Looking For A Job In Drive-Away Trucking?

The job of Drive-Away is not for someone who just wants to "bump docks" as they say. Keep your comfy job. Nor is this a job for someone who can't seem to get themselves going. You have to be someone who can be self motivated and is not afraid to get dirty.

This is an outdoor job, much like a flatbed driver. All of the hooking up is done outside. There is heavy lifting involved. Heck, I'm a girl and I can do the heavy lifting involved in this job.

You get to try out mostly every truck that is on the road. I literally mean, every truck that is on the road. Kenworth, Peterbilt, Mack, International, Freightliner, Ford, Volvo. Years are from 1996 (once in a while) to 2009. You get to use every transmission that is out there, except for the two handle whatchamacallit thing. Fully automatic with no clutch, auto shift with a clutch for stopping and starting, 9 speed, 10 speed, super 10, 13 speed, and 18 speed.

You get to drive trucks that are quiet, and you get the rattle traps. I've had the 5th wheel clamp disengage on me twice. That, let me tell you, is an experience like no other as far as heart attack fodder is concerned. You get to drive a truck that the engine will shut down and restart with every hard bump you hit, and on some of the Interstates that can be quite frequently.

You get to drive daycabs that you swear once you are out of it no chiropractor in the world can put you back straight. The ones that make my body hurt just by looking at them are single axle International 4400 daycabs. Oh God, just hit me in the face with a two by four.

You get to drive trucks that the front suspension makes a popping and snapping noise when you make a sharp turn. You get to drive trucks that the steering wheel is not centered. The center spokes are almost at 12 and 6 on a clock face.

The seats. One truck the shock absorber will be low on gas and you get to bounce ever higher with each bump until you are sure the seat is winding up to be an ejector. Then you will get one where the shock absorber is totally gone and no matter how much air you put in it to raise you above the steering wheel each rough bump makes you bang down and hit bottom. You fear your feet will be cut off at the ankles if you don't get them away. You will get a seat that has so many buttons for the air gadgets you spend most of your trip trying to find the right one to get that hard fist out of your back, and open the seat back sides so you don't feel like sitting in the seat is akin to being strapped into the electric chair. Then there are seats with that hellish bar just under your thighs behind your knees. If anything will cut the circulation off to the bottom part of your legs this seat will. Then there are the ones that all the previous drivers got just right for them. The right front outside is broken down so bad that I can't sit there for fear I'll fall off. And, lest I forget the seats that when aired up the seat back comes closer to you. Kind of like a lawn chair collapsing on you in a clam shell.

All the trucks have cruise control. Not all of them work. A lot of the trucks have engine brakes. Not all them work. The CR England trucks have the engine brake on the floor, left, near the door and up in the foot well. You want to use your engine brake, you get to do a kind of line dance step. Stomp your foot to the left, do si do, now move it on up a bit, do si do, wiggle your foot from left to right, do si do, feel for the button and press with all your might.

I haven't even mentioned the cabover trucks. The old JB Hunt cabovers. Those are rock and roll, hang on tight, twist and shout trucks. One of those will make you wonder if you should at least try out for the bull riding competition at the rodeo. The one I like best is the Freightliner Argosy. I have not been in the Kenworth cabover so I can't comment on that truck.

I've driven the Werner's Freightliner Classic with the nose that goes on forever and the turning radius is two blocks long, well not quite that bad. I like the sound those trucks make. The high pitched "weeee" in acceleration and the throaty rumble in deceleration.

The Peterbilts, some of them, have a really LOUD (my husband calls it a "blooey pipe") that startles the heck out of me after I've driven for several hours and not put the brake on to decelerate.

Volvo has changed their console layout - finally. Their radio used to be below knee level at the right hand side. If you wanted to change a cassette or the dial you nearly had to get down on the floor to do it. God I hated that.

I've been in trucks where the sleeper is just behind the driver's seat, and I've been in the "Studio Sleeper" trucks with a couch and enough room to have 10 people in there.

I've had a raccoon come out from under the bunk and jump in my lap. Talk about some screaming going on, let me tell you. I've been in trucks that have sat in fields for months and the spiders have taken up residence. I've been bitten from my ankles all the way up to my ears.

And to think I have been doing this since August 2001.

Have I got you interested in this job? Let me tell you a few things you will need to know, items you will need to have, and later - near the end - I'll give you links of the Drive-Away companies that are always hiring.

The first thing you will need is a cell phone. Not just to keep in touch with family and friends, you will need this in your business. And I do stress BUSINESS. This is a business and you are an Owner/Operator. You will not be a company driver in the Drive-Away business.

A pager won't work. It may be nice to have but if you want to work and only have a pager you will have to find a place to stop, find a phone booth, and call the number that paged you. By the time you have done that, your next load is long gone by someone that had a cell phone and responded immediately.

There are no payroll taxes taken out of your pay. You are solely responsible for FICA, Social Security, Medicare, State, and Federal Taxes. When you figure to file your income taxes for this business you will be paying taxes and not getting a big windfall Income Tax Check in the mail. Filing your taxes is more complicated than just a 1040 EZ Form. You will need to keep track of where your money goes on a daily basis.

You will need to have receipts to back up everything you declare as an expense. I mean everything. Fuel for the truck you drive, oil, gas/diesel for your personal vehicle, wiper fluid, oil and anti-freeze you had to add to the truck you drove, audio books you listen to, laundry (a hand written note of the date, where, and amount), hotels you stay at when you don't sleep in the trucks, tires for your personal vehicle, any and all repairs on your personal vehicle, mileage on your personal vehicle. The list goes on, but you get what I mean. The only receipts you really don't need to keep are for food. You are allowed a daily per die um of $52.00 (I think it is up to now) for food, which includes snacks. You will also need to keep any receipts for clothing you purchase on the road, and you will be buying clothing from time to time.

This business is broken down into categories. They are: a) Drive-Away with other transport options; b) Singles Drive-Away; c) Doubles Drive-Away; and d) Decking.

Let me take these one at a time.

Drive-Away With Other Transport: Cement trucks, firetrucks, garbage trucks, box trucks (like U-Hauls), and military vehicles. These vehicles are constructed in a manner that there is no place to attach a tow bar hitch on the back. You will not be able to pull a personal vehicle behind these vehicles.

You will not have the worry of a personal vehicle breaking down on you somewhere, gas/diesel to purchase, additives such as wiper fluid, oil, or anti-freeze, no tires to replace, etc.

In most cases you will hire a taxi to get you to a bus station or an airport to get to your next job. You can even rent a car from the local airport, some Drive-Away companies have an account with the rental place of their choice and all you need is the account number. You will also need a taxi from the bus station or airport to your pick up point. You will need to have ready cash for the taxi and the bus. Usually, not always, the company you will be working with will pay for your plane ticket to the next destination. Usually, not always, this cost is passed on to their customer as part of the freight fee and you will not be responsible for this cost. Now I said Usually. You have to ask the individual Drive-Away company what their policy is on this item.

The next thing. Pack light. I can't stress this enough. You will be in airports or bus stations, and need to have your items as carry on. Included in your clothing you will be carrying your Legal Documents, which are IFTA papers, license plates issued by the company you work for, proof of insurance, Company Placards, and some Drive-Away companies require you have a spare random drug testing envelope.

If you keep in touch with the world by CB radio, you will need to carry that, plus about 10 feet of coax cable, and an antennae. A coat or jacket, the temperature swings in this business are more than you can imagine. You could be in Arizona on May 4th in shirt sleeves and bemoaning the jacket you are dragging along, then by May 7th you are in Wisconsin and the jacket is not near heavy enough for the cold air.

If you have many pieces of luggage, in this business, you won't have for very long. It will be lost on an airplane or left behind somewhere else. You and your luggage are going to be "attached at the hip" as it were. The lighter your load the easier this will be on you. And for heaven's sake, Do Not put any of your personal items in the tempting cubbies of these vehicles. Out of sight, out of mind. You will be long gone by the time you remembered your most favorite CD collection in the overhead cubby of the dump truck you left two states back.

Whatever Drive-Away company you work for you will need to have some information about the vehicle you will be taking. The information you will need is as follows:

1. The business name of the place you are going.
2. The business address (physical address, city & state).
3. The telephone number and contact name.

YOU will be calling this business and inform them of your expected time of arrival, for example, tomorrow afternoon around 1 pm.

4. The VIN number of the vehicle you will be taking. You will get the last six of the VIN.
5. The Unit number, if any, of this vehicle.
6. The Make and Model of the vehicle.

While you are talking to the person at the pick up site you will give them the Items 4-6 information so they know what you are coming for.

For your own peace of mind, call the pick up place first and talk to the person who handles these vehicles. Sometimes the name you are given is incorrect - that person hasn't worked there in months - find out who you need to speak with then and talk to them. Tell them your name and what Drive-Away company you are with. Then tell them about the unit you are getting and your expected arrival time. They will then let you know if the unit is ready or not. If it is not ready how long it will take before it is ready. If it will be several days, call your dispatcher and let them know of the problem. They can get you off that one and onto another one, or pay for your hotel while you wait for the unit to be ready.

Be professional. Don't just show up and throw a temper tantrum because the unit isn't ready or they are not prepared for your arrival. This is your business. Treat it like one.

To continue with what you get from the dispatcher.

7. The delivery place name.
8. Delivery address (physical address, city & state).
9. Telephone number and contact name.

Again, using your cell phone once you are on the way, call the delivery site and talk to the contact person there. Let them know you have picked up the unit and when you are estimated to arrive. If it will be an after hours delivery find out what their policy is on that. A lot of places do not allow any deliveries after hours or on weekends.

Plan your time accordingly. If you can't deliver or pick up over the weekend, then take a little time on the road and stop en route and see something you have wanted to see. Do not go 100 miles out of route to see the Grand Canyon just because it is sort of along the way. That is unless you are in a rental car and you are free to go sightseeing. If you are in the truck, find things that are along your route. There is a lot to do and see out there.

When you take one of these vehicles (dump truck, cement truck, etc.) there is no sleeper in them. You will have to stay in motels. Go to this website http://www.checkinncard.com and sign up for Corporate Lodging. The motel rates will be way cheaper than paying full rack rate. For instance, my husband and I have thought about getting a Sleep Number Bed. The Raddison Hotel has them. In Spartanburg, South Carolina we specifically stayed at the Raddison because they are with Corporate Lodging and we wanted to try the bed. The regular room rate for that night was $148.00 plus tax. We got the room for $49.95 plus tax. We won't be buying a Sleep Number Bed any time soon. I felt like I was sleeping with a beach ball in my lower back. I was more sore and achy the next morning than I had ever been on one of the hardest mattresses in say a Super 8.

Make sure you take a shower the morning of your delivery. Do Not show up with stinky arm pits and real strong body odor. You are a professional, not something that crawled out of the slime pits. This is your business. You could lose the ability to take another load to this place and that will deprive you of an income. Be smart.

Continuing on with things you will need to have from the dispatcher for this load.

10. Miles. Most places pay by House Movers Miles and not actual miles.
11. Pay for Miles. This will be your Total Pay for this trip.
12. Fuel Surcharge. There are some Drive-Away companies that Do Not pay a Fuel Surcharge.

When you sign on with a Drive-Away company you will be given a ComData Card. This card will be loaded with your advances for your trips. Depending on the Drive-Away company the money on the ComData Card will only be accessible from an ATM Machine. You will have charges against your money from ComData and from the ATM machines. This is one other item you will need to keep track of. This is a Business Expense. Find out from the Drive-Away company how much is deducted from your advance for loading the money on the ComData Card to begin with. The ComData Fee ranges from $.70 to $1.25. So right away you will have that amount of money gone from your advance. Find out how much it will be. If you are expecting $500 on your ComData Card and check your balance at an ATM you will find you only have $499.30. Save yourself the headache. Also remember, each consecutive time you check your balance on the ComData Card, ComData will snatch up to $1.25 from your balance. There will also be the fee you have to agree to at the ATM machine to get your money. Save the ATM receipt because of the fee shown on the slip. That is a Business Expense.

The Advance you are given by the Drive-Away company will be for fuel, food, hotels, snacks, taxis, and bus fare. In your settlement from the Drive-Away company you will be reimbursed for the taxi fare and the bus fare. Get receipts for these or you won't be reimbursed. You will also be reimbursed up to $30 or $35 on your hotel room - later in your settlement from the Drive-Away company. Ask the Drive-Away company what the amount is they reimburse while you are under load. When you stay at a hotel between trips, that is out of your pocket. Get a receipt, it is a Business Expense.

At most every truck stop you can purchase 6 x 9 manila envelopes. They come in a packet of five or six. Buy some. Keep the receipt, this is again a Business Expense. Write on the outside of the envelope, I don't care which side, the following.

Date - This will be the date you actually begin the trip. Taxi and bus fare receipts go in this envelope, as well as all the other receipts you will acquire.

Load Number - This is the Load Number given by the dispatch office for the vehicle you will be moving.

Pick Up Location - Write down the location name, address, city, state, contact name, telephone number.

Delivery Location - Write down the location name, address, city, state, contact name, telephone number.

Miles - This is the miles you will be paid for.

Pay - The amount you are paid for the miles.

Fuel Surcharge - The amount you will be paid as Fuel Surcharge.

Advance - Subtract this amount from your Pay and Fuel Surcharge and that will leave you with the amount you should be paid on your settlement for this trip.

List any Reimbursable items on this envelope at the end of your trip. These will include permits, tolls, oil you have to put in the vehicle, washer fluid you have to purchase, motel receipts (the amount the company will reimburse you), bus fare, taxi fare, etc. Once you have a total of these items then add them to the amount left over from the subtotal after the Advance and you will have a new total of what to expect for a settlement.

All receipts you will acquire during this "Load" will be kept in this envelope. When you get the unit delivered your copy of the Bill of Lading will go in the envelope.

You may think I am being really picky about these receipts. I am because this is a Business and needs to be treated as one. If you don't have some kind of a system in place to keep track of receipts and BIL (Bills of Lading), other than your pants or shirt pockets, or a purse for the women drivers, you will be out a valuable item come tax time. When it is gone, it is gone and the IRS won't take a hand written note and an amount you pulled out of the air as an expense. Only a note for the amount of money you spent at a coin operated laundry they will take written on a piece of paper. And that one has to be reasonable.

If you want to make money at this job, you can.

One of the items I neglected to mention was Log Books. The Drive-Away company will supply you with Log Books. If you find you are out of Log Books and BIL's (Bills of Lading) call your dispatcher and they will FedEx or UPS a batch to you at your delivery site or the next place you will pick up.

Back to making money at this job. If you dawdle you are frittering away YOUR MONEY. If you have a trip that can be done in two days and you take three weeks to deliver it because your route takes you 50 miles from home and you want to be home you are cheating yourself and you are a lousy business person. Just stay home and don't apply for a job in Drive-Away. We don't need your selfishness bunging up the works for the rest of us.

Just get it in your head that you will be gone for three weeks then take a week off. Call the dispatch office every day, even under load, and find out what they have. You know, the "Squeaky Wheel" thing? Call and let them know you have picked up and when you expect to deliver. Find out what they have before you get to the delivery point. Most times they will have something within 5 to 10 miles of where you will be delivering. Or they will have something out of your delivery site and ready for your arrival. Be smart. This is your Business. I can't stress that enough.

You will have to find out from a Drive-Away company what these Singles pay. They range from $.90 to $1.15 a mile and can be as much as $1.75 with the Fuel Surcharge. There might be a vehicle that is full of fuel when you get there and you don't have to buy fuel for the whole trip. That is part of your settlement and can be used to pay the expenses on your next trip. Or you can start a "Mad Money" stash and put it away.

You will need to find out what the policy is of the Drive-Away company in final paperwork. Some companies want you to use TripPak, which is found at truck stops, to send in your paperwork. You will submit your BIL, all logs, a mileage report, copies of fuel receipts, copies of tolls and permits. If you make copies of tolls, permits, fluids (oil/washer fluid) get a receipt for the copies.

Some Drive-Away companies supply you with postage paid envelopes for these items but require you to fax in all your paperwork first then mail it in. The place you deliver to will allow you to have access to a copier and fax machine, or there will be someone there that will do it for you - make your copies and fax your papers. Then just drop your logs and all paperwork in a mail box or leave it for outgoing mail at the delivery point. You will be paid from these items you send to the Drive-Away company.

Settlement Pay is different for every Drive-Away company. Some pay you directly on your ComData Card. Remember, there is still a ComData Fee that is deducted from this final pay. You can get access to the ComData Card you hold online and actually see what their fee is. Make sure you print a copy of this each month. It will show how much was loaded on the card and how much you took off, plus any fees they charge. Business Expense.

Some Drive-Away companies will require you to provide them with a check or deposit slip you VOID. The company will then have your settlement monies directly deposited to your bank account. Depending on your banking institution (ours charges us $8.00 for each transaction with one of our dispatch companies) you may be charged a fee for this direct deposit.

Some Drive-Away companies mail a check to your home address for your settlement.

No matter how you are paid, you will always get a Settlement Sheet from the Drive-Away company that will have all of your monies, except for ComData Fees, listed on the sheet and will show the amount you made for that particular trip. These are mailed to your home address and will need to be saved for tax time.

Drive-Away Singles: These are bobtails. Trucks with a 5th Wheel or not. Daycabs or sleeper trucks. Vehicles you will be able to mount a tow bar hitch to pull your vehicle behind.

The major expense you will have with this is a vehicle and the tow bar assembly. The vehicle you will have to purchase on your own, the Drive-Away company will not supply you with a vehicle. Some Drive-Away companies, not all of them, will have a specific tow bar attachment assembly you can purchase from them and a light bar. You will have to agree on an amount that will be deducted from your Settlement for the Drive-Away company to provide you with these items.

With the exception of bus fare, airline tickets, and hotels, all the information I provided for the Drive-Away With Other Transport is the same. Unless you have a Daycab truck you are delivering. This unit will not have a sleeper and you are required by the DOT to have a motel room. You may be asked to show a receipt for a motel room if you get pulled into a weigh station for a DOT Inspection. The motel reimbursement will be the same $30 to $35 per night.

Although you will have the freedom to drive to your next location with your own vehicle you will have added expenses. Wear and tear on your vehicle, tires to replace, fuel to purchase, front end repair, eventual engine overhaul and/or transmission repair. These are costs of doing business and come out of your pocket. Not to mention the downtime and loss of revenue from being in the shop. These expenses are tax deductible so you need to keep these receipts. The fuel costs will be added up and then averaged for the daily per die um for mileage set by the IRS.

In the Singles operation you will need to have some basic tools. A 3/4" socket wrench, a 3/4" open and closed end wrench (check with the supplier of the tow bar hitch, you may need a different size socket wrench and closed end wrench), a ratcheting chain tightener or boomer, safety chains that attach your pickup to the tow bar/hitch, and a 30' 7 wire electric cable with both ends having an electric coupler. This will be needed for the light bar to work. Attaching one end to the connection in the bobtail and the other end to the connection in the light bar. You will need to purchase rubber bungies.

Some Drive-Away companies will supply you with the tow bar/hitch (for an agreed upon fee) and all the attachments you will need to secure it to the back frame of the bobtail. Some Drive-Away companies will take the time to show you how it is installed on the bobtail, others will just give it to you and let you figure it out.

Everything I indicated before about dispatch information applies here. Pick up site names, addresses, city, state, contact name, telephone numbers. Delivery site names, addresses, city, state, contact name, telephone numbers. Miles, pay, fuel surcharge, advances, etc. All is the same as above and the procedures you go through.

Now, unlike the Drive-Away With Other Transportation, you will have a "tail" behind you that will need to be monitored continuously. If you attach your tow bar/hitch and your vehicle, head out and never look back, you just may be surprised by your vehicle missing when you get to the delivery site. It has happened on numerous occasions.

Luggage and personal items, well the "Sky's The Limit". Bring along whatever your heart desires, or will fit in the vehicle and you can still safely drive on the highway. If you have a buddy you want to bring along and share the experience with just make sure the Drive-Away company knows this and your buddy has a Class B CDL driver license. If it is a spouse you might have to get that person to the DMV and have them take the tests to get their Class B driver license. Most Drive-Away companies frown upon riders. Their insurance people will have a fit and raise their rates, or so I've been told. Find out what the policy is for the company you will drive for.

Just like the Drive-Away with Other Transport, if you want to make money you can't dawdle. You have to get out there and move.

I'm going to go off topic here for a minute. Where did the phrase "Lolly Gagging" come from? Since it is another term for dawdling, I've never known how it came to be. Such flights of fancy I get in my head would be some woman named Lolly, long ago, that had a penchant for talking and talking. People couldn't get her to shut up so they could leave. Then one day someone put their hand over her mouth and pushed her away and off they went - hence Lolly Gagging. So I have turned the phrase around in my fashion and say "We were Gagging Lolly".

Okay, back to where I was.

No matter which way you choose to do the Drive-Away you are still a Business Owner and have to treat this as a business. In order to make money you have to be smart. You can not rely on someone else to decide when and where your next load will be as if you were a company driver. You have to make it happen. You have to call the dispatch office and say "What have you got? I'm at this location now, will be at that location then, and I need something out of there."

One item I did not mention before is breakdowns. And they happen. Flat tires on the vehicle you are delivering. A turbo goes out. A fuel filter needs to be changed. Batteries are dead and need to be replaced or you need a jump start at the motel you stayed. Whatever the repair, it does not come out of your pay. The dispatch office will have you contact a local road service company and Get An Estimate of the charges for the repair. Always you will hear "Get An Estimate". The road service people are pretty good about letting you know how much it will cost to come to where you are and provide the service. If you can limp into a truck stop that has a shop you will hear the same thing - Get An Estimate. Once the repair is made you will be given an Express Code for a ComCheck that will be made out to the repair company for the amount agreed upon. In your settlement sheet you will find this listed as an advance then put back in so don't get all wild eyed. You are not being billed for this. Their accounting set up has this built in and it has to be shown against which load.

In any aspect of Drive-Away you decide would suit you best, please keep in mind that this is a business and you will make better money if you treat it as one. Your hygiene is just as important as the care you take to pick up and deliver these trucks. Your hygiene will hold more importance than you think it might. If you are all stinky when you arrive and people want to run from you while they gag you can bet they will call your dispatch office and tell them to not send you back there ever again. After a few of these complaints you may find yourself 1,000 miles from home and are continuously told there is nothing available yet. Only after several days of sitting and waiting for a load, blowing up at the dispatch people, they might let you know that your hygiene has been your downfall. Don't let this happen.

This is an outside job. You work in the heat of summer, the cold of winter, you do get sweaty when you work. You just don't have to stink like soap and water are foreign terms in your vocabulary.

Now to the part of the industry we are in. Doubles Drive-Away: We each take two trucks. If you are in this by yourself you will find it easier to get loads than we do because most places will have two trucks and few places have four.

Doubles Drive-Away is just a little bit different. You will need to have more equipment and it can be very expensive. The equipment you will need will be heavy, cumbersome, have a lot of attachments, and will be filthy with 5th wheel grease. You will need to have two sets of axle chains, one boomer, 50' of air line hose, a specialty attachment for firewall mounted air fittings, a cross over yoke with a reducer valve, some extra fittings to to attach the cross over yoke directly to the brake pods, a 50' 7 wire electric cable with both ends fitted with connectors, rubber bungies (lots of bungies), 6' hardword boards (4 of these), four 2 1/2 inch "C" clamps, two 10' ratchet straps, and a boom or a transport trailer.

Some Drive-Away companies have a transport trailer they will let you use. You will pay a very hefty monthly fee for the use of this trailer, I've heard as much as $500. Unfortunately, you will not be schooled in the use of this trailer. You will need to figure it out yourself, or so all the complaints we have heard over the years. Your personal vehicle will be on the transport trailer between the two trucks. You will need to have your vehicle secured to the transport trailer or you will play hell getting out of a weigh station in any state for an unsafe mount. So you will need to purchase tie down straps or find the chains car haulers uses to secure cars to their trailers.

The load information is still the same as with the singles. Pick up site, delivery site, load number, Vin number, Unit number, miles, pay, fuel surcharge, advances. The difference is your pay will be more for the two trucks than with a single. You could be paid as much as $2.20 per mile with the fuel surchage calculated in. Again, that all depends on the Drive-Away company you sign up with. Some Drive-Away companies pay $1.40 with the Fuel Surcharge included.

There is more that can go wrong with Doubles. You have more wheels on the ground, thus a greater chance of tire failure than with a Single. Now, this doesn't mean that you will have a tire blow out on every trip it just means there are 12 tires on the ground as opposed to 10 and the total set up weight is greater with Doubles than with Singles.

There is another vehicle involved here. Both vehicles, most times, have to start and run. With two vehicles there is a greater chance that one won't start and run.

You will be, in effect, driving a tractor trailer with all the length that entails. You will need to have a Class A CDL to drive Doubles, where you only need a Class B CDL for singles.

There is double the paperwork involved. Most Drive-Away companies require you to have a separate BIL for each truck, thus double the paperwork. Permits and tolls cost more because of the weight and configuration than a single.

Fuel costs will escalate because of the "drag" you have from that back truck. You are, in effect, pulling a parachute behind you when you do Doubles. With a single bobtail you could get up to 10 miles to the gallon. With doubles you will be ecstatic when you get 6. I am serious about this.

With the back truck trailing behind you there is one precaution you have to take. I mean HAVE to take. The steering wheel of the back truck needs to be tied down securely. If you don't tie that steering wheel off you will have a truck that goes into "Jack Knife" at every turn, before you leave the lot.

You have to be more conscious of what you are doing and your driving skills have to be good. Any damage to these trucks that you cause from your driving is money you lose by paying the Drive-Away company their Insurance Deductible. You can be docked as much as $2,500 for each incident. This is with a single as well as with the double. If you damage several trucks in the course of your driving you will be let go like a hot potato. Dropped flat. Your DAC report will reflect this and you will have trouble getting a job anywhere else. This is serious business.

In Doubles you can also pull your vehicle as a third unit behind your second truck. These trucks will be connected with a boom, which can be had (for up to $500/month) by some Drive-Away companies. There will be about four tow bar assemblies you will need to have built. Find out from someone that does this type of drive-away. They can let you know how to get them built. If you are mechanically inclined and quite handy with a welder you can make them yourself. Just be advised, there are several states that will make you take your vehicle off. Pennsylvania and New Mexico are just two of them.

The next kind of Drive-Away is Decking: I don't know anything about decking and the equipment you will need. There are quite a few drivers that only deck and say they will not do anything else.

If I have not persuaded you to join the ranks, you might consider contacting companies like AutoTruck at http://www.autotrucktransport.com which is decking and delivering new trucks. They are union and they fly you everywhere and have a shuttle to pick you up at some airports. This will give you a chance to see what "Hot Seat" really means.


The Driveaway companies I personally know about are:

Dependable Transportation http://www.dependabletransport.com
Coldiron Companies http://www.coldironcompanies.com
Truck Movers http://www.truckmovers.com
D&T Truck Transport 1748 County Road Q
Fremont, NE 68026
402-727-7277
Worldwide Freight Carriers http://www.worldwidefreight.com