I'm wondering if anybody has any good or bad information about driveaway companies

I'm curious about this also. My wife works with a lady who's husband is a driveaway driver. I called him to pick his brain and if what he is telling me is accurate then I will be very interested in that part of the business.

Like so many others I would like to get out of CDL school and get a job where I can be home every night and make good money at the same time. From what I've learned those opportunities are far and few between. I was in that stage where I was trying to decide if I could deal with the being away from family as much as it seems is necessary as a rookie. Based on what he said the driveaway side of the business might be a good fit for me.

So with all that said, I would love to learn about this segment of the industry. The more info we have the better decisions we can make.

I'll be following this thread and hope you also get the answers you're looking for!

Todd

 

Driveaway is not for everyone. it basically involves thinking outside of the box. First you are your own boss. second you pay all expenses upfront. third you have to arrange your own transportation from drop-off to pick-up. This is not a good job for someone who is trying to learn trucking. For every good comment made about driveaway there are 5 negative ones. with that said, let me tell you why it is the best kind of work there is. First if you want freedom of where to drive where to stay and what to eat, that is your choice. Second, the company will advance you enough money for fuel only. Most Driveaway companies that are worth anything will pay you upon completion of a trip usually within 48hrs. if you are a company driver and paid .30 a mile to drive a truck a thousand miles you make 300. if you are a driveaway contractor you will make .95 to 1.40 per mile so your 1000 mile trip is 950 to 1400 but you have to pay all your expenses out of the income so 1000 miles / 6mph (if your lucky) is 166 gallons of fuel. The cost for fuel is around 3 something a gallon. but for arguments sake lets say 4.00 a gallon that is $664 in fuel that leaves you a profit of $286.00 for a thousand miles. But, you have other expenses the company driver doesn't. cost to rent a car is $79 per day, or a bus if you have a pass is $10 per day you have it whether or not you use it. then food is another $40.00 - Roughly your 1000 mile trip netted you about 150 on the low end and $600 on the high end. Those are facts not just guesses and maybe's. if you have a toad it is still right around the same but you have the convenience of transportation when you need it. I hope this helps put it in perspective for you thinking about trying this. I wish you a lot of luck.
by the way the advance that the company gives is less than 30% of the gross most often.

 

Thanks for the info. I come from a business background and have been self employed for 7 of the last 10 years. I like that aspect of it. I'm trying to weed through to the truth about the amount of money you can "bring home" a week. If I can drive and pay all expenses and make as much as a company driver who never gets home I'll take that in a heartbeat. The problem is I'm reading nothing other than driveaway is corrupt and a scam.

At the moment I'm looking very hard at a local company (Epes in NC) and continuing to research the driveaway option. My current feeling is to go with Epes and learn to drive a truck with a trailer and the ins and outs of being a truck driver. If driveaway is a good option now, it will be in a year. Epes runs east of the Mississippi and from what I'm told you can be home most every weekend.

I still have plenty of time to research and figure this out.


Thanks again for the advice!!

Todd

 

I know this probably redundant, but I am going to say this anyway. Driveaway has a lot of hidden expenses to it. Some of the expenses are meals and hotels; even cheaply the cost per day is over $50.00. One item that is overlooked is tools. You must carry tools with you from job to job. The weight of the tools is substantial. To properly outfit a driver with the correct tools will cost about $250.00 or more. Coveralls and gloves and good work shoes are a priority. Also remember if you have a toad you have to pay for gas, oil, tires, wipers, and a myriad of other expenses to keep you vehicle running. Then the big expense; equipment required to to either deck trucks or a boom trailer or for that matter just to tow the toad. A boom trailer is expensive. The average cost new is $18,000. a good used one going to cost $6000 or more. you can pick up a worn out one for around $3000. I will post shortly with some more info once I have all the facts. Again good luck on your venture.

 

i am a driveaway transporter at present time i work with 5 companies Apollo- running Navistar trucks, Team Driveaway- running various trucks, Quality- delivering RV's, Truck movers- running several trucks, single,boom & 3 way-4way, and J&J- running several trucks. i always have a return unit with either company been in the transporting for 8 years now and would not change a thing.

 

i have yet to see 6mpg i usually avg. out at 7-11mpg and keep it around 65mph, been in this buisiness for 8 years now and i stay out 3wks-5wks then take a wk or 2 off, i have a boom trlr i bought at an auction for $9800 it was used twice, still had all the bells and whistles even came with all the straps & chains, my pickup is set up with all tools needed and i have a corporate motel card to save on my rooms when i need them sometimes i sleep in my p/u. there are a lot of ways to save $$$$ while transporting, gotta use your head on these things. don't need to eat a big meal everyday, there's a lot of places to eat on the road "STAY OUT OF TRUCK STOPS" they are too expensive. i get fuel at truckstops occasionally, but mostly i look up the fuel price in the area i am travelling thru and find a convience store that sells diesel and get it at a much lower price. happy trails to all

 

I have been doing drive away for a few, here is an actual spread sheet of a trip I did:

[TABLE]
[TR]
[TD]date[/TD]
[TD="width: 441"]07/13/13[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Trip #[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]mileage[/TD]
[TD]302 miles[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]costs[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]plane[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]train[/TD]
[TD]$98.00[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]bus[/TD]
[TD]$25.00[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]taxi[/TD]
[TD]$21.00[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]other[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]meals[/TD]
[TD]8.5 24.5 16.38 = 49.38[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]lodging[/TD]
[TD]$108.90 (cheapest hotel I could find)[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]FUEL:[/TD]
[TD]$102.93[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]other[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]total pay[/TD]
[TD]$376.32[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]less costs[/TD]
[TD]$331.21[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]NET[/TD]
[TD]45.11

this trip took 2 days to complete due to train ride!

could I have done it cheaper? you bet, as long as I could have found a cheap motel when I got there at 1 am (they do not let you sleep in the trucks), and ate top ramen.

This does pay .40 / mile BUT only for the actual trip driven. They do pay for the transportation there, but not your time on the trip.
They say they pay within 24 hrs, BUT IT HAS NEVER HAPPENED.
There is always some missing money every time with no real good explanation.

In reality you will average about $60-75 day net.
They only pay after the trip so you will front ALL the expenses first so be prepared to be out $500 - $700 the first week or two
until they catch up. If you are looking for a "real" job this is not it. if you just want to supplement a retirement income then it is a good deal.

ALSO: VERY IMPORTANT: most trucking companies WILL NOT give you credit for doing this job as you did not have a load, just bob tailing.

[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]

 

I am an owner operator and bring home between $1600 and $2500 and this is after all truck expenses every week and I have been thinking on doing drive aways, but here is my two cents for this last post....you would have save $144 on transportation if you tow your own vehicle, and meals?? have you heard of McDs dollar menu, and hotel?? you would have save that money too by sleeping in your own vehicle...anyways many people here are right, drive away jobs are not for everyone, and you MUST think outside of the box....right now I have signed with two companies (one of them has a terminal in my hometown) and will not do my first run until I sign with a third one.