April 04, 2005

Curious George - Driving Me Crazy
I'm interested in a career where driving is key although I am not particularly interested in driving semis. I'm looking for something that will take m cross-country lots and lots. I've heard of testing mapping services and gps'but can find no info on jobs like that. Any ideas you beautiful simians?
posted by creamy 19 years ago
  • there are vehicle delivery services that hire drivers to, well, drive cars from here to there. we delivered a car from chicago to atlantic city back in 1981. here's some info about one service originating in miami, most large cities have something similar.
  • Auto Driveaway offers "employment opportunities." [similar service to the link sidedish provided]
  • Ooooh, I'd head to Indy if the Magnum was an R/T: INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA........APRIL 4.........(317)-259-7060: E-MAIL adcindpls@sbcglobal.net HOME OF THE INDY '500' AND THE BRICKYARD '400' DESTINATION VEHICLE SCHEDULE/STATUS Wichita, KS 05 Dodge Magnum NOW taken from sugermilktea's suggestion
  • I can't believe these companies stay in business... they pay nothing and it's one-way only? Either they get lots of drivers, or they're not in any hurry to move the cars.
  • It's surprising how many people would take a free car for a road trip. You can save money on rental cars in NZ by asking if the company has any cars they want returned to their correct base. If you're lucky you can get home again the same way. That said, I've never tried it. It could be an urban legend for all I know.
  • I remember a friend of a friend who had a driving job. Can't remember what exactly he did though. He was famous for the huge drift of fast food rubbage in his car.
  • Truck stop whore?
  • I know someone who inspects gas meters and that involves a lot of driving around, but it's not cross-country. Perhaps some kind of inspector position for a broader region? Being a quality checker for a store/restaurant/etc. chain with nation-wide locations? I wonder if the latter sorts wouldn't require speedier performance though, making them involve less driving and more flying.
  • Are you in the US? You said no semis. But you could drive a Greyhound bus! Or find a way to work with charter buses, and perhaps one day drive around a famous rock star on tour. Or sports teams going to away games. You get the idea.
  • Speaking of rockstars, you could become a roadie!!! I think Stryper is looking for a few strong backs.
  • You could be the "Can you hear me now?" guy on the Verizon ads. Sorry, absolutely not helpful. But being a roadie would be cool!
  • It depends on why you want a driving career. What is the attraction? The long hours and low pay? The danger and stress of traffic? All the morons on the road who have no idea of how to fricken drive? The extended abscences from family and freinds? The anonymonity of sterile motel rooms? I'm not being facetious here. I put myself through university driving a cab, and I have been a tour-guide, courier, Bus, and limo driver over the years. None of these occupations are especially romantic, or well-compensated. As for the limo thing, my own experience has been that famous rock stars are usually spoiled and demanding, as are many Hollywood types. If I ever meet Sylvester Stallone in civilian life, he's a getting a cock-punch that he'll never forget. That said, Kevin Kostner, Richard Dreyfuss, and Sean Penn are princes among men.
  • Okay, now you MUST tell your Stallone story.
  • I'm sorry I fucked your mom -Sly
  • Parcel Courier?
  • you could be like kowalski in vanishing point
  • This place hires drivers every once in a while. They equip cars with lasers and cameras and GPSeses and send them out to survey and record various highways. I guess various Dept.s Of Transportation use this data quite a lot. I know about it because a friend of mine worked there as an engineer. Other than that, I have to say that I used to really enjoy my time driving dump truck. I might go do that again after I finish my engineering degree. Heh. Good luck.
  • I just thought of another one, that may not work in the US: a friend of mine almost got a job where all he had to do was drive up and down specified roads, looking for potholes or other problems with the asphalt and marking them with neon spray paint for future repair, or repairing minor potholes himself by filling them with hotmix.
  • Thanks all, for your ideas! I guess what it boils down to is me wanting to just have someone pay me to drive all over the darned country - but it ain't gonna happen.