How Much Strength Is Required?

I can lift and carry up to 50 pounds. Maybe 60 pounds, but I have a difficult time with both amounts of weight. Am I strong enough to be a truck driver?

Kristine...Welcome to TT !!!! We are glad you came in..... It doesn't take any strength to drive truck. And most companies don't want their drivers unloading the freight. The only job that might cause you problems is if you wanted to go flatbedding...those tarps can get heavy. So you will do fine driving, and pulling a reefer or dry box. Some tanker work is strenuous..and its dirty, gritty, and just plain hard. So I'd steer clear of that one.

So, now that you know you CAN DO IT.....let us help you get lined out with all the free training that is on this site. If you can get thru the High Road program before you go to your CDL school, you will be WAY ahead of all the other students...and that usually gets you noticed...and that gets you picked by the best trainers...and that gets you the best training !!!! So its worth the work....

There are a ton of links on here to help you do about anything. You need to decide if you want to go to a private cdl school, a community college program, or a company sponsored school. Then its just a matter of picking the one THAT FITS YOU......we can help with that, but the final decision is all yours...you know you best !!! So sit back and cruise around the site. If you have questions, which I know you will, just ask them...you are welcome to post in this forum, or on the general forum...but you can go all over and read and learn.

Hi Kristine,

This site has been a godsend for my research into trucking. I'll be going to school next month. :) The High Road course here is a wonderful (free) tool to help prepare. The other thing I've been doing is watching a lot of youtube videos. Be careful though because there are some whiners out there who think one trucking company or another are bad just because they had a bad experience. Do a ton of research, prepare yourself and go for it! I am excited for my future in trucking.

Deb C

Congratulations! I just wanted to add there are sooo many different types of trucking out there. I agree with Starcar regarding flatbedding. That'd be the toughest because of chaining down the load and tarping. Local driving might present more physical work too, due to you making local deliveries. I've hauled dry bulk cement and wet concrete both locally, and there is quite a bit of physical work to both of those. Dry van or Reefer long haul is probably the best for less physical work. Things may have changed by now but back in the 80s' when I would pick up bananas at the L.A. docks, I had to help the longshoremen roll the boxes down the rollers into the trailers. If I recall, I think it was me and my other driver who had to stack the load because the union longshoremen were forbidden to step inside the trailers. So they put the boxes on the rollers and gave them a big shove down to us at the front of the trailer. That was always a workout. Hope this little anecdote helps!

Cheers!

Debby

Hi Kristine,

This was a question I had too. I am currently in CDL school and quickly realized that I had to put a little more effort into just turning the steering wheel to make it go where I wanted to go. I am 5'7", 150lbs. I believe that anything you decide to get into, you will adapt. That is what women naturally do, so don't sweat it. All will be good.

Trucking companies don't like to let their drivers "lump" loads anymore...the liability is huge, and they just make the shipper and receivers take on that problem..which is fine with me...my CDL does not mean Certified Dumb Lumper...I hate handing freight....If I liked it i'd work on a doxk somewhere...I like to DRIVE..... I went to Woody's Pig Roast and Bike Rally this weekend....it was great..I got sun burned,...ate to much....but what a riot it was...bon fires, S'mores, good company, great food...now on to the next one...my Harley needs some road time....

Things may have changed by now but back in the 80s' when I would pick up bananas at the L.A. docks, I had to help the longshoremen roll the boxes down the rollers into the trailers. If I recall, I think it was me and my other driver who had to stack the load because the union longshoremen were forbidden to step inside the trailers. So they put the boxes on the rollers and gave them a big shove down to us at the front of the trailer. That was always a workout. Hope this little anecdote helps!

Cheers!

Debby

I drove 1988-1991 for May Trucking and Can Am Express as a team driver. Back then, if you drove team, you had to load and unload most of the products. I was talking with my brother who has been driving for 4-5 mths about the tie/high restack we had to do. He never heard of that and didn't know what I was talking about. As we talked about his trips, I asked him how much time they allowed him to offload what he had on. To date, he hasn't lumped anything. While I can lift 50 lbs (bags of feed and mineral) and 70 lb hay bales, at my age, I much rather not have to. So, hearing the news I don't have to lump loads, I am more anxious to get started driving!

I was just wondering do you have to lift so much pounds to pass a CDL physical or when u go to a company u have to show them u can lift 50 pounds.

I was just wondering do you have to lift so much pounds to pass a CDL physical or when u go to a company u have to show them u can lift 50 pounds.

Howdy! While it will be awhile before I drive (have to get the husband situated in a nursing home first), I asked a couple of the recruiters about lifting for their company and NO, dry box and reefer drivers do NOT have to lift 50 lbs or less/more. For my physical, I lifted nothing, did not do toe touches or squatting, jumping jacks, etc. I had to hear a (forced) whisper, have an eye exam and answer physical questions about my health. The guys that are in my class went thru the same exam. Oh yeah....and a pee drug test. That was it. If you have health issues, be honest about them, otherwise, you should be fine.

IDLaura

Congrats kristine! I've been driving for 15 years and have arthritis in my spine and lupus that affects my joints. The company I work for will not allow me to lift anything that may hurt me worse. We are required to use chains in the winter but they even pay someone to put them on and take them off for me. Same goes with driver unload or driver assist loads. Many companies that hire new drivers won't allow their employees to chain. If it's bad enough to chain it's too bad to be on the road... read the policy of the company and if you don't like what it says find a company that fits you better. Never settle or be unsafe. Good luck and happy driving.