Driving with pets is a special treat. Not only are pets your loyal and loving friends, but they also do good for their driver owners. Pets create a unique effect on our mental and physical state.
Interactions with pets decrease our cortisol levels which means that they lower stress. Animals can also lower blood pressure, improve your mood, lessen loneliness, and increase feelings of social support.
Drivers have a lot of reasons to choose their pets as companions. Let’s go over all the benefits of driving with pets. They will surely help you to choose to ride with their company instead of going solo.
1 Companionship
Trucking is a lonely occupation. The loneliness truckers feel can affect them in many ways. Staying on the road for two months on end without anyone to share time with can cause a bad mood, depression, and lack of energy.
Driving with a pet will make your routes more dynamic and fun. You’ll have a living creature to interact with. Dogs are a great choice for companionship. They care for their owners as much as the owners care for them.
Your pet will keep you awake, occupied, and engaged.
2 Physical Activity
Staying active and keeping their body in shape is one of the biggest challenges for truckers. Drivers often spend the whole day in a seated position without getting the least amount of movement and exercise.
Also, staying seated for 10 hours before calling it a day and going for a nap quickly becomes a habit for truckers. For many drivers out there, going for a walk or a run completely disappears from their daily routine.
Pets change that easily. Your pet requires physical activity. It doesn’t matter if it’s walking, running, or playing with them. Every pet will demand attention and play. The cabin of a truck is too small and cramped to spend an entire day in.
Your pets will require activity. That’s very good for your body’s condition. Pets are very often the reason why truckers go back to having a daily walk or a run. These small changes can be lifesaving. That’s because a 30-minute walk significantly decreases the chances of heart disease for people younger than 70 years old.
3 Sleeping Schedule
Driving for 8-10 hours non-stop can affect your healthy sleeping pattern. After a long day, truckers often spend unnecessary hours behind a television screen or playing video games.
That’s because many of them have spent their day behind the wheel. They didn’t have any other interaction or stimulation during the whole day. After working days like that, they want to do or see something fun. But that messes up their sleeping patterns.
Luckily, that all changes when you’re responsible for a pet. Not only will pets keep you occupied and active all day long, but they will also demand a walk early in the morning.
It will take two mornings of waking up at 6 o’clock to put you back into a stable sleeping schedule. After that, you’ll be going to bed as soon as you turn off the engine, and wake up in the early morning.
You and your pet will get to enjoy every day to its fullest.
4 Social Life
Pets are easy boosters for your social life. You’ll meet other pet owners and casual passers-by, who will be delighted to meet your pet.
People’s good reactions when you’re out with your dog at a truck stop are almost certain. They want to play with him and inquire about everything.
Appearing anywhere with a pet starts conversations instantly.
5 Security
Traveling with a pet not only reduces loneliness and isolation but also vastly improves your safety. That’s particularly true when you’re parking in an unfamiliar place alone at night.
A pet can warn you when trouble is nearby. That gives you the opportunity to take action in time. Thanks to animals’ ability to feel danger earlier than humans, you’ll be more secure with your pet.
A pet can save your life and help you avoid a break-in during the night. That’s why it’s smart to keep your pet in your truck with you.
6 Safety
Driving alone increases the chances that drivers will become sleepy and lose their focus. That way, there are more chances that accidents will occur.
To lessen all the negative aspects of driving solo drivers can take a pet as a companion. Pets are often vocal, letting out barks and meows. That will help you stay awake and focused, especially during night rides on highways.
Even if your companion isn’t very vocal, their presence is of huge significance. Every driver knows that as long as there’s someone awake sitting next to them, there’s less chance that they will fall asleep.
Holding a pet with you in the cabin is a big help to decrease the chances of falling asleep. You’ll stay focused and awake behind the wheel.
7 Better Mood
Pets improve mental health by lowering anxiety, depression, and hostility. When we connect with animals, studies have shown that certain key chemicals in our brains increase. These chemicals make us happier.
The two main chemicals are called Dopamine and serotonin. They relieve stress. They also increase life enjoyment and motivation to succeed. These chemicals affect our optimism for a better tomorrow each day.
Your pet will cure you of your loneliness and negative thoughts. You’ll have something to look forward to every day. That’s one more reason why drivers enjoy having pets in their trucks.
8 Mental Stability
Driving with a pet improves your mental condition. By affecting your dopamine and serotonin, pets lower depression. By improving your mood and occupying your attention, they help reduce anxiety levels.
Pets also help reduce aggression, negative thoughts, and drivers’ fatigue. Drivers who are riding with pets are more mentally resilient and positive.
9 Better Driving
Truckers who ride with their pet companions are showing higher retention rates. That means that drivers with pets are more likely to stay with the company.
With big turnover rates, the trucking industry values every factor that motivates drivers to stay. That’s why companies should strive to allow pets for their company drivers.
The lesser their limitations on pet owners, the better. Their chances of finding quality drivers increase. Also, quality drivers will stay if they can ride with their pets and companies benefit from that.
Drivers have also shown better driving results when riding with pets. With their pets in the car, drivers are happier. That encourages them to choose safer driving practices.
They drive more cautiously because they are more likely to avoid accidents with another living being in the truck. Having a pet inside the cabin improves drivers’ overall performance.
10 Staying Together
Truckers who have pets at home should definitely consider bringing them along. Animals are just as emotional as human beings. They can feel sadness and depression when left all alone by their owner.
That’s why nearly 60% of drivers take their pets with them. And that’s why more than half of them would not work for a company if they couldn’t take their pet with them.
Many companies don’t allow pets that exceed certain weight limitations. Some even forbid certain dog breeds that are considered dangerous.
For example, pit bulls aren’t allowed in many companies. Often, that’s based purely on prejudice as pit bulls can be well-behaved and kind dogs.
That’s why drivers are often asking which companies allow pit bulls as pets. Pet policies are one of the biggest concerns of truckers looking for a job.
Companies that allow pit bulls
Drivers who own big dogs or breeds that are considered dangerous often want to know which companies they can apply for. These companies have policies that don’t limit drivers for certain breeds and dog sizes.
If you have a large dog that’s frowned upon by some companies, these firms will gladly accept your services.
Earl L Henderson Trucking
This company allows all breeds and all sizes. Truckers report that they are very happy with the company policies as well as the quality of their trucks.
If reviews are to be trusted, Henderson Trucking operates with fully equipped trucks. The fees and bonuses are also competitive. So truckers choosing to ride for Henderson will find a good deal there.
Wilson Logistics
Wilson Logistics offers multiple options for drivers. They include local and regional routes, company driver positions, and lease-to-purchase options.
The company has a free pet policy with no restrictions and limitations. They also don’t require any extra fees for riding with a pet.
P & S Transportation
P&S is a great company that offers steady miles and competitive pay. Their base pay for company drivers goes up to 50 cents per mile.
But, the offer includes additional bonuses such as $2,000 sign-on and referral bonuses, medical, dental, and vision insurance, and $10,000 in life insurance.
The company has a no-restrictions pet policy and your pit bull or other large breed is welcome to ride with you. P&S doesn’t discriminate against breeds that are wrongly accused of being aggressive. Some drivers out there will appreciate that.
Most drivers are curious to find out what pet policies are applied at large companies like Swift and Knight Transportation.
Swift pet policy
Swift is one of the largest transportation companies in the United States. They operate with over 16,000 trucks and 60,000 trailers. They offer great fees and benefits to their drivers.
Drivers running dedicated lanes, dry van drivers, and team drivers get $1800 weekly. The benefits include Medical, Dental, and Vision plans, sick days, and paid vacations.
The company allows pets if they are under 40 pounds, non-aggressive breeds. Proof of proper vaccinations has to be delivered to get your permit to bring your pet along for the routes.
Knight pet policy
Knight is one of the biggest transportation companies in the U.S. They offer a plethora of contracts with great fees and benefits.
But, their pet policy is a bit sturdy. If you want to drive for Knight, you’ll get a great opportunity, but bringing your pet comes with limitations.
Only after receiving training and driving for around 30,000 kilometers can truckers take their dogs on the road. With a $400 down payment, only non-aggressive breeds of pets under 50 pounds are permitted.
Conclusion
Driving with pets comes with many benefits. Animals are proven to improve our health and bring us joy, peace, and companionship. That’s why so many truckers choose to ride with a pet.
Some drivers are concerned about how to keep a pet happy inside a truck. But, truckers that bring their pets along are very supportive of that choice. Cats and dogs love riding with their owners. Testimonials show that animals are very happy to go with their owners on the road. If you include activities in your shared time, your pets will be happy and content.
Even though pets are good for truckers’ well-being and the quality of driving, many companies put limitations on their pet policies. Some companies don’t want large animals inside their trucks. Other companies are skeptical about certain breeds that are labeled as aggressive. There are companies that require weekly fees for running with a pet.
That’s why pet owners should research which companies allow pets and which companies will agree to let you run with Pit Bulls, Staffords, Cane Corsos, and other breeds that are considered aggressive.
When it comes to big companies that are household names in the transportation industry, their pet policies vary too. In most cases, big companies with lots of trucks will put some limitations on pet owners. Usually, big companies don’t allow aggressive breeds and large animals. Other companies need fees and put even tighter restrictions.
Since more and more drivers choose to have animals in their lives, it’s only a matter of time before companies have to open more opportunities for pet owners to drive with their animals. Until that time, choose your company wisely and always inquire about other drivers’ experiences when it comes to the company’s pet policy.