How to become an Ice Road Trucker
An ice road trucker is an individual that is paid professionally to travel in the most northern part of Canada to make commercial deliveries. A obtaining this job can be extremely difficult because the proficiency with which an individual needs to be able to drive is extremely high. In the northern parts of Canada, it is extremely likely that the ice and rain will make travel almost impossible for most individuals. A person can make over $40,000 a year as an experienced driver with these roots. Connecting with a job in this very dangerous form of trucking is a relatively simplistic task.
A person can network with one of the various agencies associated with the Canadian trucking organizations that can make the dream of being part of that profession come true. Obviously if a person is from outside of Canada they must apply for and be granted the proper working papers to be employed in that specific profession. It is not very likely that a person will have to wait very long for information regarding the availability of employment. These individuals work throughout the long Canadian winter to provide products to the Canadian citizens.
There is a very high turnover in the profession because the job itself is very stressful. Some truckers have been known to make in excess of $75,000 if they are giving sufficient service for several years in a row. The season is approximately 10 to 12 weeks of the year; therefore, a person should consider the intensity of the job before applying. Obviously, the individual will need to have training as a person that carries freight before applying for this job. Licensed truckers will need to perform a training camp series that takes less than 10 days before being given their first job.
This is to verify that they can handle the weather conditions safely. An untrained individual will need approximately 8 to 14 weeks of training depending upon the company and how quickly they learn the skills of driving. In rare cases, some individuals can complete the course in a shorter length of time. However, this is not normal for the majority of individuals. Every person must consider whether or not they can emotionally handle the work. The intensity is very high and one mistake can mean the loss of thousands of dollars in merchandise as well as the life of the trucker.
Companies will often give incentives to workers who can sustain long-term employment in the very demanding field. It is possible that a person can be rushed into work because the companies are not meeting their professional standards because of lack of drivers during the icy season.
