Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers
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.
What is this job like?
- Check vehicles to ensure that mechanical, safety, and emergency equipment is in good working order.
- Perform basic vehicle maintenance tasks, such as adding oil, fuel, or radiator fluid or performing minor repairs.
- Give directions to laborers who are packing goods and moving them onto trailers.
- Collect delivery instructions from appropriate sources, verifying instructions and routes.
- 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.
- Follow special cargo-related procedures, such as checking refrigeration systems for frozen foods or providing food or water for livestock.
- Maneuver trucks into loading or unloading positions, following signals from loading crew and checking that vehicle and loading equipment are properly positioned.
- Secure cargo for transport, using ropes, blocks, chain, binders, or covers.
- Drive trucks with capacities greater than 3 tons, including tractor-trailer combinations, to transport and deliver products, livestock, or other materials.
- Wrap and secure goods using pads, packing paper, containers, or straps.
- Maintain logs of working hours or of vehicle service or repair status, following applicable state and federal regulations.
- Maintain logs of working hours or of vehicle service or repair status, following applicable state and federal regulations.
- Install or remove special equipment, such as tire chains, grader blades, plow blades, or sanders.
- Check conditions of trailers after contents have been unloaded to ensure that there has been no damage.
- 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.
- Read and interpret maps to determine vehicle routes.
- Inventory and inspect goods to be moved to determine quantities and conditions.
- Wrap and secure goods using pads, packing paper, containers, or straps.
- 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.
- 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.
- Crank trailer landing gear up or down to safely secure vehicles.
- Read bills of lading to determine assignment details.
- Inspect loads to ensure that cargo is secure.
- Remove debris from loaded trailers.
- Report vehicle defects, accidents, traffic violations, or damage to the vehicles.
- Couple or uncouple trailers by changing trailer jack positions, connecting or disconnecting air or electrical lines, or manipulating fifth-wheel locks.
- 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.
- Report vehicle defects, accidents, traffic violations, or damage to the vehicles.
- Collect delivery instructions from appropriate sources, verifying instructions and routes.
- Follow appropriate safety procedures for transporting dangerous goods.
- Obtain receipts or signatures for delivered goods and collect payment for services when required.
- 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.
- Drive electric or hybrid-electric powered trucks or alternative fuel-powered trucks to transport and deliver products, livestock, or other materials.
Local Wage Data
Showing wage data for: New Orleans
Entry
Median
High
Salary
Hourly Wage
$30,350
$46,640
$62,680
$14.59
$22.42
$30.13