For many people who are hiring an automobile shipping service, they are typically making a big move from one city to another. These excursions are typically cross-country, travelling long distances with the owners seeking to save money on gas and preserve their car’s current condition.
Now, we are willing to bet that you are making this move for one of three reasons: You’re looking for a new start, you want the change of scenery, or you are moving there for your job. Of those three reasons, the last one is probably the most likely one. Everybody has had to make this kind of move at least once in their lives, whether that is for the armed services, college, or the company you work for.
But what if you don’t fall into any of these categories? What if you actually want to make a career out of automobile shipping? It’s understandable if that really is the case. Drivers get to see the country. They meet interesting people. The pay is good and commercial trucking is the second-largest industry in the country behind weapons manufacturing. What’s more, a job like this is stable because there will always be a demand for dependable auto shippers.
So we are putting together this starter’s guide to help you understand what you should do to become a certified transporter. This field is highly rewarding and we would encourage you to at least consider the option.
A Field Worth Getting Into
Trucking, as an industry, is the ideal career choice for people who do not like staying in one place for too long. A rolling stone at heart, they crave the change of scenery without having to pay thousands of dollars as a simple tourist. In addition, the ideal trucker is somebody who wants to move at their own pace, obligated only by the deadline they are held to. Many truck drivers that are a part of a car transport service are contractors, taking assignments as they can, when they can, so it really is an opportunity to strike out on your own without having to deal with the corporate ladder.
First Step: Get Licensed
The very first thing you want to do is apply for and receive your commercial driver’s license, or CDL. The CDL is basically the government’s way of saying that you are fit for driving auto shippers. See DOT’s site on CDL. The process in getting one of these things is rather arduous with the application sometimes taking months to process. After that, you have to take a driving course and pass the test as though you were going for your first learner’s permit as a teenager.
Decide Your Niche
Once you have your CDL and are prepared to embark on your first automobile shipping assignment, you then have to decide what segment of the industry you want to be a part of. There are actually two sectors in this field.
The first one is the mass hauling of automobiles. You have likely seen those open bed double-decker trailers containing some ten vehicles they are hauling. That’s the sector we are talking about. Those guys deal primarily with hauling vehicles from the factory to the dealership.
The second sector deals exclusively with hauling a single vehicle. Tow truck drivers would count under this category, but it also covers hauling used vehicles to the dealership, residential movers, and taking abandoned cars to the impound (or the junk yard). This sector is much larger than the mass haulers and typically opens up a lot more work for the contractor.
Get Some Work
Once you decide what sector you want to go into, then it’s time to find work. Of course, you can easily strike out on your own, making bids to dealerships or even opening up your own yard with offices and everything. But projects like that take a tremendous amount of time and you just might wind up losing money going that route. So your best bet, then, is to sign up with a car transport service.
This is where we come in. We hire all sorts of drivers located all over the country to represent us to our clients and we will be more than happy to speak with you about our business and any career opportunities that have opened up. If you want to get involved with automobile shipping, do feel free to contact us and find out how we can help you hit the open road… and get paid to do it!
