Specialty driveaway is the delivery of commercial vehicles that aren’t standard trucks, such as buses, garbage trucks, fire trucks and other emergency vehicles, and utility trucks. A professional driver picks up the vehicle and drives it to its destination, adjusting to whatever unique size, controls, or handling that vehicle brings.
What Counts as Specialty Driveaway?
- Buses: school buses, transit buses, and coaches
- Refuse trucks: garbage trucks of all kinds
- Emergency vehicles: fire trucks and other emergency apparatus
- Utility trucks: bucket trucks, service bodies, and work trucks
- Other vocational vehicles: units with special equipment, alternative fuel systems, or right-hand drive
Why Specialty Loads Are Different
Every specialty vehicle has its quirks. A transit bus handles nothing like a tractor. A refuse truck may have right-hand drive. A fire truck is tall, heavy, and built for one customer. Some units run on compressed natural gas or other alternative fuels. Common challenges include:
- Unfamiliar controls and dashboards
- Unusual dimensions, weights, and clearances
- Customer-specific delivery instructions
- High-value equipment that demands extra care at every step
Skills That Help in Specialty Driveaway
- Years of varied commercial driving experience
- The patience to learn a new vehicle before rolling
- A careful inspection habit, since specialty units often carry extra equipment to document
- Professionalism with customers who have been waiting on this vehicle
License requirements depend on the vehicle. Start with the driveaway driver requirements, then ask our team about specific loads.
Inspecting a Specialty Vehicle
Specialty units usually carry more than a standard truck, and all of it needs to be documented before you roll. Pay extra attention to:
- Upfit equipment such as ladders, hoses, lifts, booms, and compartments
- Wheelchair lifts, doors, and interior fixtures on buses
- Fuel type, and where you can actually refuel on alternative-fuel units
- Height, weight, and any route restrictions that come with them
- Customer instructions about how the vehicle should arrive
How Specialty Fits With the Other Types of Driveaway
Many specialty loads move one unit at a time, much like singles driveaway, though some vehicles can be moved in multi-unit setups. The pickup, inspection, delivery, and travel cycle is the same one described in how driveaway works. Compare every option in our types of driveaway guide.
Why Drivers Love Specialty Work
Specialty driveaway keeps the job interesting. One week you might deliver a bus, the next a garbage truck, and the week after that a fire truck headed to the department that’s been waiting on it. For drivers who get bored running the same equipment, it’s one of the most rewarding corners of driveaway.
Specialty driveaway still means following the same federal FMCSA hours-of-service rules as other commercial driving.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is specialty driveaway?
Specialty driveaway is delivering non-standard commercial vehicles, such as buses, garbage trucks, fire trucks, and utility trucks, by driving them to their destination.
Do I need a special endorsement to drive buses in driveaway?
It depends on the vehicle and the rules that apply to it. Some buses require a passenger endorsement even when empty, so confirm the requirements for each load with your carrier.
Are specialty vehicles harder to drive?
They can be. Specialty vehicles often have unfamiliar controls, unusual dimensions, or right-hand drive, so drivers take time to learn each unit before rolling.
Who receives specialty driveaway deliveries?
Specialty vehicles often go to dealers, upfitters, municipalities, fire departments, transit agencies, and private fleets.
Can new driveaway drivers run specialty loads?
It depends on the vehicle, your experience, and the carrier. Many drivers build experience with standard loads first and add specialty work over time.
Hear From Real Driveaway Drivers
Want the unfiltered version? These Six-Figure Trucker podcast episodes feature drivers who do this work every day:
- EP178: The Firetruck Guy of Driveaway with Durville Christopher. Durville Christopher, the firetruck guy of driveaway, on delivering fire apparatus.
- EP108: Taming the Beast: Driveaway Drivers Guide to Profitable Garbage Truck Deliveries. A driveaway driver’s guide to profitable garbage truck deliveries.
- EP167: Mastering the Craft: CNG, Right-Hand Drive, and Growth. Tips on CNG units, right-hand drive, and growing your skills.
If specialty driveaway sounds like your kind of work, apply to drive with Norton Transport or browse all driveaway driver jobs. Prefer to talk first? Email onboarding@nortontransport.com or call (423) 617-0218.