TRUCK DRIVER: DELIVERING THE LOAD
LESSON PLAN OVERVIEW
Career: Truck drivers deliver goods and materials to and from manufacturers and suppliers to stores, companies, and other customers
Lesson: This lesson plan provides activities for students to learn about truck drivers and what they do. Students will learn about the different types of tractor trailers and some of the goods they carry. Students will pretend being a truck driver by playing a game to see who can deliver their load first
Grade Level: Elementary Grades
Learning Objectives:
〉 Students will be introduced to the career of truck driving and learn what they do.
〉 Students will learn about the different types of tractor trailers and the kinds of goods they transport.
〉 Students will pretend being a truck driver by playing a game to see who can deliver their load first.
Materials Needed:
Activity #1: Tractor Trailers – What Do They Carry?
〉 Student worksheet
Activity #2: The Right Truck
〉 Student worksheet
〉 Game cards – Trucks & Loads, Destinations, and Road Blocks
〉 1 Dice
〉 Tape
TEACHER GUIDE
Lesson Instructions: The following activities will help you introduce students to the transport truck driving career and some of the tasks they perform. Begin the lesson by reading the Class Message below to your students, then have them watch the recommended career video. Afterwards, facilitate a discussion using the Class Discussion Questions listed below.
After the discussion, students will work on two activities. Each activity has a printable worksheet with student instructions and areas to record their work. Have students read their worksheets before beginning each activity.
You should also familiarize yourself with the student worksheets to provide assistance when needed, help demonstrate any procedures, and help in facilitating the discussion that ends each activity.
Class Message: Today, we are going to learn about truck drivers. How many of you have seen large trucks driving down the road? Have you ever wondered what these big trucks are carrying? Truck drivers carry and deliver practically everything - our food, the clothes we wear, the toys you play with, and all of the things we have in this classroom, including this pencil! Without truck drivers, we would have a hard time getting the everyday things we need to live.
In this lesson, you will learn about some of the different types of trucks and what they carry. You will then get to pretend being a truck driver by playing a game to see who can deliver their load first.
Let’s watch this short video to learn more about truck drivers.
Truck Driver Career Video (http://tn-caps.com/r/K2TDV)
Class Discussion Questions:
〉 What are some of the things you use every day? - Response Suggestions: clothes, toothbrush, hair brush, breakfast, bookbag, etc.
〉 Where do you think all of these things come from? - Response Suggestions: my parents, my grandparents, a store, ordered online, etc.
〉 How do you think things get delivered to stores every day? Response Suggestions: delivery person, on a truck, delivered by a truck, etc.
〉 What are some of the different kinds of trucks you have seen? - Response Suggestions: transfer truck, dump truck, delivery truck, garbage truck, tanker truck, cattle truck, etc.
Activities Overview: This lesson plan includes two student activities. Activity #1 challenges students to match different trucks to what they carry. In Activity #2, students will pretend to be a truck driver and play a game to see who can make their delivery first.
Read and familiarize yourself with the student worksheet for each activity.
Activity #1: Tractor Trailers – What Do They Carry
Students will learn about different types of tractor trailers and the loads they carry.
Activity Instructions:
〉 Hand out the student worksheet.
〉 Introduce the activity and guide students as needed.
〉 After completion, facilitate a discussion using the questions for the activity.
Activity Results: This activity introduces students to what truck drivers do, the different types of tractor trailers they drive, and the things they deliver.
Activity Discussion:
〉 Have you seen these different types of trucks before? If so, where have you seen them? - Allow students to share their experience.
〉 Did you notice what was on the truck? Did the truck have a picture on the side to give you a clue for what they were carrying? - Allow students to share their experience.
〉 Besides driving a truck, what are some other things a truck driver might do?Sample answers may include: load the truck, unload the truck, put gas in the truck, check the oil in the truck, read delivery schedules, talk on the radio, stock shelves, etc.
Activity #2: The Right Truck
Students will pretend being truck drivers by playing a game to see who can deliver their load first
Activity Instructions:
〉 Hand out the student worksheet.
〉 Introduce the activity and guide students as needed.
〉 After completion, facilitate discussion using the activity questions.
Preparing the game:
〉 Print the game cards – Trucks & Loads – print and cut out the cards so each student has one card.
〉 Print the space and road block cards.
〉 Print the destinations – 1 for each destination for a total of 6
Setting up the game:
〉 Use tape to hang each of the 16 stations throughout the classroom.
How to play the game:
〉 Place the truck & load cards face down and let each student pick one.
〉 As a group, discuss each card so students understand the truck and what it carries.
〉 Teacher will roll the dice for each student and will tell the student the number rolled.
〉 Student will move to the station for the number rolled. (i.e. Student #1: teacher rolls a 3, student #1 moves to Station 3 which is a blank space and stays there until their next turn. If the teacher rolls a 5 for student #2, student #2 moves to Station 5 which is Go Back 2 Spaces, so student #2 moves back two spaces to Station #3 which is a blank space).
〉 Continue this process until one student reaches Station #16 – Destinations. Direct the student to go to the correct destination based on their truck & load card. For example, if student #1 has a refrigerated box truck, the student would go to the grocery store.)
The teacher can use his or her discretion to continue playing the game until all students have reached Station #16 and go to the correct destination based on their truck & load card
Activity Results: Students learn about the different types of tractor trailers and the loads they carry.
Activity Discussion:
〉 A tanker truck usually carries liquids such as gasoline. What other liquids do you think a tanker truck might carry? - Sample answers may include: milk, oil, water, chemicals, etc.
〉 What are some animals that might be transported by trucks? - Sample answers may include: cows, chickens, pigs, horses, etc.
〉 Why do you think food, clothes, and household items are delivered in such big trucks? - Sample answers may include: people need to be able to buy food, clothes, and things for their home; it’s cheaper to deliver a lot of things in one big truck than in many small trucks.
〉 What parts of this job do you think would be interesting? – Allow students to answer with their own reasons.
DESTINATION CARDS
GROCERY STORE FARM
CAREER INSIGHT
Career Highlight: This lesson plan highlights some of the duties of a truck driver, the different types of tractor trailers they drive, and the goods they deliver. See the Employers in My Area section to contact businesses and organizations in your area about classroom demonstrations, on-site visits, or other additional career exposure opportunities
Featured Career: Truck Driver
Career Descriptions: Heavy and tractor trailer truck drivers transport goods from one location to another. Most tractor trailer drivers are long-haul drivers and operate trucks with a total weight exceeding 26,000 pounds for the vehicle, passengers, and cargo. These drivers deliver goods over intercity routes that sometimes span several states.
Heavy and tractor trailer truck drivers typically do the following:
〉 Drive long distances
〉 Report any incidents encountered on the road to a dispatcher
〉 Follow all applicable traffic laws
〉 Secure cargo for transport, using ropes, blocks, chains, or covers
〉 Inspect their trailers before and after the trip and record any defects they find
〉 Maintain a log of their working hours, following all federal and state regulations
〉 Report serious mechanical problems to the appropriate people
〉 Keep their trucks and associated equipment clean and in good working order
Most heavy and tractor trailer truck drivers’ routes are assigned by a dispatcher, but some independent drivers still plan their own routes. When planning routes, drivers must take into account any road restrictions that prohibit large trucks. Drivers also must plan legallyrequired rest periods into their trip.
Some drivers have one or two routes that they drive regularly, and other drivers take many different routes throughout the country. In addition, some drivers have routes that include Mexico or Canada.
Certain cargo requires drivers to adhere to additional safety regulations. Some heavy truck drivers who transport hazardous materials, such as chemical waste, must take special precautions when driving and may carry specialized safety equipment in case of an accident. Other drivers, such as those carrying liquids, oversized loads, or cars, must follow rules that apply specifically to them.
Other Names for this Career: Truck Driver, Delivery Driver, Line Haul Driver, Tractor Trailer Operator, Driver, Semi Truck Driver, Road Driver, Production Truck Driver, Over the Road Driver (OTR Driver), Log Truck Driver
