The Industry Needs More Drivers
It’s been projected that by 2026 nearly half of the current workforce in the trucking industry will be aged over 65 and by 2030, truck freight will double in Australia.
The need for truck drivers in Australia is growing, but truck drivers are actually diminishing, and we feel this needs to change to keep our industry thriving.
The rewards of driving a truck
Truck driving in Australia can be challenging but an extremely rewarding job. This country has such variable weather conditions, regularly changing road rules and various labour needs that it feels like there are so many speed bumps to getting the job.
The issue of getting more truck drivers has been noted heavily across Australia, especially in Victoria, with the transport industry previously touring primary schools to encourage children to consider a career as a truck driver, while offering truck safety messages. Truck driving is a lifestyle and can be very rewarding.
Its predicated that there will be around 25,400 roles each year available in Australia over the next 5 years.
Full time truck drivers can expect to earn around $1300 a week on average, depending on experience. Source
But how do you become a truck driver?
There are various ways to undertake a role as a truck driver in Australia, the most important is considering the role you want to go for, the state you live in and the qualifications involved. This could be something as simple as upgrading your licence to comply for the truck you are going to drive. Read more here.
Some organisations may require a truck driver, but you may not need a truck licence. A number of models in the Hino 300 range only require a C Class driver’s licence.
The difference in licence refers to the carrying capacity and axles numbers:
- Light Rigid: GVM not greater than 8 tonne and towing trailer must not weight greater than 9 tonne GVM.
- Medium Rigid: Any GVM but limits you to only drive 2 axle trucks. Also will not allow you to tow a trailer more than 9T
- Heavy Rigid: Unlimited vehicle GVM and no axle limitation, however still not able to tow a trailer more than 9T
- Heavy Combination: The only restriction on this licence is the ability to tow more than one trailer. Maximum is one.
- Multi Combination: Unrestricted operation of road registered heavy vehicles
With over 500 schools listed in the Australian Driver Trainer Association, finding a heavy vehicle driving school in your vicinity shouldn’t be a problem
How to find work as a truck driver?
Finding work can be simple if you want to become a truck driver, there are numerous online locations where you can find suitable roles with your skills and experience.
So what is the salary like, I hear you ask! Well truck drivers are paid higher than the Australian average, but a truck driver is such a varied title that the salary or hourly rate also depends on what role you do.
The Australian government offers an outlook on the truck driver job role.
Finding work is as simple as a few clicks, but we’ve compiled some great starting points to find and apply for roles or jobs if you are an owner operator:
Seek
Driver Jobs
Gumtree Jobs
Jora
Driver Hire
1800 Drivers
Should I be an owner operator or work for a fleet?
This depends completely on your lifestyle, your situation and your financial position. There are pros and cons to buying your own truck and becoming your own boss. The freedom and the choice of running your own business while being the head honcho is attractive to a lot of Aussies and certainly something that can be achievable with leasing options. The cons can be a range of items that you need to consider carefully including taxes, long hours, paperwork, financial risk and regular work.
Don’t take this decision lightly, weigh up the pros and cons. Hino offer business support with Hino Advantage, allowing you to make better business decisions for the life of the truck.
Truck driving brings rewards to its employees, such as seeing this great country, various opportunities to work overtime, the ability to not be stuck in an office, variable hours and being your own boss. It’s up to you.
