THE DRIVER
Steve Stevens BUS 303
Any One
November 05, 2011

Everyone knows that no matter what side of the world you come from work is a necessity. Without an education finding a successful career path is often a hard route to travel. Training is the ultimate booster in the job market and performance is often based on the level of training you have at that specific task. Now don’t let me lie money doesn’t buy happiness but I surely believe it can help you get the things in life that will make it that much easier. As a delivery driver of a commercial organization you are often required to follow federal and state regulations in order to remain legal. Today you will get an aspect on what it takes to be a driver in the high demand commercial field as well as one of the top liquor distribution companies in the United States. Daily tasks, procedures, and the basic skills needed to perform this job will be discussed during this paper.
According to a recent employment opportunity with our organization some of the basic duties and descriptions can be described as but of course not limited to “Perform daily pre-trip and safety inspections on equipment prior to commencing route. Partner with routers to acquire delivery schedule and communicate delays, arrivals, and/or equipment problems as encountered. Drive established route to deliver wine and spirits beverage products to assigned customers” (Southernwine.com, 2013). As stated above this is not the limit of what it takes to be a driver at Southern Wine and Spirits also known as SWS. The start of my day typically starts at 5:00am and doesn’t end till about 4:00 pm. Upon clocking in I am required to perform my paperwork portion of my pre trip which includes a walk around of the vehicle I am driving for the day. The other portion of my pre trip paper work is to inspect all the items loaded on my truck and safely secure all loads and loose items placed in the trailer. Let me tell you this is the most important part of my day prior to moving toward my first delivery. Sometimes our days can be relatively simple depending on time of year or time of the month.
The basic job tools and technologies are rather simple if you ask me. A GPS tracked cell phone which is used to locate and track our delivery times; Pens which are needed to fill out paperwork; a utility knife which is needed to open boxes which need to be scanned in; a hand truck which we use to bring product in and out of the deliver site; and most importantly our commercial truck supplied by the employer which is needed to transport product from our 425,000sqft warehouse to a number of small businesses and large corporations. Now you may not believe this is a proper tool but a strong back always helps when on average we lift boxes and kegs weighing in excess of 100 pounds each. Another thing that might assist in performing these duties can be something like “Keep the interior and exterior of cab clean” (Truckjobstoday.com, 2013). These simple tools are very crucial to completing our daily duties. If you’re lucky you will get the grove of things and even get set up on a set route which I find to make your day much easier to complete.
Knowledge can be one of the most powerful aspects of this job. One would think that there isn’t a lot to a job like this where you drive a truck from point A to point B. Well frankly if you think that then hey your wrong because there are many factors where knowledge will help you in the long run. Knowing important things like local traffic laws and limitations will keep you from getting un-wanted tickets and having to pay out of pocket. Knowledge of your store receiving procedures and standards also assist with getting you in and out of the store as fast as possible. This can allow you more time to play with if complications were to pop up example given a flat tire or worse traffic accidents. Living in a big city like Las Vegas traffic accidents happen on a daily basis and can result in countless hours of lost time dealing with backed up traffic. Having knowledge of alternate routes can also combat from having too much lost time while making deliveries.
Some of the skills and abilities needed to be a productive driver at SWS can be something as unbelievable as staying in shape. This job is a very demanding and tasking job on your body having a basic understanding of lifting techniques will help keep you safe and keep you working for a long time to come. Some other skills I find to be important would be having the ability to adapt to every changing weather environments such as wind, and rain. Working in the rain can often be a dangerous task that requires a certain skill level that is gained over a long time of driving and delivering. I have seen numerous drivers go on light duty of even get taken off routes completely from accidental slips down the truck ramps due to bad weather conditions. Light duty employees get paid at a rate of 85% of your normal hourly wage.
This goes back to my caveman theory that most people think of delivery drivers as having a simple job but in all reality it’s hard. Education is an absolute factor when becoming a commercial driver. Being a Class A/B driver means you need to do mandatory drug and medical testing. Getting a license is much harder because not only do you need to perform a driving test you need education on federal motor carrier laws and regulations required to maintain a commercial license. You’re going to need to pass a 110 point inspection with minimal errors prior to getting your license which I found to be the hardest part of the whole process. I went to a 4 week residents course here in Las Vegas in order to learn how to properly fill out log books, vehicle inspection forms, and most importantly drive. As everyone can assume laws and rules change annually because we are in an ever growing market where roads often change and experience levels alter due to the age of new drivers on the road.
Hopefully this has given you the basic understanding of qualifications and requirements needed to perform this job. There is no way you can cover everything that is involved with commercial driving but having a grasp on daily operations can give you the upper hand over the competitor. In today’s market just having a good job is a hard thing to get and even harder to keep sometimes. As a professional driver you will always have a high demand job to fall back on and a job that is expected to grow over the next few decades. I love my job and having a career in such a liquor demanding society things couldn’t be worse.

References:
Youssef, C. (2012). Human Resource Management, Bridgepoint Education, Inc, San Diego, CA. Retrieved from: https://content.ashford.edu/books/AUBUS303.12.1/sections/fm Southern Wine and Spirits (2013). Current Job Offers, Taleo Powered Inc. Retrieved from: https://southernwine.taleo.net/careersection/3/jobdetail.ftl Truck Jobs Today © (2013). The Truck Driver Job Description, Retrieved from:
http://www.truckjobstoday.com/truck-driver-job-description.html