Land of the freebie

Even if you never considered a career in auto transport, a car driveaway is a cheap way to get around and to save money. You contact a vehicle or car transport company in the place you are travelling to, or the place you are travelling from.

I have done ‘driveaways’ across America twice, totalling over 10,000 miles. The main company is Auto Driveaway, 310 S Michigan Ave, Chicago, Illinois (www.autodriveaway.com). All you need to do is phone their nearest office (from a choice of 60) to find out where they have cars going to. It is without doubt the cheapest way to get around America, as it doesn’t cost anything but the gas rate. There are other Driveaway Agencies in the yellow pages.

Every city and virtually every medium-sized town will have at least one entry offering vehicle transportation services as people often need auto transport to allow them to travel by rental car in one direction, then fly back, or whatever.

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There are however, some downsides: 1 You don’t get very long to complete the journey - you are expected to cover approx 150-200 miles daily (you may get a day or two extra for longer journeys).
2 Once you arrive, you have to hand the car back - when you may need it the most.
3 Your route is laid out for you, for car insurance reasons - which will invariably mean travelling mostly by the Interstate Highways.
4. You can’t damage it or paint it psychedelic in an attempt to add “Beat” flavor to your road trip.

WHAT IS A “DRIVEAWAY”

“Driveaway” companies are transportation brokers for cars — matching drivers with cars. The car owner pays an auto transport agency to move his or her vehicle. Sometimes the owner is moving across the country, flying ahead after having stuffed your new wheels with household goods. But often, the car belongs to a large corporation that provides cars for its employees. The corporations relocate company cars from one office to another, dependent upon staff needs. Most driveaway cars are fairly new, empty, and in good condition. Don’t expect a convertible sportscar — you’ll probably get a medium-sized family van. .

Many driveaways go from one major city to another. If your goal is to get from Boston to a small town near San Francisco, you can probably get a driveway to SF and take a bus the rest of the way. In the fall and early winter, there are usually lots of driveways from the northeast to Florida.

Be flexible about cities for departure and arrival, and leave yourself lots of time, as there’s no guarantee that a driveaway to your chosen destination will be available when you need it.

THE RULES

While it is okay to be an unkempt backpacker, all drivers must:

be licensed (non-US citizens need an international license and passport)
be over 21
have a clean driving record
leave a $300-$400 deposit
pay for fuel after the first free tank
You are assigned a set number of days and a route. Adhere to it or risk your deposit. Some agents will negotiate — they understand that travelers want to see the sights along the way. There are varying regulations about the number of hours you can drive per day, and some companies don’t allow you to drive after dark. Flagrant contract violations are not recommended, but many travelers have reported slightly bending the rules.

If you want to spend a lot of time in one place, consider getting two separate driveaways. A traveler could, for example, drive one car from Philadelphia to Chicago, stay a week, and drive a second car from Chicago to Los Angeles.

COVER YOUR SEAT

Before merrily driving the car off of the lot, inspect it closely. Mark any visible imperfections on the form supplied by the driveaway company. Look at the car from various angles — often you can’t see a “ding” from straight on.

DELIVERING YOUR VEHICLE TO ITS DESTINATION

After your epic overland journey ends, it will be time to surrender your faithful sedan to the person who owns all the home furnishings stuffed in the trunk. Call ahead to make sure the owner will be home — you can’t just leave the car and put the keys in the mailbox. You need a signature to get your deposit back from the nearest driveaway office (it will be a check, not cash, and you can also trust them to send it back).

Clean the car before delivery, vacuuming out the remnants of roadside meals, if necessary. Hopefully, the pleased owner will offer to drive you to a train or bus station. Don’t count on this, however. Research your return to public transport, carry a few taxi phone numbers, and leave your luggage in a locker at the nearest train/bus station. That way, if the owner looks at the travel clothes you’ve been wearing for three days, grabs a bottle of Lysol and heads for his vehicle, you’ll be ready to get on the road again — without your trusted Pontiac.

WHAT IF YOU HIT SOMETHING? WHAT IF THE CAR BREAKS DOWN?

Car insurance will cover If you damage the car or are at fault in an accident, but you will probably lose your deposit. Minor mechanical repairs are paid for by the driver, who is reimbursed by the owner. For major repairs, the driveaway company must be consulted, and the owner pays up front.

SOUNDS GREAT! WHERE DO I GET ONE?

For local agencies, check the Yellow Pages under “Auto Transporters.” But your best bet is to go through a national network:

Auto Driveaway http://www.autodriveaway.com

Check out a company called Dependable in New Jersey. We’d found it impossible to organise from home; you just turn up and look in Yellow Pages - there are lots of driveaway agencies in each city. You pay a deposit refundable by the owners and make sure you have adequate insurance. If you want to go more than a few hundred miles, there must be two drivers each over 25 with a clean full UK licence. Take the contact details and address of the car’s owners and get in touch a few days before you want to drop the car off. Ours offered to let us use it for the rest of our holiday!

You are expected to take a direct route, but are allowed usually a 10% ‘diversion’ as well and are expected to drive for maybe six hours a day. I have used this method to drive from New York to Miami (five days) then Miami to Los Angeles (eight days), then back across from Los Angeles to Washington DC. Is easily the cheapest way to see the real USA. It’s best if you’re flexible about where you want to go to. Cars are usually new and good model cars as it is the richer Americans who use this method to transport their cars.