Trucks that drive themselves? Dogs in the truck? How about babies? You might have some questions about truck driving if you are new or have a loved one joining the fleet.
Bringing a friend along for the ride
Not many jobs have take your pet to work day, let alone take a friend to work day… but the trucking industry is unique. Many of these laws are actually rules based on the company you work for. There is no federal law that states you cannot have a passenger, so it usually boils down to the company you are a driver for.
Truck drivers can have passengers in their commercial vehicles with written authorization from their company, complying with Department of Transportation (DOT) regulations and company-specific rules that might include age limits, relationship to the driver, waiting periods for new drivers, and possible fees. There are also considerations for insurance, and if this is an overnight trip, how long they will be riding in the vehicle, and so on.
Furry friends: pets with truck drivers
Commonly sited research states that between 40 and 50% of drivers travel regularly with their pets. It boils down to the policy of an individual company on whether you can bring a pet. Why not bring that cat dog or rabbit along for the ride?
Other fun facts:
AI, automation and self-driving trucks are starting to emerge in the U.S. Although they are not fully able to drive themselves many companies are racing to figure out ways to have self-driving routes and more. In fact in Alaska, there is a company working on this with certain commercial vehicles called Fisker. The FMCSA is starting to create regulations for self-driving vehicles as well. Here is another fact Alaska is one of the top-paying states when it comes to commercial vehicles. One last fact… you can get your DOT physical for driving any commercial vehicle right here at MedPhysicals Plus. Give us a call to schedule at (907) 561-7587 and mention one of the fun facts in this blog post for $10 dollars off your DOT services.