What does it take to haul RV's commercially?

[GAmes]

Shop around. Since you don't have your location shown (one of my pet peaves), I can't tell you which ones you are close to. There are transport companies and hot-shot companies all over the U. S. The pay is not uniform, the type loads are not uniform, and the percentage of loaded miles is not uniform. As I stated before, since you have a CDL you will make more money hot-shotting. RV transport companies, as a general rule, pay less per mile because most of their trailers fall below CDL requirements... ... ... that and there are a lot of us who do it to stay busy and add a little beer and fishing money to the retirement income we have. I haven't looked into leasing to a hot-shot company, but I have a feeling they may want someone committed to driving when they need them as opposed to driving when the driver wants to work.

 

[MMeier]

As you can see the name of this thread, I don't know what it takes, besides what I've read here. How do you lease to another co. and what do they pay for or pay per mile?

Whatever you do, DO NOT lease onto someone else!! If you want to make a small fortune doing this, make sure you start with a big fortune!!

 

[GAmes]

Whatever you do, DO NOT lease onto someone else!! If you want to make a small fortune doing this, make sure you start with a big fortune!!

So you are saying that with absolutely no experience you started up Double M Transport and immediately started making a huge amount of money? I'm impressed.

 

[MMeier]

So you are saying that with absolutely no experience you started up Double M Transport and immediately started making a huge amount of money? I'm impressed.

No, you know better then that! Have 20 years of commercial driving experience. And like I said, the big fortune I started with is turning into a small fortune!

 

[icman95]

Ditto MM's big fortune turning into small fortune. I have a full size Frieghtliner leased on to somebody and there's no money in it. The guy I'm lease on to pays a great percentage, but the customers don't want to pay more for rising fuel prices, so I get a good percentage of a not so good rate. I drive someone elses truck for a full time job and have a different driver operate mine. If I had to make a living with just mine, I'd be broke! Looking to sell it actually. Can't wait do unload it. Not sorry I tried, but in the end not worth it.

 

[GAmes]

No, you know better then that! Have 20 years of commercial driving experience. And like I said, the big fortune I started with is turning into a small fortune!

I am truly sorry to hear that, but it enforces my opinion that to get into the business one needs to work for someone else to learn the ins and outs. I am constantly asked if I am making any money as a transporter, and my answer is "define making money". My income exceeds my expenses so I am making money overall. If transporting was my sole source of income, then I wouldn't be making money because my income after expenses would not pay all my bills. It might if I drove more miles, but then I wouldn't be retired. I surely wouldn't recommend RV transporting to a person who has house payments, children at home, etc. On the other hand there are hotshotters who claim to be making big bucks, and I have no basis to call them liars. I believe their pay per mile is way higher, and it should be. They have a lot more overhead than I do, and no doubt they work a lot harder than I do. Then there is also the question of how much money do you need to make ends meet with some left over for emergencies and old age investments. That number has many variables. I am comfortable with my income, others might think I live at poverty level

 

[icman95]

Games:



You hit the nail on the head. To simply have more dollars in the bank than you spent on expenses IS ok if you're retired/no house payment/kids, etc. In fact I think it might be a fun way to keep myself busy once I reach retirement age. However, as a person with the aforementioned house payments/other expenses, I wouldn't do any better driving my own truck than I do right now driving someone else's. It's all a matter of each person's individual situation, but in any case it's difficult to live on.

 

[HBarlow]

I agree with GAmes above. Many who buy a diesel-powered dually pickup and are bored with their jobs dream of earning a living with their truck. It sounds good but is not that simple.



The cost of obtaining and maintaining your own authority and proper insurance almost makes it impossible to be profitable before you run the first loaded mile. Liability insurance that meets the minimum federal and state requirements plus comprehensive and collision coverage on your truck and cargo insurance on whatever you are pulling can run $600 - $1000 per month. You must comply with all the same rules and regulations that big rigs do with the exception of IFTA fuel tax reporting.



Whether you become an independent or lease your truck to one of the big RV transport companies the rates are set by competition among the big companies. In order to work directly for the RV manufacturers you will have to have at least five trucks and then get your foot in the door with a "dispatcher" who is an employee of the manufacturer and couldn't care less whether you get a load or not unless he or she happens to like you. In slow times the factory dispatcher is going to load the big companies who have been serving them for years, not the small start-up company who has no history with them and may not be around next month.



I don't know anything about hotshotters, I hear they make a lot higher per mile rates than RV transporters, but they have to own a trailer or trailers and tow a trailer around whether loaded or unloaded. Their expenses are much higher.



My advice is the same as Gary Ames . . . lease your truck to one of the RV transport companies and run for several months to learn how the system works.



The advice I always give when asked is this: "RV transporting is a great job if you don't need a job. "



Harvey

 

[RVTRKN]

Thanks for all the great responses, I currently have my insurance broker working out the insurance costs before I move on to the next step and I will at that time make a decision.



GAmes: I live in the So. Cal. area, what is a peave and how many pet peaves do you have?:-laf:-laf:-laf



I'm retired at the age of 48 and have an Contractors License for Air Conditioning but will slow down for the winter and just want to haul for the winter. I probably will hire on with Swift Trucking for the winter and ask all the hotshot haulers I see all the same questions. I do not want to get rich at this just make a few bucks for my flying and NASCAR trips, the wife always use the the dollars as an excuse. I'm not hurting for money and have a few dollars to invest, I just want to make sure I dont flush it down the toilet

 

[KBalzuweit]

Thanks for all the great responses, I currently have my insurance broker working out the insurance costs before I move on to the next step and I will at that time make a decision.



GAmes: I live in the So. Cal. area, what is a peave and how many pet peaves do you have?:-laf:-laf:-laf



I'm retired at the age of 48 and have an Contractors License for Air Conditioning but will slow down for the winter and just want to haul for the winter. I probably will hire on with Swift Trucking for the winter and ask all the hotshot haulers I see all the same questions. I do not want to get rich at this just make a few bucks for my flying and NASCAR trips, the wife always use the the dollars as an excuse. I'm not hurting for money and have a few dollars to invest, I just want to make sure I dont flush it down the toilet

Hook up with one of the rv transport companies, be picky on your loads and try to run just California loads. Swift or any other large carrier will put you in a truck and stick you out on the road for weeks or months at a time with no care in the world for getting you home. Since you stated you do not really need the money rv transporting will likely be a perfect fit to make you some extra money and get you out of the house. Unlike what has been said above by others I have been out here for 4 years transporting rv's and I do make a living, actually more than several people driving for companies like Swift, England, Schneider, etc... .

 

[MMeier]

You must comply with all the same rules and regulations that big rigs do with the exception of IFTA fuel tax reporting.







The advice I always give when asked is this: "RV transporting is a great job if you don't need a job. "



Harvey

If you are over 26,000# (like I am) then IFTA does come into play, like we are not paying enough already for the fuel.

 

[MMeier]

Thanks for all the great responses, I currently have my insurance broker working out the insurance costs before I move on to the next step and I will at that time make a decision.



GAmes: I live in the So. Cal. area, what is a peave and how many pet peaves do you have?:-laf:-laf:-laf



I'm retired at the age of 48 and have an Contractors License for Air Conditioning but will slow down for the winter and just want to haul for the winter. I probably will hire on with Swift Trucking for the winter and ask all the hotshot haulers I see all the same questions. I do not want to get rich at this just make a few bucks for my flying and NASCAR trips, the wife always use the the dollars as an excuse. I'm not hurting for money and have a few dollars to invest, I just want to make sure I dont flush it down the toilet

Where abouts in SoCal? I'll be down around the L. A. ports tomorrow morning, have to drop off a load and pick up a container.

 

[GAmes]

Thanks for all the great responses, I currently have my insurance broker working out the insurance costs before I move on to the next step and I will at that time make a decision.



GAmes: I live in the So. Cal. area, what is a peave and how many pet peaves do you have?:-laf:-laf:-laf



I probably will hire on with Swift Trucking ... .

I have a few pet peaves, one looks exactly like my blond daughter in law:-laf



There are at least three RV Transport companies with offices in SoCal. Quality, Horizon and SJB. There are a couple more in Oregon, JAMB and RV Transport Service. I'll bet there are hot shot companies there too. A google search might bring them up.



If you sign on with Swift you won't need any extra insurance, they pay for that. All you'll need is your CDL, a med card... ... ... ... ... and a thick skin if you moniter Ch 19

 

[KBalzuweit]

If you are over 26,000# (like I am) then IFTA does come into play, like we are not paying enough already for the fuel.

Isn't that the truth. I am sitting at home injured and surfing the web looking for other things to do. Figure this may be the time to get out transporting or atleast do something different and just transport part time.

 

[MMeier]

Isn't that the truth. I am sitting at home injured and surfing the web looking for other things to do. Figure this may be the time to get out transporting or atleast do something different and just transport part time.

Injured, what did you do? Just had someone looking at my 40' GN, might be going bye bye here soon. Now to check with the insurance girl and see if my rates will drop if I go to 26k even and stay within say a 500 or 300 mile radius. DMV wants $852 to tag the plate for the coming year, and that was only with 42,000 miles the previous 4 qtrs. Have a local gig going picking up repos and lease returns going to the auction north of town that may get me by for a bit, pays me $90 a car... one yard is only 6. 8 miles away!

 

[JHardwick]

If you sign on with Swift you won't need any extra insurance, they pay for that. All you'll need is your CDL, a med card... ... ... ... ... and a thick skin if you moniter Ch 19

:-laf They don't allow Swift drivers to have a radio do they? Too much of a distraction :-laf

 

[RVTRKN]

Where abouts in SoCal? I'll be down around the L. A. ports tomorrow morning, have to drop off a load and pick up a container.

I live just below the Cajon pass, stop by and visit if you can, PM me for directions. It's in the NW corner of the 10 & 15 on your way out of town if your heading back to Vegas.



How can you tow more than your GCWR and make it through the scales? By your sig your GCWR should be no more than 23K so how do haul more than 26K which would require an IFTA tag?

 

[KBalzuweit]

Injured, what did you do? Just had someone looking at my 40' GN, might be going bye bye here soon. Now to check with the insurance girl and see if my rates will drop if I go to 26k even and stay within say a 500 or 300 mile radius. DMV wants $852 to tag the plate for the coming year, and that was only with 42,000 miles the previous 4 qtrs. Have a local gig going picking up repos and lease returns going to the auction north of town that may get me by for a bit, pays me $90 a car... one yard is only 6. 8 miles away!

Broke my collar bone in 4 places, had surgery (plate and 7 screws), 3 screws did not hold. So I am going to be sitting at home for a while with hopes it will heal.



Sounds like a pretty good deal doing the repos and lease returns, man $852 for a plate ouch!

:-laf They don't allow Swift drivers to have a radio do they? Too much of a distraction :-laf

Thats just plain funny!!

How can you tow more than your GCWR and make it through the scales? By your sig your GCWR should be no more than 23K so how do haul more than 26K which would require an IFTA tag?

GCWR is not on your door sticker and is not an enforced weight, its more just considered a recommendation by the oem. Most "hot shotters" run around 34k combined and as long as you are plated for it they are fine. The only issue I have seen was a guy loaded wrong and had too much weight on the rear axle of the truck causing him to be over on his rear axle rating and gvwr of the truck (both are on your door sticker).

 

[JHardwick]

Thats just plain funny!!

Don't get me started on the Swift and Hunt jokes :-laf

 

[icman95]

You mean like Swift=



Sure Wish I Finished Training?