{"id":2433,"date":"2017-09-01T09:34:28","date_gmt":"2017-09-01T16:34:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.classadrivers.com\/become-a-truck-driver\/?p=2433"},"modified":"2017-10-25T11:31:15","modified_gmt":"2017-10-25T18:31:15","slug":"truck-driving-in-florida","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.classadrivers.com\/become-a-truck-driver\/truck-driving-in-florida\/","title":{"rendered":"Truck Driving in Florida"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-size: 18pt;\"><strong>State Overview<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Over 60,000 trucking companies &amp; exporters in Florida, and over 72,280 drivers. The highest paid truck drivers\u00a0<a title=\"How much do Florida Drivers earn?\" href=\"http:\/\/www.usawage.com\/fl\/heavy_and_tractor-trailer_truck_drivers-salary-in-florida.php\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"external noopener\">earn<\/a> $47,400 ($22.79 hourly). The highest paying areas are Jacksonville with a Median Annual Salary of $42,510, Lakeland-Winter Haven ($42,190), and Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach-Deerfield Beach ($40,300).<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-size: 18pt;\"><strong>Pros and Cons of Truck Driving in Florida<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"color: #339966;\"><strong>GOOD:<\/strong>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ul class=\"good\">\n<li class=\"\">Opportunity, easy work, many local jobs, good for starter<\/li>\n<li class=\"hidden-xs-meta\">Well maintained infrastructure, few weigh stations in the South<\/li>\n<li class=\"hidden-xs-meta\">Weather is nice, flat land, no snow or ice, beautiful scenery<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><strong>BAD:<\/strong>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ul class=\"bad\">\n<li class=\"\">Hard to get home time as OTR, few loads coming into\/leaving the South<\/li>\n<li class=\"hidden-xs-meta\">Traffic is horrible near big tourist towns. Toll roads<\/li>\n<li class=\"hidden-xs-meta\">The heat and humidity in summers, hurricane season peaks in Aug-Sept<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-size: 18pt;\"><strong>Truck Driving Tips for Florida<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n<ul class=\"tips\">\n<li class=\"\">OTR offers better pay for new drivers&#8230;but there are fewer jobs<\/li>\n<li class=\"\">LTL freight companies &amp; private fleets generally pay well<\/li>\n<li class=\"\">Drive flatbed to make the most money<\/li>\n<li class=\"\">Get with a union, your pay scale is protected<\/li>\n<li class=\"\">Be aware of weather conditions<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-size: 18pt;\"><strong>Fellow Truck Drivers in Florida Say:<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n<h3>&#8220;Trucking will take you places&#8221;<\/h3>\n<p>Joreca W.\u00a0<span class=\"muted\">&#8211; 1 Year under my belt<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong><span style=\"color: #339966;\">GOOD<\/span><\/strong><br \/>\n Plenty of driving opportunities<\/p>\n<p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">BAD<\/span><\/strong><br \/>\n The heat, traffic, and small roads<\/p>\n<p><strong><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">TIP TO NEW DRIVERS<\/span><\/strong><br \/>\n Trucking is a great career, it will take you places<\/p>\n<div class=\"control-group\">\u00a0<\/div>\n<div>\n<h3>&#8220;Flat land&#8221;<\/h3>\n<p>Gerald C.\u00a0<span class=\"muted\">&#8211; 3 Years of experience<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong><span style=\"color: #339966;\">GOOD<\/span><\/strong><br \/>\n No hills or mountains<\/p>\n<p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">BAD<\/span><\/strong><br \/>\n Congestion around major cities<\/p>\n<p><strong><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">TIP TO NEW DRIVERS<\/span><\/strong><br \/>\n Stay with one company for a year before seeking out another employer<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3>&#8220;Suck up low pay for 2 years&#8221;<\/h3>\n<p>Peter V.\u00a0<span class=\"muted\">&#8211; 3 Years driving experience<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong><span style=\"color: #339966;\">GOOD<\/span><\/strong><br \/>\n No ice or snow<\/p>\n<p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">BAD<\/span><\/strong><br \/>\n Not a lot of freight coming in<\/p>\n<p><strong><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">TIP TO NEW DRIVERS<\/span><\/strong><br \/>\n Practice, practice, practice. You have to suck up low pay for 2 years and then you can get a good job.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3>&#8220;Will train opportunity&#8221;<\/h3>\n<div>\n<p>Brandon C.\u00a0<span class=\"muted\">&#8211; 1 Year of experience<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong><span style=\"color: #339966;\">GOOD<\/span><\/strong><br \/>\n It&#8217;s a will train job opportunity<\/p>\n<p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">BAD<\/span><\/strong><br \/>\n Home time can be hard to come by if you&#8217;re doing OTR. If you live in South Florida it can be especially tough<\/p>\n<p><strong><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">TIP TO NEW DRIVERS<\/span><\/strong><br \/>\n It&#8217;s a lifestyle, not a job. Be prepared to be away from home<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3>&#8220;OTR offers better opportunities&#8221;<\/h3>\n<p>Robert H.\u00a0<span class=\"muted\">&#8211; 9 years on road<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong><span style=\"color: #339966;\">GOOD<\/span><\/strong><br \/>\n Nice scenery\u2026<\/p>\n<p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">BAD<\/span><\/strong><br \/>\n Poor pay&#8230; $14 an hour to start&#8230;that&#8217;s with experience&#8230;<\/p>\n<p><strong><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">TIP TO NEW DRIVERS<\/span><\/strong><br \/>\n OTR offers better opportunities and better pay for new drivers&#8230;but there are a limited few OTR companies that operate out of Florida&#8230;but if you like to travel and make good money, that&#8217;s your best bet. Get with a union if possible&#8230;that way your pay scale is protected&#8230;and you&#8217;re guaranteed good great paying jobs&#8230;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3>&#8220;LTL and private fleets pay well&#8221;<\/h3>\n<p>Bruce B.\u00a0<span class=\"muted\">&#8211; 26 years driving experience and over 2 million miles<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong><span style=\"color: #339966;\">GOOD<\/span><\/strong><br \/>\n Overall the infrastructure is well maintained versus other states<\/p>\n<p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">BAD<\/span><\/strong><br \/>\n The traffic in South Florida can be bad<\/p>\n<p><strong><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">TIP TO NEW DRIVERS<\/span><\/strong><br \/>\n Try LTL freight companies they generally pay well. Private fleets generally pay better to. Do your homework before picking a carrier to work for. Don&#8217;t get talked into a lease purchase agreement.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3>&#8220;Drive flatbed to make the most money&#8221;<\/h3>\n<p>Eugene R.\u00a0<span class=\"muted\">&#8211; 4 Years driving OTR<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #339966;\"><strong>GOOD<\/strong><\/span><br \/>\n Higher off the ground, easy work<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><strong>BAD<\/strong><\/span><br \/>\n Traffic and the humidity<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><strong>TIP TO NEW DRIVERS<\/strong><\/span><br \/>\n Drive flatbed to make the most money here in Florida<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3>&#8220;Good natured people&#8221;<\/h3>\n<p>Harry S.\u00a0<span class=\"muted\">&#8211; 2 years of experience<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #339966;\"><strong>GOOD<\/strong><\/span><br \/>\n Weather, good natured people<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><strong>BAD<\/strong><\/span><br \/>\n Lack of truck stops on east coast below St. Augustine. Overly medicated senior citizen drivers.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><strong>TIP TO NEW DRIVERS<\/strong><\/span><br \/>\n Keep open minded. Treat every day as a opportunity to learn something new.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3>&#8220;Be confident of what you doing take your time and practice.&#8221;<\/h3>\n<p>Charlens E.\u00a0<span class=\"muted\">&#8211; 3 years on the road<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #339966;\"><strong>GOOD<\/strong><\/span><br \/>\n Flat land, never encounter any snow&#8230;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><strong>BAD<\/strong><\/span><br \/>\n Traffic is one. Also Sun Pass sucks<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><strong>TIP TO NEW DRIVERS<\/strong><\/span><br \/>\n Stay confident, pre-route, listen to the weather. Don&#8217;t spend all your money at truck stops invest in your own truck appliances like a electric stove, skillet, etc.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3>&#8220;Snowbirds&#8221;<\/h3>\n<p>Shelly T.\u00a0<span class=\"muted\">&#8211; 11 years on the road<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #339966;\"><strong>GOOD<\/strong><\/span><br \/>\n One good thing about driving a truck is the ability to see the landscape the beautiful scenery throughout the state.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><strong>BAD<\/strong><\/span><br \/>\n The biggest problem I have encountered Driving in Florida is the snowbirds. This creates a lot of traffic.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><strong>TIP TO NEW DRIVERS<\/strong><\/span><br \/>\n Be confident of what you doing take your time and practice.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<div class=\"mh-excerpt\"><p>State Overview Over 60,000 trucking companies &amp; exporters in Florida, <a class=\"mh-excerpt-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.classadrivers.com\/become-a-truck-driver\/truck-driving-in-florida\/\" title=\"Truck Driving in Florida\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2629,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.0 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Truck Driving in Florida - Class A Drivers<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Learn all about truck driving in Florida. 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