Hotshot Connect Forum :: Hello

HossLanier

I am a full-time employee that is about to NOT be employed. Seems this week is full of rumors of us closing the doors soon to a small Chevy dealership.

I own a 2005 Chevy Dually 4x4 Duramax crewcab with 91gal aux tank, gooseneck, DOT certified truck, but currently no commercial insurance or authority. I don't have the means to buy/rent/lease a trailer right now, but I want to drive again.

Looking for anyone needing a truck and driver to lease on or direct in some way to haul anything my truck will pull.

since I don't have a trailer, I have looked at hauling trailers from manufactor to dealers or anything that has thier own trailer for me to use.

Hauling for nurseries in central Louisiana is one thing I have looked at. They have trailers, but lease out to trucks. They pay $2.25 loaded mile.

Thanks guys..
Hoss

Tom Cobb · Site Admin

If they pay that rate and provide the trailer you should jump on that quick.

HossLanier

I have someone I know doing that just once a week, clears about $1000 in 2 days. that is after fuel. He made 3 runs in one week this summer and cleared over $3000. needless to say, for some of us 7:30-5:30 guys even clearing $1,000 a week is more than we make now. Of course it looks good.

But, you have to have back-up income. in the last 3 weeks he has only ran twice. This stops about Thanksgiving and kicks back off in Febuary.

I have over 20 resume's out with equipment list.

bth9461

Do you have a CDL? have you been a Commercial driver before?

Brian

HossLanier

Yes on both.... CDL-A, except air brakes and 18wheeler.

I will tell you I only have about 20k miles of hauling 5th RV's commercially. I have pulled trailers for different things over the years, but never commercially until Jan 2007. By March I was back behind a desk. I had a freind that haulled RV's and talked me into working with his transportation company. His wife got sick with cancer and could not "run" with me to show me the ropes.

I want to learn this business and try to make an honest living.

Thanks

Hoss

dlanier248@comcast.net

HossLanier

I am a 42yr old family man who has worked at GM/Toyota dealerships for most of 24yrs. As everyone knows, the car business is hurting really bad. I work for a very small Chevy dealership that is rumored, and there is alot of hand writing on the wall, to be closing around Jan 1st.

I bought a 2005 Duruamax crewcab dually to transport RV's from manufactor to the dealers in late 2006 and early 2007. I ran about 20k miles in 2 months and got so far behind on bills I had to quit and go back to dealership life. After running those 2 months, driving is what I WANT to do. Answering 1000 questions a day from 10 different directions has just gotten old. I enjoyed the driving from point A to point B with very few things to really worry about.

Obey all laws, have fuel money, food money, be very aware of your driving surroundings, be on-time for pick-up and delivery. Then take care of bills at home. Well bills at home were being left out. I am still playing catch up.

I want a new job driving a truck making enough money to atleast breathe.

I have read alot of forums and understand, I think, that you do have to work at this. It is not all fun and games, it is NOT EASY.

Finding the right situation for each of us is hard work.

I know I need insurance, trailer and possible broker to make sure I stay busy. My biggiest problem is a trailer and a "nest egg".

any ideas?

Thanks for all replys and help

David Lanier aka Hoss

bth9461

Your willing, but sometimes it is not enough. Trucking looks easy from the outside, but it can break you real quick.

A good used trailer will cost you 7-10k, you will need a CDL A, Com Ins (1k up front, 6-10k/ yr), Authority/plates/fees another 1-2k, Equipment 1k, and some reserve cash to start with. It can take 4-6 weeks to get a good cash flow going.

Do you have a customer base to start with or will you just wing it with brokers? It won't be easy to make money with a dually, without a specialized customer base now. The market has changed cars on Central Dispatch (brokers) are running for single units .35 to .50 PM, add in the extra miles to load/unload and your ALL MILE RATE is 1.25-1.00 pm (3 car wedge). If you go LTL freight (flat 40 GN), well the LTL market is way down about 1/3 of the normal volume. And rates are down also, a combined load might get you around 1.30 - 1.70 PM All Mile rate.

Does your wife have a good job to pay the bills while you get started and when things get ruff, this is a peak/valley type of business. Hoss one of the traps in this business is it can look like you are making money until you wear out your truck/trailer. Many guys can't afford to keep going after the big repair bills come in or when the truck is shot and you need a new one.

In my opinion this is not the time to jump in, not enough freight out there. I would watch the freight market and jump in after a bunch of us have been forced out of business and the market hopefully starts going up. Keep that job as long as you can.

Another thought if you want to truck, then go class 8, get the training and be a Company Driver, with no expeirence you will most likely need to start with the entry level companies like Hunt/Swift/ect..., but they will train you, and after a couple of years you will have better companies wanting you. Starting pay is not great .35-.38 PM I think, but it is all yours, and you don't need to invest your money. Learn on the other guy's dime. You might think you will be gone a lot, well owning your own small truck business in this market could keep you away from home more than you want too.

Good luck either way.

Brian

HossLanier

I made a one car run for the dealership I work for Sunday and Monday. I took 09 Cobalt and traded for 08 Tahoe. I went from Columbia, La. to St Louis and back. Pay was not a big issue, got paid for working here and driving. What I was surprised by was all the empty trucks running around. 18-wheeler and flatbed goosenecks. I will wait for a few months if the job holds out.

Thanks for the input.

bth9461

I watched www.getloaded.com for 3 months before I started, the have a test demo. You can't see customer contact info, but the load size will show if posted. Take the time to plan well, it can help.

Brian

HossLanier

thank you. question??
are the loads listed in Demo real loads? I have 538 loads within 100 miles of me and only 79 trucks? is that real?

zip code is 71225.. 100 mile radius..

thank you....

bth9461

Hoss, I just checked using the demo and my account and the loads are the same, just no contact number.

The problem is your search was an all load search. Check to the right of the screen for detailed search data. When I look for loads I check the boxes for FB (flatbed),SD(stepdeck),AC(auto carrier), and HS (hotshot). Plus then you must go down and do a Load size for PARTIALs loads and then I usually set the weight at 15k or less. Zero weight loads will show up so you have to call the broker to see if it is a load you can handle and many times they do not list the dimensions of the load either.

There was only 2 loads 100 mile radius and 2 more about 190 mile out with that search critera. One of the close loads had 14 views for it. So you can see how hard this can be depending on broker freight only.

I use Internet truck stop, landstarbroker (free site) need to be set up as an approved hauler to book loads, and Central dispatch for cars.

Typically in MI I usually had 50-60 LTL loads to choose from the past 4 years on any given day. It is Half that now I would say. And return Ltl's are almost impossible to get. 90% of the time it is cheap cars back now.

I have 4 years worth of broker contacts and 3 local direct customers to go to. Many good broker loads go to guys like me or Gary (long time Load finder) before they are ever post them. Brokers have a short list of preffered businesses partners and so do drivers with some time on the road. If you do a good job it does not take long to make these contacts. My best best broker came on my third load I think, and I have been hauling for him when ever I can, sometimes my local direct customers get in the way, so i am not the 1 option anymore, but I am still in the loop.

It is the contacts that are keeping me going, plus all these guys pay and on time. You take a risk with new customers, I still do. I have only lost $600 in 4 years, but I have had to wait a long time to get paid sometimes and really badger the bad ones 3-6 months a few times. Just collected cash on a bad check Auto haul in DETROIT ( bad area) yesterday. Was dropping next door (I hope this check is good the new load guy?) so went and collected in person, sometimes that is the only way. They would be more impressed with you in person, so you have some advantages.

Really think about your start up carefully and plan well, you can go many directions at the start. But once you start it can be very costly to change directions.

The biggest mistake I made was not starting with the right truck and trailer(easier to change without 200k worth of com miles on a truck, and still a loan on it) and trying to stay under 26k and no CDL A. And I got lucky relying on brokers 100% from the start.

Look to small MFG's within 50 miles of home, check with the local chamber of commerce's, try to find trade group listings, then move out another 50 miles if need be. Find some direct customer base before you start. This will cut your DH miles and give you some regular solid good paying business to build on. Brokers and Central Dispatch cars are fillin work.

It can be done it just won't be easy, and it does take some capital. Thats why being a company driver is also a place to start, and save and learn. To be a INDEPENDENT OWNER OPERATOR, you must be a driver, businessman, accountant, Gov't Reg expert, mechanic ( a little at least), Load finder, and Salesman. Plus some other things along the way. If the money is slow coming in for many reasons it is ALL on you, you get paid last.

This is a big business market there is always room for a GOOD TRUCKER, I would just hate to see you come in and be forced into being a bottom feeder. And Bottom feeder's drive all kinds of size rigs in this industry. They have one thing in common, that is DESPERATION. You were lucky, no I would say smart. You realized only after 20k miles that one way RV hauling is a expensive hobby for the driver. Some people only realize it after the truck is junk and they are bankrupt. That is not to say with the right contacts you can't make it as a RV hauler, but those guys are the exception not the rule. They have something going different than the standard deal. Dbls, two way hauling, better rates, ect... not the standard deal though.

Sorry for being so long winded, just trying to help, maybe some of the other guys can chime in.

Plan well, before you jump in, I am not saying to never jump, just don't do it out of Desperation.

LBZ

I would definitely hang out at a large truck stop near home and decide what you see most of in terms of freight and what you may want to do followed by working for a company. While you run the risk of the company not paying you or leaving you out for extended periods it would still be less of a financial risk than owning everything yourself.

If in 24-48 months you want to be an o/o you should have that opportunity & know a great deal about the sort of customer base you want to obtain.

I keep debating if that isn't the route I should take...pending what sort of day it is.

The current forecast for the housing market is to find bottom summer '09 best case & you know it is not going to be a quick run up like we saw '03-'06, thinking this next trend is going to be a slow build up over years as banks will keep their belt a little tighter.

HossLanier

Just wondering if anyone has heard of or leased with this company.

http://www.tsdtransportation.com/content.aspx?page=benefits

Here is their list of benefits. My main one is trailer rental. Hard way to start, but it is a start.

MC# 506767

Broker Auth MC# 506770

Thanks guys

bth9461 · Last edited by bth9461 on Tue Nov 25, 2008 2:57 am; edited 1 time in total

I guess the question is how much does the rental cost you? Also until you are in you won't really know how busy they will keep you, and what rates you will be getting.

TC,
is Stroker still out there some place, I remember him posting on another site a long time ago that he was talking to them. Maybe you can get him to chime in, or maybe he knows some guys running for them.

Brian

HossLanier

cost for rental is $165 a week.

bth9461

I think I got a loan for 12k and put 30% down, I have a $500 payment for 26 months. So that weekly rate is pretty high, you can offest it by running miles if they have them. If you sign on make sure you can get out with short notice if it is not working out.

This might be a way to find out if you will like this type of work. Just remember once you go self-employed it will be harder to get a loan for trucks and trailers down the road. Without 2 years of good income to show on your tax returns.

Brian

HossLanier

I have thought about buying a trailer, but I don't have the "nest egg" or great credit. When you get a $1500 a month cut in pay, you struggle with bills only so long until your credit score starts dropping. Mine is Low, just a fact of life and it is my fault. I want a better paying job and I am more than will to work for it.

Thanks for all the input. I read these forums dailey.

bth9461

One thing that is a good thing to have, is some reserve cash or credit. How many miles are on your truck, do you have any warranty left. What do you do if you get a 2k repair bill soon after you start, this happened to me 3 months into my startup.

Just put a 900k mile Volvo into service 3 weeks ago, and hey it broke down Monday in WI, 300 miles from my drop, trailer fully loaded. Hey I bought a budget truck, so I expected but hoped not to have much trouble with it. $90 roadside mechanic to tell me I was screwed, $600 tow bill for truck and trailer, and $2000 for imediate repairs, plus I had some other work done while in the shop $600. About $3300 all togeter, hey a stiff bill, but it could have been an inframe 15k or worse yet a new motor 25k. Was told up front it could be the 25k, hey I was sweating bullets for a few hours.

Don't go into this needing everything to work out perfectly, because that is when the crap happens to you. You seem to have all the will to succeed, but your financial situation is a recipe for big trouble in this business. Really I think you would be better off skipping this whole dually thing, and get a carrier to train you in a Class 8, and drive for them for 2 years. Save every dime and eat PBJ sandwiches. Get your credit straight, then look at getting in if you want to.

Some guys get lucky and they get a good start before issues come up, but it is very risky to risk everything as a O/O. Remember you will be taking a light truck and pushing it beyond the Mfg's spec's everyday. You will be asking that truck to do more than it was designed to do. The everyday grind ages these trucks fast. They are tuff, but they can break down, sometimes at the worst possible times.

Brian,

HossLanier

Duramax with 61,000 miles. some warranty..

bth9461

When doing oil changes keep an I for leaks around the transfer case, if the oil leaks out it will ruin it. Cheap fix to replace the seal. Happened at about 80k on both of my trucks.

Your truck should have a long life ahead, its just broke in.

Brian

HossLanier

Over the last 3-4 weeks, how is business going? busy?

LBZ

Was listening to Kevin Rutherford on Saturday evening & he had the owner of HVH Trucking *I think* on XM & they were talking about the 1st qtr slow down coming '09. They were talking about the possibility of 15-25% of the trucks coming off the road because things are going to be that slow. Scary stuff....

bth9461

I can believe it, Rates are falling too. My regular customer's have been keeping me going, but return freight has been tuff, and the rates seem to be falling, fast than fuel. I am not real bullish on the 1 qtr or the rest of this one either. Time will tell.

Brian

HossLanier

I heard from one truck driver Prime inc was movng freight for $.97 a mile.

bth9461

Having plenty of problems these days when I need a load off a load board. Rates are bad, trouble getting them going to the right area, and they don't last long on the board. Seeing plenty of low rate loads that I would not take that are getting snapped up soon after I pass on them too.

So Hoss, have you made any decisions?

HossLanier

I am a new driver with TLK Logistics.

Thanks to Tony for his help and understanding. I will update as things progress.

bth9461

I must have missed this one, TLK ?

Are you driving their truck or did you lease your truck on. Any details?

I hope it works out for you. Good luck.

Brian

HossLanier

Driving mine, but thier trailer.

bth9461

I hope it works for both you and Tony. Just remember to try and get some direct customer's so you don't have to rely 100% on load boards, and when you snag a good broker load, stay in touch with that guy. Some of my brokers pay better than the directs some times. So keep an eye out for those premium Brokers, they are out there.

Good luck, keep us posted.

Brian

TLKLogistics

lol, and nobody goes home empty Smile

bth9461

Hey Hoss, how are things going for you? Give us an update if you can? I hope things are going well for you.

Brian

Tom Cobb · Site Admin

I thought everyone fell of the earth. Nobody has been around lately.

bth9461

I have been busy fighting Liberals, lately, and staying off the computer on weekends.

Brian

Tom Cobb · Site Admin

bth9461

Still hope Hoss checks in.

Brian