How variable are hours for independent contractors.

Are you wanting to drive a tractor trailer?

Do you have a CDL?

 

Yes unfortunately.

 

Theoretically, an IC can set their own hours.

 

So you transport property to serve the customer. Your hours for the most part will depend on your customers shipping/receiving and your transport time. Sometimes things fall into place. Then it’s nice. But many truck drivers especially the over the road type work mornings, days, evenings, and nights. For example I leave home at 0800 to pick up a load at 1000. I get loaded at 1330. Then I drive to the receiver and deliver at 2300. Run out of hours and go find parking at 0300. -Hope that doesn’t hurt your feelings, but that’s what truckers do day in and day out since you were born.

 

only way to change that is if you run your own numbers and run loads that fit your schedule but even then things might end up not fitting your schedule as breakdowns happen and other issues preventing you from meeting your schedule the next day.

 

If YOU can find customers with freight and with unusual or flexible appointment times, thats a reasonably big "if", sure any schedule is possible. However if you want to get loads off if load boards, it's only going to happen very rarely. Few companies want their freight to arrive some day. Appointment times dictate much of how you must work or if you can make enough money to keep working. You need to work as a company driver for a year minimum to even know if you can do this job. Most outsiders think trucking life is one vacation they had a long time ago. It is not that for any working drivers I know. If you buy a truck or pay the bills without working as a driver you will almost certainly fail. "Just because you eat food doesn't mean you can run a restaurant."

 

@Jimmy1212 --

Just so you know -- there are in fact trucking gigs that let you start in the afternoons.

My latest CDL job: hauling fuel (gasoline, and diesel); & home daily. My start times have been usually in the mid-afternoon. End times: hopefully before sunup, the next morning.

Your problem with the above: you need AT LEAST 2 YEARS EXPERIENCE ELSEWHERE -- before you should try to get a job like that. It's really too dangerous for rookies, or inexperienced drivers.

I asked for that shift, up front -- because it lets me be (mostly) a night-time driver. There's much less traffic at night -- & also, fewer idiots at/in the stores.

Anyway....you could start in the afternoons....you just need to pay your dues somewhere else, first.

To get started -- you might look into driving at some food service/delivery carriers. A lot of those are night shift duty -- so you could be starting late in the evenings. Much easier to get into, than fuel -- but it's HAAAAARRRDDD WORK.

Examples: McLane, Peformance Food Group, Gordon Food Service, Sysco, Ben E Keith, Sygma (the other half of Sysco), Cheney Brothers.

Because of the nature of the work -- those companies are constantly hiring new drivers.

Hey....it's a start.

-- L