Sharing your experiences is a great way to give back to the trucking community. As you get older, it can be hard to find ways to help younger drivers, but sharing your knowledge and experience can make a big difference in someone else’s career. Even if you’re not driving anymore. Share your story, it’s filled with valuable information that can be shared with the industry.
Benefits of Sharing Stories
I remember after going through the in-school training, the in-cab training, the on-the-job training and spending my first few months on the road, a friend of mine with much more experience than I had, sat me down to share a few tips and tricks. Tips and tricks not taught in school or training, one that made my job easier and more enjoyable.
Sharing your experiences provides mentorship for others who are just starting out in the industry and builds relationships among drivers. Sharing stories can make you feel like part of a community and help build up the industry by spreading best practices and improving safety standards across all companies that employ professional drivers.
Ways to Share Your Trucking Experiences
Blogging is one of the easiest ways for truckers to share their experiences with others who might benefit from them. If you’re unsure where to start, try using WordPress or Wix. You can also write articles and put them on the web—this will help build up your profile as an expert in your field.
Consider a weekly or monthly podcast highlighting stories and experiences from your time on the road. Drivers are known for telling stories and they love listening to them, so harness your experience into a podcast for other drivers. Plenty of free programs are available, making podcasting as simple as telling a story and clicking a few buttons.
If you’re interested in sharing your trucking experiences with the world, there are a few things to keep in mind. First and foremost, it helps to find a platform that fits your style. If you’re more of an essayist than a blogger, consider Medium or LinkedIn. Discovering which platform works best for you and your message will help determine how much research goes into each article or post.
Speaking at conferences and events can be another great way for truckers who have retired/late-in-career experience to connect with other people interested in learning more—and you may even earn an extra income on top of pensions and retirement income.
Truck driving schools are often on the lookout for experienced drivers to teach classes during the week or on weekends. You can bring your expertise to the classroom and help new drivers prepare for their new careers.
Whether writing, podcasting, or speaking, be yourself. Don’t try too hard to sound like someone else. Readers can tell when someone’s trying too hard to be relatable. Make readers feel connected or engaged with what they’re reading. Instead of trying too hard, focus on communicating clearly with straightforward language while still maintaining a sincere level of personality using anecdotes and appropriate humor.
Inspire Others
If you’re a retired or late-career trucker, sharing your experiences with others can be a great way to give back to the industry and help others. Whether you choose to write, speak, or podcast. Get your stories and insights out there. And while there may be some challenges along the way, the rewards can be well worth the effort. So why not start sharing your experiences today? You never know who you might inspire.
