Short answer
Cargo van and sprinter van contracts come from four places: medical and lab courier routes, scheduled parts runs for dealers and distributors, spot and direct customer freight, and leasing onto an expedite carrier. The first three are signed in your own company’s name, so they ask for your own authority if the work crosses state lines, plus insurance and a clean record. Leasing on lets you run under a carrier’s authority, and the federal lease rules decide what that contract has to put in writing.
A van does not need a CDL, so getting one on the road is the easy part. The harder part is freight that comes back week after week. People search for “contracts” when they want that steadiness, but the word covers very different deals, and each one asks different things of you before anyone signs. This guide takes the four sources one at a time: who gives out the work, what they check, and what the paper should say.
What Counts as a Cargo Van Contract?
Route contract vs. on-demand load
A route contract fixes the stops, the schedule and the price for a period of time. An on-demand load is priced and booked one shipment at a time, often with a pickup within hours. Van work leans toward the second kind: urgent, single shipments where speed matters more than size. A steady flow of those can keep you busy, but it is not the same promise as a route.
Here is how the four sources compare at a glance:
| Source | Whose name is on the contract | What it asks of you first |
|---|---|---|
| Medical and lab courier routes | Your company, often as a subcontractor to a courier firm | Training on specimen handling, a clean van, a background check, and strict timing |
| Parts runs for dealers and distributors | Your company | Reliability on a fixed daily schedule, insurance, and the right van size |
| Spot and direct freight | Your company | Own authority for interstate loads, insurance brokers accept, and the time to find every load |
| Leasing onto an expedite carrier | You and the carrier, under the carrier’s authority | A qualifying van and driver, and a written lease that meets 49 CFR 376.12 |
Source 1: Medical and Lab Courier Routes
Hospitals, clinics and labs move specimens, samples, pharmacy orders and supplies every day, often on fixed pickup times. Much of this work is handed to courier companies, which then route it to van and car drivers. It is one of the few kinds of van work that can look like a true route: the same stops, the same times, every weekday.
Two federal rules sit behind it. Diagnostic specimens can be shipped as Category B infectious substances (UN3373). Under 49 CFR 173.199, they are excepted from most hazardous materials rules when packaged as that section requires, and each person who offers or transports them “must know about the requirements of this section.” Separately, OSHA’s bloodborne pathogens standard, 29 CFR 1910.1030, applies to all occupational exposure to blood or other potentially infectious materials, so ask whether the buyer expects you to have that training too.
What it asks of you: ask the buyer which training it requires and whether it provides it, how a missed pickup time is handled, and whether you are paid per stop, per route or per day. Many of these routes stay inside one metro area, so check whether the miles cover your van.
Source 2: Scheduled Parts Runs for Dealers and Distributors
Auto dealers, parts distributors and repair networks move parts between warehouses, stores and shops on daily schedules. A van is the right size for most of it. These runs can turn into a standing arrangement once a dealer or distributor trusts you, but terms vary a lot from one buyer to the next, and many are informal.
Before you commit your mornings to one, get four answers in writing: the rate and how it is calculated, what happens on a day the run is cancelled, who covers damage to the parts, and how much notice either side gives to end it.
What it asks of you: being there at the same time every day, insurance, and enough room in the van for the buyer’s largest regular load. If the run crosses state lines for hire, you also need authority of your own or a carrier to run under.
Source 3: Spot Market and Direct Customer Freight
This is expedited freight priced one load at a time: a part that stops a production line, a shipment that missed its truck, a delivery that cannot wait for the next day. It comes through brokers and load boards, or straight from shippers who learn they can call you. It is not a contract in the route sense, but a shipper who keeps calling back is how many standing arrangements start.
To book interstate loads in your own name you need your own authority, and the federal insurance minimum depends on your vehicles’ weight. Under 49 CFR 387.303, a fleet made up only of vehicles under 10,001 pounds GVWR hauling non-hazardous property must carry at least $300,000. That is the federal floor, not what every broker accepts, so check the limits in a broker’s carrier agreement before you buy a policy, and check the GVWR on your door sticker before you assume the lower tier applies. Our guide to load boards for cargo vans and sprinter vans covers which boards list van freight and how to avoid being underpaid.
What it asks of you: your own authority and insurance, and the hours to find, price and book every load yourself, often at short notice.
Source 4: Leasing Onto an Expedite Carrier
Here you keep your van, and a carrier with authority and freight puts you to work under its operating authority. The contract is an equipment lease between you and the carrier, and federal law sets the minimum it has to say. Under 49 CFR 376.12, the written lease must, among other things:
- state your pay clearly, on the lease or an addendum delivered before your first trip;
- pay you within 15 days after you submit the delivery documents for a trip;
- list every chargeback and how it is calculated, with copies of the documents behind each one;
- say that you are not required to buy or rent products, equipment or services from the carrier as a condition of the lease.
If a lease you are offered is missing any of these, ask why before you sign. For the full list of what a carrier will check on you and your van, see cargo van owner-operator requirements.
Be clear about what kind of freight a carrier offers, too. At Expedited Jobs, freight comes from the spot market and direct customer loads, and we do not offer dedicated lanes at this time. That gives you variety in routes and steady work to build on, but it is not a fixed schedule on one lane. If a fixed route is what you need, ask any carrier that question directly and get the answer in writing.
What it asks of you: a van and a driver that meet the carrier’s checks, and a careful read of the lease.
Which Source Fits Your Van Right Now?
- No authority of your own: leasing onto a carrier lets you haul interstate freight under its authority. Local work that stays inside one state may follow different rules, so check with your state.
- You want the same stops every day: medical courier routes and parts runs come closest. Expect training, a background check and little room for a late start.
- You want miles and variety: spot and direct expedited freight, either with your own authority or through a carrier.
- A sprinter van with a high roof: the extra height can matter for some loads. Check the cargo dimensions each buyer requires before you apply.
Whatever the source, a contract is only as steady as the buyer behind it. Read who can cancel, on what notice, and what you are paid if a run is cut, before you plan your month around it.
Ready to Put Your Van to Work?
Expedited Jobs connects cargo van and sprinter van owner-operators with companies running spot and direct customer freight, with your own dispatcher and weekly pay.
Cargo Van Jobs → Sprinter Van Jobs →Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a CDL for cargo van contracts?
Cargo vans and sprinter vans are driven on a regular license. What a contract asks for instead is authority or a carrier to run under, insurance, and whatever training the buyer requires.
What insurance does a cargo van carrier need?
Under 49 CFR 387.303, a for-hire carrier whose fleet has only vehicles under 10,001 pounds GVWR, hauling non-hazardous property, must carry at least $300,000. Brokers and shippers can ask for higher limits in their agreements.
Can I haul medical specimens in a cargo van?
Diagnostic specimens can be shipped as Category B infectious substances under 49 CFR 173.199, and each person who transports them must know the requirements of that section. Ask the buyer which training it requires.
Does Expedited Jobs offer dedicated cargo van lanes?
Not at this time. Freight is based on the spot market and direct customer loads, with your own dispatcher, non-forced dispatch and weekly pay.
Written by Bruce Richmond. Regulatory text from the eCFR, read on 7 October 2026. Buyers can change their requirements at any time, so confirm them with the buyer before you apply.
Table of Content
- What Counts as a Cargo Van Contract?
- Source 1: Medical and Lab Courier Routes
- Source 2: Scheduled Parts Runs for Dealers and Distributors
- Want Steady Freight for Your Cargo Van?
- Source 3: Spot Market and Direct Customer Freight
- Source 4: Leasing Onto an Expedite Carrier
- Which Source Fits Your Van Right Now?
- Frequently Asked Questions
