I Lost the thread about driving in the rv, vehicle transport industry "for a living".
It's a hard life, subject to all DOT Rules & Regs (The Driven Vehicle is Both a COMMERCIAL Vehicle during the haul and is ALSO the CARGO.
Drivers are subject to a host of safety rules and must accurately keep logs.
We earn $.89 to 1.10 a PC Miler Mile. We pay for the fuel, our eats & personal expenses.
We are reimbursed on outbound trips for PERMITS, Tolls, needed vehicle liquids, And Dealer Wash
At end of trip or wash at a truck wash close to dealer or customer delivery.
We are advanced 70% of our fee for fuel & expenses and settled by mail at end of trip.
(I use priority mail or ups overnight letter to assure my funds will be loaded on my DAAC
(Trucker's Com Data Card Account)
On a recent ROUND I delivered a new motorhome to a city south of Dallas TX. My wife
delivered a Fedex Truck in Memphis "on the way". She was paid $.89/pc miler mile. I
was paid $.92 a pc miler mile.
We tow our 1987 Jeep Waggoner (Cherokee) which holds most o f our needed "GEAR"
and road living stuff. It gets 20-22 MPG and holds up well under the strain.
After dropping the Motor Home in Texas we "Shuttled" to Texarkana AR & Picked up
a Retired Semi Tractor going to La Crosse WI. Our Universal Hitch allowed me to "build"
a temporary hitch assembly (C0st about $400) on the back frame of the Semi Tractor
so we could TOW the Jeep to La Crosse.
From there we "shuttled" in the Jeep to MEDFORD, WI and took a Di GIorno Pizza Truck
(Retired) to a truck dealer in central Indiana. We then Deadheaded BACK to Norther IN
TO rest a couple days at a sleeping room we rent and then START ALL OVER AGAIN.
OUR LAST RUN was quuite different: We took a new motorhome with a Triton V-10
To Grass Valley CA and my wife drove a new Class C shorter unit to Sacramento CA.
High winds, low fuel exonomy and rising fuel prices caused us to EAT UP most of which
I MADE driving the HIGH PROFILE Class A 35 Ft Long Gas Powered Motorhome along
I-80 West Bound in Unusually High Winds. PLUS we were Sidelined by the high winds
for three days. The fuel mileage usually about 7.5 mpg on MY unit was 4.2 to 5.5 mpg.
On our last two runs to Calif we waited about ten days (Visit friends etc) and got a good
Run going way east. So this was a good deal "THIS TIME". But our very last run there
was no "Units" going East and "freight was really slow" so we deadheaded back to the
Mideast leaving Friday Eve at 6 PM and arriving in the Elkhart IN area on Monday about
Noon.
We DID NOT Motel and our fuel at 20-22 mpg was about $400.00. We ccould have amtraked
for about $360 for both of us or Grehounded for about $320 for both of us arriving about
2.5 days after boarding.
We sometimes eat quite well on the road and sometimes really cheapit out. When we finish
We have about $400-500 from a long trip or three leg round but we really work at getting good fuel
economy on any of the units we drive and do not RUSH the delivery for any reason.
Many of the Transport Companies pay less than we are earning and our company only has limited
RELOADS (LOads away from base terminal) in the eastern half of the US. Our Oregon/Calif ops
are very limited on long east bound RELOADS.
Many long term drive away drivers work for more than one company. Bennett has 20 terminalsand Quality has a few terminals
We also are considering a couple BUS tranasporters and New Semi Transporters to "augment" our "Load Availability".
Hope this helps those considering RV and Truck Transport as a LINE of Work.
I'm 64 abd have a bad back from handling freight for years so this works for us as we like travel and
We like driivng and working together.
Most pickup owners I know have to have a bankroll for maintenance and repair and do it for something to do.
I keep legal logs (try) and keep most of the company rules. Last week, fortunately, my wife and I BOTH
Went through a roadside DOT inspection and passed with NO Violations (Har d to do).
Horizon seems to pay a little more to drive away and works at encouraging integrity and excellence.
IF you Contact Ray Randolf (Mgr Recruiter) he'll tell it to you stright up (574-862-3733) Direct.
PLEASE MENTION DRIVER NUMBER 9874.
All the best.
By the way, we DO sleep in the units BUT NOT on the Main Bed (New)