%20Logo.svg)
As a truck driver, you’ve got tons of options on the road. Will you be an over-the-road (OTR) driver? Will you decide to be a local driver who gets to go home daily? Will you decide to be a regional driver who goes home weekly?
Or, will you choose an option that could result in any of the above options?
When you run a dedicated lane as a truck driver, you’re consistently running the same lane(s), which means your schedule could look the same day to day, week to week or even month to month. However, you could be OTR, local or regional depending on your lane and its roundtrip distance.
Why do some drivers choose to run freight this way? Is it right for you?
I’ve spent my career working for different trucking companies that move dedicated freight and I’ve helped them find success running their lanes.
In this article, I’ll explain the pros and cons of running a dedicated lane so you can easily determine if it’s the right move for you.
What is a Dedicated Truck Driver?
When you hear “dedicated” in trucking, it can mean one of two things.
Dedicated freight is an arrangement between a carrier and a shipper or broker where the carrier agrees to haul consistent truckload shipments in the same lane at a fixed rate for a specified period.
A dedicated fleet, on the other hand, is a more traditional form of dedicated and is asset-heavy, where a carrier dedicates their trucking assets to a customer account for an agreed-upon contracted amount of time. Examples of this include food and groceries, retail, automotive, household goods and appliances.
If you’re a driver on a dedicated lane, it means you’re running from point A to point B with a load of freight and returning empty. You may have a few stops in between or a backhaul to get you back to your origin/destination. Sometimes drivers have more than one dedicated lane.
The distance between point A and point B varies; that’s why dedicated lane jobs can be considered local, regional or OTR.
The roundtrip distance could be 24 miles or 2,400 miles. Depending on roundtrip distance, you might have to run back and forth to the destination five times per day, once a day or once a week. You’ll have specific pickup and delivery times that you need to pay attention to.
Therefore, depending on your route, you may get home daily, weekly or bi-monthly. It all depends on what the carrier you choose to work for has to offer.
Pros of Dedicated Truck Driving
There are a lot of great benefits to running a dedicated lane.
Stability
As a driver on a dedicated lane, your pay will be stable. You’ll know what you’re making week in and week out. In times when the market is tough, this can provide some much-needed stability.
Because you’re running the same routes day in and day out, a dedicated route may provide higher mileage.
Freight Consistency
Dedicated truck driving not only provides stability; it also provides consistency. Drivers know what freight volume to expect each week, the day of the week they’ll run the routes and the freight commodity they’ll haul.
Many drivers are attracted to job consistency. Knowing you won’t have to secure unfamiliar freight day in and day out can take some of the nerves out of the job. They like the routine.
Strong Relationships
Drivers hauling dedicated freight can build relationships with shippers and receivers because they’re picking up and delivering freight to them so regularly. For a driver who craves interaction, this is a bonus. It can help you feel less lonely on the road.
Consistent Home Time
Drivers can map out home time on a dedicated lane easier. Their dedicated lane may be able to get them home daily, every other day, every weekend or every two weeks, depending on how the account/lane is engineered.
You’ll always know when you’re going home so you’ll always know what to expect and you can plan accordingly.
Routine Driving Schedule
Dedicated customers have set pickup and delivery times that you’ll need to accommodate. Accommodating their hours will allow you to get yourself on a set schedule. You don’t have to worry about working nights one week and days the next.
Pride
Dedicated drivers carry a certain sense of pride in knowing they consistently deliver high-quality service to their customers.
Safety
Being more familiar with routes, shippers, receivers and truck stops can help you maintain a safer driving record overall as a dedicated driver — as long as you don’t go into autopilot. You’ll constantly be driving the same routes. That familiarity on the road means you’re less likely to encounter surprises.
Cons of Dedicated Truck Driving
Are you a little skeptical of running a dedicated lane? Here are some of the cons of dedicated truck driving.
Lower Rates
Rates on dedicated freight are often lower than OTR freight or spot rates, so pay on a dedicated lane can be lower overall than a traditional regional or OTR job.
When carriers secure a dedicated lane with a shipper or customer, they lock in a contract rate. While that contract rate will provide stability, depending on where we are in the market cycle, that rate could be much lower than spot market freight. That means you could be making a lot more hauling non-contracted loads from the spot market.
Consider, however, that when spot market rates tank, the contracted rate can provide much-needed stability.
Lack of Freight Variety
As a driver on a dedicated lane, you’re hauling the same freight day after day. There’s no variety. You’ll see the same freight in your side view mirror every day.
A lot of drivers like the freedom to choose freight and make their own decisions. Not every driver likes the routine that dedicated drivers follow.
Tough Routes
More often than not, dedicated routes take you through densely populated areas or through areas with minimal truck stops and parking. Driving through busy cities can be incredibly stressful, especially the larger your freight and trailer become. A lot of drivers hate driving through major cities, and you’ll be doing it regularly on a dedicated lane.
On-Time Service
Dedicated drivers hold more accountability. The customer depends on strict appointment times for pickup and delivery. Failure to meet expectations can lead to backups in plants or warehouses. It has the potential to leave shelves bare for consumers, shut down production lines or cause entire plant shutdowns.
Consider this: You’re delivering automotive parts to your customer but you wake up late and end up stuck in rush hour traffic for several hours. You arrive at the customer three hours late. That customer does just-in-time (JIT) manufacturing. That means the delivered goods go straight from the semi-truck to the assembly line. They assemble the vehicle right as the parts come in. Now that you’re late with the parts, they can’t assemble the vehicle. They have to be on standby, being paid not to work. As a result, the plant might be shut down.
If this becomes a habit, you may be evaluated as a driver and you could be removed from the dedicated lane.
Third-Party Logistics
Oftentimes customers will work through a third-party logistics (3PL) company to manage their freight. The 3PL company acts as the middleman between the customer and the carrier. This can at times delay getting resolutions as quickly because you can’t speak with the customer directly.
Instead of getting a simple answer in a minute or two, you might have to wait hours. If you’re up against the clock — and dedicated drivers often are — this is really unfortunate.
Making Your Decision: Is Running Dedicated Freight Right for You?
Drivers may choose to get on a dedicated route because they don’t want to deal with the unknowns at other types of jobs (like OTR driving). Not knowing where they’ll be going next, how much money they’ll be bringing in that week or the next time they’ll be home can all be frustrating. A driver often moves from another route to a dedicated route so their days and weeks are more consistent in routine and finances.
On the other hand, some drivers thrive on the excitement of hauling a different type of freight every day. They love the open road and the freedom it brings them. They love not having to drive through major cities all the time.
If you’re trying to decide between the various driving jobs you have available to you, first identify what you want out of the job.
An OTR driver will run more miles on average, potentially earn more and have the freedom to choose their driving schedule as long as they service the load.
Regional drivers will be home more frequently than OTR drivers (but probably earn less). The customer base is more consistent and allows for relationship-building and there’s familiarity with the roads they run on due to staying in the region.
Local drivers are home daily and off all or most weekends. They typically earn less pay than regional or OTR positions. They get to build relationships with their customer base and they’ll consistently run the same routes and complete the same deliveries.
Dedicated drivers, on the other hand, get to enjoy consistency, stability and familiarity. If that’s what you crave, a dedicated lane is the move for you.
Ready for Dedicated or Something Else?
You have plenty of options as a truck driver. You can choose to lease your truck or be a company driver, you can choose to haul van or flatbed trailers and you can decide if you want to haul dedicated freight.
Being a dedicated truck driver provides some great perks, including consistency, stability and familiarity, but it isn’t without its cons. There isn’t freight variety, you’ll probably have to drive through big cities and, chances are, you’ll make less than OTR drivers.
While we do have some dedicated lanes and regional routes here at ATS, we’re primarily an OTR carrier. If the idea of running the same type of freight every single day on the same roads bores you and you crave more excitement, consider if OTR trucking is right for you.
Here at ATS, we have a great career path opportunity, especially for flatbed drivers who wish to move into the heavy haul division.
Check out our hiring guidelines to see what we have available.