The World's Greatest Travel-for-Pay Secret!

       We've all seen brand-new cars being delivered, often 10 or more at a time, from the factories to the dealerships, on the back of long, car-carrying trucks. But have you ever seen recreational vehicles delivered that way? Or ambulances? School busses? Even limousines?

       Since we know that none of those vehicles sprout on dealership lots like mushrooms, it becomes obvious, once we actually think about it, how they do get there. By being driven! Yet, people simply don't think about things they don't see. That makes this the world's greatest "sleeper" travel job. The work is performed in plain sight of everyone every day. But those new vehicles-in-transit blend in perfectly with all the rest of the traffic, and thus go unnoticed!

       And it takes a big workforce to get that job done, in a continent having a population of 300 million, in the USA and Canada. At least 100,000 people are doing this at any given time in North America (and additional thousands in Australia and Europe), working either full-time, part-time, seasonally, on-call (when the regular drivers for a company are all busy, and a supplemental driver is needed), and even just on weekends, by people who work "9-to-5" jobs during the rest of the week. The weekend drivers typically earn an extra $200-350 per week, by doing this! Knowledgeable full-time drivers typically earn $45,000 to $60,000 a year. That applies to singles. As we'll soon see (in Segment #12), the income for couples is even more comfortable!

            

2.  Working Directly for Manufacturers

       From conversion vans to the largest "class A" RVs, and for every type of specialty vehicle you can think of, there are about 3,800 manufacturing and modification sites in North America; 3,500 are in the USA, and 300 more in Canada. In Australia, there are nearly 200 more. The only Handbook and Guide to this job ever written, How to Get Paid $50,000 a Year to Travel (Without Selling Anything), which we publish, lists all 4,000 of these. The listings provide company names and addresses, phone and FAX numbers, contact person names, and types of vehicles made or modified, so that you can choose the type of vehicle you most would enjoy driving. We invite you to examine the Table of Contents of the current edition. (And for full ordering information, please feel free to visit our Order Page, either to place your order, or just to see the details. To return to this Home Page from there, simply click on the "Back" button of your web browser.)

            

BONUS -- This Job is Recession-Proof!

       If you are concerned about any adverse effects that either this new recession or skyrocketing gas prices might have on this job, you're in for a very big (and very pleasant) surprise! Just click here for all the details. A very comfortable income... roaming as much of the continent as you wish, at will, part-time or full-time... and confidently having solid job security -- what a combination! And ask yourself this: what other job can offer you anything like that, with no cross-training necessary? And no educational requirements? Those who do this are never regarded as being either over-qualified or under-qualified on the basis of schooling.

3.  Working for a Transporter Company

       Transporter companies serve many of the manufacturers by providing them with drivers.  For some companies, they provide all of the drivers that the manufacturer needs.  But more often, the transporter will provide supplemental drivers.  In those cases, the manufacturer retains a core group of drivers that they know they can always keep busy... and when more drivers are needed, the manufacturer calls upon the driver-providing services of the transporters. Because a transporter is a "middle man," and therefore needs an income too, the take-home pay per mile is lower.  (About 24 cents/mile, on average, compared to 33 cents/mile when working directly for manufacturers.)  However -- when working as an "Interlock" driver for one of them (see Item #6), earnings can actually exceed those of a driver who works solely for a manufacturer.

            

4.  Working for an RV Dealer

       The income earned by working for a dealer (about 28 cents/mile, on average) is very close to that which is earned by drivers who work directly for manufacturers.  There's an interesting difference when doing "DPUs" (Dealer Pick-Ups).  Manufacturers and transporters have you drive outbound from the manufacturing sites to dealerships far and wide.  Then they fly you home again.  A dealer, however, flies you outbound to a factory that provides him with some of the RVs that he sells, and your job then is to drive the new unit back to him.  There's an interesting advantage for such drivers.  DPU drivers normally work for dealerships very close to their homes... and every time they reach the end of a run, they therefore are home again.  Other drivers frequently work for companies that may be in cities other than the one in which they live -- so have a longer commute to work.

BONUS -- New Positions become available all the time!

       Not counting RV dealerships, there are more than 4,000 places to work from in the USA and Canada. If the dealerships are included, there are several thousand more than that. (And at least 1/3 of the RV dealerships have drivers who do dealer pick-ups from the factories.) All these companies utilize the services of more than 100,000 drivers. And one-third of that total workforce is comprised of seniors over the age of 65. This is covered further in another section of this website. For now, though, the important point to note is the fact that most people who are in a workforce that are 65 and older won't stay in it for nearly as many years as will most of those who are younger. And as members of that huge segment of the workforce (more than 30,000 people, at any given time) retire, a position opens up for a new worker of any age to fill. Thus, about 5,000 new jobs become available every month across North America. For the well-informed, this is a very accessible job. Not at all difficult to obtain, and retain.

5.  See the Rest of the World for FREE!
Frequent-Flyer Miles Galore!

       There are two very profitable ways to perform this job. "Maximization" is a favorite, and we've written a major chapter in our book about it. That means that a driver maximizes his efforts by working for ONE company, which must be a manufacturer.  Manufacturers typically include the cost of a one-way airplane ticket home when they provide the driver with expense money, prior to the run.  But even though the company pays for the ticket, the driver gets the frequent flyer miles.  That's because airline rules require that the person who gets on the airplane is the person who is granted the miles.  A full-time driver working in this fashion generally will have no problem accumulating enough miles over a year's time to fly around the world, or to any point on the globe -- at least once.  And maybe even twice.  This is a MOST enjoyable fringe benefit!

            

BONUS -- Fly to Hawaii and Back for Only $100?  Yes!!

       The Pacific is not an ocean that one would expect to be able to cross even one way... let alone both ways... for a mere $100. But thousands of people deliver new vehicles to Alaska from both the Lower 48 and Canada, via the Alcan Highway, every year. And those who are in the know, and who so choose, usually get to see Hawaii as often as they see Alaska!

       Remember that the return air fare is part of the expense money that is provided to the drivers.  (The expense money also covers the cost of fuel for driving the vehicles, and is not taxable income.  Income is paid separately.)  Let's say that a one-way ticket from Anchorage to Los Angeles would cost your company $350.  They pay that.  But there is nothing at all wrong with your deciding to kick in enough additional money of your own to provide you with a dogleg via Hawaii during that return trip!  And $100 is about all it takes for you to do just that!!

       By the way... if you love to travel, and especially if you love to fly... you'll love the portion of our Handbook that deals with air travel.  It's a complete tutorial for some almost totally-unknown ways to save money on air fares.  For example, the author once returned from Scottsbluff, Nebraska to Richmond, Virginia -- via San Francisco!! -- and the complete fare totalled only about $35!  (Right.  Thirty-five dollars.  That's not a typo!)  The entire procedure he used is presented in detail.  It was perfectly honest, ethical, legitimate, and not at all difficult to do!  You can't do something like that every time, of course, but you'll learn things that can save you hundreds, and even thousands of dollars, over just a few weeks!

6.  Drive Both Ways for Fun and Profit!

       The other profitable way to perform this job is called, "Interlock," and we've devoted a major, and very detailed, chapter to that method, too, in our Handbook.  Drivers who own our Handbook usually carry it with them on their trips, right alongside their road atlases.  That's because they may wish to set up a return drive for another company, which starts out from the vicinity of the outbound trip's destination... to a dealership that serves that second company... which is near their home.  That way they get paid the mileage for both directions.  This works great for drivers who work for either transporters or manufacturers.  (It doesn't work for DPU drivers, though, because dealers always have their drivers bring the units back to them.)  Our Handbook will tell you how to set up fairly permanent Interlocks, too... and let you in on a terrific secret for legitimately earning hundreds of additional dollars on such trips, with no extra effort!

      

BONUS -- Commentaries by Rudy Maxa, "The Savvy Traveler" on NPR

       In the spring of 1999, Rudy Maxa phoned us and asked if he could do commentaries on the Road Rat job and lifestyle on both his "Savvy Traveler" show, and on the "Marketplace" show, on National Public Radio.  This was quite a thrill, and we were happy to have him do it.  To see his commentaries from both of those shows, just click here.

7.  What about Truck Drivers?

       Most truckers love the open road, or they wouldn't be there. But the bane of trucking can be summed up in the following down-sides: (1) Log books and DOT regulations; (2) All the extra work and hassles associated with hauling cargo; (3) Exorbitant truck payments and insurance premiums, for those who are owner-operators; (4) Time pressures; (5) Unprofitable and expensive deadheading when no loads are available; (6) The complexities of working with dispatchers, brokers, and warehouse personnel to make everything come together properly; (7) Economic pressure (i.e., the need to stay on the road constantly, just to make ends meet!); and worst of all, lately, (8) the rising and exorbitant gas prices! (If you haven't yet read about how gas prices relate to Road Rats who deliver brand-new vehicles, click here for a pleasant surprise!)

      In addition to those listed above, there are many other down-side aspects that most truckers can tell you about in a heartbeat. But here's the good news: Almost none of that even exists when delivering brand-new RVs and specialty vehicles. When compared to trucking, this job is almost like getting paid to drive your own car! As a result, many thousands of truckers, over the years, have switched to this stress-free and hassle-free lifestyle and job -- which is idyllic by comparison. And for which the pay is frequently just as good, or better! And by doing so, they've been able to keep the ROAD... and get rid of the RAT RACE.

            

8.  The Sheer Freedom of Setting Your Own Hours and Days!

       Freedom is the defining characteristic of this job! Imagine being able to set your own work hours, days, or even weeks, to conform to whatever schedule you'd like! Most of the people who do this job are independent contractors who enjoy almost unimaginable freedom to that extent.

       First, though, let's clear up some of the mythology that seems to accompany the term, "independent contractor." For one thing, they do not need to seek new work after the completion of each job they do. (Or, in this case, after each run that is made.) When a run is completed, the driver normally gets another run whenever he or she likes, because most companies keep their drivers as busy as they want to be. Most drivers work either primarily or solely for one company, and in terms of having work made available, the driver feels very much like a regular employee. The other myth has to do with job security. There is every bit as much job security for these independent contractors as there is for any of the company's employees. Safe drivers are valued as a necessary asset!

       The main things that set the independent contractor apart from salaried or hourly employees are the method of compensation (no taxes are withheld), and tremendous flexibility -- especially when it comes to setting working hours, and taking days, or even weeks, off -- almost at will. This flexibility is a natural adjunct to the fact that almost all but the smallest companies have a combination of drivers. Some of them work full-time, and frequently their love of travel leads them to work 50 weeks or more per year, by choice. Then there are part-timers who typically work schedules that conform to other activities in their lives. E.g., a person who has a 3-day-a-week job, and likes to do this during the 4-day breaks. Or seasonal workers, as we see in Item #10. And there are weekend workers, who earn an extra $150 to $350 per week picking up vehicles from a nearby plant -- after their regular jobs end on Friday afternoon -- and then deliver them, hundreds of miles away, on Saturday or Sunday, before flying home. About one-tenth of the entire workforce is comprised of weekend drivers! And finally, there are the "on-call" drivers, who usually are retirees who can be called upon to take a run whenever all the other drivers are out, and a driver is needed on short notice.