OTTAWA — “This income,” — $38,111 a year — “may seem quite high for an occupation that does not require much schooling.”That’s the word on truck driving from the Federal Government agency Service Canada, which provides career advice to Canadians.

As recently as May, 2011, Service Canada not only reported what truck drivers make, it told Canadians that the outlook for people seeking work as truck drivers is “fair.”

“Given the expected economic growth for the Quebec, the Canada and the United States,” the agency says, “the number of truck drivers should increase significantly over the next few years.”

However, the Service Canada truck-driving story comes with a caveat. Yes, you might be able to make the “quite high” $38,111 a year, but “the average work week was much longer than for all other occupations, or 48 hours compared with 37 hours.”

Also, “long haul truck drivers are frequently away from home for long periods. People in this occupation are often required to lift fairly heavy loads.”

Service Canada’s story on truck driving is indeed one of so-called optimism. “There will be many job opportunities.

“Jobs will also be created by the need to replace people who leave this occupation to work in other occupations, such as truck driving instructors dispatchers and security guards.”

For a complete rundown on how truck driving’s face is presented to your fellow citizens, check out servicecanada.gc.ca/eng/qc/job_futures/statistics/7411.shtml