From
Factory To Your Dealer
(35-6)
A
Job Opportunity that Allows You to Travel the Country
Side!
There
are many companies in Canada and the USA who specialize
in RV deliveries. They often hire drivers who want to
travel and make some money after early retirement. Many
of the drivers have decided to deliver RVs on a full-time
basis instead of a job that requires them to stay in
one place all the time. Most drivers are baby boomers
in their mid-fifties who don’t want to quit working,
rather choosing to travel across the country delivering
new units with their own truck.
Jeremy Twordik, of Roadex Services of Saskatchewan (one
of the oldest RV transportation companies in Canada)
informed us that they hire drivers to move RVs from
the factories to dealers in both the United States and
Canada. The best driving teams are often made up of
a husband and wife who can help each other complete
a certain amount of paperwork.
They keep track of the mileage driven in each province
or state so that when fuel is purchased in one province
and used to drive through another, a fuel tax rebate
is required to compensate the province or state where
no fuel was purchased. They fill out a simple mileage
sheet each day reporting the entry and exit points in
each province or state they have driven through, and
the places where fuel has been purchased. They then
forward this information to Roadex who will handle the
official paperwork required by the appropriate government.
The majority of RV delivery trips start out in the Elkhart-South
Bend area of Indiana and often end in Quebec, Ontario,
or one of the western provinces. At one time, there
were many trips from Canadian manufacturers to the USA,
but with the increased value of the Canadian dollar,
this direction of shipment has dropped off from previous
levels. Some drivers are able to schedule a delivery
on the way back to pick up another unit rather than
deadheading home, maximizing their profits.
Roadex operates a fleet of one-ton diesels for hauling
Travel Trailers and Fifth Wheels, and a three-ton fleet
for haul-and-tow. They also have a 53-foot air-ride
full-semi fleet that delivers Home & Park Roadtrek
vans from Kitchener to destinations that are over 1,200
miles away. This reduces any road damage to units, and
allows them to arrive at the selling dealer with no
road miles on the odometer.
When Roadex drivers go down to a US factory, they’re
representing the Canadian RV dealer. The drivers make
sure that all the options the dealer has paid for are
included in the unit, and that it is complete without
scratches or dings to the interior or exterior. There
is no reason to take a unit from the factory unless
all problems are corrected before leaving. If the unit
is not as expected, the driver takes a different serial
number that is complete. It’s in the RV transportation
company’s best interest to make sure that the
dealer is getting the best possible delivery that he
can get.
Roadex pre-clears all customs paperwork the same as
any large North American transport service that uses
electronic bar codes. They also notify the custom agents
ahead of time so that drivers only need to have the
paperwork scanned by the customs agent before crossing
the border, cutting out the time taken to visit a border
broker. The agent then stamps the paperwork to show
that the unit has left the country of origin so that
the appropriate taxes are rebated to the manufacturer.
To simplify the border crossing experience, Roadex provides
information about the driver to the customs and immigration
department before the time comes to cross the border.
Most dealers do not mind if the driver sleeps in the
unit overnight, but the toilet and kitchens are not
to be used. The drivers visit truck stops for food,
fuel and rest stops along the way. There is a cushion
built into the schedule so that the driver does not
have to tow in bad weather that could cause an accident
or damage to the trailer.
Drivers are generally paid by the loaded-mile twice
a month, and Roadex supplies them with credit cards
for USA and Canada to cover fuel costs. The driver receives
an allowance for inspecting the unit, to make sure that
everything is there, they are also paid for time crossing
the border, and a truck and trailer wash twice a week.
This allows a proper inspection to be done at the dealer’s
lot, and the product is sellable once it arrives.
Those interested in joining the fleet don’t need
a commercial driver’s license, but do have to
supply a current copy of their driver’s abstract,
take a medical every five years if they are under 45
(once they are over 55, the medical is required every
year), and undergo a criminal record search. If a driver
has a criminal record they would not be allowed entry
into the United States. Hired Roadex drivers go to Saskatoon,
Saskatchewan for an orientation phase. During this time
they learn about hitching and inspection procedures.
Since the drivers are being paid by a Canadian company
to drive in the USA, they do not require a ‘green
card’ (Visa).
Your truck must be a one-ton diesel for longevity. The
truck is licensed to the company for insurance purposes
to make sure that the new trailers are covered during
that transitional period of leaving the factory and
arriving at the dealer’s lot.
Roadex says that it has had the best experience with
the Dodge diesel with the Cummins engine. Good driving
habits and easy highway mileage will maximize fuel economy
for the driver.
There could be a career in your future towing units
from RV manufacturers to dealers across the country.
For more information contact Roadex at (800) 867-6233
visit www.roadexservices.com (Page
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