Long-haul driving is an excellent way to provide for your family. As is true for all jobs though, some opportunities are better than others. However, a good trucking job will offer many years of happy employment.
Scheduling
Don’t be afraid of the long hours that some truck driving jobs in Illinois entail. Not all jobs require a full week on the road before getting time home with your family. Many companies are now learning to be more flexible and allowing employees to make their schedules. This ensures that you’ll be home for your son’s Tuesday night baseball practices.
Build your own schedule around the things that matter to you. This way, you also control your compensation based on the number of hours (and usually miles) completed each week. However, make sure you can rely on at least a weekly minimum regardless of the miles driven.
Employee-Driven Compensation
Compensation is not just the amount of money you make each week. It also includes paid time off, health benefits and things like life insurance or personal leave time. A good truck driving jobs in Illinois will include all of these things. A complete benefits package is one that has the employee’s best interests in mind. There should be a policy for things like maternity/paternity leave and sick time. Look into the non-cash benefits provided by any company offering truck driving jobs in Illinois. These are the things that will make one offer stand out among the rest.
Family-Focused
Companies know that driving a truck long distances takes an employee away from his or her family. That company should do everything possible to make the time away worth it. A good company will treat employees like family and allow for a much-needed home time as often as possible. Good employees don’t take advantage of family-focused policies, and good companies know that.
The way a company operates on a daily basis should tell you where its priorities fall. Take the time to get to know the operations and management team running the business. It shouldn’t take you long to decide whether or not this family (business) is one that you want to join.