Truck Drivers

Truck drivers provide services to the energy industry as well as to many other industries. This job offers an entry point that has built-in career growth in the energy industry. The job offers opportunities to drive different types of equipment. Truck drivers learn to haul and offload various types of cargo. As a truck driver, you can expect to get training. You can also expect exposure to cutting-edge equipment and vehicles that make the job easier and safer and makes the trucks more environmentally responsible. This includes emissions-reduction equipment, advanced safety systems, and driver assistance technologies.

You might like this career if you enjoy a balance of working independently and as part of a team. Do you like to see new places? Truck drivers drive in all regions of Canada. Do you like to have hands-on opportunities to learn and be trained on specialized equipment? This career offers these opportunities. As a truck driver you would be part of an industry that is focused on efficiency, safety, and training.

The work truck drivers do is part of the reason Canada is a responsible and sustainable supplier of global energy.

Established Energy Sectors:

Oil and Gas
Offshore Oil and Gas
Oil Sands
Energy Services
Pipelines
Refining

Emerging Energy Sectors:

Biofuels
Hydrogen
Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG)
Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS)

What Truck Drivers Do

Inspect, Drive, and Offload

Truck drivers must inspect vehicle systems, equipment, and accessories. Before they drive, the vehicles must be ready for use in all types of weather. Routes include city and rural roads, major highways, and rough-cut access roads, including mountain passes. Vehicles include trucks, tractor-trailers, and transport freight trucks. The vehicle type is important for meeting operational requirements (capable of doing the job that needs to be done). Truck drivers may also need to offload their cargo.

Secure, Inspect, and Transport Cargo

Truck drivers are responsible for the safe transportation of cargo. This includes hazardous or dangerous goods. When transporting all cargo, truck drivers must follow safe handling requirements.

Plan Trips, Including Routes and Times

Truck drivers are responsible for the logistics of their trips. They must also obtain documentation such as necessary permits to transport goods.

Create Records (Logbooks) of Trips

Truck drivers keep track of cargo information, hours of work, distance travelled, and fuel consumption. They must keep this data in a logbook.

Provide Trip Information to Others

Truck drivers communicate with many people as they do their work. They provide important information about their trip to dispatchers, other drivers, company representatives, and customers. This information includes details about pick-ups, deliveries, loads, routes, and timings. Truck drivers provide this data by using mobile phones, e-mail, text messages, and on-board computers.

Key Skills and Abilities Truck Drivers Need

This chart shows the knowledge, skills, certifications, and attributes needed as truck drivers enter and advance their careers in the energy industry. Each occupation, job level, and responsibility will require a different mix of these skills and abilities.

Truck Driver Careers in the Energy Industry

Many truck driver positions in the energy industry do not require any previous experience or specialized training. You can often secure a position if you have the relevant driver’s licence and a clean driving abstract. Most employers provide on-the-job training for specialized trucks, equipment, cargo, and work environments. The roles described below are generally consistent across all energy sectors requiring truck drivers.

Education Levels & Areas of Study

Minimum Grade 10 with high school graduation preferred

Employers often provide specialized on-the-job learning

Six months of experience as a driver/operator can lead to advancement

Minimum Grade 10 with high school graduation preferred

Variety of equipment training certifications

Minimum Grade 10 with high school graduation preferred

Additional specialized training and certifications may be required

Types of Careers

Heavy-haul Truck Driver
Long-haul Truck Driver (out of town)
Short-haul (in town) Driver

Specialized Freight Transport:

Bulk Goods Truck Driver
Flatbed Truck Driver
Tanker Truck Driver

Compliance Officer

Additional training needed to advance to:

Driver/Operator
Heavy Equipment Operator (operates one or more types of heavy equipment)
Driver Trainer
Supervisor

Dispatcher:

Drivers bring a unique perspective to this role having been behind the wheel and having experience with scheduling, customer service, and problem-solving while on the road

Safety/Compliance Officer

Owner-Operators:

Responsible for purchasing, maintaining, and servicing their truck and equipment, maintaining insurance, and managing the financial and administrative aspects of their business

Career Level

Education Levels & Areas of Study

Minimum Grade 10 with high school graduation preferred

Employers often provide specialized on-the-job learning

Six months of experience as a driver/operator can lead to advancement

Types of Careers

Heavy-haul Truck Driver
Long-haul Truck Driver (out of town)
Short-haul (in town) Driver

Education Levels & Areas of Study

Minimum Grade 10 with high school graduation preferred

Variety of equipment training certifications

Types of Careers

Specialized Freight Transport:

Bulk Goods Truck Driver
Flatbed Truck Driver
Tanker Truck Driver

Compliance Officer

Additional training needed to advance to:

Driver/Operator
Heavy Equipment Operator (operates one or more types of heavy equipment)
Driver Trainer
Supervisor

Education Levels & Areas of Study

Minimum Grade 10 with high school graduation preferred

Additional specialized training and certifications may be required

Types of Careers

Dispatcher:

Drivers bring a unique perspective to this role having been behind the wheel and having experience with scheduling, customer service, and problem-solving while on the road

Safety/Compliance Officer

Owner-Operators:

Responsible for purchasing, maintaining, and servicing their truck and equipment, maintaining insurance, and managing the financial and administrative aspects of their business

Transferring Truck Driver Skills from One Energy Sector to Another

There are core skills and knowledge that all truck drivers need for their careers. These building blocks apply across all energy sectors and for all specializations. The building blocks are:

Operate a range of equipment and vehicles
Haul and offload diverse cargo
Drive various routes, terrains, and conditions
Identify risk and safety issues and determine ways to avoid risk and improve safety

Some sectors typically contract services from Energy Services companies for truck drivers. These include: oil and gas, offshore oil and gas, pipelines, carbon capture and storage and liquefied natural gas. Other sectors have more specialized requirements and generally hire experienced drivers or provide training for new hires. These include: oil sands, energy services, hydrogen, refining and biofuels.

The following interactive tool presents the core skills and knowledge truck drivers need as building blocks It will also identify evolving skills needed to address the needs in each energy sector. Each energy sector uses the building blocks in similar ways.

New entrants to a truck driver career can use the tool to understand the building block skills needed to work in sectors across the energy industry. Experienced truck drivers can use the tool to explore how each building block is applied across the energy sectors.

How to Use the Tool

Click on a building block
Click on a sector
Read about how that skill can be used in a specific sector

Operate a Range of Equipment and Vehicles
Haul and Offload Diverse Cargo
Drive Various Routes, Terrains, and Conditions
Identify Risk and Safety Issues Determine Ways to Avoid Risk Improve Safety

Operate a Range of Equipment and Vehicles

Inspect, prepare, drive, and operate specialized vehicles fitted with auxiliary equipment

Specialized vehicles include haul trucks, graders and hydraulic shovels

Heavy equipment operator training may be required and is often offered by employers

Inspect, prepare, drive, and operate specialized vehicles:

haul trucks
specialized freight, fuel, and fluid transport trucks

Operate auxiliary equipment fitted on trucks to:

move cargo on highways and roads other than highways
move various overweight and over-dimensional loads
provide vacuum services for chemical washing and steaming

Dismantle, transport, and assemble drilling and service rigs

Heavy equipment operator training may be required and is often offered by employers

Inspect, prepare, drive, and operate specialized vehicles fitted with auxiliary equipment

Specialized vehicles include compressed hydrogen tube trailers and liquid hydrogen tank trucks

Inspect, prepare, drive, and operate specialized vehicles fitted with auxiliary equipment

Specialized vehicles include tanker trucks for liquid fuels and various types of trucks for feedstock

Operate a Range of Equipment and Vehicles

Select to learn how these skills can be applied across energy sectors

Inspect, prepare, drive, and operate specialized vehicles fitted with auxiliary equipment

Specialized vehicles include haul trucks, graders and hydraulic shovels

Heavy equipment operator training may be required and is often offered by employers

Inspect, prepare, drive, and operate specialized vehicles:

haul trucks
specialized freight, fuel, and fluid transport trucks

Operate auxiliary equipment fitted on trucks to:

move cargo on highways and roads other than highways
move various overweight and over-dimensional loads
provide vacuum services for chemical washing and steaming

Dismantle, transport, and assemble drilling and service rigs

Heavy equipment operator training may be required and is often offered by employers

Inspect, prepare, drive, and operate specialized vehicles fitted with auxiliary equipment

Specialized vehicles include compressed hydrogen tube trailers and liquid hydrogen tank trucks

Inspect, prepare, drive, and operate specialized vehicles fitted with auxiliary equipment

Specialized vehicles include tanker trucks for liquid fuels and various types of trucks for feedstock

Haul and Offload Diverse Cargo