Maine Truckers: Big Shortage Means Big Paycheck

Every now and then, we all consider a huge, across-the-board career change. In my my days in Portland radio, I knew a guy who was a manager. He loved being a DJ, but hated all the corporate hassle he had to deal with. Meetings, paperwork, long hours... His solution was to be a wedding DJ on the weekends, and he also got his truck driving license.

And it was a wise move. Right now, according to NewsCenterMaine.com, Maine is experiencing a huge shortage of truck drivers. We live in a world right now, where everybody wants everything yesterday. Remember years ago when you'd order something, and it was a customary 4-6 week wait time? These days, even two-day shipping from the likes of Amazon isn't enough for some people.

These days, someone just starting out in trucking, can make over $80,000 a year. Seriously! No, the life isn't for everybody. You have to enjoy spending a lot of time by yourself, maintaining a healthy diet is practically impossible most of the time, and if you don't like long drives...forget it. So it's not a life for everybody.

Sen. Angus King is also backing a law called the Drive-Safe Act, which hopes to bring about legislation to make it easier to get work. Right now, a person under 21 can't transport freight across state lines. But if this piece of legislation goes through, it will fix it so younger drivers can get a piece of the action of longer trips cross-country.

So this could be your time. Maybe you're stuck at a dead-end job, or need a change of scenery, who knows? But it would seem if you've got the desire to learn how to do it, truck driving can put food on the table, and still put money in the bank.