Industries around the world highly depend on auto truck transport sectors to seamlessly perform their regular business tasks. As per the study, the auto truck transport industry handles the maximum amount of cargo shipping compared to train, ship, or plane means of transport. It is also safe to say that without the auto truck transport industry, it would be difficult to travel goods from rail yards, ports, airports, and more to their final destination.
From heavy equipment transport to a daily supply of essential goods, auto truck transport can handle everything effectively. If you are looking for a job as a truck driver in this industry, then you have stumbled upon the right place. In this article, we have covered some vital factors and information that will help you learn more about the auto truck transport industry. Keep reading this article till the end to know how the truck transport business is right for you.
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What is Auto Truck Transportation?
The auto truck transportation industry mainly refers to the use of road transportation, including heavy truck transport, light trucks, and semi-truck driveway companies to transport goods and cargo from one location to another across the country. The auto truck transport industry is primarily responsible for most of the overland freight materials movement in the United States. Many industries such as construction rely heavily on truck and transportation sectors to transport building materials, manufacturing plants, construction waste, and more from one place to another without any hassle.
Over the past few years, we have witnessed tremendous growth in heavy truck transport and semi-truck driveway companies. If you are planning to run a track and transportation business in the coming year, then it is safe to assume that you will come across many business opportunities in this industry that will help you grow your business to the next level. Provided that you must make sure to identify good opportunities at the right time. You must also make sure to first determine the type of cargo you would like to ship and the means of auto truck transport you would like to specialize in. This will help you figure out things more effectively and work on the areas that require improvements.
What Are the Prospects for the Auto Truck Transport Industry?
As the freight volume continues to rise, we can expect the auto truck transport industry to remain in high demand in the coming years. From home deliveries to interstate shipping, the auto truck transport industry plays a major role in fulfilling all our day-to-day needs and requirements. These heavy trucks can transport the bulk of cargo and goods to different places in the country, which otherwise won’t be possible via ship or train transportation. Experts in this industry include everything from single-unit trucks to tractors-trailers to meet all the shipping requirements effectively.
Moreover, with the implementation of modern technology and innovations in the auto truck transport industry, we can expect safer, quicker, and environment-friendly transportation services. Therefore, in the coming years, we can also expect shipping revolutions to bring some exceptional and breakthrough changes and reshape the way the whole shipping industry operates. Technology such as the internet of things, cloud technology, sustainable fuel resources, and more have already entered many sectors of the transportation industry to prevent data loss, improve customer satisfaction, reduce carbon footprints, and maximize profits. These impressive advancements can be utilized in a wide variety of areas to handle waste hauling, urban pickup, and delivery in a more efficient manner.
How Much Do Truckers Get Paid?
If you are new in this industry, then you might be wondering how much you can make as a truck driver in the auto truck transport industry. There are varieties of factors that can impact your revenue both in positive and negative ways. These factors mainly include the type of freight hauled, the work experience of the driver, how much time it takes to drive a truck, and more. Drivers who have greater work experience and who can operate effectively on different types of trucks and trailers have high chances of getting paid in huge amounts.
The more experienced, the greater will be the opportunities. To gather greater work experience, you must take whatever opportunity comes your way. You must also make sure to drive different types of trucks to experiment with your limits and know your driving abilities. In addition, long-distance transport can help you know more about the laws and regulations of different states and boost your shipping knowledge to the next level.
Factors That Can Impact Auto Truck Transport Paychecks
Milage is one of the major factors that create a huge impact on your auto truck transport paychecks. The longer distance you drive, the more money you make. However, shorter distance transportation can also create a positive impact on your transport paycheck. In the case of enclosed auto transport, you can earn high amounts of money even in shorter distances shipping services. Other factors that can create an impact on your auto truck transport paycheck are freeway jams, heavy truck transportation, shipping methods, shipping season, and the type of freight you haul.
Below we have mentioned different types of truck transport that can affect a truck driver’s overall salary or paycheck
1. Step-deck trucks
Similar to flatbeds, step-deck truck beds are also flat and open. However, step-deck truck beds have their lower part closer to the ground compared to flatbed trucks. The lower part in these trucks allows taller items or vehicles to sit closer to the ground and avoid potential hazards such as bridge clearances.
2. Flatbed trucks
Flatbed Trucks are leveled off and open trucks with no top or side to the trailers. Flatbed trucks are more suitable to carry freights of large sizes that don’t usually fit in standard trailers. This design allows truck drivers to easily load and unload heavy and large-size freights.
3. Dry Vans
Dry Vans are known as standard 53-foot trailers used for transporting consumer products, electronics, home appliances, and more. These auto trucks are common in the auto truck transport industry and can be easily spotted on freeways and highways. These types of transport trucks are generally known as enclosed trucks.
4. Reefer trucks
Reefer trucks are generally known as refrigerated trucks. They operate on a temperature-controlled trailer to transport perishable or temperature-sensitive products to different locations. These types of trucks are typically used to transport food products, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, medical materials, and other temperature-sensitive goods.
5. Auto carriers
There are mainly two types of auto carriers, including open haulers and enclosed haulers. In the case of open haulers, you can easily transport 10-12 cars at a time to different locations. However, in the case of enclosed haulers, vehicles are transported in a closed containers to different locations.
6. Tanker
Tankers are cylindrical-shaped containers that are used to haul liquids such as fuel, oil, petrol, and more. These types of transport containers are used to transport highly flammable and explosive liquids in a safe and secured manner. In this type of transportation, drivers are rewarded with higher pay due to high-risk levels.
7. Dumb trailers
Dumb trailers are the type of trailers used for dumping and hauling scraps, waste, and debris from away from construction sites and other locations. These types of trailers include a lift that can incline to load and unload wastes easily.
Which Jobs Are Associated with Auto Truck Transport?
In the auto truck transport industry, you can come across a wide variety of opportunities and career options such as providing workshops to beginners, delivering goods to long locations, and more. The opportunities are endless. Heavy truck transportation is the most-in-demand job in this industry. There are many areas where you can work, such as a transport consultant where you can solve problems without a need to travel from one place to another.
Another effective type of job associated with auto truck transport is intermodal trucking. Intermodal transport containers are portable containers used to transport types of vehicles through trucks, ships, trains, and other modes of transport. These containers are designed to handle any weather conditions. Intermodal truck transport is often preceded and followed by oceans or rail segments.
Which Benefits Are Associated with Intermodal Trucking?
Intermodal trucking can be a hugely lucrative specialized area in your auto truck transport business, especially in the starting year due to the high demand for these services. Furthermore, in intermodal transport shipping, you can enjoy a proper working hour schedule, unlike other shipping methods. This means you don’t have to worry about traveling away from your family and home for long periods of time and enjoy quality time with them during weekends and after working hours.
To bring effective results, you can set up your auto truck transport shop close to your home so that you can keep a check on your truck as and when required. This way you will never have your truck far from sight. In the case of hauls, you don’t have to worry about being stuck for days until your haul gets unloaded. You can rather enjoy quick and easy offload times and day trips.
What type of driver do you want to be?
Some drivers are paid more than others based on their expertise and experience. Therefore, you should also know the type of driver you would like to be for your auto truck transport business. Different types of trucks or heavy truck transportation drivers include
1. Local driver
Local auto truck transport drivers mainly include intermodal drivers. In this service, you get to transport goods over a short distance and return home by the end of the day. In these types of services, you are paid less as deliveries are usually restricted to warehouses or terminals.
2. Team drivers
In team driver services, you get an opportunity to drive with another driver. This method is most preferable for longer-distance transport. Drivers are likely to get paid more for the same. Drivers are paid by overall mileage and not by the parts driven by each driver.
3. Over-the-road (OTR) drivers
Over-the-road auto truck transport drivers often tend to sleep in their trucks and stay away from their families for weeks. However, in this transportation method, you can enjoy a salary around the national average.
4. Owner-operators
Owner-operators are basically the owners of their trucks. In other words, they work as entrepreneurs, and in some cases, they also hire drivers for transportation purposes.
How Much Does It Cost to Ship a Truck Cross Country?
There are many factors that add up to the final cost to ship a truck cross country. If you are planning to run your own auto truck transport business, you must make sure to first acquire plenty of knowledge and proper transportation techniques to handle everything effectively.
We hope this article was helpful to you in many ways. Visit the BBK Transport website today to book your shipping appointment quickly on your internet devices.
Read also: What Are the Benefits of GPS Fleet Tracking for Trucking Companies?