Long-Haul Truck Driver
🚛Hauls freight by lorry across the country and abroad: thousands of kilometres, sleeping in the cab, loading, paperwork, driving-hour rules.
Prospects & pay
What the work is like
💼 Job market
🇺🇸 $59.9k a year on average
Driver/sales workers & truck drivers — US: Census ACS 2020–24 (full-time), BLS projections 2025–35
🇬🇧 £39.9k median a year · 184,000 jobs
Large goods vehicle drivers — UK: ONS ASHE 2025 (full-time)
🤖 AI & automation
Self-driving trucks are being tested on highways; by the mid-2030s much long-haul driving may be automated, leaving people complex loads and the last mile.
Who it suits
Interests: ✈️ Transport, flying, sea, ⚙️ Tech and engineering.
Key strengths: strength and stamina, organisation.
Where to study
- Course Category C and C+E licence with Driver CPC (UK/EU)
- Course CDL Class A (US), 3–7-week course
- Apprenticeship Large goods vehicle driver apprenticeship (UK)
Key school subjects (A-level / IB / AP): Geography.
🧗 Category C and C+E licence plus Driver CPC (UK/EU) or a Class A CDL in the US (3–7-week course). Minimum age 18–21. Europe is short of drivers, so employers often pay for training.
Things to know
🧳 Frequent work trips🌙 Night shifts and on-call🏔️ Long stints far from home🪑 Sitting at a computer all day
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