Hotshotting vs RV hauling
11-15-2010, 05:56 PM
#31
My condo Freightliner costs less for maintenance than the Dodge, the payments are about the same, insurance is a little more, mileage a bit less, but it will last a million or more. As one said, the sleeper is worth any difference in cost.
You can get a clean big truck for near $30k with 500k or so on the clock. I paid 25,300. That will leave a good 500k to 600k driving time left on the truck and in a couple of years it will bottom out at 15k or so. The lighter weight adds greatly to the mileage that you will put on it. With 500hp, cruise, Jake brake, it sort of drives itself with less than 50k gross weight. Dot does not bother you near as much either.
I am currently sitting on my 84 inch bunk in my shorts with the air on, watching a movie on the 27 inch TV and playing on the computer. When I stand up to stretch, I cannot reach the ceiling and I am 6 foot three and a half inches. With the curtains pulled over the windshield, I have full privacy for me and my parrot. I have a pan of flakey bisects on in the microwave. Before I get going for the day I have to get a block of ice out of the freezer for the fresh ice water. Tonight I will probably put a rib eye on in the broil mode of the microwave. I have three of them in the freezer. Life is tough. I tried all this with the Dodge for a few years. If you are doing short local stuff, use a hot shot, if you are living in the truck for a week or more, get a real truck.
You can get a clean big truck for near $30k with 500k or so on the clock. I paid 25,300. That will leave a good 500k to 600k driving time left on the truck and in a couple of years it will bottom out at 15k or so. The lighter weight adds greatly to the mileage that you will put on it. With 500hp, cruise, Jake brake, it sort of drives itself with less than 50k gross weight. Dot does not bother you near as much either.
I am currently sitting on my 84 inch bunk in my shorts with the air on, watching a movie on the 27 inch TV and playing on the computer. When I stand up to stretch, I cannot reach the ceiling and I am 6 foot three and a half inches. With the curtains pulled over the windshield, I have full privacy for me and my parrot. I have a pan of flakey bisects on in the microwave. Before I get going for the day I have to get a block of ice out of the freezer for the fresh ice water. Tonight I will probably put a rib eye on in the broil mode of the microwave. I have three of them in the freezer. Life is tough. I tried all this with the Dodge for a few years. If you are doing short local stuff, use a hot shot, if you are living in the truck for a week or more, get a real truck.
i make more money at the end of each run with my dodge than i ever did with the big truck, lets see fuel milage sucks, road tax, broker fees, 450 for one tire if you blow one....i can go on and on...dont do it...my 2 cents
11-15-2010, 09:51 PM
#32
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Bottom line is that you should not drive anything that you are uncomfortable with. That said, you don't pull three cars with a Dodge and stay under 26000, yeah sometimes but not all. Do you have any idea what the fines are if you get caught over 26000 and are not plated and insured? You won't do it twice. Ok, so big truck and Dodge both need IRP tags, both need IFTA, both need 1,000,000 insurance, brokers are the same for both, I don't use any, never did. Both need authority regardless of size. I get 8.2 fuel mileage for six to seven cars, its rare a place where a dodge and fifty foot trailer can get in where I can't and then it is because of hight. The tires can be had used for 50 bucks and who does not carry a spare. I have never paid 450 for a tire. A full screw is so over tired in capacity that you can always pull one off and go down the road till you get one.
11-15-2010, 10:05 PM
#33
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GoFastMan I used to run all of Shorty's stuff and all over Selma and your area. Good luck with your work. In over five years with the big truck I have never had to modify it, have put two injectors in it and kingpins, no engine work. I am local now so put new tires on the front and used on the drivers. On the dodge I was constantly modifying and repairing and used more tires and for the most part I was always illegal in some way as you are.
11-22-2010, 02:55 PM
#34
GoFastMan I used to run all of Shorty's stuff and all over Selma and your area. Good luck with your work. In over five years with the big truck I have never had to modify it, have put two injectors in it and kingpins, no engine work. I am local now so put new tires on the front and used on the drivers. On the dodge I was constantly modifying and repairing and used more tires and for the most part I was always illegal in some way as you are.
11-24-2010, 01:56 PM
#35
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I suppose that I should be honored to have a real pro advise me… LOL Guess I will go crawl back under my rock. Jeez… an RV pro, thought you were hauling freight.
11-24-2010, 02:11 PM
#36
11-24-2010, 02:28 PM
#37
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I recently got out of the hot shot business and heres why: if you buy a new truck to work with and make payments, you are gonna be upside down. so the 153k that I grossed for 10 months worth of work just goes back into maintance and dealership when you trade it in. secondly if you keep them past the warranty chances are when they break down ,and they will, you wont have the money to fix them so you have no income and a truck that wont move. So I guess if your equipment is paid for your in good shape , but when you start making all that money first thing you want to do is get new truck and trailer. So my opinion is that you really just finance your income and when it comes to the end of the year and you figure out what you spent plus your bills you really dont make that much for the time you spend away from home.
So if you want to be successful dont go in debt with equipment bc your equipment will be wore out way before its paid for and dont go buy any toys or have anything nice that your paying on with that big income because its just a matter of time till your source of money gives up on you. JMO from experience
So if you want to be successful dont go in debt with equipment bc your equipment will be wore out way before its paid for and dont go buy any toys or have anything nice that your paying on with that big income because its just a matter of time till your source of money gives up on you. JMO from experience
11-26-2010, 05:29 AM
#39
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In reality there isn't enough of these loads to keep hotshotters busy so some do haul vehicles .
You'd be better off checking with auto transporters . Be sure to get their DOT number and go to http://safersys.org and enter the number in company snapshot search to verify the info . Illegal haulers have been know to just give the number they have seen on a legitimate hauler .
You might check some of these . http://www.hemmings.com/classifieds/...type=transport
I have seen conflicts in what shippers and carriers think a "good rate " is . Shippers think the lowest quote is the best rate . Experienced carriers think a good rate covers their operating expenses plus a reasonable profit .
11-29-2010, 01:48 AM
#40
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Yeah, I would park it. (I parked mine) Then I would go to a reputable trucking school and here's why.
A. You can't live out of a pick up truck. A pick up being used as a commercial tractor SHOULD be run as an expedited business. Pan of flakey biscuits on the microwave? I'm goin' the #&!! HOME!
B. I would get my CDL. I can't count how many times DOT saw my CDL and waved me off their scale, even in California.
C. Your truck sitting and you driving around in someone elses Class 8 will GET YOUR DOLLARS UP ans save your truck for YOUR business. You will be learning on someone elses dime.
D. You will still be able to satisfy your Wanderlust.
E. The sleeper will make you feel like you have an apartment compared to your pick up.
F. A professional driver like you who does'nt whine about wanting to go home all the time IS A DISPATCHER"S DREAM! If your dispatcher likes you, YOU MAKE MORE MONEY.
G. You can get a small pet! I walk out of the Pilot in Plymouth, IN. with a big gulp in one hand, and this guy's Jack Russell jumps into my other arm! I was like ***?! Dog was probably so happy to get away from his owner he chose to celebrate! THAT dog was HAPPY!
H. Once you have a few bucks stowed in your mattress, AND the RV Industry ramps up again, you can give your business another shot! Only THIS time you will be more experienced, have more operating capital, and will be armed with a commercial license and a bit more leeway. The CDL is also a back up plan, an option you can always fall back on if you need it, again. A person with a CDL can get a job in 30 seconds if they want. I once drove my Werner tractor to Boyd Bros Flatbed in Springfield, OH. Transfered all my stuff to my new Boyd tractor, spent the weekend in it resting. Attended BB Orientation on Monday and moved into a hotel room for 3 days, and went to work on Thursday for Boyd's! Friday I told Werner I quit and where their tractor was.
Just some thoughts.
A. You can't live out of a pick up truck. A pick up being used as a commercial tractor SHOULD be run as an expedited business. Pan of flakey biscuits on the microwave? I'm goin' the #&!! HOME!
B. I would get my CDL. I can't count how many times DOT saw my CDL and waved me off their scale, even in California.
C. Your truck sitting and you driving around in someone elses Class 8 will GET YOUR DOLLARS UP ans save your truck for YOUR business. You will be learning on someone elses dime.
D. You will still be able to satisfy your Wanderlust.
E. The sleeper will make you feel like you have an apartment compared to your pick up.
F. A professional driver like you who does'nt whine about wanting to go home all the time IS A DISPATCHER"S DREAM! If your dispatcher likes you, YOU MAKE MORE MONEY.
G. You can get a small pet! I walk out of the Pilot in Plymouth, IN. with a big gulp in one hand, and this guy's Jack Russell jumps into my other arm! I was like ***?! Dog was probably so happy to get away from his owner he chose to celebrate! THAT dog was HAPPY!
H. Once you have a few bucks stowed in your mattress, AND the RV Industry ramps up again, you can give your business another shot! Only THIS time you will be more experienced, have more operating capital, and will be armed with a commercial license and a bit more leeway. The CDL is also a back up plan, an option you can always fall back on if you need it, again. A person with a CDL can get a job in 30 seconds if they want. I once drove my Werner tractor to Boyd Bros Flatbed in Springfield, OH. Transfered all my stuff to my new Boyd tractor, spent the weekend in it resting. Attended BB Orientation on Monday and moved into a hotel room for 3 days, and went to work on Thursday for Boyd's! Friday I told Werner I quit and where their tractor was.
Just some thoughts.
I've read literally hundreds of posts on trucker forums by CDL school graduates that either couldn't get hired months after graduating or got a job but quit because they weren't getting any miles .
I heard a J.B. Hunt driver on the NY Thruway a couple of weeks ago trying to sell his CB to get money to eat . He'd been out 2 weeks . JB requires 1,000 miles between advances and he'd only gotten 700 miles the previous week .
Now the amount of time to get a CDL . First you have to wait for a class opening . Then the school itself , 3 to 8 weeks . Then wait maybe a few weeks for company orientation IF you manage to get called .
A lot of newbies get rejected at orientation , others get rejected by trainers .
In those cases they get a negative DAC report and their career is over .
DOT officers giving somebody a break because they have a CDL is pure BS . They get checked out the same as everybody else .
How long were you at Werner and Boyd ? I wouldn't take any advice from a job hopper .
11-29-2010, 02:59 AM
#41
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Wow guys, thanks for the tips. I had to roll negative equity into the truck purchase so I owe $8k more than it's worth...d'oh! Living in the back is a pain, especially for a woman. Lay down to get dressed, roll around, get zipped, then do this inchworm-thing to get out with my shoes off. Have to put them on outside, so there I am balancing on the running boards to avoid stepping in mud or s*** or whatever else is out there.
Sigh...the Freightliner sounds nice, but I don't have a CDL.
I plan to do this long enough to buy a trailer, then it's hotshots and cars. Thanks for the advice...I realize you feel you may be tipping your hand, but I greatly appreciate it. Life is so hard right now.
My health is holding up but my boyfriend quit me...had to go 'find himself'. I once had a home to go to...no more. How do you guys handle being out all the time, alone, knowing you don't have a place to go home to? All I can do is take some time off and hang out in the truck...exactly what I do on the road.
This is hard enough for a man...it's hell for a woman.
-DD
Sigh...the Freightliner sounds nice, but I don't have a CDL.
I plan to do this long enough to buy a trailer, then it's hotshots and cars. Thanks for the advice...I realize you feel you may be tipping your hand, but I greatly appreciate it. Life is so hard right now.
My health is holding up but my boyfriend quit me...had to go 'find himself'. I once had a home to go to...no more. How do you guys handle being out all the time, alone, knowing you don't have a place to go home to? All I can do is take some time off and hang out in the truck...exactly what I do on the road.
This is hard enough for a man...it's hell for a woman.
-DD
11-29-2010, 10:16 PM
#42
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diesel deuce, 60k is nothing on your truck. With good maintenance you can expect 300k and as light as you pull you could go to 400k or 500k. Just have the finances for an emergency and you will be ok.
12-31-2010, 07:25 PM
#43
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Get in good with an Oil Field and hot shot parts for them.
BIG $$.
It will pay for new rigs, trailers, and someone to drive it around for you and you can just drive around the country side exploring.
BIG $$.
It will pay for new rigs, trailers, and someone to drive it around for you and you can just drive around the country side exploring.
12-31-2010, 08:37 PM
#44
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I certainly hope you are wrong.
I have 525,000 on mine and a friend has 600,000 on his.
I know of several others that are well over 800,000.
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