What is a Dedicated truck driver? Life in the role explained

Estimated reading time: 3 minutes

Every good truck driver is dedicated to their profession. However, a capital-“D” Dedicated truck driver has a specific type of truck driving job – one that offers a huge variety of choices at the start and provides consistency once you make your selection.

At Schneider, we have one of the largest Dedicated fleets in the country, meaning our drivers have plenty of options to find a job with the consistent schedule and home time they need to enjoy a great work-life balance.

Keep reading to discover what a Dedicated truck driver is and the benefits of choosing this type of trucking job.

What is a Dedicated truck driver?

A Dedicated trucker is someone who hauls freight exclusively for one customer. Dedicated drivers typically transport goods between customer distribution centers and their stores. This is different from drivers who serve multiple customers within a larger network, like those in Van Truckload, Intermodal or Tanker operations.

For five-million-mile safe driver Greg Swift, life as a Schneider Dedicated driver is characterized by the superior consistency it provides.  

“The home time is more frequent, the pay is more consistent and it generally has a better lifestyle,” Greg said. “You really know what you’re doing the whole week, so there’s no downtime. You're not sitting at a truck stop, you’re not sitting on the street waiting to get dispatched – you know what you’re doing, you just got to go do it.”

Want an in-depth look at Dedicated truck driving? Hear all about what life as a Dedicated driver is like from Greg and other Schneider drivers in the video below:   

How often are Dedicated truck drivers home?

Home time for Dedicated drivers depends entirely on the customer they haul freight for.

Schneider’s configurations for Dedicated drivers include:

• Local - Which gets drivers home daily
• Regional - Which gets drivers home multiple times per week or weekly.
• Over-the-road - Which keeps drivers on the road for a week or more.

Greg, for example, gets home weekly while hauling for a longtime Schneider customer.  

“I typically leave out on a Sunday and I’m usually home Thursday night or Friday morning,” Greg said. “This allows me to plan events more effectively, so I’m able to do stuff with the wife and kids on a more consistent basis.”

What are the benefits of becoming a Dedicated driver?

1. Consistency.

The hallmark of Dedicated driving is consistency. This can be an advantage over other types of trucking, where fluctuating demands and seasonal changes can lead to inconsistent schedules and loads.

Because Dedicated drivers haul freight for only one customer, they experience a lot of consistency in:  

• The paychecks they earn.  
• The frequency in which they get home.  
• The routes they drive.  
• The type of freight they haul.  
• The people they work with at customer locations.  

For Greg, the decision to become a Dedicated driver was made so that he could get home more frequently.

“I stayed out for two weeks at a time for probably 15 years of my 33-year career,” Greg said. “Being home every weekend has been a huge advantage. I can spend more time at home with the wife and kids.”

2. Specialty.

Dedicated truck drivers haul all sorts of freight, including:

• Dry van.
• Reefer.
• Flatbed.
• Tanker.

Dedicated drivers also have the chance to work with specialized equipment, handle unique cargo or develop expertise in a specific industry niche. Here are some examples of the variety and specialization within Dedicated:  

• Drivers on our Home Depot Site Delivery account haul building materials on flatbed trailers and use forklifts to unload at homes, job sites and businesses.
• On Schneider’s PODS Dedicated account, drivers strap and secure PODS containers to flatbed trailers.
• In Schneider’s dedicated logging jobs, drivers transport logs from the forest to mills using custom-spec'd flatbed trailers.
• Drivers on Schneider's Dollar Tree and Family Dollar accounts haul retail freight on liftgate trailers and manually unload at stores using gravity rollers.

3. Relationships.

By hauling freight for one customer, Dedicated drivers can establish strong relationships with the people they work with at store locations and distribution centers. These connections often foster better communication, ultimately leading to a more enjoyable and fulfilling work experience.  

For Greg, this familiarity with the customer has led to even more job satisfaction.

“I know just about everybody at every mill,” Greg said. “As a Dedicated driver you get to know the ins and outs of the customer’s operations as far as time, people and when you can make deliveries and pick-ups.”

What are the requirements to become a Dedicated driver?  

The requirements to be a Dedicated driver are very similar to those of a long-haul truckload driver.  

First, you must obtain a Class A CDL from your state’s Department of Motor Vehicles by attending a truck driving school or a CDL training program.  

Then, you’ll need to meet some additional requirements, including:  

• Being at least 21 years old (for interstate driving).  
• Having a clean driving record and solid work history.  
• Passing a DOT physical.  
• Passing a drug and alcohol test.  

Some Dedicated driving jobs have additional requirements, such as being able to lift and move heavy objects and requiring additional training before starting the job.