When I left corporate life and decided to become a truck driver, one thing that attracted me to this profession was its variety. From the outside, truck driving can look like nothing more than “turning the steering wheel.” In reality, a driver can work in domestic or international transport, join a large company or a small private operator, spend weeks on the road or return home regularly.
Early in my career, I wanted to discover which type of work suited me best.
Spain Was a Dream Come True
I began my driving career in groupage transport and quickly realised that the system was not for me. Although the money could be good, I preferred a simpler rhythm: pick up a load, drive, and unload.
When I started driving to Spain, it felt like a dream come true. I had always loved the country, and suddenly I was travelling there behind the wheel of a truck. My Spain runs taught me how to plan long routes, organise breaks and rest periods, and manage everyday life on the road. I also discovered that I could handle long hours of monotonous driving and work independently thousands of kilometres from home.
I am not leaving Spain or the company on bad terms. We said goodbye on friendly terms, and I will always see this period as an important beginning of my trucking career.
Spain gave me valuable experience and helped me understand myself.
Three Weeks in a Row in the Truck Changed My Perspective
If I had stayed with the company, the expected schedule would have involved two Spain runs in a row. In practice, that meant spending almost three consecutive weeks in the truck, followed by only five days at home.
I tried this schedule before Christmas and proved to myself that I could manage it. At the same time, the experience made me think more seriously about what kind of working rhythm I wanted at the beginning of my trucking career.
After almost three months behind the wheel, I was no longer a complete beginner, but I did not want to assume that I had already found the kind of work I would do long-term. There were still many sides of the profession left to discover.
The First Years Are a Time to Explore
More experienced drivers had told me that changing companies or trying different work during the first two years is normal. I do not see that as instability. A driver might try a curtain-side semi-trailer, a tanker, a tandem combination, a concrete mixer, or transport within one industrial site. Only experience can reveal which working rhythm, equipment, and lifestyle suit someone.
That is how I see my next change. I will still drive between Slovakia and other countries and continue building experience with a semi-trailer combination. The company, truck, destinations, and routine will change, but the work will remain international, only in a completely different working environment.
From Sixty Trucks to Three
I contacted a small company operating only three trucks. After working for a company with sixty vehicles, I was curious to see what it would be like to work directly for a small private operator. I met the owner at his home, and we sat in his living room and discussed how the job would work. About eighty percent of the work will be regular full-truckload freight between Slovakia and Germany, travelling through Czechia and Poland.
The biggest attraction is something very practical. I will be able to park the truck at a secure parking area only five minutes from my home, with the owner covering the fee. Instead of driving two hours in my own car to reach the truck and two hours home afterwards, I will begin and finish every trip almost on my doorstep. For a driver, that can significantly improve both work and personal life.
I decided to accept the offer and open another chapter. I will drive a Volvo FH 500, still with a semi-trailer combination, mainly from Monday to Friday. New roads and destinations are waiting for me, including more driving within Slovakia.
My Spain runs are coming to an end, but my journey as a truck driver continues. I am leaving Spain with gratitude, experience, and powerful memories.
Now it is time to discover what a different kind of truck life will bring.