Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers

Key Responsibilities

• Read and interpret maps to determine vehicle routes.
• Read bills of lading to determine assignment details.
• Load or unload trucks or help others with loading or unloading, using special loading-related equipment or other equipment as necessary.
• Inspect loads to ensure that cargo is secure.
• Secure cargo for transport, using ropes, blocks, chain, binders, or covers.
• Follow appropriate safety procedures for transporting dangerous goods.
• Operate equipment, such as truck cab computers, CB radios, phones, or global positioning systems (GPS) equipment to exchange necessary information with bases, supervisors, or other drivers.
• Drive trucks with capacities greater than 13 tons, including tractor-trailer combinations, to transport and deliver products, livestock, or other materials.
• Maintain logs of working hours or of vehicle service or repair status, following applicable state and federal regulations.
• Give directions to laborers who are packing goods and moving them onto trailers.
• Check all load-related documentation for completeness and accuracy.
• Collect delivery instructions from appropriate sources, verifying instructions and routes.
• Follow special cargo-related procedures, such as checking refrigeration systems for frozen foods or providing food or water for livestock.
• Perform emergency roadside repairs, such as changing tires or installing light bulbs, tire chains, or spark plugs.
• Plan or adjust routes based on changing conditions, using computer equipment, global positioning systems (GPS) equipment, or other navigation devices, to minimize fuel consumption and carbon emissions.
• Wrap and secure goods using pads, packing paper, containers, or straps.
• Check vehicles to ensure that mechanical, safety, and emergency equipment is in good working order.
• Drive trucks to weigh stations before and after loading and along routes in compliance with state regulations.
• Perform basic vehicle maintenance tasks, such as adding oil, fuel, or radiator fluid, performing minor repairs, or washing trucks.
• Operate idle reduction systems or auxiliary power systems to generate power from alternative sources, such as fuel cells, to reduce idling time, to heat or cool truck cabins, or to provide power for other equipment.
• Install or remove special equipment, such as tire chains, grader blades, plow blades, or sanders.
• Couple or uncouple trailers by changing trailer jack positions, connecting or disconnecting air or electrical lines, or manipulating fifth-wheel locks.
• Report vehicle defects, accidents, traffic violations, or damage to the vehicles.
• Remove debris from loaded trailers.
• Obtain receipts or signatures for delivered goods and collect payment for services when required.
• Inventory and inspect goods to be moved to determine quantities and conditions.
• Maneuver trucks into loading or unloading positions, following signals from loading crew and checking that vehicle and loading equipment are properly positioned.
• Check conditions of trailers after contents have been unloaded to ensure that there has been no damage.
• Crank trailer landing gear up or down to safely secure vehicles.