Truck Driver (General)
What the work is
Drives a rigid truck, requiring a specially endorsed class of licence, to transport goods, usually over short 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 a truck into position for loading and unloading goods
- Drives a truck to transport goods to designated locations
- Communicates with dispatchers and other truck drivers to coordinate deliveries
- Maintains accurate records of goods transported, including delivery times and locations
- Performs routine maintenance on the truck, such as checking oil and tyre pressure
Try it
A simulation and a case study from this kind of work, set in a towing and rigid truck business servicing a regional highway and local depots. They are fictional.
The kind of days you could have
Good days
- A stranded family is back on the road because you arrived when you said you would
- A tidy reverse into a tight dock on the first try, with a driver watching in admiration
- A day of steady deliveries where the load, the roads and the paperwork all go smoothly
Hard days
- A call-out at 2am to a wet highway with traffic flying past too close
- A customer in shock or distress who is taking it out on you
- A site that wants you to squeeze into a space that is clearly too small
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 713131, used under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence. The skill guide above is our plain English summary.