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How to Get Paid to Drive a Car Across Country & 11 Best Payers

January 9, 2023

If you want to know how to get paid to drive a car across country, this comprehensive article is definitely going to help.

It looks at how anyone can do this and some of the very best companies that will really pay you to drive cars across the country.

Why Get Paid to Drive a Car Across Country?

Road trip!

What two exciting words that promise, adventure, excitement, enjoying the freedom of the road, and a new experience.

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However, if the road trip is one out of necessity it may not have the same magical qualities.

There are many reasons why an individual may need to consider having their vehicle go from point A to point B with considerable distance in between.

Perhaps an individual is retiring and moving to a new location which may necessitate driving to their new retirement residence.

Or perhaps, there is a promotion that requires uprooting and moving to a new city and state.

Or perhaps, a retired couple is relocating to a more temperate climate for the winter.

In either case, a vehicle is involved and the thoughts of taking that long trip just don’t sound appealing.

Fortunately, there are car transport companies that will say leave the driving to us.

Personal Story

The stupid things we do and get away with when are young.

A dangerous road trip was required due to the late delivery of our firstborn and being in between duty stations I needed to get our vehicle from Wisconsin to Oakland, California.

So, in the first week of November, my brother-in-law and I headed out on our three-day road trip.

The first night on the road tracked us traveling across the great state of Nebraska.

I was at the wheel and my brother-in-law was in the backseat sleeping. All of a sudden, a stretch of black ice greeted us weary travelers and tested my driving skills.

I failed but hung onto the steering wheel for dear life and somehow just kept spinning on the road.

The road angels kept us on the highway and with a little maneuvering, we continued with our cross-country trip with a story to share.

11 Best Companies & Apps That Pay You to Drive a Car Across Country

1. Roadie

Roadie is an app-driven platform that links individuals wishing to drive with a variety of driving available jobs.

Through the app, a qualified and accepted driver who is headed to various locations can take on opportunities through Roadie to provide a variety of services that require travel.

Some of those services include:

The actual delivering of cars
Returning lost luggage from an airport to the owner’s house
Delivering medicine
Picking up groceries
ETC

For local transportation needs, the driver can make up to $15 per trip.

Cross-country transportation needs could include driving cars across the country. You could earn up to $650.

Click here to check out Roadie

2. Auto Driveaway

One of the largest transporting car companies is known as Auto Driveway.

This company specializes in relocating vehicles and utilizes drivers anywhere from the ages of 23 to 75 years of age.

The drivers must have a valid license as well as a clean driving record.

This company has 40 locations across the United States and including our neighbor to the north, Canada.

To become a driver, the individual is offered various sized vehicles to drive.

The 3 types of categories include small cars weighing less than 10,000 pounds, vehicles up to 26,000 pounds, or trucks 26,000 pounds or greater.

The driver simply submits the online application along with their employment history for the last decade as well as their driver’s license history for the past 3 years.

Other information is required.

Once the application is approved, they may be offered opportunities to relocate vehicles from one destination to another.

Additionally, the individual needs to leave a deposit with the company of anywhere from $300-$500.

Once the car is delivered then the deposit is returned to the individual.

Click here to check out Auto Driveaway

3. Driveaway USA

The status of a driver with this company is one of being an independent contractor.

With 30 years of delivering vehicles through the continental United States and Canada, the customer base for this company includes manufacturers of vehicles, corporations, dealers, and transportation of company fleets.

If accepted as an independent contractor, the driver can pick and choose which destinations they wish to drive to.

Also, this company offers a variety of bonuses which includes a safe driving bonus and a referral bonus program.

Click here to check out Driveaway USA

4. Toronto Drive Away

As the name implies, this is a Canadian headquartered company that has been in operation since 1959.

It is one of the highly respected driving services on the North American continent.

An individual who drives for this company can receive payment for delivering cars to the Sunbelt which includes the states of California, Arizona, and Florida.

The qualifications to become a driver for Toronto Driveaway includes being 30 years old and older have a clean driving record and having no criminal history.

Of course, traveling from Canada to the United States requires that the individual be able to cross the Canadian border and have a visa.

Also, when driving, a security deposit is required, and the individual must produce a credit card.

Click here to check out Toronto Drive Away

Check out the following related articles for more tips on driving and getting paid:

5. Nationwide United Auto Transport

The customers for this driveaway company include manufacturers of vehicles dealerships, utility companies, and government agencies.

Also, they specialize in driving automobiles, trucks, RVs, and buses.

Their website indicates that they have an expansive network of commercial drivers.

Their deliveries total in the thousands on an annual basis.

Their pledge to their customers is that when a driving service is requested, they only utilize professional drivers who will meet the United States Department of Transportation’s stringent requirements.

These requirements also include the driver passing a physical exam, being tested for controlled substances, and is an expert in the field of hours of service (HOS) regulations.

This company is located in Los Angeles, California.

Click here to check out Nationwide United Auto Transport

6. Bennett DriveAway

Bennett Driveaway has been in the business for over 45 years.

Again, this company has paid $25+ million to members:

They are headquartered in Georgia and pride themselves on having a family atmosphere in conducting business.

They have various transportation departments within the company of which one is the driveaway service.

For an individual to be classified or considered for employment as a driveaway driver they must have 6 months on the road driving experience within the past 7 years and possess a class A, B, or commercial driver’s license.

Additionally, they must be 23 years of age or older and be able to pass a physical and drug screen test.

Additionally, their driving record must not reflect a DUI within the past 5 years or no more than one moving violation in the past 12 months.

To be a driveaway driver with Bennett Driveaway you are considered an independent contractor and therefore can set your schedule.

Click here to check out Bennett DriveAway

7. ATC Driveaway

Founded in 2001 by several professionals who have experienced the transportation industry, this company provides driveaway services for all 50 states.

Each of their professional licensed drivers is carefully screened to ensure proper licensing, insured, and reflect experience.

To be a driver for this particular company, the candidate must be at least 23 years of age or older and have experience in the driveaway industry.

They also must have 2 years of commercial driving experience and have a driver’s license that is either class A or class B.

They also must be able to pass a federally issued Department of Transportation physical and drug and alcohol screen.

Also required is the passing of a background check for any criminal activity.

These drivers are classified as independent contractors and can set their work schedules.

Click here to check out ATC Driveaway

Read the following articles for ways of making money with a truck or van:

Read this article for How to Make Money with a Van
Read this article for How to Make Money With a Truck & Trailer
Read this article for How to Make Money on the Road

8. J&J Driveaway

Overland Park, Kansas is the headquarters for this driveaway company.

Their driveaway services specialize in moving trucks from one location to another. Although they clearly state on their website that they can move anything that has wheels.

To become a driver, the applicant must be able and comfortable to drive a wide variety of vehicles.

The potential driver must be 23 years old and older, be a U.S. Citizen, have a valid CDL driver’s license with a clean driving record.

Also, one year of driving experience with a credentialed CDL.

Click here to check out J&J Driveaway

9. Team Drive Away

Located in Olathe, Kansas this company hires independent contractors to be driveaway drivers.

A driver must possess a class A or class B commercial driver’s license.

They also must be able to operate and drive both automatic and manual transmission vehicles.

Also required is one full year of verifiable on the road experience and must have a knowledge and working experience of Department of Transportation driver logs.

The company has different transportation divisions within the overall company and the option of moving from one division into another is a fairly non-difficult process.

Because the driver is classified as an independent contractor, there are no benefits provided.

The anticipated amount that a driver can make with the team driveaway depends upon which division they are affiliated with and how frequently they take on opportunities to drive.

Click here to check out Team Drive Away

10. Quality Driveaway

To be a driver for Quality Driveaway the potential candidate must have a Department of Transportation certificate that has been approved by a doctor indicating no physical restrictions associated with driving.

The driver also must be able to pass a drug screen test and have a respectable PSP.

A driver working with Quality Driveaway must be at a minimum of 23 years of age and have a satisfactory driving history.

Additionally, there should be no driving under the influence citations within the past 10 years.

Also, with safety being a primary concern, there are several requirements as it relates to moving violations and other incidences reported on a driver’s record.

Click here to check out Quality Driveaway

11. Victory Driveaway

This driveaway company is headquartered in Elkhart, Indiana.

To be eligible for consideration of being a driveaway driver with this company, the individual must present a valid driver’s license and meet the minimum qualifications as it relates to the individual physically.

The standard for the needed qualifications as outlined in the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations part 391.41.

The driver also must be between the ages of 25 and 75 years old.

Also, they must be able to provide proof of having 18 months of driving with a commercial driver’s license.

Their driving record should not reflect any violations of alcohol abuse while driving within the last 3 years.

Also, the record driving record should not reflect any excessive traffic convictions or more than one preventable accident within the previous 3 years.

Click here to check out Victory Driveaway

Making Money Driving Cars Across Country FAQs

What Is the Average Cost to Have Your Car Shipped Over Short or Long Distances?

The average cost for an individual to have their vehicle shipped from one location to another location varies on the distance.

Through an open carrier, having one’s car shipped a short distance can be as low as $350 where if the distance is greater, it can be closer to $1,500.

The average cost to ship a car is $710.

Is a Long-distance Drive Bad for Your Car?

In actuality, it is better to drive your vehicle over long distances rather than short distances.

This is because a short distance trip usually entails stopping and starting quite a bit and frequent accelerations and decelerations.

This causes more wear and tear on the engine.

Whereas, a long-distance trip is less wear and tear on the trip because of maintaining a certain speed.

You Can Do It

There appears to be an abundance of driveaway positions available in the United States and Canada.

These driveaway companies provide a service to their customers and transport vehicles from one location to another location by utilizing independent contractors.

Additionally, it would appear that their drivers are fully vetted in regards to their driving history as well as passing a variety of tests before they get behind the wheel.

Conclusion

As this article has revealed, it’s indeed possible and even easy to make money driving cars across the country.

It also revealed some of the very best companies that really pay.

If you like to drive and enjoy the open road and the adventure of traveling to different places, then being employed as an independent contractor with one of these driveaway companies may just be the dream job for you.

Again, this company has paid $25+ million to members: