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Back in the late 90's I was a expedite freight owner/operator with a company based here in Toronto. I had a E350 Ford cargo van that could carry 2400 pounds of cargo. The company specialized in direct door to door emergency deliveries to ANY place in Canada or the USA.
I was paid by the loaded mile, around $3 a mile. The hard part was the " It has to get there NOW " demand. I used to drive 16 to 18 hours at a time, sleep for 3, then eat and get going again. A typical run.....Pick up in Toronto and head out to Dallas. Be there within 2 days. Toronto to Dallas is about 1400 miles. so I would have been paid about $ 4200 . Less my costs
Now for the good part. Because I was a Canadian registered commercial vehicle I could only accept runs that were going back to Canada. The company knew where I was because of the sat antenna on the roof of the van, so they could contact me in seconds. After dropping my delivery, I was free to do whatever I wanted to do, and go wherever I wanted to go. Because of my freedom to roam around. I got to see many US attractions and natural sites.
The van was fully insulated with spray foam, including the walls and the ceiling, with carpet over that. The rear area was 11 feet long and 5 feet wide , with a fold down bed on the drivers side wall. When I was not loaded I had the bed, plus all of the side and rear windows had a 100 percent tint, so no one could see into the rear area. Complete privacy. The van had front and rear A/C, and double gas tanks and captain's reclining chairs up front. Those fold back seats were great for a quick nap at a rest stop.
I was getting paid amazing money to drive hard. Afterwards I might have to wait a few days to get a back haul to a Canadian destination, but that was fine with me. I was single, loved to travel, and I could indulge my interests in local history and small town attractions. Truck stops for showers, and meals. Laundry machines as well. Local libraries for reading , afternoon movies, stock car races on Saturday night, night star gazing, and talking to local people. I had a few hobbies, like leather belt making, and painting small drift wood sculptures.
Back in the late 90's I was a expedite freight owner/operator with a company based here in Toronto. I had a E350 Ford cargo van that could carry 2400 pounds of cargo. The company specialized in direct door to door emergency deliveries to ANY place in Canada or the USA.
I was paid by the loaded mile, around $3 a mile. The hard part was the " It has to get there NOW " demand. I used to drive 16 to 18 hours at a time, sleep for 3, then eat and get going again. A typical run.....Pick up in Toronto and head out to Dallas. Be there within 2 days. Toronto to Dallas is about 1400 miles. so I would have been paid about $ 4200 . Less my costs
Now for the good part. Because I was a Canadian registered commercial vehicle I could only accept runs that were going back to Canada. The company knew where I was because of the sat antenna on the roof of the van, so they could contact me in seconds. After dropping my delivery, I was free to do whatever I wanted to do, and go wherever I wanted to go. Because of my freedom to roam around. I got to see many US attractions and natural sites.
The van was fully insulated with spray foam, including the walls and the ceiling, with carpet over that. The rear area was 11 feet long and 5 feet wide , with a fold down bed on the drivers side wall. When I was not loaded I had the bed, plus all of the side and rear windows had a 100 percent tint, so no one could see into the rear area. Complete privacy. The van had front and rear A/C, and double gas tanks and captain's reclining chairs up front. Those fold back seats were great for a quick nap at a rest stop.
I was getting paid amazing money to drive hard. Afterwards I might have to wait a few days to get a back haul to a Canadian destination, but that was fine with me. I was single, loved to travel, and I could indulge my interests in local history and small town attractions. Truck stops for showers, and meals. Laundry machines as well. Local libraries for reading , afternoon movies, stock car races on Saturday night, night star gazing, and talking to local people. I had a few hobbies, like leather belt making, and painting small drift wood sculptures.
I did that for about 5 years.
Except for the driving hard part, sounds a lot like the daily life of many retired van/RV dwellers!
I just made a trip over an often-snowy mountain pass. I loved knowing that if the driving started to get iffy, I could find a place to pull over, snuggle into my very comfortable bed with a book, and wait it out. Even had a heater in case the temp dropped way low. (The driving was fine, BTW.)
Glad you made it OK. I was considering going to Denver about three weeks ago but I was leery of the road conditions and the real possibility the tanks might freeze.
Were you the one who recommended the Rockpals Portable Power Station? I got the 300W version and that baby has been amazing. It charges all my devices, even my power-sucking laptops. I almost don't miss the inverter, except when I want to use the microwave.
I have a built-in coach heater, which is a good thing since my metal-box-on-wheels leaks warmth like nobody's business. It seems like there should be a better way to insulate van conversions but with windows all around, maybe not.
Glad you made it OK. I was considering going to Denver about three weeks ago but I was leery of the road conditions and the real possibility the tanks might freeze.
Were you the one who recommended the Rockpals Portable Power Station? I got the 300W version and that baby has been amazing. It charges all my devices, even my power-sucking laptops. I almost don't miss the inverter, except when I want to use the microwave.
I have a built-in coach heater, which is a good thing since my metal-box-on-wheels leaks warmth like nobody's business. It seems like there should be a better way to insulate van conversions but with windows all around, maybe not.
Probably, I definitely have one. I'm glad you are finding it useful!
I decided not to insulate my cargo van. I am way too paranoid about messing up the installation and creating pockets of moisture behind the walls. I've spent a couple nights in it when the temp is in the high 20s. Yes, it was cold. But I stay plenty warm in bed, and when I get up to turn the engine on, I get heat in about 5 minutes, so it's bearable. I will say that if it was going to get colder than that, I'd drive to somewhere warmer!
I spent one snowy winter living in a stationary Airstream. The fact is, with only about an inch of insulation, and with such a high surface-to-volume area, any RV is going to lose a lot of heat. The improvement in heat retention with insulation doesn't seem worth the effort and rust risk to me. Obviously, many people feel differently. But insulated or not, to keep the space truly warm at night when temperatures drop, you have to run a heater all night. And that has its own issues.
Howdy fluffy & jacqueg,
In cold winters you can tape Reflectix over some of your windows. It will help with the insulation. You can buy it in different lengths from Amazon/Home Depot/Lowes/etc https://www.google.com/search?source...31.NZiGxIZhmrk
I just made a trip over an often-snowy mountain pass. I loved knowing that if the driving started to get iffy, I could find a place to pull over, snuggle into my very comfortable bed with a book, and wait it out. Even had a heater in case the temp dropped way low. (The driving was fine, BTW.)
I’m holed up in my cozy little van bed right now and I love it. I went to the extra expense of getting extra fluffy pillows and a king size down comforter so I can roll up in it. So far I have never needed a heater in here. I’d much rather sleep in here than in a hotel though sometimes it’s nice to get a room and a bath.
BTW, the RTR was a bit of a bust for me this year. I made the mistake of inviting a friend and warned him clearly that there are no amenities but the shock was too much lol. The part that was difficult was that they were forced to separate out the main event from the camping areas and by at least fifteen miles so people would have to drive thirty or more miles every day which is a lot if you have a big vehicle. We tried to carpool with some people I knew from last year but everyone wanted to do their own thing. We finally just left and I suspect that many never stayed in the first place. Still it was fun while it lasted.
We bought a used 27 ft motor home and thought we would travel for a year. After a month it was enough. We have done many 2-4 week trips and are now selling it. I would rather be in a motel.
Very good friend of mine's parents did this..............they liked the camper but hated the people that frequent campgrounds!
Used it ONCE, paid storage for 10 years and eventually sold it
I always dreamed of traveling in a van, but feel like I would still need a permanent place to store a lot of things (pictures, files, and other important things that won't fit in a van. One of the main limitations I see is the hassle of always filling up with water and then dumping the gray and black tanks.
Location: We_tside PNW (Columbia Gorge) / CO / SA TX / Thailand
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Traveling via van is great, living in one.... I'll pass. We seldom use gray or black water. Have a swing out kitchen and an outdoor shower. That helps.
Often use public pools / hot springs for long baths in deep water. I just completed 200 laps on a hot day. (104f)
I always dreamed of traveling in a van, but feel like I would still need a permanent place to store a lot of things (pictures, files, and other important things that won't fit in a van. One of the main limitations I see is the hassle of always filling up with water and then dumping the gray and black tanks.
I keep all my belongings in a 10x10’ storage unit till I should need them again. Right now though I’m back home in Missouri and renting an RV in the woods and trying to figure out my next move but thinking I’ll stay put for awhile due to coronavirus and me being high risk. Besides, part of my reason for going out in the first place was to land in the woods and here I am. Lol
One thing I wanted to say though is that my van setup was pretty simple and there were no tanks and I just had a two gallon drink dispenser and a five gallon jug that I refilled at water stations so I didn’t have to deal with any tanks. As for bathing, the easiest solution for me was to put about a half gallon of water into a dish tub and it didn’t even have to be warm and I could wash my hair and everything else that way and if I didn’t need to wash my hair I could get by on much less water. I also had a planet fitness membership, which reminds me that I need to cancel that.
Really, I found I didn’t need nearly as much as I thought going in, and if you dream of this life, go on shorter trips with just the basics and then see what you can’t live without. It’s not like there’s no stores on the way.
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