Heavy & Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers

Also Called:

Driver,

Line Haul Driver,

Over the Road Driver (OTR Driver),

Truck Driver

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.

Supply Chain & Transportation icon

Supply Chain & Transportation

Career Cluster

What do they typically do on the job?

  • 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.

Personality

People interested in this work like activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions.

Cautiousness

Attention to Detail

Dependability

Integrity

Perseverance

Stress Tolerance

Interests

Career interests describe the perspectives and interests of people who enjoy the type of work involved in this career.

Discover what your interests are by taking the Interest Profiler Quiz

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Realistic

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Conventional

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Investigative

Abilities

Whether you have received formal training or not, these types of abilities are helpful in this career.

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

Skills

People who want to pursue this career have skills in these areas.

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

Does this sound like something you'd like to do?

1. Do some research

  • Identify how your interests, values, and strengths match this occupation
  • Talk to someone who works in this field or spend a day job shadowing
  • Use the colleges and training directory to explore programs related to this career

2. Plan your next move

  • Talk to your college and career counselor or school admissions staff
  • Visit Idaho Launch
  • Search for available Heavy & Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers jobs on Idaho Works

Data for NSI career cards comes from the following: Idaho Department of Labor, US Bureau of Labor Statistics, O*NET, MyNextMove, and Career OneStop