it appears.
- Problem Sensitivity: The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing that there is a problem.
- Depth Perception: The ability to judge which of several objects is closer or farther away from you, or to judge the distance between you and an object.
- Near Vision: The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
- Selective Attention: The ability to concentrate on a task over a period of time without being distracted.
- Oral Comprehension: The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
- Deductive Reasoning: The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
- Night Vision: The ability to see under low-light conditions.
- Static Strength: The ability to exert maximum muscle force to lift, push, pull, or carry objects.
- Peripheral Vision: The ability to see objects or movement of objects to one's side when the eyes are looking ahead.
- Glare Sensitivity: The ability to see objects in the presence of a glare or bright lighting.
- Hearing Sensitivity: The ability to detect or tell the differences between sounds that vary in pitch and loudness.
- Auditory Attention: The ability to focus on a single source of sound in the presence of other distracting sounds.
- Speech Recognition: The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.
- Speech Clarity: The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
- Manual Dexterity: The ability to quickly move your hand, your hand together with your arm, or your two hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble objects.
- Arm-Hand Steadiness: The ability to keep your hand and arm steady while moving your arm or while holding your arm and hand in one position.
- Time Sharing: The ability to shift back and forth between two or more activities or sources of information (such as speech, sounds, touch, or other sources).
- Visualization: The ability to imagine how something will look after it is moved around or when its parts are moved or rearranged.
- Written Comprehension: The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
- Flexibility of Closure: The ability to identify or detect a known pattern (a figure, object, word, or sound) that is hidden in other distracting material.
- Oral Expression: The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
- Information Ordering: The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
- Category Flexibility: The ability to generate or use different sets of rules for combining or grouping things in different ways.
- Finger Dexterity: The ability to make precisely coordinated movements of the fingers of one or both hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble very small objects.
- Inductive Reasoning: The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
- Trunk Strength: The ability to use your abdominal and lower back muscles to support part of the body repeatedly or continuously over time without "giving out" or fatiguing.
- Perceptual Speed: The ability to quickly and accurately compare similarities and differences among sets of letters, numbers, objects, pictures, or patterns. The things to be compared may be presented at the same time or one after the other. This ability also includes comparing a presented object with a remembered object.
- Extent Flexibility: The ability to bend, stretch, twist, or reach with your body, arms, and/or legs.
- Visual Color Discrimination: The ability to match or detect differences between colors, including shades of color and brightness.
- Sound Localization: The ability to tell the direction from which a sound originated.
- Wrist-Finger Speed: The ability to make fast, simple, repeated movements of the fingers, hands, and wrists.
- Speed of Limb Movement: The ability to quickly move the arms and legs.
- Written Expression: The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
- Stamina: The ability to exert yourself physically over long periods of time without getting winded or out of breath.
- Gross Body Coordination: The ability to coordinate the movement of your arms, legs, and torso together when the whole body is in motion.
- Dynamic Strength: The ability to exert muscle force repeatedly or continuously over time. This involves muscular endurance and resistance to muscle fatigue.
- Speed of Closure: The ability to quickly make sense of, combine, and organize information into meaningful patterns.
- Gross Body Equilibrium: The ability to keep or regain your body balance or stay upright when in an unstable position.
- Number Facility: The ability to add, subtract, multiply, or divide quickly and correctly.
- Mathematical Reasoning: The ability to choose the right mathematical methods or formulas to solve a problem.
- Memorization: The ability to remember information such as words, numbers, pictures, and procedures.
- Fluency of Ideas: The ability to come up with a number of ideas about a topic (the number of ideas is important, not their quality, correctness, or creativity).
- Originality: The ability to come up with unusual or clever ideas about a given topic or situation, or to develop creative ways to solve a problem.
- Dynamic Flexibility: The ability to quickly and repeatedly bend, stretch, twist, or reach out with your body, arms, and/or legs.
- Explosive Strength: The ability to use short bursts of muscle force to propel oneself (as in jumping or sprinting), or to throw an object.
Tools Used by Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Driver
- 4-ranger tower trucks
- Air compressors
- Blocks and tackle
- Boom trucks
- Cargo hoists
- Cell phones
- Dump trucks
- Electric handtrucks
- Flatbed trucks
- Forklifts
- Frequency modulation FM two way radios
- Front load dumpsters
- Global positioning system GPS devices
- Global positioning system GPS receivers
- Handheld bar code scanners
- Handlifts
- Handtrucks
- Hydraulic lifts
- Johnson bars
- Laser facsimile machines
- Lowboy trailers
- Manual lifts
- Notebook computers
- On-board computers
- Order picker clamp trucks
- Personal digital assistants PDA
- Plow attachments
- Pup trailers
- Ready mix trucks
- Refuse collection trucks
- Satellite linkup systems
- Scanners
- Sliding fifth wheels
- Sliding tandem axles
- Telescoping boom trucks
- Three-point hitches
- Tilt trailers
- Trucks greater than 26000 pounds
- Two way radios
- Wheel loaders
- Winches
Technology Skills required for Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Driver
- 3M Post-it App
- ADP ezLaborManager
- ALK Technologies PC*Miler
- Computerized inventory tracking software
- ddlsoftware.com drivers daily log program DDL
- Eko
- Evernote
- Fog Line Software Truckn Pro
- Inventory tracking software
- MarcoSoft Quo Vadis
- Microsoft Excel
- Microsoft Office software
- Microsoft Outlook
- Microsoft Windows
- Microsoft Word
- Omnitracs Performance Monitoring
- PeopleNet
- SAP software
- TruckersHelper
- YouTube