Steel hauling
 

I know a little bit about steel hauling. I rode with a driver where I use to work at going to the pickle house in Granite City, I got the chance to help chain down but we didn't tarp it. Then he bought one in a few days later that needed tarped so I tarped it for him and to be honest I fell in love with steel hauling. I'm curious as to what the pros and cons are to steel hauling. Well I do know having a LIGHT truck and trailer is key so I'm thinking about going with an all aluminium flatbed trailer and as for a tractor I was thinking a Pete 379/389 with a 48" flatop sleeper, I don't need alot of room since I don't plan on living in my truck and I don't need all that space for a tv and what not. a 36" would be too small for me and a 63" flattop or unibuilt/70" sleeper would be way to heavy. I have heard that you get home twice as much with being a steel hauler which is what I like the most, I don't want to be out on the road alot. If I can't get home every night or every other night I would know I could swing through the house during the week when I head back to St. Louis/Granite City to get a load. I got a company name in mind..........Now I got some questions:

1. How is the home time

2. What would I do about back hauls if I only specialize in steel hauling

3. Do they get paid by percentage of the load or weight of the load

4. Which would be better 48" flat top or 63" unibuilt

By the way my criminal and driving record is CLEAN, so that'll really help when it comes to getting insurance. I plan on saving up atleast $100,000. I plan on getting an associates degree in business and a degree in diesel mechanics, so that will take me two years for both. As much as I'd hate to do the diesel mechanics online I just don't want to drive to Chicago or be in Indianapolis just to do it. My mom doesn't want me to go to Chicago or Indianapolis if I can do diesel mechanics from home but I won't get the hands on experience though. As for college goes I already got 7 college credit and I need 60 to get the business, after this year and next year I'll have 16 credits total so I'll only have to go for 44 credit hours. Sorry if that was a little bit off topic!

If and when I do hire drivers I know exactly what they want.........HOME TIME, PAY, RESPECT, and a boss who treats them like equals. Trust me I may be 17 but I can tell ya to keep good employee's you got to go out of your way at times but don't give in to every little demand or they will run the show. In my opinion I think it's cheaper to hire owner operators. Here is what I'd do, some of you may or may not agree:

1. Get the drivers home when they want need to be home or want to be home whether it be every day, other day, and/or during the week, also weekends off, on Friday's I'd just have them deliver the load and come back and get a load for Monday and then they can go home and have Most of Friday, Saturday, and Sunday off!

2. Only charge for parts and charge half labor (I want to build my own shop and why charge full labor for something I'd enjoy doing) DOT inspections will be free

3. Safety, performance, and longetivity bonus with a new truck whatever make and model they want after so many years of service

4. Ask the drivers their opinions after all they are gonna be making me and my company money

5. Have company BBQ's around Memorial Day, holidays off with pay

6. Tarp pay

7. I plan on dispatching all my trucks so I'm gonna ask them...How many hours you got left, did you take a 34 hour restart and dispatch them accoring to that information, I don't want to send my driver for a load they can't haul legally. I'm a big stickler on safety and I will always emphasis safety, I want drivers to run LEGAL! I won't allow falsified logs, if I find they are doing it I'll first have a meeting with them and then if they do it again they are gonna get terminated just plain and simple because that will come to bite me in the ass down the road if my driver gets into an accident! Also I'd require them to call me when they get to the shipper/receiver and when they leave the shipper/receiver and call me of any delays that they encounter so I can call ahead and keep my customers informed.

Money doesn't buy success, it's all in how you treat your employee's and honestly the sense of pride and accomplishment is all I care about! I can tell my kids and grandkids that I ran my own business with PRIDE, AMBITION, and INTEGRITY...Not for profit or to get rich off of! When I get the chance to look back on all I plan to accomplish it's the sense of pride, ambition, and integrity that has made me successful and NEVER give up on your dreams cause eventually they will come true!

Is there anything I'm leaving out?

There is a lot to address in your post, Double L. You still have a few years ahead of you before you can get insurance. Most will not cover you until you are at least 21. Some not until your 25th birthday. I suggest you drive for a couple of years to get a feel of the business before going out and buying a truck. $100,000 would be enough to buy a good truck and trailer for cash and still have enough to make a major repair, if needed.

I am not sure the 379 would be your best choice in a truck. I have owned a Peterbilt and can tell you first hand that your fuel mileage will not usually be very high. If you have read some of my other posts I have stated that I nearly always got around 5 mpg. With high fuel prices I would go with something more aerodynamic. You will likely improve your mpg by about 1 mpg or more. Still it is your money and you are the one that must drive it. Pete does make a great looking truck. There are some drivers who run to Michigan or Ohio and back to Illinois daily. Unless you run your own authority it may not be so easy to get back home as often as you want. Most steel haulers I know are gone at least a week at a time. However, if you live near Gary or Chicago, then you may be able to get home more frequently. You could earn a good living running from Illinois to Pennsylvania and back. Running that area, you could probably get home weekly or perhaps more often.

The advantage of hauling steel is that you can usually stay busy year around. The down sided is that you will get dirty and it will be cold in winter and hot in summer as you chain and tarp. If you lease to a carrier I would look for one that pays percentage rather than mileage. However, from your post it seems that you plan on getting your authority. In that case you will be running for a flat rate. Most of those runs will be based upon hundred weight. In other words, it will be based on the amount of weight you haul. Most steel pays on a minimum of 45,000 pounds. Whether you run your authority or lease to a carrier, most seem to want you to have your own trailer. Carriers will lease you a trailer for around $165/week. You can buy a new trailer for about that amount of money. I would buy my own trailer. I prefer a steel trailer, but if I hauled steel all the time I would consider aluminium. I have a friend who has an East and he loves it. This is his 3rd East. There are several good brands designed for steel hauling.

If you want to buy an aluminum trailer you can run a Pete with the larger sleeper and still haul enough to make a good living. You will pay more for the small sleeper but be more comfortable in the larger one. The disadvantage to the 48" sleeper is that you only have a very small closet. The 63" or 70" should have 2 larger closets. Peterbilt has small closets. Perhaps by the time you get ready to buy they will change the design.

You have some ambitious plans. I believe that if you treat drivers well you will usually get a better driver. I like to treat drivers as I want to be treated. One thing I would caution you about is contacting their girl friend or wife to let them know when they will be home. I would let the driver take care of their personal life. They should do their own calling.

I am glad to hear that you plan on getting your education before jumping out as a driver or owner. I don't see how you can learn how to be a diesel mechanic on line. You need to get your hands dirty. There are a number of vocational schools across the country who offer diesel mechanics. I would check to see if there is one near you. Don't just jump into business. You have much to learn. It is much less costly to learn at someone else expense. Besides, you will learn more from someone with experience than you will EVER learn out of a textbook. There is much you can learn from a formal education. You will NOT learn how to run a business. I suggest you consider getting your BS degree after the AS. It will take you farther if you decide on another career path. I don't think you can get too much education. Learning is a lifelong event. Good luck.

Sorry, double post. :oops:

Yeah your right about the girlfriend wife part. :lol: I couldn't agree with you more, I forgot to add that my driving record is SPOTLESS! So that will benefit me. I plan on being a company driver for awhile, I planned on getting a contract with the shippers/receivers but I don't want to end up with more work than I can handle, I don't want to hire anyone until I get close to retirement or I save up enough money for a cushion. I got a few more questions.

1. As far as authorithy is concerned should I register with states east of the Mississippi River

2. How do you go about getting a contract setup with the shipper/receiver

3. What do you do about back hauls, do you run steel both ways

4. As far as tarping is concerned should I get a coil bag or would I be better with a set of under tarps and 20x24 steel tarps?


I'm about 6 hours from Chicago, I'm about 20 miles from St. Louis if that. As far as trailers are concerned I want an all aluminium I plan on hauling steel year round and as far as a manufacutre goes I was thinking about a Manac or East. But ya know I considered a 386 for the fuel milage reason.

Authority has nothing to do with where you register your truck or how many states. It has to do with authority to participate in interstate commerce. In other words, to be able to haul freight across state lines. The best way to sign up a shipper direct is to start knocking on doors. There is steel all over the country. You should have no problem finding steel to haul back to where you want to go. On the other hand, there are a lot of other things we haul on flats than steel. Most people who don't have their own shippers use brokers, especially for their return trip. Most likely you will start with brokers, but there is no reason you can't find your own shippers.

I would start with a 3 tarp set. Once you get started you can buy a coil bag if you need it. They can save some time if you mostly haul coils.

I would register for all 48 states. It will likely reduce your base plate price, at least initially. Besides, you never know where the freight will take you. The new UCR automatically registers you for most states anyway. There may be something else when you get ready. I was informed by someone with the UCR that there was already something else in the works to replace the UCR. UCR is the Unified Carrier Registration program. You are required to pay a fee if you are a carrier, broker or forwarding agent. The minimum fee is $39.

Thank ya Gman, I already got a company name with logo in mind. I still got alot of planning to do anyway, as much I want to start out as an owner operator, it's not a wise decision in my book. I rather get experience and learn on another person's money. Now as far as experience is concerned if I get a job at 18-19 and run local will it count as experience when I get my own insurance or does that vary from comapny to company?

You are welcome, Double L. Most insurance companies will look at how long you have had your CDL. They can tell when they pull your MVR. The insurance company may ask for a list of employers for whom you have driven. My insurance company will not allow me to hire a driver who is younger than 25 unless they have 2 years experience. With experience I can hire them at 23. Some of the larger carriers can hire otr drivers at 21. Getting experience before attaining your 21st birthday would certainly give you a leg up with a company.

Exactly, thanks alot Gman for the help! That little experience with the company I worked for repairing tarps and detailing trucks made me realize I wanted to be a steel hauler. I didn't really ask about the business end of hauling steel, I wish I would have.

WHAT? I think the driver will want to call his own wife.
If you're going to do steel right, get a cabover.

BTW, you'll make more money repairing tarps.

Look at the posted I edited, now is that better??? lol A cabover, now you know cabovers are a thing of the past driver.

Give him a break mate; he,s only a kid with big enthusiasm for the job. Didn,t you wanna own your own fleet of trucks and show the world how to do it at his age?
We should just be thankful that young lads want to enter the job. I don,t know about over there but over here the average age of a driver is 52 and not many are taking their places when they retire.

Im 24 and love drivin (kinda) AT 15 i told my dad i would have a fleet of dump trucks. HE is a O/O i always said dad buy more trucks he laughed at me. Now that im 24 been drivin for 5 years i know how little $$$ money there is. I see why he was laughin. There is so little money in truckin. You will make a livin that is say about it.

Good post.

Not many 17 year olds are mature enough these days anyway. Alot of them are disrespectful, rude, no manners, back talk adults like they are with their friends. I know I'll take some heat from this but alot of that has to do with the way the child was raised by their parents!


BREAKING NEWS, Evel Knievel is dead!!!! http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071130/...s/obit_knievel

Actually no I did not ever want a fleet of trucks. Mackman has it right.

As far as COE's being a thing of the past, many steel haulers use cabovers. What do you think the advantage might be?

Like I said, you`re a good kid. You`ll make a blody bood truck driver and maybe will own a few trucks. Best of luck ti ya

Thanks Wot and all the flatbeds I see are Peterbilts or Kenworths, I hardly see any cabovers anymore! I don't see much advantage with a cabover except turning radius that is pretty much it. When I was at the steel mill I seen mostly trucks with hoods NO CABOVERS!!!!!!! There is money in trucking, you just got to know where to look and have business smarts. I know it's no easy life but you can make a living if you know how to maximize your profits but in reality fuel is gonna be the biggest expense I'll have to face next to insurance.

Don,t talk to me about the advantage of cabovers as you call them; I drove 150 tonne plate units which were cabovers. As I said, give the kid a break. He only knows a fraction of trucking. Ambition is no bad thing.

I'm not gonna say I know everything about trucking cause that would be a lie. I could care less how much money I make and to be honest if I make enough to pay my bills and put food on the table and a roof over my head I'm happy cause money will not buy me happiness cause running my own business is what would really make me happy! I rather be happy doing something I enjoy than to do a job and make a ton of money and not enjoy it at all! Thats just common sense. But some people are worried about money they are miserable and not happy and always bitch about something as a result of that!

You will see a lot of cab-overs on the west coast. One advantage is that you can get into tight spots more easily than a hood. If the frame is stretched you can hang over farther on the front and still be legal. I have seen some beautiful cab-overs with about a 300" wheelbase on the left coast.

This 17 year old's ideas are better than my business plan :D :D and how I run my trucking company. Notify the wife/girlfriend...yeah so she can put the other guy out, or so Double L can come over. :D Double L, good luck and you have the right ideas and you have plenty of time to perfect them. Your posts have a lot of things that could be addressed but you have your dream and I think if you stay single and start trucking intrastate at your tender age you could be a successful gray-haired millionaire by the age of 27. GO FOR IT!!

o.k. i have to weigh in here.. as folks here know. i drive a cabover. the benifits to me as follows. bought in early 99' for 15,000 cash while the hood's were going for 32- 35,000 thou for the same year & same mileage. i can get into tighter spots. & backing... i dont have to stand on the running board. i just look out my window, like looking out of a pick up truck & can see the whole side of truck & trailer. did i mention my cabover is lighter than a hood? i have a all steel trailer & can still haul 50,000 lbs legal. one time while in delta ohio there were 6 of us running together & all needed to get back to northern al. the lightest load they had going to decatur al was 49,500 lbs. no one could haul it except me & my cabover, & with the snow coming down i wanted out now! the rest had loads going places they didnt want or sat until the next morning. i am still driving my cabover with over 1 mi miles & getting over 6-6-1/2 mpg. no work done to engine trans rears. it still has the original clutch. i will say money has always comes in second.. the freedom of being an o/o is 1st.


but now i'm the kinda guy who if needed transportation just to go to work & back i would be the one to buy an ole station wagon. why? because nobody else wants them. they dont look cool like an suv & they will be inexpensive. so when we all pull up together making the same money.. i'm usually in a lil beter mood cause i'm not paying to look good.. :lol: same as my cabover. pulling up behind a trucker with a pymt of $12-$1900 while i have none & we get paid the same it is a great feeling & a relief for me.. but to each his own & my best to every one who at least tries to work for a living...

I keep forgetting cabovers are popular on the west coast. :oops: Now you do got a point about getting into tight spaces. That is one of things I'm still trying to work out is the weight/comfort issue. I really like the Columbia's with the 48"-50" sleeper. Them things were pretty comfortable and I think they only weighed like 17,000. The company I was with had half Columbia's and half 9400's. The Columbia's had the 70" midroof XT with the exception of a few and the 9400's had the 51" hi rise. Some of the drivers had an all aluminium Manac that they pulled while the rest pulled the combo flats. I'm gonna work out a spec sheet and when I'm done I'll post it and get your opinions on it!

Cabovers were very popular during the 1960's and 1970's. They were used to run the left coast with the longer 45' trailers. That seems like a short trailer today, but back then they were just coming out with a 45' trailer. The only way companies could pull them was with a cab over due to California's length law at the time. When they changed their length law companies started buying more hoods. I have always liked the cabovers. The second truck I drove was a cabover. Perhaps is just nostalgia. I believe I read somewhere that they were planning on starting production on them again. It could just be a rumor.

Speaking of light trucks...

I'm in a International 9400i with 51" hi-rise sleeper pulling a 48' aluminum Reitenour.

Me, all my gear and full tanks...28,850lbs.

51000, no problem.

The only problem I have with cab overs is, No room between you and the scene of the accident.

wot i life,
I am trying to give the kid a break but he is not making it easy. My question was not to you it was to the kid. it's obvious by your avatar that you know coe.

Double L,
As mentioned, cabovers let you haul more weight legally and they let you haul long beams legally because they usually have a shorter wheelbase than hoods. This eliminates some of your competition and that means those loads pay more. And yes they do get into tighter spaces are yes they are (were) cheaper than hoods but now I think they're making a comeback. But you already knew that I'm sure.

Best advice anyone can give you is to not come off like a know-it-all punk. Someone tries to help, shut up, listen and say thank you.

BTW, I got my doors blown off by a nice classic Freightshaker cabover today. He received more than one compliment on his truck as he was rolling EB hwy 401.

The first truck I drove was a cab over. A 1973 Freightliner, pulling a 45 foot Wilson Bull-wagon!! That was in 1974 !!!

Of course..I only got to drive it on the dirt roads..not on the paved!

My apologies. :oops:

[quote="rank"]
Best advice anyone can give you is to not come off like a know-it-all punk. Someone tries to help, shut up, listen and say thank you.
[quote]

Sorry about that, man being around my step mom rubbed off on me, she got her CDL and she thinks she knows everything about trucking! She even tries to tell my dad how to do a log book and how to drive and he has been driving for 15-16 years! :roll: My apologies to you Rank and anyone else I offended.

Oh yeah I did say I was gonna do a spec sheet

Truck
Used Peterbilt 379
Cummins 565hp
13spd
63" flat top sleeper

Trailer
Reitnour
48x102
All aluminum
Spread Axle

what rears do you plan on running? size tires? a 63 inch flattop isn't going to save but a couple hundred pounds over a standup bunk, and trust me the weight savings does NOT outweigh the ability to stand up when you put your pants on etc. my 03 379 is a stand up sleeper truck, cat, 13 spd etc and with my 48x102 spread axle combo flat I can scale almost 49,000 lbs.

Tires I'm thinking 22.5's and as for rears 3.36 or 3.58! I'm only 5'3 though, I didn't think you could scale that much with a 63" stand up I thought it would be much heavier.

My 70" weighs around 21k,could get it a little lighter if needed.

I want a flattop because I just love the looks of a flattop truck pulling a flatbed, that look always appealed to me! But at the sametime I'm considering a Freightliner for a first truck since I know you can get a decent price on one with only half a million miles on it as compared to a Pete. So if I was specing a Freightliner it would be something like this

500hp 60 Series Detroit
13spd
22.5
3.70 rears
70" midroof

I've been around mostly Freightliners and where I use to work at they had alot of FLD's and newer Columbia's and a few Century Class. Majority of the FLD's and Century Class had Detroits with the exception of a few that had Cummins. The Columbia's which were the newest trucks they got all had Mercedes in them. I will admit Freightliners may not be the best truck out there but they are certainly great in terms of fuel milage and comfort in my opinion. I don't know much about the Mercedes but I've heard mixed opinions about them myself.

What if someone gave you a Marmon tomorrow morning, would you run it?

Hmmmm........I'd much rather buy a 05 Columbia with the 500hp Detroit and make it a working show truck with straight pipes! Put chrome around the marker lights and have a set of chicken lights under the sleeper with half fenders also chrome on the sleeper vents and around the turn signal light on the rear fairing. Also put the chrome pieces around the switches and on the gauges as well along with a hardwood floor.

Cool Dude... all the brokers will want you hauling their loads!!!

I've always wanted to do things different, I love the Columbia's every since they came out which what I been around old and new style's. I like the 05 and newer style and I've always liked to see areo trucks with chrome and chicken lights. Oh yeah I'd more than likely invest in super singles for the tractor and trailer as well. Isn't the weight savings 500 per wheel? Don't get me wrong I like large cars but I like to see something different to a fleet type of truck. I'd like to have a green Columbia 70" midroof XT with yellow lettering.

GO FOR IT!!