Why should I choose a career in professional truck driving?

• You will be well paid – earn an above average income
• You will work on your own – no direct supervision, make your own decisions
• You will have clear goals and objectives
• You have the opportunity for advancement
• You will have a secure job with good pay and benefits
• Your choice of how and where you work – home every day or see the country as a long-haul driver – your choice
• You can become self-employed – buy your own truck and work for yourself
• You will have ever changing views from your “corner office” – your truck cab
• There are different challenges everyday

Will I make a good professional truck driver?

Transport companies are looking for people who have a good attitude, are willing to work hard and can communicate well with customers, supervisors and dispatchers. They need to be able to make decisions and manage themselves to meet their delivery dates and times. Drivers also need to work safely all the time and make independent judgments about the equipment that they drive.

What could I expect to earn once I’m trained?

Wages for professional truck drivers vary depending on the type of truck you drive. As a guide, here are some figures:

Inexperienced tractor trailer drivers: $26,000 to $36,000/year

The MTI Way Platinum graduates: $55,000 to $80,000/year

Benefit packages could also be included.

Popular truck driving myths:

1. Drivers have to work day and night to earn a decent income.
   • Canadian drivers earn great wages, often significantly more than the national average. Driving long-haul trips and being away from home all the time is not the norm. Fewer than 5 % of Canadian truck drivers have to be away from home for more than two days at a time.
2. Trucking is low tech.
   • The trucking industry is constantly applying new technology to improve its competitive edge. Laptop computers and onboard satellite systems are now common in cabs, and the drivers themselves are skilled users of this advanced equipment.
3. The trucking industry is a man’s world.
   • In the Canadian trucking industry, a rapidly growing proportion of women work as transport drivers, dispatchers, sales representatives, managers and presidents of trucking companies.
4. Truck driving offers very little job security.
   • Not true. There is a huge demand for drivers. As the North American population expands, the need for the movement of goods to supply the growing population is expanding with it. The trucking industry is one of the critical sectors within the Canadian economy that does offer career-long job security.
5. Trucking is unsafe and unhealthy.
   • Canadian standards for equipment safety and driver skill are among the highest in the world. Trucks are involved in fewer than 4% of all road accidents, and Canadian drivers are in demand globally precisely because they have proven that trucking is a safe occupation.