New cars, mini-vans and
pickup trucks are delivered on trucks from their factories to the dealerships that
sell them. But just about all other new vehicles are being driven
to the dealerships and customers. We never see RVs, ambulances, UPS delivery vans,
school busses, etc., on trucks. And that is why. It has always been done that way,
because such vehicles are usually transported only singly or two at a time. That
makes it far more economical to simply pay people to drive them. Ordinary people,
who come from all walks of life -- not truckers. (Except for the truckers who have
learned that they can do this much easier job for about the same money
that they had been earning for hauling freight.)
This is the latest version of the ONLY
complete handbook & guide that has ever been written to enable people to enter
the workforce of those who deliver brand-new recreational and specialty vehicles.
In the 30 years that it has been in print (as of March 1, 2009), in successive editions,
it has opened the door for more than 250,000 people to discover and enjoy this
stress-free and most enjoyable travel job and lifestyle. For the last three
decades, it has served as the primary gateway by which new drivers
have entered this unique job.
A recession is in progress these days, and
in such times, one of the most reassuring situations is having a job that has proven,
over time, to be recession-proof. Society needs its specialty vehicles. They
comprise a vital part of the nation's infrastructure. Thus, they continue to be produced
and shipped at a consistent and steady pace. And the drivers are kept as busy as they
want to be. If a person has been laid off, this readily-available job can be
the answer. And we make it very easy to obtain it, and get the most out of it.
Typical earnings for full-time single
drivers (who comprise 60% of the workforce) range in 2009 from $50-$60,000/year,
and full-time couples (who comprise 40% of the workforce) typically pull down
$65-$80,000/year. As for seasonal work -- when doing this job for 10
consecutive weeks in the summer, earnings of from $13,000 to $15,000
for that time frame, for a single driver, are realistic.
The number of
people who are doing this job currently is approximately 100,000. Half
of them are full-time drivers, and the other half do it part-time in
some manner. (One-tenth of them do it only on weekends, and have a
completely different job during the week. They typically earn an extra
$200-$350/week that way.)
Every summer, thousands of
college students and teachers join the regular workforce. They are needed
by the industry because production rates are highest at that time of year.
Serendipitously, just as the summer vacation period ends and all these extra
workers return to school, the production rates drop back to normal levels. Then,
the regular workforce is able to handle the demand again, without the
supplemental assistance.
One-third of all these drivers
are seniors, age 65 and older. There is no upper age limit. An 84-year-young
woman we recently talked to who lives in upstate New York is having the time
of her life doing this full-time, and proving that even the eighties can be the
new fifties! This industry isn't handing out tin watches and walking papers.
To the contrary, it values the decades of driving experience possessed
by seniors, and their level-headed and mature attitudes. In terms of providing
access to enjoyable, meaningful, decently-paying, and stress-free employment,
this IS the most senior-friendly industry in the USA and Canada.
