If you're thinking about becoming a truck driver, and drive big rigs for a living, you'll be joining the ranks of millions around the world. Each year, thousands of men and women across the U.S. become truck drivers.

They come from all walks of life. Some are former housewives, and many have been in professions such as law. The face of trucking has changed over the years from rough and rugged to a more business oriented and professional atmosphere.

Before signing on that dotted line, and making that commitment to pay thousands of dollars to attend a truck driving school -- you need to do your due diligence. More so, you need to check your current life and decide if driving big rigs is right for you.

Many people fall in love with the shiny big trucks, and the promises of making thousands of dollars as a professional truck driver. As a former over the road truck driver, I can tell you that there is more to truck driving than the open road and the big shiny trucks.

There are many questions you must ask yourself. Do I like being alone for long periods of time? If you're married and have children, can you stay away from them for days and even weeks? Do you lack the patience to drive trucks professionally? These are important and relevant questions that you must ask yourself before seeking a job as a professional truck driver.

Most of the over the road trucking companies want you on the road for weeks at a time, but many of the larger companies are introducing more and more regional fleets into their company. Regional fleets will get the driver more home time. Regional drivers also don't travel as far away from home as a traditional OTR drivers.

If you want to become a driver, you must have patience. If you don't have patience, becoming a truck driver isn't for you. There will be many times when you'll want to cuss, scream and kick. My truck driver trainer told me that if I was patient, I'd live longer.

That was the best advice that I followed on the job, and in my personal life. There will be times when you'll be asked to get a load to its destination in a very short time, these loads are "hot loads." You might be out of hours or you might have to break speeding laws to get the load there. Do you refuse the load or do you please your dispatcher and company?

You might drive all night long to get the load there in a hurry, and have to wait most of the day to unload your freight. When you're faced with this type of situation, remember patience -- you'll live longer.

Trucking can also be a very rewarding career. There's a saying, "once a trucker always a trucker." Drivers are definitely a different breed of people. These guys and gals risk their lives every day to keep our economy going. I was once told that if it wasn't for drivers, we'd all be standing on a pile of dirt -- naked.

It's true, if it wasn't for truck drivers, there would be no groceries in the stores, no building materials, and no clothes in the stores. There's also a camaraderie and special bond shared between them. They might fight like cats and dogs on the radio, but if something bad were to happen to a fellow truck driver, you'd have scores of drivers running to help.

If becoming a truck driver sounds like something you'd like to do, you need to contact a representative at a truck driving school, and discuss attending their CDL training classes. Life as a driver is very different, and you'll either love it or hate it.