If you hold Walt Disney close to your heart, love theme parks, or if the thought of beaches less than two hours from home in any direction gets your blood pumping, don’t wait. Look at Florida for your next truck driver job. Who knows? If you’re lucky, you may land a dedicated truck driving job serving Disney, Universal, or any of the other theme parks that continue to draw tourists from around the world. Even if your idea of a quick lunch is something other than the fried theme park food of your choice, Florida won’t disappoint. Fourteen sea ports surround the Florida peninsula, giving manufacturers loads of options when it comes to exporting products ranging from oranges to horses. No other state offers such easy access to the Atlantic shipping lanes or the Gulf of Mexico. Fantasy or reality, “The Sunshine State” has plenty to offer in terms of work and play!
Geographic Advantages
Florida is a peninsula and the most southeastern state in the U.S. It is home to the oldest continuously occupied settlement in the country (St. Augustine), and 450 years later has grown into the 3rd most populated state. Surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico on three sides, the state has many ports and is prime for truck driving jobs related to both imports and exports of products for use and consumption across the country.
Bordering States/Countries
Florida borders Georgia to the north and Alabama, north and west of the panhandle area.
As the economy experiences is ups and downs, Florida often serves as a saving grace. Its ports and products produced in-state or imported and exported, offer many opportunities for truck driver jobs, and with the state’s warm climate, activity is robust year-round.
Florida’s Deep Water Ports
Florida, surrounded by the ocean, has 14 primary ports, the largest being the Ports of Miami, the Everglades, Palm Beach, Canaveral, and Pensacola, as well as the Naval Station at Mayport. All but Pensacola are located on the east coast of the state. Other ports include Panama City, St. Joe, Apalachicola, Tampa, Big Bend, Manatee, Boca Grande, and Key West along the Gulf Coast, and Fort Pierce, Jacksonville, and Fernandina along the Atlantic Shoreline.
Products Moved by Trucks
When it comes to truck driver jobs, you can just about specialize in hauling the product of your choice in Florida, or you can take a piece of the pie and haul a little for all industries. Whether they are exported out of state, out of the country, or simply remain in the state for the use of those living in Florida, according to the latest data from World’s Top Exports, the following are the primary products moved by truck drivers and offering many truck driving jobs to those calling Florida home:
- Aircraft including engines, parts
- Cell phones
- Gold (unwrought)
- Modems, similar reception/transmission devices
- Integrated circuits (processors/controllers)
- Small portable digital computers
- Ammonium dihydrogen orthophosphate
- Medical/surgical/dental/veterinarian instruments
- Polyamides
- Mineral or chemical fertilizers
Florida’s Highways
For those holding or seeking truck driving jobs, Florida offers plenty of interstates and highways connecting its cities and cities in bordering states. A primary route into Florida from Atlanta, Georgia, is I-75 entering the state south of Valdosta, Georgia, and providing access to Tampa and the southern Gulf Coast. I-4 serves as a prime tourist route connecting Daytona to Orlando and Tampa, while I-95 stretches along the east coast of Florida and the U.S., ending at the U.S.-Canada border in Maine. Likewise, the famed U.S. Route 1 follows a similar route and offers access to Key West. On an east-west route, I-10 connects Jacksonville with Pensacola and the Alabama border. Truck driver jobs in Florida offer plenty of heavily traveled highways that will carry you to both in-state destinations and the rest of the U.S
For more information on Florida and its truck driver jobs, visit www.fltrucking.org.