Vehicle Transport Work Hours

When you are working with an auto transport company, your hours are going to be nontraditional, which is a huge concern for some people. However, after enough working on this schedule for a few weeks, you might find that you enjoy the hours that you are getting at the auto transport company.

Before you take a job in the auto shipping industry, make sure that this kind of lifestyle can work for you.

When you are working for an auto transport company, it is not the same as working at an office job. When you are in the middle of a job, the car you are transporting doesn’t care whether it is light or dark out, and the consumer at the other end probably just wants to have his car or truck as soon as possible.

As an auto transport worker, you will be given routes, and will have a certain amount of time in which to travel these routes. Most of the time, the exact driving hours that you take are up to you. Some drivers prefer to drive in the daytime and sleep at night, while some prefer to do most of their driving during the night and sleep during the day. Most companies will allow you to set your own driving schedule based on when you prefer to drive, what the weather is like, where you are driving, and how you can best beat traffic driving in the areas where you are. However, remember that even if your company allows you to set your own driving hours, there are strict regulations that you must follow.

A driver for an auto transport company must be sure that he or she follows federal and state guidelines that set out how many hours per day they are able to drive.

Also, there are strict regulations about the amount of rest a person must have in between their driving shifts. Even if your company says that you may choose when you drive and when you rest, it is going to be up to you to make sure that you are following these guidelines about the number of hours in a row you can drive, and about how much rest you must have between long shifts.

In the United States, these regulations are as follows:

• You can drive for up to 11 hours straight. You can work for an additional 3 hours on top of that if that work is not driving (such as unloading, loading, paperwork, etc.). You must then have 10 hours of rest.

• You may not work more than 60 hours in 7 days or 70 hours in 80 days unless you’ve had 34 or more hours of consecutive rest.

Remember that safety is your number one priority. When weather is a factor, or traffic is bad, it is more important that you drive safely and are sure to deliver the auto in the best possible condition. Think about your driving hours carefully and be sure that you are not pushing yourself too hard.