company driver using truck when empty

By law a load is a load. You will need to make sure you have the proper paperwork to haul that type of goods, the correct insurance, etc.
All in all, if it's once or thrice a year doing personal stuff you'll likely be fine. If you do it regularly you will need to make sure all the proper paperwork is in order.

 

i think there is a bit of a difference between giving a offer of yeah if you need to pick something for yourself and bringing it back vrs making a business out of it.

 

I would not do that.

You can get into so much trouble if something does happen. Claim? Who pays. You. Boss finds out what you have been doing with his stuff.. you pay. In fact you are leaning towards people being interested in those activities as potentially unlawful. You pay.

So much for potential profit. All gone and then some. You still pay.

If you have a little time to kill, take it for yourself and enjoy the local culture or activites you like.

 

Well here is the deal.
If it is a written agreement with the owner that you can use it to haul personal items with no responsibility for loses, not house hold goods, and it is in small quantities, you can do it.

If it is for resale, and say a few boxes of this or that, don't tell anyone what you are going to do, and do it.

If you expect to buy a trailer full of tomatoes and take them to say Chicago to sell, then you need to have to treat it as if it was a customer's load with a bol. If you get into an accident with it and lose the load, then you can't claim the lose against the carrier or owner.

By the way I have done both, hauled personal items I bought on the west coast home and bought produce at a truck load price and sold it at the market here in the state to a wholesaler.