"Seasonal trucking"?
 

Does anyone do this as a part time/temporary job only certain times of the year? I already have my own business but it gets slow during the winter months and was looking to do this just from around November/December thru Febuary/March.
Is it even worth it? Would any insurance company cover you every year for just 3-4 months?

The only thing we're hauling is salt this time of the month. It doesn't pay much :roll:

We have a few guys that just work in the winter season... on the ice roads in the arctic....

Our guys earn BIG $$$ for that 2 months then do the holiday thing for the summer months

I am not sure it would be worth it for a few month's out of the year. Your best bet would be to contact some insurance companies to see whether they could be interested in covering you for a few months a year. You will still need to deactivate and reactivate your authority each year which costs $80 each time you reactivate your authority. Unless you voluntarily deactivate your authority it will show an involuntary revocation when your insurance cancels. Running a truck is not cheap. If you have truck and trailer payments, those will go on whether the truck is moving or not. You might be able to find a driver to work during those months that you were running your other business. Base plates and permits are paid annually and are usually non-refundable for any unused portion of the year. In evaluating your cost/benefit of doing this, you need to check your insurance costs and see whether they will write your that type of policy. In addition, you need to check the cost of base plates and permits. You will need to pay your 2290 each year. That costs $550/year. The other main concern would be your equipment payments. Once you check all of these costs, you can decide whether it will be profitable for you. Most costs will be pretty much the same for everyone. Insurance costs can vary widely from one individual to another. You may be just as well off to lease to a carrier for a few months a year.

I've tried it in the past and what happens is seasonal work over laps and you get two places that won't use you anymore because you are spread too thin.

[quote="GMAN"] You might be able to find a driver to work during those months that you were running your other business.

How hard is it to find a good driver?

[quote}You may be just as well off to lease to a carrier for a few months a year.

Would the carrier allow you to lease on for a few months?

nevermind :x

The most challenging aspect of owning a truck is finding good, qualified drivers. Several years ago I had an owner tell me about his experience. He said that some will steal from you, others will tear your truck up, and every now and then you will find a good driver who will get the job done and take care of your equipment. He will stay with you for a while and then leave. Then you start all over again. Some drivers will be jealous of your success and try to sabatage your business. They think that they can do a much better job of running your truck than you can. It seems that a lot of drivers like to whine and complain about most everything. They never seem to be happy and it reflects in their work ethic. That is why so many move around from one carrier or owner operator to another. If there is someone you feel is honest and that you can trust, then it might work out for you. Most drivers don't want to go to work for a company for only a few months even though most won't stay but a few months anyway.

You are much better off owning and driving the truck yourself. The truck will usually be better taken care of and you will make more money. When you lease to a carrier your contract may be cancelled at any time by either party without cause. There is no obligation to stay with them for a certain amount of time. They pay the cargo and liability insurance and usually do all of your filings for you. All you need do is drive. Some even purchase or finance your base plates and permits, but you can always buy them yourself with most carriers. If you only want to drive a few months out of the year and don't have a trustworthy driver then I think this would be a better way to go.

I will add one other thing. If you can find a good driver who is concientious it could work for you. I seem to have found a pretty good driver for one truck but would like to find one for another. He makes good money and does pretty much what he wants. This driver has a number of years experience. I have interviewed a number of drivers and haven't been able to find a qualified driver that I feel comfortable. I think that sometimes it is a matter of chemistry. Some drivers don't seem to care, others do.

It seems like finding good help is problem for most businesses these days. I saw an interview with Bill Gates and he said even he has that problem.

I was thinking being a small carrier you could custom fit a pay package for a driver, whereas the mega carriers have too many layers of management and BS. However, the mega carrier has deeper pockets.