A Working Income for VanDwellers

VanGirl · Jul 15, 2012

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oNotPromoteQF/> <w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther> <w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w

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ontVertAlignInTxbx/> <w:Word11KerningPairs/> <w:CachedColBalance/> </w:Compatibility> <w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> <m:mathPr> <m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/> <m:brkBin m:val="before"/> <m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/> <m:smallFrac m:val="off"/> <m:dispDef/> <m:lMargin m:val="0"/> <m:rMargin m:val="0"/> <m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/> <m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/> <m:intLim m:val="subSup"/> <m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/> </m:mathPr></w:WordDocument></xml><![endif]-->Those of you that are using cargo vans could possibly be making 40-50 thousand a year with your van and still live in it. If you don't like to drive save yourself some time and don't read the rest of this post. There's a part of the freight business that's been around since the early 90s that uses thousands of cargo van owner/operators. Its called expedited freight. It's not local, around town deliveries, though a couple of the expedite companies do that. The freight is typically picked up in one state and delivered a couple hundred to a couple thousand miles away. Most of the cargo van owners use part of there van to live in and part to haul the freight. You do have to build a bulk head to separate the two areas. This works very well for the Sprinter and the 12 foot cargo vans. I used my Sprinter for a few years in this business. I works very will for couples. Two premier companies, Landstar and FedEx pay very well for cargo van freight. Most of the other expedite companies pay good (except Panther II). Most cargo vans need to be white with as few windows as possible. They need to look clean and run good. Each company has its own standard, you have to ask. The way the business works is that you are called/dispatched to pick up a load. They give you a price, you accept the job or reject it. If accepted you drive the freight to where it needs to go, unload, call in the finished job and make dispatch aware that you are ready for another load. You're free to wait/camp in the area till they find you another job/load. The loads pay anywhere from .90 to 3.00 a mile depending on the freight and company. If you don't have a van that qualifies to haul freight don't worry. There are lots of van owners looking for drivers. The pay is not as good but you don't have to worry about upkeep on the van either. Most of the cargo van freight does not require a commercial license. If you want to make the big bucks with Landstar or FedEx you will need a CDL with a HazMat endorsement or a government clearance. But that can come after you have some experience. This kind of freight is delivered all over the lower 48, AK and Canada. A passport is required to do business in Canada or AK (you have to drive through Canada to get there). 90% of the freight is east of I-35 with 60% of that being east of the Mississippi.You can learn all about it at <a href="http://www.expeditersonline.com">expeditersonline.com</a>VanGirl

yesican · Jul 16, 2012

You'd almost need a van and an enclosed trailor to meet your living needs as well as hauling needs.  I wonder if this would be acceptable with those companies?! Rae

Spirituallifetime · Jul 20, 2012

To pull a trailer behind the van you would need a class A commercial drivers license, if the combined gross weight would be 10000 lbs or more. However this probably would not be acceptable to the company.   

madcap328 · Aug 21, 2012

I went to the link... Has anyone ever transported animals like this?? I would think it'd be easy to transport them in their cages and the cash seems good... Just curious. Kristy madcap328.wordpress.com

sidat202 · Aug 21, 2012

You might want to check with your local DOT office because the USDOT requirement for class A license is combined gross weight over 26,000 LBS.

Spirituallifetime said:
To pull a trailer behind the van you would need a class A commercial drivers license, if the combined gross weight would be 10000 lbs or more. However this probably would not be acceptable to the company.   

VanGirl · Aug 22, 2012

Hi Kristie, I know someone that transports show animals and high dollar animals, mostly dogs, all over the eastern part of the USA. He runs an ad in Field and Stream and some of the Pet mag. He clears around 70k a year. You have to have a permit from the US Dept of Ag. for transporting livestock. Last time I checked into it the permit was free.  All you have to do is fill out the form. At that time it had no special requirements. He kept a little index card on each animal with there name, address, picture, and any special needs they had. He charges between 500 and 2500 per pet. VanGirl

Spirituallifetime · Aug 22, 2012

They seem to have changed the regs. But thats how it was years ago when I got my class A. I think its best if someone wants to get a commercial license and transport goods its just best to get the class A with all the endorsements, that way just about any job can be taken. I have never been out of work since I got mine. Currently I drive a truck with 2 trailers at 129000 pounds. In Northern NV a driver with class A and doubles and hazmat endorsements are in demand.