How to Get a Job That Pays You to Travel

People often characterize their dream career as one that affords them the freedom to travel and explore new horizons without navigating the financial insecurity that comes with taking a vacation or running out of PTO. Luckily, finding a career path that allows you to pursue adventure around the country while still getting paid is more than possible: enter the world of commercial trucking. 

Learning how to get a job that pays you to travel in the trucking industry includes navigating the commercial driver’s license (CDL) training and job placement process, choosing the right carrier, and learning all the ropes of living life on the open road. 

How to Get a Job That Pays You To Travel With a Trucking CDL 

Traveling with flexible working hours is one of the many benefits of choosing long-haul truck driving as a career path. In this case, learning how to get a job that pays you to travel requires attending and graduating from a certified CDL training program and being hired by a company that outfits you with everything you need to see the country while bringing in a steady paycheck. 

Attend a Reputable CDL Training Program

Before you hit the road, it’s essential to ensure you meet the basic requirements for becoming a truck driver. Attending a reputable CDL training program, like TDI, represents the first step in your journey toward getting paid to travel for work. A Class A CDL allows you to drive and operate any “combination” vehicle that exceeds a Gross Combination Weight Rating (GCWR) of 26,000 pounds or a truck with a trailer exceeding 10,000 pounds.

CDL training programs involve an aggregate of classroom and supervised hands-on driving experience, testing for all the logical, mechanical, and technical knowledge necessary to safely transport large trucks across state lines, including tanker vehicles, livestock carriers, dump trucks, and passenger vans. With TDI, students can complete their CDL certification in just three weeks after ample practice on our safe, off-road, multi-acre driving range, ensuring they have all the necessary skills and confidence to begin their new lives on the road. 

Choosing the Right Trucking Company

With your CDL in hand, the next step post-graduation is to find the right trucking company and employer that aligns with your goals and values. Because some companies specialize in long-haul routes geared towards covering vast distances, while others focus on regional or local routes, you’ll want to choose a carrier that most directly aligns with your scheduling and traveling preferences. 

Through our job placement initiatives, TDI partners directly with 20+ carriers that offer our graduates the most competitive salaries and benefits in the industry, ensuring they can earn what they deserve from the beginning of their careers. After working closely with our advisory teams, many of TDI’s students are successfully placed with a carrier even before they graduate, meaning they’re 100% ready to start traveling with the right trucking company immediately after their training. 

Consider Specialized Training and Certifications

To make yourself even more marketable in the trucking industry, consider pursuing specialized training and certifications, including hazardous materials (HAZMAT) and passenger endorsements, all of which are included in TDI’s training programs. These more niche certifications can open up additional job opportunities and lead to better earning potential down the line, ensuring that you travel in style by obtaining the highest-paying job available to you. 

What It’s Like to Travel as a Trucker

After learning how to get a job that pays you to travel, such as long-distance trucking, you’ll need to learn more about what it’s like to function in an environment characterized by constant movement and exploration. Getting paid to travel means you’ll have to navigate critical challenges to fully enjoy the many excitements of living life on the open road. 

Adjusting to Life on the Move

The modern-day nomadic lifestyle of a trucker can be a big adjustment at first, and it’s essential to gain insight into a trucker’s everyday routines and considerations before diving into the world of trucking. Be prepared to navigate small living spaces, routine truck maintenance, long shifts, and firm delivery schedules, all of which are necessary components of this rewarding career. 

Adjusting to life on the open road means ensuring you learn as much as possible about being a safe and responsible driver. Like on any regular road trip, your life as a trucker will be characterized by obstacles such as traffic jams, challenging road conditions, inclement weather, and transit fares. Learning to navigate these challenges easily will come naturally over time, but it’s important to be aware that they are just as much a part of the job as sightseeing. 

Traveling with Families and Pets

Learning how to get a job that pays you to travel also means learning how to adjust to extensive periods of time spent on the road, which can be especially challenging for truck drivers who have families and children waiting for them back home. 

Despite this tension, there are many valuable strategies to help new drivers balance their career with their family life, and many job opportunities that allow drivers to create supportive schedules that meet all their personal needs. Luckily, truck drivers can also help alleviate their loneliness by choosing to travel with a trustworthy animal companion (if their carrier allows it). Animals like dogs and cats make excellent travel buddies and can help bring even more joy to living life on the road. 

Seeing the Sights

Of course, the greatest part about traveling for work is the opportunity to sightsee from coast to coast. As a trucker, you can cover over 600 miles per day, the thought of which is thrilling for travelers who are eager to see more of the country, perhaps even for the very first time. Making this kind of mileage, you’ll be able to explore and experience the best of what America has to offer, from gorgeous national parks to historical landmarks, the must-see destinations in the U.S. are in no short supply. In between shifts, truckers will be able to appreciate the various cultures and attractions in famous city centers such as Nashville and South Bend. 

Traveling the Country With TDI

So, how to get a job that pays you to travel? Begin your journey with TDI, the industry’s most reliable and affordable truck driving school in the country. Since 1973, we’ve helped aspiring drivers achieve their most adventurous and exciting career goals by helping thousands of individuals find lasting job placements with an over 82% success rate.

With TDI’s help, a lifelong career of freedom and adventure can be yours with CDL certification in just three weeks. Contact us today to begin your journey, or to discover which of our schools is closest to you.