Hey folk!! Ive been in biz with my 3 car carrier under my own authority for a few months now and Ive been either real fortunate or real lucky with finding my loads for good prices. Lately it seems these past 2 weeks the market took a crap in the auto industry either being slow season or just being brokers are getting to greedy and now dealers are bypassing brokers and just being even more greedy leaving us car carriers left with nothing.
Now I do have my own authority as of now but im thinking of changing up for a little bit to make more money hopefully.

What biz is banging right now for hauling with a 1 ton. I have extra money in the bank where I can get a flatbed trailer for freight??? what websites to look at??? whatz going rate for freight of around 15000 pounds.

How about RVs? Whats going rate and what websites??

Should I cancel my own authority and work under someone else??

My truck is pretty much new still so I would like to keep it!!! My credit isnt doing to bad so I might be able to find a descent little rig maybe, Still waiting on phonecall from bank for approval but I know I can get an auto loan for an topkick or F650 or sorts of that nature, but from rescent reveiws, Im really gonna try for a small rig like that 1 international for those who have been paying attention.

So all and all, What would you guys do????

Also, my wife would maybe like to get into brokering but we both know nuttin about the biz and have no connections and people are really cheap and greedy these day so I think there would be to much competition let alone brokering might be out of the woods in a few years if you know what I mean, or not, who knows, jmho.

Any other ideas?? Sorry for the book I wrote, just pondering ideas

 

Check this website http://ltlhotshot.myfreeforum.org/index.php . As far as RV's go they never did pay enough . I see more and more RV haulers putting towbars on their pickups and teaming up with another RV hauler to tow them back deadheading . Most Canadian RV haulers use flatbeds with a hydraulic 5th wheel at the back to tow a second trailer .

 

Rv's are dead and will be until mid January and with rv's you have to run you but off to make it. Example I put just shy of 300k on my 06 Dmax in 18 months. The problem with teaming up and tow bar a truck back is unless the the truck that is doing the towing has a sleeper it doesn't work log book wise. Tow and haul can be good, 2 out and then look for either some freight or a car to bring back to pay the fuel.

Around the midwest everything is dead, the car business has slowed, so the auctions slowed, so the guys hauling are cutting each others throats to keep rolling. I know a couple guys that run under there own authority and run rv's and freight local and there trucks and trailers are not moving either. All I am hoping for is either some luck finding another career or the rv industry picks up in January.

 

Don't take this wrong. But I'm glad to see it's just not me,,,,meaning it's not my bad luck, or poor choice's, and it's effecting everyone. Hope that came out right.

If I had something else to fall back on I would give this up. Just like right now, I have a blown caliper and I have 3 car's on my trailer going to Florida. Everyone is mad at me for not being there today.

I'm thinking about an E-bay career.

 

Many years ago I had my own truck. I was paying about 50 cents for a gallon of fuel, $200 for a tire. I was getting $1.15 a mile. It was hard to make it then, and I quit and went in an other direction. I don't know how you people are doing it with the cost of consumables today and the rate is still the same as it was 35 years ago.

 

I had a big truck years ago, gave it up for family life and a real job. Since then, we've got ourselves into great work positions and the "freight" we pull is our 33' fifth wheel - when we want, where we want.

Don't get me wrong, I miss the open road (especially every 28 days, if you know what I mean), but I could never justify making a go of it in this economy. I have done the numbers, even had an offer from an RV transport company hauling a minimum of 1 load a month, but it just didn't look right. For those of you fortunate enough to be doing it, hold on to your dream and we'll keep thinking of you and praying for your continued good fortune.

 

I bet I know who that transport company was . When Fleetwood closed 5 plants a lot of haulers left . For that 1 load a month you'd be under contract and restricted on use of your vehicle - only approved drivers , no passengers without prior approval and paying for insurance to carry them , requirement to have DOT inspection on your truck and maintain a log book even on your off duty days , a DOT physical at your expense etc. . If there was a profit in hauling RV's the transport companies would have a fleet of their own trucks . In fact many terminal managers own a few trucks with hired drivers . These are the trucks that get loads delivering near another terminal that will have a return load . I had no sympathy for the terminal at Longview, TX when the Fleetwood plant closed there . Too many drivers were lied to about loads not being available there .

 

Yah the market is weird, past 2 weeks were horrible, then this week it looks like prices are kinda normal again, well a few. I just booked me a load for houston tx which is my usual 1000 mile run there with my 3 cars. No creative mind here, just 3 cars from tampa to houston for 1600 bucks. I coulda been more creative with the state thing but im leaving friday and brokers on the weekends never work out. Hopefully the return trip will be good. Either way, im starting to talk to a few brokers and in town dealers about boats and everyone says the same thing, get out of cars as they are the bottom of the barrel when it comes to transport, and do boats. My wife wants me to keep the dodge, But I dont see the dodge pulling the boats I wanna pull, heavier the boat, more money. So Im thinking about going big/or for broke with this 85k dollar f650 cat/allison 3000 6 speed auto. But its an 08 model which has that emmisions crap, dealer said they can find me an 07 model for 5-8 grand cheaper. I think im gonna get the 07 cause its cheaper and well, NO ULSD. meaning less break downs, another factory gas tank instead of big muffler in they way, and of course better mpg. So i might be trying boats and seeing how that works out, and if it dont, im gonna be stuck with a big *** tonka truck leaving me for broke cause who the heck needs a tonka truck this day and age.

BTW Good Luck with your trip and hope all goes well
BTW again, my trip back from oklahoma sucked, 1300 miles, 1400 bucks. I wass ****** all the way home. At least I made 2900 there

 

had a buddy running with me from elkhart to saskatoon to deliver rv to dealer. just outside of Minot ND a deer decided to make a new entry door through the camper. We stopped to make proper phone calls, called state trooper for report. Did everything by the book. Now he was told to bring back unit to factory. So he took it back while i went on to deliver my unit. He gets back there they give him another unit to deliver in the south and he takes off. This is after he was told it would be a day or two to get all the paperwork taken careof for the saskatoon load. He gets a phone call telling him that he will not be getting paid for hauling the unit up to the point of the accident, but also nothing for bring it back to the factory, and he will loose his escrow to make the repairs. Now the reason why he is not getting paid for all he did for driving is that he didnt make it to delivery point, so as far as they are concerned he never pulled it. This one load cost him 2168.00.
Read those contracts, they can really bend you over if you dont read them very closly.

Just info to all pullers

 

I have had two mishaps in 5 years, first one was close to the dealer so I called in and I delivered it anyway. The damage was not that bad. The second one was closer to the terminal so that one went back. Both involved an animal, so my company does not hold it against your safety bonus miles. But you do pay the first $1000 so there goes the escrow. On the first load I got paid the normal delivery, the second since I did not make the delivery nope. I did ask and received a fuel allowance for it though.

 

When I started trucking,dieel was .45 per gallon,loads were 1.25 per mile,truck payment was 475. per month when i sold out,diesel was 1.50 per gallon,loads payed .88 per mile and truck payment was 1500. per month. You have two chances of making a good living with the dodge or the bigger rig,slim and none and slim just walked out the door.forget it ,and move on to something worth while.

 

Very True on its harder making money but people dont work for free. Im still grossing 12k to 16k each month with only 8000-9000 miles each month. Thats only 3 cars. Once i get my flip ramps, maybe that should help out some if i can keep up with the cars only. 57 feet of cargo space will be nice let alone bumper hangover. That could be and extra 2000-4000k monthly if played right. Now you have to admit thats not bad outta a 1 ton. And as for boats, im already talking with alot of people who are intereseted and get alot of calls. Plus, early next year, im starting a website and getting into brokering, well wifey is so that extra lmoney in the bank too.

All and all, there has to be a transport biz out there or this world wont get by. Something has to happen before this economy takes a crap.

Also, you just have to have multiple trucks out there runnin to make a bunch of cash instead of a couple like back in the days.

So that being said, you can still get richer in this biz, you just gotta work harder at it and it takes longer to get there from point 1 as im at now.

SO PLEASE DONT DISCOURAGE ME!!!!!!!!!!!! Still friends though

 

Best of luck to you!! Who know's. J. B. Hunt started out with one truck !!

 

Hey,,,aint that my line. Or at least the one you used on me.

 

lol. D'oH