RickG

It sounds like the trailer is still on order . If you're going to haul less than 10,000lbs. why not cancel the order for the 20k trailer and get a 10k trailer ? It would save a lot of hassle and eliminate the CDL requirement . The other issues such as hauling hazmat , import fees , and border crossings still need to be considered . I crossed into Canada Wednesday at Sarnia and saw 6 customs officials all over a Mercedes trailered behind a pickup . They were trying to pick the door lock so the pickup driver obviously said he didn't have a key . They were not happy . You mentioned airbags . Check the capacity for airbags available for your truck . You could be overloading them also .

GAmes

RickG has a good point. If your truck GVWR is 8800 then you could pull a trailer rated up to 17,200 and not need a CDL. Still a little heavy for your suspension IMO. My 24 ft gooseneck deckover is rated for 14,000 and weighs about 4k empty, allowing me to load 10k and not need a CDL. (My truck has a GVWR of 10,500). A trailer that size would accomodate 6 1300 lb pallets with ease and give you the room to shift the load so that you would not overload the rear axle of the pickup. 20% on the ball would be 2360#. The actual weight of truck, tlr and cargo would be under 20,000.

19Fury69

I'll have to check with them if its too late to cancel now, I'm not too worried about having to get all the licences and certifications as I have a decent amount of time to spare where I can get them, but I will defenitly think about it

DRD

Have you at least checked truck freight? With the price of fuel/your time/trailer etc. are you really saving any cash?

19Fury69

lots, if my truck blew up totally, without insurance somehow and I had to pay for it out of pocket I would still be ahead.

rich

still need cdl and stuff because of hazmat

supr

I would get a 3500 with 6 speed manul as soon as you can afford to upgrade.
It will be much more stable, not to mention rated for more weight. I am not sure how well even an upgraded auto will handle heavy loads. I know the Gen 2 autos leave some to be desired.
Getting legal for a border crossing with all that will be expensive & time consuming. Please keep us posted as you progress!
Good luck on yoar great adventure!

Valv

If I was you i would rent a Ryder or Penske 24ft van truck, one way, and haul the whole thing without worrying.

I don't know why you want to risk your life, others, and fines for a small gain.

BTW the 26000 Class A license does apply here, since your trailer is over 10k, and commercial, you will need it to drive it even empty.

Also if gain is so much, why don't you buy a 3500 on monthly payments and pay it off when haul is done ? Trade your 2500 in a you'll be set.

Please keep the roads safe.

hivoltage

Not to mention it's a hazmat load. Even a 3500 isn't big enough. I can't imagine saving enough that it would be worth it. I say LTL the stuff and be done with it! Even if it costs 2 grand to ship it you're still saving 2 grand. Besides if you pay to ship it you can continue to work and take care of daily duties and not have the friggin headaches.
I still can't believe that some are saying that it'll be fine. Horrible advise!

19Fury69

[QUOTE=Valv;2231369] Also if gain is so much, why don't you buy a 3500 on monthly payments and pay it off when haul is done ? Trade your 2500 in a you'll be set. [QUOTE]

I would love to get a new 5500 set up for hauling a trailer every 3-6 months, but are you going to lend me the 40 000??
Not trying to be a smarta$$ but I'm 18 years old and have yet to establish enough credit to get a loan of that magnitude. That being said if it were a truck to pull this thing daily then I'm sure I'de find a way, but the whole point of this is I want to do this with as little startup as possible. I need the trailer for daily work on a much lighter scale so I have that taken care of. Just trying to make the buisness as efficient as possible.

shep1

Insurance costs ? Licensing costs ? Business Tax breaks ? Wear and tear ? Fatigue ? Risk ?? Chances taken ?? Lives at stake !!! Good business sense ?? I would have a carrier do it !!
IMHO.

1-5-3-6-2-4

wow what a thread........fred like some said its not your driving ability or the trucks ability to pull. its the stopping and keeping it on the road when the weight is pushing you around. glaze the brakes coming down a mountain with serious weight your in trouble. I've ran Denver to Calgary up the I-25 which is a far cry from texas, but there are a few serious summits through the mountains there.

that being said. I know for a fact that DOT in Alberta has mobile tire scales. they can weight you on the side of the road. I can only imagine US dots have the same and if you look at them funny... you know they have big heads. they'll weight you for axle weights not GCVW.

I believe you're asking for trouble overloading especially with toxic/hazmat goods going across the border.

rich

If i remember right not sure but i think you have to be 21 to get an interstate liscense in order to haul across state lines. At leat here in the us not sure about canada. the dot will stop you one day and if you dont have your ducks in a row it will be a big headache. they dont need a reason to stop ya.

rfeiller

yes you have to be 21, 18 for within a state thats federal

ellerman

Another upgrade you might want to look into would be an exhaust brake. My fifth wheel weighs 14k without toys inside and I love my exhaust brake on long downhill grades.
As far as the long haul with your truck you should factor in that you will be lucky to get 10mpg. Eric