New OO ready to roll

[Doghouse]

have been thinking about this for a long time. After reading the posts on this board, I have come to the conclusion that if you want to make it in trucking, you have to be ready for the rough times. I have taken all the pearls of wisdom I can think of, and have come up with this as my plan.

1.Get a good used truck (I found a 1995 international with a 96 inch sleeper, it has 925,000 miles on it. I bought it for $10,000, and plan on spending up to $15,000 getting it road ready. I had a diesel mechanic check it out, and he said other than the cooling fan being stuck "on" all the time, the truck seems to be in really good shape,...time will tell). The truck is right now at an RV conversion shop having a shower/toilet/kitchen installed.

2.Choose a trailer for the job. I am looking for a good used 48/102 or 96 stepdeck. I would like a Ravens or East, but the money talks, and I don't want to spend more than $15,000 on it.

3.Pick an APU. I have chosen a Rigmaster, because it seems to be a good unit, and I have spoken to a few guys who have them, and are satisfied with their performance.

4.I am testing out the T-mobile wireless air card as we speak, and it seems to work good enough to post my truck and meander around the internet at a snails pace,...but good enough. Maybe one of those cellphone signal amp units would help boost the speed, I can't remember the name but the have been advertised in Landline so I'll find it again.

5.Insurance is getting to be an issue, but so far I have 2 good quotes for around $9,000 per year as long as I stay in a specific region. (how on earth would an insurance company know if I do 48 states,...unless I have to place a claim?) they tell me they will know,..is there some paperwork the need to see at the end of the year to catch me if I go outside the zone?

6.For my authority I am probably going to have OOIDA do it, so I don't screw something up and end up at a DOT stop for bad paperwork.

7.Wish list for cool stuff I want, but really don't need:
a.those cat eye tire pressure things.
b.on board load scales.
c.rolltite tarp system.
d.new seats.
e.that oil cleaning system.
f.satellite tv unit.

I have been able to put away around $50,000 (after the purchase of the truck) that I am willing to spend to get this up and going, and from all that I have read, it seems like I will be able to make this work.
I am not new to this line of work, I was with Stevens Transport many years ago, and found the work suitable to my personality. The one thing with Stevens I did not like was the sitting while the training teams were handed all the good runs. I sat for 3 days at a time, and at 24 cents per mile,....it makes for a real bad paycheck. So I put in my year and walked away. I always planned on going back into it, but many excuses and years later,...here I finally am.

I am greatful for web sites like this that make it possible to do the research before getting in over my head. I plan on posting as much info as accuratly as possible

[tootie04]

Good luck... Sounds like you have all your ducks in a row. It is alot of fun being out here. we are leased on to a company.....till we get a trailer and our own authority, we just added a second truck and it is doing good so far. We want the big sleeper too one day and a stepdeck. If I were you I would go for the 102" stepdeck.

tootie

[Doghouse]

Thanks Tootie,
Any reasons why the 102 instead of the 96? I saw your new ride,....sweeeet!! you two will love that t-600, I drove one for Stevens and it was a really good truck (way better than the t-2000 they handed me 6 months into it).

[Uturn2001]

Why the 102 over a 96?

Because if you hang over by "X" amount you are considered a wide or oversized load. The amount varies from state to state as does the regs as to what is required. (permits, daylight only etc) Also some places will not load a 96 anymore.

[heavyhaulerss]

on your choice of truck... not a thing wrong. except for the year. maybe. lot of co's dont lease on a truck if over 10 years old. lot's do though. on a trailer... i dont know what you will be hauling. i pull flatbed along with other drivers who pull stepdeck. the reason i prefer flatbed is because i can take loads requiring rear load/unload. you cannot back up tp a dock & get loaded if ya got a step deck. unless it has option of side load or rear load. but then ya better make sure ya can get it off side unload when ya get to your delivery place too. this make not make a difference to you. just something to think about.. i used to load 5 miles from home to g.r. mi & unload/ reload same place right back home & do $3,700 to the truck on 2 rounds, but only could do with flat. step would not work. one more thing if your 800-1500 miles from home & freight is slow & all ya can get is a rear load... you may wish you had a flat instead of maybe being stuck overnight waiting for another load, or dead head 2-3 hundred miles for something else. i'm not trying to insult your intelligence. just hope you consider all angles. good luck.. best wishes.. troy

[Doghouse]

Thanks uturn& heavy,
Those are things I did not know about the flat width, or the decision to use a step.
I never considered the dock height, but you're right, I am going to do a bit more research before I buy the trailer. I want the most versatile trailer I can get.
I pulled a refer before, and really didn't like it very much.
As far as insulting my intelligence,... that can't be done, I lost that years ago.

[Doghouse]

Wilson signal amplifier, I think thats what its called, do any of you use this unit?
I did a search, but my connection is so slow that I fell asleep waiting for the page to load, and then after reading through 4 threads,......without a mention of anything wilson,......I gave up and am asking instead of searching.

[Orangetxguy]

Word of caution?
Your Insurance Company will know you are out of region, when they run your SaferSys check, and see that you were Audited by DOT "out of region". Sometimes it takes weeks or months to be posted, but be posted those audits will be.

[geomon]

Regarding running outside the area you are insured for....

Now I am only assumming here (if someone knows better, please step in)....but if you have an "incident" or, God forbid, an accident with injuries, and you are out of your 300 mile limit, your insurance provider may disallow any and all coverage and leave you (and your assets) open to paying all damages and lawsuits.

Now that would really torpedo your plans....

Have you maintained your CDL all these years? If so, has that helped with insurance quotes?

[Red Clay Rambler]

doghouse, I suggest keeping at least 10,000 in cash as a starting maintenance fund, I wouldn't spend every dime of your cash on upgrades. Do you plan to overhaul the engine before you start running?

[GMAN]

I am glad to see that you aren't planning on starting out with a new truck. I believe you will like the larger sleeper, but it could limit you to some degree, on what you can haul due to weight. You mentioned a step deck and a couple of brands. If you get a step deck, I suggest staying away from an aluminimum trailer. They don't seem to hold up as well as steel. I have a steel and wood step deck and prefer that rather than aluminum. I can haul some freight than cannot be hauled on a combo or aluminum trailer. I also have a 96 wide flat bed with a side kit. I don't recall having a problem getting loads with it because of the width. The nice thing about having a 102 wide is that it is sometimes easier to walk around on the deck. I prefer a 102, but starting out, I would go with what ever I could get a good deal. There are advantages to having a flat or step deck. They are two different animals. You can haul some things on a step deck which will pay more than on a flat. For instance, I can haul something on my step deck that is 10' tall. I could not haul that on my flat bed. On the other hand, there are some shippers who will not load a step deck, either because of using a loading dock or simply not wanting to load a step deck. If I were you, I would probably start with a flat. You can always sell it and by a step deck later. Unless you find a lot of step deck freight, you may wind up hauling flat bed freight on a step deck. Right now, I am primarily using my flat bed. It has a side kit and I am doing very well hauling for a particular company that requires side kits. You may want to consider getting a side kit later, if you decide to go with a flat. Regardless of what you purchase, you will want to be able to scale at least 45,000 pounds. Pulling flats, being able to haul up to 48,000 or more weight can be an asset, at times. I don't think you will be able to scale that much weight with your truck because of the big sleeper. Once you get everything set up, you may want to find a CAT Scale and weigh it. That way you will know what you need to look for in a trailer. If you go with a flat, East and Raven are two good choices. You may also take a look at some other brands.

[RostyC]

GMAN, what types of freight can you haul with the side kit that you can't without it? How difficult is it to break down if you need to?

[tootie04]

Why the 102 over a 96?

Because if you hang over by "X" amount you are considered a wide or oversized load. The amount varies from state to state as does the regs as to what is required. (permits, daylight only etc) Also some places will not load a 96 anymore.

Yep...what uturn said.

The 102 will save ya some headaches.

tootie

[heavyhaulerss]

trailers, if you haul flat are personal preference choices. i have a 48 by 96 all steel trailer. why? because it was the best deal & the best i could do at the time of purchase. as far as side kit or not. i prefer not. again just personal choice. at one time i hauled steel out & lumber back. cant do the lumber deal w/ a side kit. loaded for 2 years straight plastic pipe 2 blocks from home. paid 450 for 95 mi. & usually 3 bucks a mile. again no pipe with side kit. another thing side kits add weight too. i have a all steel trailer as mentioned before, but i can haul 50,000lbs legal. because i have a cabover & no side kit. but if i were with a co, that had the freight i wanted but required a side kit, i'd have one. you can always take off. some hate tarping. i dont mind. a reitinour is a very good trailer & light, but expensive. there have been plenty of times when other drivers & myself were up north, snow coming down & the only loads going home were 48,000-49,000 lbs. none of the big hoods could haul em .. me & my lightweight deal were happy being the only one of us to be headed home. i live in a steel town, so there is always freight going & coming. but the weight can be a issue at times. so stay as light as possible

[GMAN]

GMAN, what types of freight can you haul with the side kit that you can't without it? How difficult is it to break down if you need to?

Some shippers require a side kit rather than a standard flat. I am hauling some nursery stock. The better paying loads require a side kit. Some load a straight flat, but it is better for the trees if they don't have a strap across them. With a side kit, we just put a mesh tarp over the top. Some aluminum coils require a side kit. Copper tubing and some other types of pipe and/or tubing require a side kit. Some also require a side kit to haul onions. I used to haul for a company who required side kits for their California runs. I like a side kit because it is much quicker to load than if you have to throw tarps. It can take 2 hours to break down the kit and store it. You don't want to continually be breaking the kit down and putting it up. If you leave the sides up you can leave most everything you will need inside the trailer, which saves time. When I pull my side kit, I rarely take down the sides.

[geomon]

Gman wrote:

When I pull my side kit, I rarely take down the sides.

Gman...is that because most of your loading is rear load from a dock? Otherwise, unless it's a top load, I would think you would have to remove at lease one side.

[geomon]

Hey Gman...thanks for anticipating my question ahead of time and answering it on the Covered Wagon post.

Now if you could only tell me what the stock market is going to be doing tomorrow.... 8)

[tracer]

you guys are saying you use all-steel trailers.. but aren't they much heavier than aluminum or condo ones? doesn't their heavier weight limit how much you can gross? thanks.

[GMAN]

Geoman, I rarely load from the rear at a loading dock. For the most part, you will usually need to take some panels and posts down for loading. I just picked up some steel in Roanoke and didn't need to take down anything. I loaded at the same place a couple of days earlier and had to take down 2 panels. Go figure. It depends on what you load. Most of the time I probably take down about half of the drivers side for loading. When I load nursery stock most of one side is taken down for loading. Again, it depends on what I am hauling.

As far as the stock market is concerned, I guarantee you that it will be up and down. GUARANTEED. :wink:

[GMAN]

you guys are saying you use all-steel trailers.. but aren't they much heavier than aluminum or condo ones? doesn't their heavier weight limit how much you can gross? thanks.

Tracer, steel and wood trailers are heavier than aluminum. However, there are some shippers who require wood and steel floors. Depending on the truck I have under my covered wagon, I can scale up to 47,000. With my step deck I can only scale about 44,500 if I pull it with my International. I am currently pulling my side kit with my International and can only scale a little over 45,000. I think steel holds up better than aluminum. Aluminum trailers tend to have a problem with stress fractures more than steel. While it is true that steel is heavier, they will likely out last an aluminum trailer. I haul equipment and machinery and prefer the wood and steel deck for support. I have had an aluminum deck to bow by driving a fork lift on the surface. That won't happen with wood. Some military loads require a wood and steel floor. Each has their benefits and drawbacks. Most of the heavier loads don't pay any more than those that are light. In fact, most of the best paying loads I have hauled are light weight.