No-touch freight driving jobs: What you need to know

What type of freight should you haul? That’s one of the most common factors many truck drivers consider when choosing a driving job. Specifically, if you’re looking at a job, you may ask, “Do truck drivers have to load and unload that freight?”

That question leads many drivers to consider no-touch freight driving jobs, which we’ll describe and help you evaluate here.

What does no-touch freight mean?

No-touch freight is freight that truck drivers do not load or unload themselves.

That could mean the shipper’s or consignee’s employees or warehouse workers load or unload a trailer/container parked at a loading dock while the driver rests in the truck cab. It could also mean drop-and-hook freight for drivers at trucking companies with large trailer and container pools.

What does drop-and-hook mean in trucking?

Drop-and-hook freight means a truck driver will drop off a loaded/unloaded trailer or container at a customer yard or warehouse lot and then hook up to another trailer or container without touching the freight or waiting for a loading/unloading process.

You can think of it this way: All drop-and-hook freight is no-touch freight, but not all no-touch freight is drop-and-hook.

What to consider with no-touch freight and drop-and-hook driving jobs

Many truck drivers seek out no-touch and drop-and-hook freight, but here are a few things to keep in mind:

• Does the trucking company have enough trailers and containers to support regular no-touch freight? Just as many drivers prefer not waiting to be loaded and unloaded, many customers prefer trailer/container pools to load/unload freight on their schedule.
• Is the company up-front about how much freight will be no-touch? Some companies offer 100 percent no-touch freight options, while others (typically smaller carriers without trailer/container pools) are not able to offer as many options. Check each job description for details.
• Do you really want no-touch freight? Some drivers prefer the change of pace from driving, the loading/unloading pay and the physical fitness challenge of “touching” freight. You’ll have to make the best call for you.

Does Schneider offer no-touch freight driving jobs?

Yes, Schneider’s no-touch driving jobs are still hiring during the coronavirus pandemic.

What you can expect with each of our types of freight:

• Van Truckload: Many of these Regional and Over-the-Road positions feature 95 percent no-touch freight from Schneider’s huge network.
• Intermodal: Since freight travels by both truck and train, it’s often designed to be drop-and-hook, so you’ll spend less time at loading docks.
• Dedicated: The percentage of no-touch or drop-and-hook freight will depend entirely on the customer. Some are 100 percent no-touch, while others may be 100 percent hand load/unload.
• Tanker: This is Schneider’s most hands-on work opportunity with drivers regularly involved in the unloading process with pumps and hoses. Schneider’s Tanker drivers’ paychecks reflect the extra hands-on work they perform.

Each truck driving job description will outline the nature of the freight you’ll haul and how much you can expect to touch it.