Truck Driver Training: Salary & Opportunities Explained

You've already toyed with the idea of becoming a trucker and earning your money on the road. But so far, you only know that you need a truck driver's license. Then our article about professional driver training is just the right thing for you. Here you will not only find out how the training works, but also what you will earn during this time. We'll tell you which areas you can work in afterwards and what salary you can expect.

In doing so, we want to arouse your interest in this exciting job, as we specialize in recruiting personnel in the logistics sector. What exactly that means and how we can help you find a job after completing your training is explained at the end of the article.

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How long does truck driver training take?

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That is probably the decisive question for you, because only after passing the exam can you take up a full-time position and earn money. Contrary to what many people think, this is training that involves much more than just driving a truck.

Truck driver training or professional driver is a classic dual education and is designed to last three years. You will spend these three years partly in your training company and partly at vocational school with other prospective truck drivers. This makes it clear that this vocational training is not just about driving a vehicle. The training content is divided into the three apprenticeship years as follows:

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1st year of apprenticeship

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Here you will learn a lot about vehicles for now. As a truck driver, you must develop a high level of technical understanding and be able to carry out minor repairs yourself on the road. You'll learn how an engine works and a lot about the physics of a vehicle. Another focus is on loading, unloading and securing freight. All of this prepares you for the practice of truck driver training.

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2nd year of apprenticeship

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Driving training traditionally begins in the second year of training. Of course, it depends on which company you complete your training with. Freight forwarders are not the only ones offering professional driver training. Waste collection and industrial companies with their own vehicle fleets also provide training. There are also bus companies. In any case, you will gain driving experience in the second year of your truck driving license.

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3rd year of apprenticeship

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Now it really starts. After you have built up a lot of theoretical knowledge and have obtained the necessary driving license, your third year of apprenticeship is mostly on the road. You may first accompany an experienced colleague so that you can gain practical experience. At the end of your training, however, you will be traveling independently.

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The final exam

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In order to successfully complete the training to become a professional driver, you must pass an examination before the Chamber of Industry and Commerce. This is divided into a theoretical and a practical part. In the practical exam, you will be given 5 practical tasks that you prepared for in your third year of apprenticeship. Examples of practical tasks may include patching a broken brake hose or driving backwards to an unloading station.

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An important topic: How much do you earn in truck driver training?

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Since you see your professional future behind the wheel of a truck, you will certainly also be interested in what you can earn with this job. The salary after training depends on which sector you are studying in and where your training position is. However, there are guidelines that you can use as a guide.

The gross salary in the first year of apprenticeship is between 585 and 670 euros per month. For the second year of apprenticeship, there is the first increase, so that you should earn between 690 euros and 720 euros per month. In the last year of training, if you can already work properly, you will receive between 790 and 800 euros gross per month.

Of course, you will also be interested now, with What salary You can calculate after successful truck driver training. Your salary will depend on whether you have other qualifications, such as the risk certificate. Starting salaries of between 1,700 and 1,900 gross are usual for young professionals. But you can earn significantly more, as truck drivers earn up to 4,500 euros a month.

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Requirements for truck driver training

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In any case, you must be 18 years old so that you can complete training as a professional driver. In theory, you do not need a school leaving certificate, but training companies usually expect at least a secondary school leaving certificate. It is also very welcome if you have already obtained your car driver's license. This shows that you have already successfully dealt with road traffic in an exam.

Good prerequisites for starting a career as a truck driver are if you like sitting behind the wheel and have no problem sitting still for many hours a day. You should also be very responsible, because your employer will entrust you with an expensive vehicle. The job means that you will spend a lot of time alone. You shouldn't have a problem with that.

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Training done and then?

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Once you have completed your training, there are various options available to you as a job. Many training companies are happy to take on their trainees because they have got to know them well during the 3 years of apprenticeship. However, many truck drivers decide to change employers over the course of their working lives. And that's where we come in. We from SimpleJob In fact, we specialize in finding specialists in the logistics sector. And a large part of the jobs we provide involve professional drivers.

We are happy to add you to our database and can then consider you for vacancies with our customers. Only if it matches your qualifications and professional experience, of course. However, many of our customers are also open to young professionals. We have already been able to help more than 100 customers find new employees. In doing so, we always use the same proven system. We get to know all applicants and are convinced that we can place them for a fair salary. We then create an individual applicant profile. This allows us to present our applicants to potential employers. It goes without saying that we will support you with our experience.

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A large network of logisticians

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More and more specialists in the logistics sector are using SimpleJob to reorient themselves professionally. More than 15,000 specialists and managers have already registered with us. This makes us interesting for more and more companies and we are constantly talking to other companies about cooperation in recruiting. In addition to drivers, we have also recruited many warehouse workers and forklift drivers.

With our personnel services, we cover the entire range of jobs in the logistics sector. Personal contact with our customers is just as important to us as maximum transparency. Our high standards for the quality of our service and our determination set us apart. This is the basis for us to be able to bring applicants and employers together quickly and efficiently.