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It’s no secret that at 55, the average age of a truck driver is above the age of the average American worker. It’s also no secret that the industry has struggled to attract a younger, more diverse population into the mix. Many blame the lack of diversity in trucking on tough working conditions, with a big point of concern being the fact that you may get stuck out on the road for long periods of time away from home.

This pattern of thinking always seems to leave out intermodal, where drivers can get work all while staying local and having that ability to head back home when the trip is done. Most intermodal loads are 500 miles round trip or less, so there’s no worry about stopping and staying somewhere overnight because you’re approaching 11 hours of consecutive driving.

As today’s population of young adults become more accustomed to recognizing their lifestyle choices, long-haul trucking may not fit in that picture. Being out on the road for half of the year, away from family and friends, will really chip away at a young person’s time spent building out the beginnings of their adult lives. The sacrifices that these other forms of trucking require are simply not necessary for intermodal hauls.

Truck drivers also have the option of becoming owner operators, where one can really thrive being their own boss and running a successful business. With different options out there such as DrayNow, a person can find work in their area to run on their own time. They can decide how much or little they want to pick up, where, and when. And with owner operators driving for an average of 20 years, it’s a viable long-term career option for a person to look towards.

There are opportunities for people of all ages and all backgrounds in trucking. Just look at the trucking boom from the Sikh population in this country. As demographics and behavior change, it’s time to recognize that a career in trucking can fit into many molds.

To the truckers that have paved the way towards how the industry is operating now: we thank you. This is in no way a change in which things are currently operating, but instead highlighting all of the great things that some people do not see within the world of trucking.