Articulated Truck Driver
What the work is
Drives an articulated truck, requiring a specially endorsed class of licence, to transport goods, often over long-haul distances.
Would you enjoy the work?
These are the main tasks in the official description. Mark how each one sounds to you.
- Drives and manoeuvres articulated truck and trailer combinations
- Couples and uncouples trailer combinations as required
- Loads and unloads goods using specialised vehicles such as side loaders
- Performs maintenance and repairs on the truck, utilising specialised mechanical knowledge, particularly when driving in isolated areas
- Maintains knowledge of road rules relating to haulage across all states and territories
- Operates relevant company and client applications to provide real time visibility and trip reports
- Manages cargo weights to comply with load limitations and ensures safe distribution of weight
- May transport livestock or dangerous goods, complying with relevant safety standards
Try it
A simulation and a case study from this kind of work, set in a long-haul freight company running articulated trucks and fuel tankers between fictional inland towns and the coast. They are fictional.
The kind of days you could have
Good days
- Dawn on an open road with a good load, clear weather and nothing to fix
- Arriving at a remote depot where the team knows you by name and the kettle is on
- Backing a long trailer into a tight dock on the first go while the crew watches
Hard days
- Weeks of nights away from home and a family who have stopped asking when you will be back
- A flooded highway, a closed road and a delivery window that will not move
- A load that does not match its paperwork, with a dispatcher pushing you to go anyway
Written by Career Calling as a general guide. Real roles vary by employer and place.
Work a mission
Step into a simulated workplace in this field, with a brief from your manager.
Description and tasks: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Occupation Standard Classification for Australia, 2024, Version 1.0 (opens another site), occupation 713231, used under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence. The skill guide above is our plain English summary.