Truck Movers

I've been a contract driver driving singles (Bobtails) for truck movers since Apr 2014 and let me say that drive away has been the only way for me ever since! I love the freedom to work when I want, to pick where I go and when I'm going to be there. Scheduling my week out so I can plan my weekends off and I especially love getting paid the day after every delivery!

Now, drive away is not for every driver. You have to know how to plan round robin trips, travel expenses and control your sleeping habits. You can make $300-500 per day but if you have to get a flight, rent-a-car or even bus to pick up your next truck, you're already spending your profits. You will spend money on the road but, if you spend it wisely by using hotels.com groupon.com and livewire.com you can still make good money. I made $68K and had almost $26K in travel and food costs from Apr - Dec 2014. Since Jan 2015, I've made almost $60K and only $5K in travel and food costs so by Dec 2015 I should make well over $120K and I don't use a tow vehicle! I just plan the entire week out with my dispatch and get as close as I can to the next truck.

And always remember that it's always a negotiation with dispatch. I always ask the same 5 questions on ever truck they offer me to move...
1. What kind of truck it is? Sleepers are best (No Hotels! Take A Sleeping Bag!)
2. Where's it going? (More miles, more money!)
3. How much is it paying? (Get the highest possible pay 0.85 per mile or more!)
4. What trucks are coming out of that area? (Always take the highest paying truck!)
5. What's coming out of that next area? (Plan at least 3 days ahead or you will be sitting for 2-3 days waiting for something, trust me!)

Now, as for as boom and deck loads go... I'm about to start doing that next week and will update you guys as soon as I do. From what I've seen from other deck drivers, you get twice the pay, you get flown to the next pickup or, home on the company's dime and you get huge discounts on hotels and rent-a-cars! But, we'll see what we'll see soon...

...Laters!

 

Thanks SloPok for the read. I've been considering moving trucks. Been driving far too many heavy loads & have had to visit the chiropractor's office too many times from all the crazy unbalanced bouncing. So I hope you can answer a few questions. Are the trucks already connected when you pick them up? How heavy are the boards and what do you do with them after delivery especially if you drop one truck at a time? Or maybe your company delivers all the trucks to the same place? I admit it, I'm small & not very strong, lifting 35lbs would be my max. I failed a physical once cuz I couldn't lift 85lbs above my head. This limits me from doing unloading so moving trucks may be an option for me. Would love to hear more from you, keep writing, thanks

 

Yes, they are already decked when you pick them up and no, you don't have to un-deck any of them. You deliver all trucks to the same drop and if you do have multiple drops, the dealer usually un-decks or hires a tow truck. Either way, all you have to do is drive it, check the U-bolts every 200 miles and deliver the trucks. Easiest money I've ever made!

 

The dealer where I work: We'll call in a wrecker to help with undecking piggybacked trucks set up like shown in your signature line. However, transport driver has a lot of work to do after the wrecker plucks the trucks and leaves. There's work to do before the wrecker even shows up, even.

Basically if it's material related to the transporting of the trucks, we don't mess with it. That's the transport driver's job (unless they really need a hand for a safety reason). Seen many a transport driver (even from Truck Movers) out sweating to the oldies in the sun while they do undecking work.

 

Can you explain what work the transport driver must do to undeck? How strong must a person be is my only worry.
Thanks so much!

 

At my location:

Any axles which have been removed for transport on piggybacked trucks have to be installed. Any auxiliary lighting devices have to be removed. Temporary mudflaps are removed. None of that is particularly difficult or heavy. What can get heavy is removing the piggyback saddles (like the ones used in SloPok's signature picture. A lot of the transport drivers remove those themselves, but if they really do need a hand I go out and help them lift and carry them to where they need to be, or I'll bring a pallet over and they get loaded on to a pallet and I'll move them with the forklift. If the trucks are hooked together with "Z Bars" you'd be climbing underneath trucks to do the work to get the trucks ready to come off of them. Any mess generated in the undecking process is the responsibility of the transport driver to clean up. We don't sign for/accept trucks until everything is done and clean.

It's not like it's a lot of super strenuous backbreaking labor, but it's not always the easy skate work that SloPok is trying to make it sound like. I've seen transport drivers of all shapes, sizes, ages, strengths and both sexes.

I have seen where one driver does the undecking of several trains because the other drivers were, for some reason, not capable or whatever to participate in that part of the process (think they were all from Truck Movers, including the poor guy who spent three days undecking trucks).


Also, be an upstanding sort. Follow the rules and don't trash the inside of the trucks. Have had several occasions where we had to spend more time than was necessary to clean up sticky messes in interiors or have smoke smell removed. We're not here to pick up your trash.

Had one transport driver vehemently deny smoking in the truck despite overwhelming evidence proving that he had. "That smell is from the heater".

No, no it isn't. Neither is the ash all over the interior.

 

This is something that I have thought of doing as well. Keep us updated Slopok

 

This is one of the few positive post I've ever seen here on this topic.

Especially about this company.

Reader beware............

http://www.thetruckersreport.com/tr...s-so-full-of-crap.104846/page-16#post-4303454

 

Every deck driver I've talked to told me that they do not un-deck since most dealers and depots have people their who un-deck all their trucks. How about you call Truckmovers and ask for yourself.

 

Also, if you have to un-deck, you must be able to lift 65 lbs axles since you'll have to re-install them as well as, any tires which are 100 lbs plus.