NOTES: I have met people from just about every walk of life doing this job. Male/female, every level of educations, and from every type of prior job. Doctor, banker, professor, store manger, computer programer and farmer just to name a few. My wife had done office work all her life and the closest thing that related to driveway was her first few cars had stick shifts. (I don't think she has driven one yet in driveaway)
b) Do you have a clean driving record?
NOTES: Like a lot of industries, this one is in a large part controlled by insureance. If you get a speeding ticket for 15 mph while driving commerically OR IN YOUR PERSONAL VEHICLE, you will be terminated (Co #1 and #3.) Even if an accident does not go on your driving record, you could be terminated.
c) Are you healthy?
NOTES: Co #1 requires a one year DOT card. Doctors may give you a six month card while they work on getting your medical issues under control, but the company may not let you work.
e) What experience do you have? NOTES: Come prepared. Did you drive for a paper route? Did you pull a trailer of some kind for personal use? How much experience you need (I think) varies depending on how bad they need drivers.
NOTES: Co #1 has local, partial or one day work many times a week. Co #2 also had local moves that didn't include overnights. Co #3 has had almost -0- trips that could be done in one day. For #3 I live about 1-1/2 hrs from a dispatch location that has just about daily moves and about 2-1/2 hours from a 2nd location. A 3rd locations is about 3 hours and has moves most weeks.
If you are an independant contractor you have the freedom to say yes or no. This was the case with all three companies I have worked for.
NOTES: Yes, I know drivers who only work M-Th or M-F so they can be home on weekends with their families.
And I have worked with other drivers who do not need to be home, but do not work on their day of worship. They just stop where they are and take the day off.
'Snowbird' and 'Farming' are two of the extended choices of taking time off. But you do need to let them know you will not be working. If you do not request/let them know you will be off, they may terminate you and then you have to re-apply, re-DOT test, etc.
Generally doing any work for them once every 30 days is enough to keep active.
NOTES: Some drivers complain they did not get any training. My response is ... do you train the person painting your house or fixing your plumbing? If you do, then you are likely treating them as an employee not an independent contractor.
Companies are mainly concerned about two things. Log legal and no accidents.
Some drivers do as many short runs as they can until the have the basics down. Then a good idea would be to pick one direction and stick with that route until you are again comfortable.
I did not have to take a driving test at any of the three companies I worked for. My wife was tested by Co #2 when she got her CDL, but not by Co #3. (she does not work for Co #1)
NOTES: If not, go to a truckstop and buy a log book to practice on. There are many online sites that have examples to practice on.
As of Aug 2023, driveaway is still excempt from the ELD / Electonic log regulations. There are many kinds of free logging software out there. The company you work for may or may not except them.
Examples on the DOT website If that link has moved just search the FMCSA site for 'log book examples.'
Here is a YouTube videos Here. I'm not recomending this video's, it is just the 1st that showed up.
NOTES: All I carry is two screw drivers, a crescent and a vise grip. All are under six inches long for flying reasons. (NO tools are allowed on international flights.)
NOTES: I feel I make more money the more I control. Co #1 now pays for all fuel, Co #3 only pays for CNG (alternitive fuel.) Co #3 pays for tolls, down time, etc depending on which customer it is. All runs do NOT cover the same expences. Runs from the same location may pay differently based on the length of the run.
NOTES: Co #1 pays every two weeks for all trips turned in through the prior Monday. They do not except fax copies. Also they mail paper checks. At Co #2 we were paid within a few days, but it seemed that it depended on how busy dispatch was if they had time to sign off on the paperwork. Co #3 usually pays within a few hours of receiving faxed paperwork. For Co #3, some customers require original paperwork mailed in, others do not. Co #2 and #3 put all monies on our Comdata/WEX/EFS account.
All three companies would advance money daily for fuel and motels. The money would be placed on a Comdata, WEX or EFS card supplied by them.
REMOVE all money from your Comdata, WEX or EFS card frequently. The money that is there is like an uncashed check to you. IF, IF something happens, the money in those accounts is still company money until you remove it.
We always removed money either upon receipt or weekly, leaving <> $20 to keep the account active.
NOTES: There is not always work. No work, no pay. You should budget yourself so you can afford a week with no work. Be aware of the flow of units and if those places are shut down over holidays, etc.
NOTES: That depends on where you work. When I started at Co #1, I was driving mostly refer trucks, then it was mostly city buses, now it's more mixers and garbage trucks.
At company #2 we moved a lot of cars but also box trucks and flat beds. Almost everything was from spectific accounts.
At company #3 it has been mostly RV's, but they do move a lot of chasis/tractors and boom trucks. Here we also do a lot of random moves.
Make your own choices. I recently heard someone else had been told which trucks were the best to drive. To me, those are the worst to drive. I don't konw if someone was intentionally steering this new driver wrong or if they really did like that style of trucks.
Some garbage and service trucks are right hand drive. And a few mixers are center drive. They just take some getting used to.
NOTES: I started in driveaway in 2003, by 2005 I had been in 47 states and 6 Canadian provinces. I've since added 1 more state and 2 more Canadian provinces.
When my wife started with me in 2014, before the year was out we had been in 46 states. (RI is a hard state to get to)
Now that we have been everywhere, we are focusing more on the money and tend to do the same trips over and over.
NOTES: At Co #1, dispatchers call drivers. They first call the drivers who have said they are available, then those that haven't said and lastly those that have already said they are not available. Everyone has the option of saying no. Almost all freight is one way, very few multi-leg trips.
At Co #2 we had to deal with different dispatchers depending on where we were in the country and if it was a local or long trip. They would keep those drivers already moving moving before giving a trip to a non-working driver. Dispatchers tried to keep you moving until you needed to go home.
At Co #3, everything is on an online spreadsheet and it is all 'those who call first get the work.' Even if you are sitting in that office. No dispatcher discretion. And all runs must be picked up 24 hours from getting assigned to them. That means if you leave FL to AZ because there is trips on the list, they may not be there by the time you can pick them.
(There are expections in all cases, these are the general guidelines)
NOTES: In most cases, a cap with the company logo will do and that only applies while making the pickup or delivery. We did have picture ID cards for Co #2.
NOTES: Keep your fuel and motel receipts. You may want to keep all receipts until the end of the day. An officer may ask for those receipts to match to your log book. So make sure your log book matches everything with a time on it. If you get out of the vehical or use the phone it should be logged as a stop.
How much fuel needs to be left in the vechicle varies by trip. Some need to be left the same level as when they were picked up. Others can be left on fumes, full or a set dollar or gallon amount within X miles from the drop.
IF you are paying the fuel, a lot of money can be made and lost on the fuel.
Do not solely rely on a GPS for directions. The biggest reason is low bridges and tunnels. Fines are the other big reason. Lots of highways and area's have road/route restrictions.
The shortest way is not always the best way. Also, take into account how fast you will be driving. Mapping software assumes you are going the speed limit.
NOTES: Permits can be based on either which states plate you run on, or which state you are based in. If you are asking other drivers about permits, make sure they are running on the same plate as you and are based on the same state as you. It is not based on which company you drive for.
We use I-Pass/EZ pass for tolls. The biggest advantage is not having to go through the narrow toll booths.
NOTES: If you can, follow someone else, anyone else, across the scale your first few times. That way you can see how the other driver proceeds.
Some scales require you to stop before crossing the scale. Others have you cross at a set speed. You may receive instructions either via the loudspeaker or via lights. If you are running with someone. Follow the lights / instructions for YOU. Do not assume that you will get the same instructions as the person ahead of you.
Many scales have multiple lanes with electronic arrows directing traffic. Stay far enough apart so that you can see the arrow for your vechicle.
AZ and NM - They will usually have someone at a window, frequently checking basic paperwork. Have it ready..
WY - You will always need to park and go inside the building, bring in your driver book and being a transporter you will likely need a permit.
Most other states you will drive across a scale and not have any contact unless you are flagged in.
Most flag in's seem to be random. Others are because they have ID'd an issue. Such as they did not see your plate or placard or something is visably wrong with your vehicle. Another big issue is distracted driving at the scale. Pay attention, do not be doing anything other than driving.
I have had just as many roadside inspections as I have had inspectons at a scale.
NOTES: Luckily I have never been in a commercial accident with another vehicle
NOTES: I have had two inccedents where I have had to pay the cost of what happened. The first one I hit a temp road sign going through constructions and had to have the mirror replaced before delivery. The second was where I followed the tracks in the snow to get to a motel and sunk because those tracks were across the lawn.
NOTES: I have had many with Co #1, sometimes only a few months apart. I never had a random drug test with Co #2 in the two years I was there. I have only had one with Co #3, that was when I was on a trip and had to stop in the next town. Unless you are maxing out your 14 hours you should still be able to get your daily driving hours in.
NOTES: I keep all my records stapled together. I also record all records on a spread sheet and at the end of the year, I have formula's on the spreadsheets to create totals for tax purposes. The three different colors on lines 6 and 7 are the three different companies that I work for. Each company pays differently in regards to paying taxes.
NOTES: I personally do not like to tow so I can't give any hints in this area. That does not mean it may not be the best situation for you.
NOTES: I have not done a Canadian trip in a number of years, things may have changed, slightly.
You will most likely have 'customs' paperwork, very few vehicles cross without it.
You will need the paperwork with the ORIGINAL bar code. If you can't feel where it is stuck on, you have a copy, that is not good enough.
IF everything is correct, the person at the border shack will look at your passport, ask you a few personal questions, stamp your paperwork and you can proceed.
IF your paperwork is not correct, there is nothing you can do. You will be sent to a 'broker' who will need to correct it. The borkers name should be listed on the paperwork. In most cases you will need to park your vehicle and walk to the broker office. It's the Canandian border and it can be cold in the winter, be prepared to be outside. This process can take hours of walking back and forth between the broker and customs if there is a major issue.
There are minor differences in logging in Canada. Such as how many hours you can drive in a day, when you have to take a restart and you must log / record your vehicle milage every stop. There are also loging exceptions for ferry travel.
NOTES: For my first 12 years I only drove for one company and then flew/drove home. By running that way I always knew what trips I was going to get and could sit at home until there was the work I wanted.
The reason I chose to start working for a 2nd company was that I no longer wanted to fly and if we couldn't find work, it was still generally cheaper for two of us to drive home than for two plane tickets home. (Once my wife started driving)
Our plan had always been to someday drive RV's, so when things changed at the other companies we went in that direction and added a 3rd company. Later we had to take extra time off for personal reasons and trying to get work with all three companies after coming back after being gone an extended amount of time was a struggle. And we ended up dropping company #2.
With Co #2 we left on good terms and could likely start there again tomorrow if we chose to so, but companies #1 and #3 were closer in location and are run more similar in some ways. Also most of the work we were getting from Co #2 was no longer matching to where our runs with #1 and #3 were taking us.
I have crossed paths with people who work for more than two companies, but unless you are on the road 50 week out of the year, I don't see how you can keep them all and yourself happy long term.