[BanditsCousin]

In HHG ( United and Atlas for sure) we have special forms witha generic picture of a car from all 4 sides and the top. We mark down scratches, dents, etc and the customer signs off on the condition and mileage.

And its true- its always a guy with a POS. I try to stay away from cars because they don't pay much. A car going 750 miles paid me $430, or roughly 57 cpm. They take up way more cubic ft than HHG, hence, paying less.

I can probably get on with one of the largest enclosed transport companies (according to the owner on the phone), but HHG gives me at least a LITTLE hometime in the winter

So, um, yeah. claims can cost you 8)

[LOAD IT]

Originally Posted by vontrial

hey Load IT does Central Dispatch have good rates , thinking about starting out with a 4 car hauler lived in Ms would like to stay in the Southeast to start out.

its just a load board like getloaded and truckstop. You have to negotiate a good rate or let their car sit. Hauling cars is like hauling LTL, you have to build the load. My goal has always been to get the first two cars or LTLs to pay a full truckload rate then the pieces that I add after those are icing on the cake. They all must pick, deliver enroute or within close proximity.

[knightwolf71477]

One bit of advice, you may want to find a car hauling outfit that would be willing to train you, so that you can get a feel for it. I am currently a car hauler and there is alot more to it than just loading the cars and driving off. It is like a gaint puzzle that you have to put together and it can be very difficult to get it to come together.

Also if you are looking at used car haulers, they will have rust on them. The company I drive for, we have trucks that are only 3 months old and the ramps and rails have rust on them already. I guess that is what happens when you have 2 pieces of metal rubbung together.

[DEVIL'S ADVOCATE]

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!!

Well,
I have a call into a ins. agent for a price quote. So far it sounds ok. He hasn't acted like there would be any problems....yet.

Called dealer's everywhere asking about a used 5 pack. Pa, Tx, Fl, Al, Ga, so far nothing.
Posted here at O/O and the new drivers forum asking about used and not one lead....that's a lot of eye's out there looking and nothing.

Knightwolf,
not worried about rust caused by the truck "working" as it's used. That's to be expected. It's the major rust scabs on the cab and rust all over the leading edges of the rack from all the salt as the truck goes down the road. Don't even get me started on all the nut's and bolt's that are frozen together and have changed head size's etc..

Still hoping someone will pop in here with a lead on a used truck. I have about 2 week's to make a decision.

Actually new might just be the way to go. Just scared of a $2,500 per mo. payment. Never had that before.

Everyone, go enjoy your turkey day!!!!!

Be good, Jim

[GMAN]

I don't understand why you are in such a rush to go out and spend well over $100M to buy a new truck to start a business which you have no experience or knowledge? You also have no customers established to keep you busy. There is a lot more to hauling cars than driving them on the truck, although you can easily damage a vehicle while loading or unloading.

I have owned car haulers. The difference is that mine were 10 car haulers. They are high maintenance. You can always blow a hydraulic hose. I have blown a hose while loading cars on the weekend. You will find rust on most any car hauler. It takes work to keep them up.

If you take your time I am sure you can find a good deal in a truck.

[DEVIL'S ADVOCATE]

Gman,

thank's for the reply's. keep them comming, they are appreciated...

Here's where I am, at......
I have a storage business for car's, boat's and rv's. I am about to go into my winter--slow season since almost everything is now into storage. Just as a FYI, I have 42,000 S/F of storage and store approx. 150-160 vehicles.

So, since I have decided to go forward on starting this business, I need to bust a move on getting a hauler.
I have until now through March or so to go truckin, back into storage mode....getting everything out, then slow up again from June through September.


"I don't understand why you are in such a rush to go out and spend well over $100M to buy a new truck to start a business which you have no experience or knowledge?"

It's not that I am in a rush. Iv'e been looking to purchase used for the past 2 mo. and now have to weigh the advantage's of new against used.

At this point, with the lack of used 5 pack's (the one's for sale are very over priced IMO) and with the advantages of buying new, it may be worth the price tag of going new.

Would I like to find a used--3-4-5-yr. old truck in nice shape and roll with it......sure but they dont seem to be out there at this time.


Experience...

Have I run a 5 pack or 10 car, no never. but I do have 12-14 yrs driving a straight truck and have been around car's all my life. Experience is not a problem, I can "get er done"

Knowledge...

I have a very good friend to advise me on the in's and out's and at this point am not worried about the business/customer end of the business.
I have been self-employed for 20 yr's. Car hauling isn't rocket science. I can do this, trust me......


"They are high maintenance. You can always blow a hydraulic hose. I have blown a hose while loading cars on the weekend. You will find rust on most any car hauler. It takes work to keep them up."

That's why I am thinking new.....


You also have no customers established to keep you busy.


I logged onto Central Dispatch-----

Found about 200 car's going from NY/Pa down south into VA,WVA,Kt,NC,SC...

There's my customer's.
I picked the best load's from NY down to NC. 5 car's that paid $2875 with out asking for more from the broker's.....which, they will pay more. Don't ask----don't get!
I did not figure out a north bound load but do know it will be a bit less. Let's say $2,000 going back up....
So, that's a "round" for $4,875----without hitting up the broker's for more...
I figure about 2,000 mi. down and back so that's $2.44 per mi. with a 10 wheeler, not 18......

Now, if I get the broker's to add $50.00 to each car, which is realistic, without adding anything to the north bound freight, that put's me at $3.56 per mi.

Am I off base anywhere???

Ohhhh.... just so you know.....

your avitar is creeping me out....
Think you could change it????

Be good, Jim

[GMAN]

I am sorry my avatar creeps you out. I have had some who have said the same thing. I have also had some who like it. I will keep it until I find something I like.

It sounds to me as though you have made up your mind to buy a new truck. That is a lot of overhead to absorb, especially starting out and when you will not be working year around. If you are paying a $2,500 monthly payment for 4 months, that is $10M before adding in insurance and other costs and no income. I saw a 5 pack on the Northeast website that I posted for less than $20M. It was a little older, but looked decent. I don't think it is a good idea for anyone to come into this business and buy a new truck without any experience. But, it is your money.

Central Dispatch is a good load board for car haulers. A friend of mine does well with them. One problem I see in your post is that you assume you will be the first to call and book the best paying loads. You also assume that ALL brokers will pay more than advertised. Remember, you are not the only one who will be checking these boards. You may want to look at this with the worst paying cars to see how the money comes out. Most likely you will be somewhere in between. Another thing to keep in mind is that hauling cars also has it's slow times, just like any other aspect of this business.

One other item I will mention is damage. It is very easy to damage a vehicle. Some car haulers will raise their deductible to keep premiums lower. I know of some who have deductibles of from $2,500-5,000 instead of the usual $1,000. That increases your exposure. It only takes one claim to take all of your profits. When you haul cars, the deductible applies to each vehicle. In other words, if you have 2 vehicles that are damaged, the deductible applies to each vehicle. Swift got out of the car hauling business because of damage claims, so I understand.

I think you need to take a deep breath and look at both sides of this aspect of the business. It isn't that I want to discourage you from pursuing it, but you owe it to yourself to look at both sides before you start spending money.

[DEVIL'S ADVOCATE]

Well........

I may have, repeat, may have, found a 5 pack in good condition???

Friend of a friend is looking to either downsize his operation or sell it all.

No idea on price yet. I will keep ya posted.

I just can't believe with all the view's on this thread, no one has posted up a lead to a truck?????

Be good, Jim

[knightwolf71477]

Jim it is not that we want to stop you from doing this, but we also don't want to see anyone fail or fall on hard times. I guess all we are trying to point out is to look of everything before you make that leap into being a O/O in this business.

Car hauling is IMO one of the hardest placest to be a O/O with everything that can cost you money. Since you are talking about being, for lack of better words, a "hobby trucker" that is a lot of money to invest.

[Bigmon]

There are some trucks for sale on the Cottrell website.

I think it would be cheaper to get a 6-7 car hauler and a used Freightliner. This way you can also use the truck to hook up to dry vans and flatbeds to give yourself some diverisity. You'd have to get a Class A CDL though.