Copyright FreightWaves
What Does It Actually Take to Become a Truck Driver? Let’s layout the basics. To legally operate a Class 8 truck — that’s your 80,000 lb tractor-trailer combo — a driver must first go through a Department of Transportation (DOT) physical, drug and alcohol testing, and clear a Motor Vehicle Record check. From there, they enter a CDL training program that spans weeks of classroom instruction and behind-the-wheel training — often totaling hours behind the wheel. But don’t let the recent headlines fool you. It’s what you don’t see, sometimes a small fraction of driving school students that actually make it all the way through as some don’t cut it. These are just a few of the real world required skill sets: Backing a 53-foot trailer into a tight dock with 6 inches of clearance on either side Reading and interpreting DOT Hours of Service regulations Performing pre-trip inspections that could detect potential brake failures before a mountain downgrade Calculating axle weight distribution to comply with federal bridge laws Handling icy mountain descents with an 13-speed transmission in foggy conditions Coordinating with brokers, shippers, and receivers across multiple time zones That doesn’t sound “minimal” to me. You Know What Is Low Skill? Making Tweets Like That Without Ever Riding Shotgun in a Truck The disconnect between the perception of trucking and the reality of it is vast. People think truckers are just “driving around all day.” But they’re running rolling warehouses worth hundreds of thousands of dollars — surrounded by distracted drivers, unpredictable weather, strict time windows, and a federal rulebook that could fill a law library. You mess up in a cubicle job? You might miss a deadline. You mess up in a big truck? People could die. The Real Test Isn’t on Paper — It’s in the Field Let’s play a game. Imagine someone drops you into the driver’s seat of a fully loaded 18-wheeler on 285 in Atlanta at 5:30 PM. It’s raining. Your fuel tanks are at 30%. Your load is at full max legal. And your ELD just beeped — 45 minutes left on your clock. Still think it’s low skill? Trucking demands: Spatial awareness under stress Mechanical intuition on the fly Advanced trip planning Customer service at shipper/receiver docks Legal literacy of state and federal regulations Split-second decision making at 70 mph Many lawyers couldn’t do what a trucker does. Even doctors couldn’t. Most influencers certainly couldn’t. But truckers do it every single day, in every state, for 500–3,000 miles a week. The Math Behind the Pressure Still unconvinced? Here’s how dangerous this job becomes when you undervalue the skill. A 40-ton vehicle at 65 mph takes about 525 feet to stop — nearly two football fields. The average driver has less than 1.5 seconds to respond to a hazard. 30% of fatal truck crashes involve driver error — most of which are preventable with proper training, rest, and regulation adherence. And here’s the worst part: if the public believes trucking is “low skill,” it makes it easier for companies and lawmakers to: Underpay drivers Slash training programs Overlook safety Replace humans with automation prematurely That’s the real danger of this narrative. Real-Life Stories That Prove the Point You want proof? Here are just a few recent headlines: California Crash, October 2025: An improperly trained driver — under the influence — plows into traffic and kills 3 people on I-10. Video shows no attempt to brake or steer. CDL status under scrutiny. New Entrant Audit Violations: Thousands of new carriers fail basic safety components of the audit due to poor training practices and falsified driver qualification files. Non-Domiciled CDL Debate: FMCSA is now reevaluating 200,000+ licenses after discovering systemic abuse in testing protocols and English comprehension standards. These aren’t just policy problems. They’re people problems. And they start with underestimating the job. Why This Narrative Persists So why do people keep pushing the “low skill” myth? Because the less respect a job has, the easier it is to: Outsource it Automate it Underpay it Exploit it If you tell the public “trucking is just steering a wheel,” you pave the way for: Driver fast-track programs that skip safety fundamentals Brokers prioritizing price over qualifications Politicians using truckers as talking points but not policy priorities You devalue the workforce — and the workforce becomes disposable. The Real Skill Is What You Don’t See Trucking is a 24/7 mental game. A skilled trucker is: Watching mirrors every few seconds Adjusting gears to grade and weight Listening to engine tones for early failure signs Reading body language of drivers ahead Predicting danger before it happens And beyond the wheel? They’re managing parking plans, HOS logs, trip planning, detention billing, reefer temp logs, and broker relations — all while being away from home, sleeping in rest areas, and missing birthdays. Sound low-skill to you? We’re Not Just Defending Trucking — We’re Demanding Recognition What you saw in that tweet is bigger than just one comment. It’s a window into the deep-rooted cultural disconnect that’s undermining one of America’s most important professions. We need: Stronger CDL training standards Wider public education on what truckers do Greater media coverage of driver achievements Policy input from real drivers, not just executives And we need to start calling out ignorance when we see it. Because if you can disrespect a trucker’s skill, you can disrespect their life. The Bottom Line Let’s end with this: If trucking is so easy, why do we have 90% turnover in the large fleets? Truth is, trucking isn’t easy. It’s unforgiving. It’s exhausting. It’s precise. And it’s absolutely essential. So the next time someone tweets nonsense like that? Send them this article — and remind them that the “low skill” they’re talking about is the same profession that delivered their food, built their roads, hauled their fuel, and kept their shelves stocked through a global pandemic. Truckers don’t need your approval. But they damn sure deserve your respect.
