driveaway companies

What do you mean? Are you working for one now?

 

Depends. There is one that is based out of Wisconsin that the drivers are part of the machinist union. They get airline tickets and most other stuff. Otherwise all you get is linehaul and you pay ALL expenses!

 

I've been meaning to ask. What exactly is a "driveaway" company?

 

A company will send a driver to the unit that is needing to be moved. The driver that was sent to move it will get in and drive it away.

 

Or a 3rd party company. In the oilfield I worked for a 3rd party driving Schlumberger trucks. We hung out signs and dot # over theirs and we were considered a drive away-tow away operation. Also exempt from the ELD rule

 

And this is all these guys do...they never have their own truck?

 

Correct for most part. The only trucks the company I worked for were a handful of 1 tons and goose necks. Its pretty common in the oilfield. Crest, Acme, Wooster motor ways are some companies that do just that. Arkoma does as well

 

I am an owner operator, leased on with ACME, serving the oil industry. Our terminal also has a drive away program, which has been a blessing to maintain some semblance of income when my truck is in the shop.

Drive away means a company contracts with another company to provide drivers to get trucks from point A to point B. You cover up their logo and DOT number with yours, and fill out an agreement that both the customer and driver sign to note the truck will be insured under the drive away company during the move.

For long hauls all flights, hotels, taxi, UBER, etc are reimbursed and charged to the customer. We also have chase vans that can hold up to 10 drivers for shorter runs or when doing multiple trips, like moving 30 trucks 50 miles from one frack site to another.

All drive away drivers use the Keep Trucking app to log their hours, including "mobilization time" (time spent traveling to location) as On Duty time. You are paid for mobilization, which can eat a lot of time off your 70.

 

Unless there has been some MAJOR changes to general Drive-a-way in the last 5 years I am going to have to respectfully disagree with this comment. I have experience with both drive-a-way as well as doing repos. I never logged my travel time. I also never had any issues with state DOTs and the 2 companies I worked for were OK with it and the FMCSA when they audited never did either. NOW there is 2 basic types of drive-a-way. You have the paid employees mostly unionized that haul decked trucks and crooked companies that cheat "contracted" drivers every chance they get. In regard to the former yes your comment is generally right. However for the latter last I knew how they operated that comment is generally false. back to 395.1 (j) Travel time. Here is the regulation.

These sleazy companies get around this by saying these contract drivers rarely fly back. (remember the company does NOT pay this) for every 1000 miles of travel the average driver is out about a day and a half and either driving a tow vehicle back or in a bus. When they exit out of that vehicle the company has finished using them and they are under NO directions to travel. They travel at their leisure. Every one of these companies have official guidance covering this. It sucks but what else is news with how drivers are treated. I NEVER under any circumstances will advise a driver to do this kind of driving. UNLESS some VERY narrow things make you special. (like being a local board Greyhound Bus driver) some of these guys also do drive-a-way.