Should A New Driver Take A 1099 Driving Job?
Topic 20476 | Page 1
I would recommend against it. There's a good chance, in fact, that you're either going to have to lease that truck or that company is actually designating their drivers as contractors illegally, which is pretty common in the industry. It's just impossible to audit every company in America.
Have you looked into driving dump trucks, maybe?
You're just going to have to work the various job sources hard and make a lot of phone calls. Check Craigslist daily. Check the newspapers. Talk to some staffing companies to see if they have anything. Check anywhere and everywhere.
You're taken an unorthodox way of getting into the industry and now you're looking for an unorthodox job for a new driver. You're going to have to dig deep to find something that will work for you.
I would recommend against it. There's a good chance, in fact, that you're either going to have to lease that truck or that company is actually designating their drivers as contractors illegally, which is pretty common in the industry. It's just impossible to audit every company in America.
Have you looked into driving dump trucks, maybe?
You're just going to have to work the various job sources hard and make a lot of phone calls. Check Craigslist daily. Check the newspapers. Talk to some staffing companies to see if they have anything. Check anywhere and everywhere.
You're taken an unorthodox way of getting into the industry and now you're looking for an unorthodox job for a new driver. You're going to have to dig deep to find something that will work for you.
Thanks, Brett. I am realizing I went about this all wrong. I have been welding plastic for 32 years and have my own small company. I just decided I wanted to do something different. My dad drove truck his entire life so I wanted to give it a try. The little school I went to to get my CDL didn't tell me that 18 hrs. wouldn't get me anywhere! I have considered going to Sage or US Truck School for either a 40 hr refresh course or a complete 160 hr course, but I'm not sure if that would be enough or not. Any advice on going back to school? The 1099 job I referred to is an end dump job. I have an offer for a belly dump job too, but it is also a 1099. I do look at Craig's List and Indeed every day as well as talking to many of the recruiters-brokers and staffing companies. I will continue my search. I have always been pretty lucky (blessed) to have things turn out just fine. Driving a truck is not something I have to do, just something I want to do. Any more advice you or others may have is very appreciated. Thank you, Lonny
CDL:
Commercial Driver's License (CDL)
A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles:
- Any combination of vehicles with a gross combined weight rating (GCWR) of 26,001 or more pounds, providing the gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of the vehicle being towed is in excess of 10,000 pounds.
- Any single vehicle with a GVWR of 26,001 or more pounds, or any such vehicle towing another not in excess of 10,000 pounds.
- Any vehicle, regardless of size, designed to transport 16 or more persons, including the driver.
- Any vehicle required by federal regulations to be placarded while transporting hazardous materials.
Lonny, many companies will cover your tuition, and some even run their own schools. (Yes, you need to drive for them for a year or so to pay it off}
Check these out:
- Paid CDL Training Programs
- Trucker's Career Guide: Choosing A Truck Driving School
- Article Category: Choosing A Truck Driving School
- Forum Topics Tagged "Choosing A Truck Driving School"
I went through Swift's Academy. Out of pocket only for my license fee, the DOT Physical and food at school. 1 year driving commitment.
CDL:
Commercial Driver's License (CDL)
A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles:
- Any combination of vehicles with a gross combined weight rating (GCWR) of 26,001 or more pounds, providing the gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of the vehicle being towed is in excess of 10,000 pounds.
- Any single vehicle with a GVWR of 26,001 or more pounds, or any such vehicle towing another not in excess of 10,000 pounds.
- Any vehicle, regardless of size, designed to transport 16 or more persons, including the driver.
- Any vehicle required by federal regulations to be placarded while transporting hazardous materials.
DOT:
Department Of Transportation
A department of the federal executive branch responsible for the national highways and for railroad and airline safety. It also manages Amtrak, the national railroad system, and the Coast Guard.
State and Federal DOT Officers are responsible for commercial vehicle enforcement. "The truck police" you could call them.
OOS:
When a violation by either a driver or company is confirmed, an out-of-service order removes either the driver or the vehicle from the roadway until the violation is corrected.
Lonny, if you're interested in a local job, it depends on your area. For starters, you've got LTL (either linehaul or P&D driver), food service, intermodal , or perhaps construction gigs. That's the basic local offerings for most areas.
Here's a thread dedicated to local drivers and descriptions of types of local jobs.
This site caters to mostly new drivers breaking into the industry by going OTR or truckload. But there are some of us who are experienced drivers and stick around to bring attention to local driving. I went to private trucking school and landed a job as a linehaul driver with a prominent LTL company. But my opportunity was based on my location. Location is key. Some prospective drivers don't even have local opportunities based on where they live. Location is usually more important than experience, because location dictates supply and demand (and therefore the amount of experience companies want to see for candidates).
LTL:
Less Than Truckload
Refers to carriers that make a lot of smaller pickups and deliveries for multiple customers as opposed to hauling one big load of freight for one customer. This type of hauling is normally done by companies with terminals scattered throughout the country where freight is sorted before being moved on to its destination.
LTL carriers include:
- FedEx Freight
- Con-way
- YRC Freight
- UPS
- Old Dominion
- Estes
- Yellow-Roadway
- ABF Freight
- R+L Carrier
OTR:
Over The Road
OTR driving normally means you'll be hauling freight to various customers throughout your company's hauling region. It often entails being gone from home for two to three weeks at a time.
P&D:
Pickup & Delivery
Local drivers that stay around their area, usually within 100 mile radius of a terminal, picking up and delivering loads.
LTL (Less Than Truckload) carriers for instance will have Linehaul drivers and P&D drivers. The P&D drivers will deliver loads locally from the terminal and pick up loads returning to the terminal. Linehaul drivers will then run truckloads from terminal to terminal.
Linehaul:
Linehaul drivers will normally run loads from terminal to terminal for LTL (Less than Truckload) companies.
LTL (Less Than Truckload) carriers will have Linehaul drivers and P&D drivers. The P&D drivers will deliver loads locally from the terminal and pick up loads returning them to the terminal. Linehaul drivers will then run truckloads from terminal to terminal.Intermodal:
Transporting freight using two or more transportation modes. An example would be freight that is moved by truck from the shipper's dock to the rail yard, then placed on a train to the next rail yard, and finally returned to a truck for delivery to the receiving customer.
In trucking when you hear someone refer to an intermodal job they're normally talking about hauling shipping containers to and from the shipyards and railyards.
I'll also chirp in here and say that a 1099 is not recommended for most drivers - especially new ones. It's sound advice to learn the business and start as a company driver in the trucking industry.
Read Brett's first paragraph. "1099" means you are in business for yourself. Your employer, oh - I mean contractee, gives you the agreed-on pay, and ➡you⬅ are then responsible for:
* Income taxes (meaning withholding) - pay 25% or more of your year's pay to the IRS in April, plus a "Self Employment Tax"
* Unemployment insurance. Get laid off, you might not get unemployment if you don't pay in.
* Workmen's Comp. Get injured on the job, that emergency room visit is on you.
* Health insurance premiums are your baby now.
*Maybe a big piece of liability if you get into an accident.
* It's actually illegal for your boss to pay you that way.
Lonny, many companies will cover your tuition, and some even run their own schools. (Yes, you need to drive for them for a year or so to pay it off}
Check these out:
- Paid CDL Training Programs
- Trucker's Career Guide: Choosing A Truck Driving School
- Article Category: Choosing A Truck Driving School
- Forum Topics Tagged "Choosing A Truck Driving School"
I went through Swift's Academy. Out of pocket only for my license fee, the DOT Physical and food at school. 1 year driving commitment.
Thanks, Errol. I have seen the offers from Swift, CR England and the likes. I am just not in a position where I can go OTR for training.
CDL:
Commercial Driver's License (CDL)
A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles:
- Any combination of vehicles with a gross combined weight rating (GCWR) of 26,001 or more pounds, providing the gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of the vehicle being towed is in excess of 10,000 pounds.
- Any single vehicle with a GVWR of 26,001 or more pounds, or any such vehicle towing another not in excess of 10,000 pounds.
- Any vehicle, regardless of size, designed to transport 16 or more persons, including the driver.
- Any vehicle required by federal regulations to be placarded while transporting hazardous materials.
OTR:
Over The Road
OTR driving normally means you'll be hauling freight to various customers throughout your company's hauling region. It often entails being gone from home for two to three weeks at a time.
DOT:
Department Of Transportation
A department of the federal executive branch responsible for the national highways and for railroad and airline safety. It also manages Amtrak, the national railroad system, and the Coast Guard.
State and Federal DOT Officers are responsible for commercial vehicle enforcement. "The truck police" you could call them.
OOS:
When a violation by either a driver or company is confirmed, an out-of-service order removes either the driver or the vehicle from the roadway until the violation is corrected.
Lonny, if you're interested in a local job, it depends on your area. For starters, you've got LTL (either linehaul or P&D driver), food service, intermodal , or perhaps construction gigs. That's the basic local offerings for most areas.
Here's a thread dedicated to local drivers and descriptions of types of local jobs.
This site caters to mostly new drivers breaking into the industry by going OTR or truckload. But there are some of us who are experienced drivers and stick around to bring attention to local driving. I went to private trucking school and landed a job as a linehaul driver with a prominent LTL company. But my opportunity was based on my location. Location is key. Some prospective drivers don't even have local opportunities based on where they live. Location is usually more important than experience, because location dictates supply and demand (and therefore the amount of experience companies want to see for candidates).
Thanks, 6 String. I liked your "The Local Thread" article. Makes a lot of since. I just can't do OTR with everything else I have going on.
LTL:
Less Than Truckload
Refers to carriers that make a lot of smaller pickups and deliveries for multiple customers as opposed to hauling one big load of freight for one customer. This type of hauling is normally done by companies with terminals scattered throughout the country where freight is sorted before being moved on to its destination.
LTL carriers include:
- FedEx Freight
- Con-way
- YRC Freight
- UPS
- Old Dominion
- Estes
- Yellow-Roadway
- ABF Freight
- R+L Carrier
OTR:
Over The Road
OTR driving normally means you'll be hauling freight to various customers throughout your company's hauling region. It often entails being gone from home for two to three weeks at a time.
P&D:
Pickup & Delivery
Local drivers that stay around their area, usually within 100 mile radius of a terminal, picking up and delivering loads.
LTL (Less Than Truckload) carriers for instance will have Linehaul drivers and P&D drivers. The P&D drivers will deliver loads locally from the terminal and pick up loads returning to the terminal. Linehaul drivers will then run truckloads from terminal to terminal.
Linehaul:
Linehaul drivers will normally run loads from terminal to terminal for LTL (Less than Truckload) companies.
LTL (Less Than Truckload) carriers will have Linehaul drivers and P&D drivers. The P&D drivers will deliver loads locally from the terminal and pick up loads returning them to the terminal. Linehaul drivers will then run truckloads from terminal to terminal.Intermodal:
Transporting freight using two or more transportation modes. An example would be freight that is moved by truck from the shipper's dock to the rail yard, then placed on a train to the next rail yard, and finally returned to a truck for delivery to the receiving customer.
In trucking when you hear someone refer to an intermodal job they're normally talking about hauling shipping containers to and from the shipyards and railyards.
Thanks, Ya'll. I think I will go back and take the 160 hr full course schooling. I can get a grant from the county that I don't have to pay back and that way I'm not obligated to go OTR for anyone. Central Transportation in Denver said they hire straight out of school grads with certification and a letter of recommendation from the school. So there are probably other companies that will too. Thanks again to everyone. Lonny
OTR:
Over The Road
OTR driving normally means you'll be hauling freight to various customers throughout your company's hauling region. It often entails being gone from home for two to three weeks at a time.
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Should a new driver take a 1099 driving job? I took a short 18 hr class and was able to pass the test to get my CDL class A license. That is about as far as I have been able to get. No experience, no drive. I know , I know, go over the road to get experience. I am 58 and pretty much set in my ways. To set to go OTR for 3-5 weeks with someone I don't have a thing in common with. That and the fact I have a small acreage with animals that I need to take care of, so OTR isn't really viable for me. Anyway, I have been offered a job locally for a small independent operation on a 1099 basis. Some things I have read say the 1099 is not a good way to go. But, I need to get a min. of 3 months to 1 year experience to get on with a reputable company. Looking for advice from someone that knows. Is it even legal to do the 1099 when you are driving their trucks and they tell you when and where to go? Thank you from an old "ROOKIE", Lonny
CDL:
Commercial Driver's License (CDL)
A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles:
OTR:
Over The Road
OTR driving normally means you'll be hauling freight to various customers throughout your company's hauling region. It often entails being gone from home for two to three weeks at a time.
Over The Road:
Over The Road
OTR driving normally means you'll be hauling freight to various customers throughout your company's hauling region. It often entails being gone from home for two to three weeks at a time.
EPU:
Electric Auxiliary Power Units
Electric APUs have started gaining acceptance. These electric APUs use battery packs instead of the diesel engine on traditional APUs as a source of power. The APU's battery pack is charged when the truck is in motion. When the truck is idle, the stored energy in the battery pack is then used to power an air conditioner, heater, and other devices