North American Van Lines
Owner/Operator Semi Truck Drivers

This web page is for Owner/Operator Semi Truck Drivers who transported for North American Van Lines.
It is also for the many people who ask about owning, managing, and financing such a business.
The author transported new products throughout the continental United States for the North American Van Lines New Products Division, which was later renamed to the Commercial Transport Division, from 7/82 to 12/83. He hauled from, to, or through all 48 states except North Dakota and Vermont. Everything imaginable from Light Bulbs to Artillery Shells were transported. Most loads consisted of a single pickup and a single delivery but loads with up to 19 deliveries were transported as well. The average load was approximately 17,000 pounds but loads of 40,000 pounds were also common.

BRIEF EXPLANATION

North American Van Lines owns the trailers.

Owner/Operators own, operate, and maintain the tractor (i.e. truck) and manage the business and finances.
The individual must first become certified by investing money for taking classes and passing written and driving tests.
The Log Book consists of the ON DUTY RECORD, the LOG PREPARATION GUIDE, the DRIVER'S LOG sheets, the MILES AND FUEL BY STATE PREPARATION GUIDE, the MILES AND FUEL BY STATE sheets, the MULTI-DAY LOG BOOK INSTRUCTIONS, and IMPORTANT INSTRUCTIONS IF YOU HAVE AN ACCIDENT.
After the load is delivered and all papers signed, the MILEAGE VOUCHER is completed.
The Owner/Operator then calls the North American Van Lines "Callback Girls" to arrange to select the next load from those available.
Each 8 day log period, the MILEAGE VOUCHER(s) with log sheets, miles and fuel sheet, fuel receipts, toll receipts, phone receipts, weight slips, etcetera are mailed to North American Van Lines.
Later, in the mail the Owner/Operator receives a COMPENSATION REPORT for each load contract, the COMMISSION REPORT for compensation for the load contracts and for payments deducted, and a paycheck.
Any new fuel permits or license plates are also received in the mail and are attached to the truck in the required location.

This BRIEF EXPLANATION is given below with details provided in photos and scanned documents.
A load consisting of one pickup in Los Angeles with 19 deliveries across the country to Philadelphia is used.

Above each image below, a brief description is given. Some include a set of buttons that allow you to Zoom In and Out of the image. Zooming is most effectively performed by clicking on 'ZOOM IN' or 'ZOOM OUT' and then pressing the return key repeatedly as desired. Panning is most effectively performed by using the cursor keys.

1982 GMC ASTRO (as author purchased new)

1980 International TranStar (available in previous years)

North American Van Lines owns the trailers.

Owner/Operators own the tractor, i.e. truck ($54,000.00),...

operate the truck,...

maintain the truck (e.g. change oil),...

maintain the truck (e.g. change filters),...

maintain the truck (e.g. adjust brakes including trailer brakes),...

maintain the truck (e.g. grease 8-wheel drive),...

and manage the business and finances
(e.g. receipts, taxes, etc.).

The individual must first become certified...

by investing money ($450.00)...

for taking classes and passing written and driving tests.

An aerial view of the entire North American Van Lines facility
(at 5001 US Highway 30 W. Fort Wayne, Indiana) is given below
with the track above in the northeast corner of the image:

See detailed aerial view at NAVL Aerial

The Log Book consists of the ON DUTY RECORD
(front cover),...

the LOG PREPARATION GUIDE
(inside front cover),...

other IMPORTANT information
(first page),...

the DRIVER'S LOG for DAYS 1 to 4
(Below: Begin in Anaheim, CA and end in Vincennes, IN),...

The DRIVER'S LOG for DAYS 5 to 8
(Below: Begin in Vincennes, IN and end in Wheeling, WV),...

the MILES AND FUEL BY STATE PREPARATION GUIDE,...

the MILES AND FUEL BY STATE associated with the 8 Driver's Log days above
(Below: Purchase required amounts of fuel based on 5.5 MPG in CA, AZ, NM, TX, OK, MO, IL, IN, MI, OH),...

the MULTI-DAY LOG BOOK INSTRUCTIONS
(inside back cover),...

a MAIL reminder
(inside back cover flap),...

and IMPORTANT INSTRUCTIONS IF YOU HAVE AN ACCIDENT
(back cover).

After the load is delivered and all papers signed, the MILEAGE VOUCHER is completed
(Below: Pickup in Los Angeles with 19 Deliveries to Philadelphia).

The Owner/Operator then calls the North American Van Lines
"Callback Girls" to arrange to select the next load from those available.

Each 8 day log period, the MILEAGE VOUCHER(s) with log sheets, miles and fuel sheet, fuel receipts, toll receipts, phone receipts, weight slips, etcetera are mailed to North American Van Lines.

Later, in the mail the Owner/Operator receives a COMPENSATION REPORT for each load contract
(Below: Pickup in Los Angeles (empty from Cupertino) with 19 Deliveries to Philadelphia),...

the COMMISSION REPORT for compensation for the load contracts and for payments deducted,...

and a paycheck.

Any new fuel permits or license plates are also received in the mail and are attached to the truck in the required location
(i.e. left door, right door, windshield, or front bumper).

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