Most truck drivers transport food, liquids, retail goods, construction materials, and agricultural products. However, you can also end up transporting more specialized items. Truck drivers are responsible for delivering a wide variety of raw materials and goods to individuals, communities and businesses. Road transport services are a form of land freight that moves cargo from point A to point B overland.
Trucks use shipping routes to move goods across the United States and deliver shipments for various industries. Trucking allows you to move large or small shipments as well as shipments that require special conditions. It can also be very economical, especially if you leave a major port such as Los Angeles or New York City. Usually, truck freight forwarders hire their trucks, trailers and drivers to another company that needs their services. Since these types of companies do not manufacture or ship their own products, their entire business model is based on the freight demands of other companies.
For a shipment that needs to arrive at another carrier within the same state in which it operates, Comet Delivery Services offers in-state trucking. Our in-state trucking services operate within state rules and regulations when transporting a shipment. Small businesses benefit greatly from LTL shipping. Most small businesses ship fewer products and spend less money on freight than large companies. LTL shipping allows small businesses to benefit from professional shipping services without having to pay high costs for unused space.
An LTL freight shipment consists of several shipments of various products, of varying size and weight, to constitute a full truckload. Truckload companies will ask their drivers and dispatchers to schedule delivery of these products to the customer's home or they can have the customer come and pick up the cargo at their local distribution center. Another segment of drivers working in the industry are those who work for domestic moving companies. An under-truck trailer could ship 10 to 30 different products to all different customers. If the trucking company you want to work for is primarily a part truckload transport company, make sure the payment is fair.
Truck drivers working for a private fleet are usually employees of the company that holds the cargo. Full truckload is a great shipping option when you have a shipment that fills a full cargo trailer (typically 8'-8.5' wide, 12.5'-13.5' high and 40'-53' long) or you need a dedicated truck trailer just for your goods. Each company has different relocation packages, so some companies may offer moving packages that require the driver to pack the customer's home with the help of some local help. When using LTL freight as a shipping method, be sure to budget more time than you would for a standard truckload shipment. These smaller cargo loads generally cause many separate shipments to be transported on a single truck. This is not true in all cases, but in general, a rental truck cargo carrier will have a large percentage of their fleet of drivers made up of OTR drivers and, as a new driver in the industry, you may have to start if you want to switch to upgrade.
Typically, light asset carriers complete long-haul hub transfers by intermodal or full truckload shipping, and then outsource last-mile deliveries to regional or subregional LTL carriers. Once the cargo reaches its final destination, another truck and driver must pick it up to deliver it to the end customer.
