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Heavy & Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers

Also called: Driver, Line Haul Driver, Over the Road Driver (OTR Driver), Truck Driver

Where in the Air Force? In the Air Force: Air Transportation; Fuels; Fuels Superintendent; Ground Transportation Manager; Mission Generation Vehicular Equipment Maintenance Craftsman; Mission Generation Vehicular Equipment Maintenance, Helper, Material Handling Equipment (MHE)/463L Maintenance; Munitions Systems Journeyman; Nuclear Weapons Journeyman; Pavements and Construction Equipment Journeyman; Special Reconnaissance Superintendent; Weather Superintendent

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What they do:
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.
On the job, you would:
  • Check all load-related documentation for completeness and accuracy.
  • Inspect loads to ensure that cargo is secure.
  • Check vehicles to ensure that mechanical, safety, and emergency equipment is in good working order.

Knowledge

Transportation
  • movement of people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road
Safety and Government
  • public safety and security
  • law and government
Business
  • customer service
Arts and Humanities
  • English language

Skills

Basic Skills
  • keeping track of how well people and/or groups are doing in order to make improvements
  • reading work related information
Problem Solving
  • noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it

Abilities

Controlled Movement
  • change when and how fast you move based on how something else is moving
  • quickly change the controls of a machine, car, truck or boat
Spatial
  • know where things are around you
  • imagine how something will look after it is moved around or changed
Vision
  • see details that are far away
  • decide which thing is closer or farther away from you or decide how far away it is from you
Attention
  • pay attention to something without being distracted

Personality

People interested in this work like activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions.
They do well at jobs that need:
  • Attention to Detail
  • Dependability
  • Self Control
  • Stress Tolerance
  • Cooperation
  • Integrity

Technology

You might use software like this on the job:

Word processing software
  • 3M Post-it App
  • Microsoft Word Hot Technology
Data base user interface and query software
  • ddlsoftware.com drivers daily log program DDL
  • TruckersHelper
Route navigation software
  • ALK Technologies PC*Miler
  • MarcoSoft Quo Vadis

Education

Education: (rated 2 of 5)
high school diploma/GED or
no high school diploma/GED
usually needed

Get started on your career:

Find Training Find Certifications Find Licenses Apprenticeship.gov

Job Outlook

Bright Outlook
New job opportunities are very likely in the future.
Salary
$48,310
$30,710
$72,730
Check out my state Local Salary Info Find Jobs

Explore More

See more details at O*NET OnLine about heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers.