making money hauling ???

[machinemover]

Just wondering guys, I've been hauling cargo around the country for ten years now. I do have a speciality, but my pieces are very heavy and I am getting older. Alot of work for me. My question, thinking of changing gears, and hauling trailers or something easy. Are you guys REALLY making money these days?

 

[DBabbitt]

machinemover,



I started hauling cars this march with a 3 car wedge behind an 06 3500 DRW. I'm on course to make about 48k profit by the end of this year. However loading & unloading cars can be a lot of work and I am a single guy so I leave home for 8-10 days sometimes. Most of those days are 14-16 hours so when I finally get home I need at least a week to recoup. Short runs pay more $$ per mile but you spend more time loading and unloading and not getting paid so I prefer 2 trips per month averaging about 8000 miles total. I avg. about $1. 25 per mile (loaded & unloaded, round trip. ) My goal is to be driving a big truck (18 wheeler) and a 7 car trailer within a year. I should be able to much better money doing that not to mention having a sleeper with a full size bunk instead of the tiny back seat in my quad cab. If I had to keep doing it the way I am now I would quit. It's just too much work & stress for the money. Not to mention the poor quality lifestyle of an OTR driver. Dealing with the DOT, bad roads, bad drivers and brokers (I could start another thread just about brokers) is extremely stressful for me. I'd rather sit behind a desk and be home at night for less money. I have heard stories about hot shots drivers making real good money driving less miles than I do but all that I have talked to avg. about the same as I do.



I hauled travel trailers before this and I can say there is no money in that. It would be great if you always had a backhaul but that never happens.



Hope this info helps you make the right choice for you.

 

[MMeier]

Dealing with brokers (I could start another thread just about brokers) is extremely stressful for me.

I hear you there... . friggin' thieves!!! #@$%!

 

[machinemover]

DBAbbitt I really appriciate your insite. I am currently in a specialized market of the antique trade. I am all over the country for 6-8 weeks at a time sometimes. Currently I am bringing in about $15-$20,000 a month witha 40' trailer on an 06 duelly. Sounds like alot, but it's not. I will drive 10,000 + miles a month and never home. The items I am moving are adveraging 300 lbs and up. Alot ,alot of work. With road costs and such I am bring home may-be $6-8,000 a month on a good month. Of course I stop driving I stop getting paid. I'm really thinking of trading in my dodge and going for a big truck and just pulling trailer hook and drop. But I'm not sure of the costs and the money potential.

 

[KBalzuweit]

I have been hauling rv's for 3 1/2 years. You can make a living, I have been. I am pretty close to the terminal (152 miles), so I drive by home pretty often and almost never work weekens. It is hard on the truck, my truck was 10 months old on the 26th of Oct and has turned 160k. I have thought about trying cars, but its a bunch of coin to drop for ins and a trailer. All my cargo and comm liab insurance is paid by the company I am leased to now, so the thought of paying 6-8k a year to haul cars is a bit tough to swallow.

 

[MMeier]

So, how much are you recieving per loaded mile?

 

[machinemover]

So do you tow your truck behind an Rv or are you pulling travel trailers? Also your running alot of deadhead miles. Does it really pay?

 

[KBalzuweit]

So, how much are you recieving per loaded mile?

$1... ... ... ... .....

 

[KBalzuweit]

So do you tow your truck behind an Rv or are you pulling travel trailers? Also your running alot of deadhead miles. Does it really pay?

Pulling trailers, deadhead back all the time, I make enough to keep the bills paid.

 

[JHardwick]

i'm almost embarrassed to say how much I make somoetimes here ... ... . turn sound down, site has cheesy music!



Trailer could theoretically make $4. 5 cash money per mile, no DOT scales or log book. I left Ohio last Wednesday, headed east, and now I'm in Boise ... ... . averaged 925 miles a day with horses!

 

[MMeier]

i'm almost embarrassed to say how much I make somoetimes here ... ... . turn sound down, site has cheesy music!



Trailer could theoretically make $4. 5 cash money per mile, no DOT scales or log book. I left Ohio last Wednesday, headed east, and now I'm in Boise ... ... . averaged 925 miles a day with horses!

Hmmm..... no scales or log book... no hi dollar insurance or DOT/MC #'s either, correct?

 

[KBalzuweit]

i'm almost embarrassed to say how much I make somoetimes here ... ... . turn sound down, site has cheesy music!



Trailer could theoretically make $4. 5 cash money per mile, no DOT scales or log book. I left Ohio last Wednesday, headed east, and ca

I know this has been said before, thats not legal. Ifyou are getting paid logs, scales, dot # and so on are required. I know, as far as they know they are your horses :-laf .

 

[KBalzuweit]

Excuse the mess of a reply above, but you get the idea. Heck its hard typing while rollin down the road :-laf .

 

[KBalzuweit]

Hmmm..... no scales or log book... no hi dollar insurance or DOT/MC #'s either, correct?

Its cash too, so I bet no income tax also. I may not be getting rich, but I am legal.

 

[JHardwick]

Actually, being under 26,000#, but being "For Hire", the only thing that I am required to do is a log book over 100 air mies from home. I don't even have a CDL.



But, a log book can't be enforced due to the livestock. The DOT Bears can't force me to sit in the scorching sun for 8-10 hours with horses in my trailer. :-{}



There are seven states that have livestock inspection at the port of entry, none of them ever question it. They either wave me on or at least check health papers, depending on state.



I don't carry any additional insurance. The owner of the horse signs a waiver and then buys a 1 time shipping policy (or not) to cover the horse.

 

[KBalzuweit]

Actually, being under 26,000#, but being "For Hire", the only thing that I am required to do is a log book over 100 air mies from home. I don't even have a CDL.



But, a log book can't be enforced due to the livestock. The DOT Bears can't force me to sit in the scorching sun for 8-10 hours with horses in my trailer. :-{}



There are seven states that have livestock inspection at the port of entry, none of them ever question it. They either wave me on or at least check health papers, depending on state.



I don't carry any additional insurance. The owner of the horse signs a waiver and then buys a 1 time shipping policy (or not) to cover the horse.

Being for hire you are required regardless of weight to have DOT#(which requires comm ins), Logs (maybe the horse thing works), ICC, DOT Physical, and so on. Basically legally you need everthing a semi carrying cattle does. I am under 26k and I have it all. Guys hauling cars (2 cars under 26k) do too.

 

[JHardwick]

Being for hire you are required regardless of weight to have DOT#(which requires comm ins), Logs (maybe the horse thing works), ICC, DOT Physical, and so on. Basically legally you need everthing a semi carrying cattle does. I am under 26k and I have it all. Guys hauling cars (2 cars under 26k) do too.

This is not true. Under 26,000# but for hire is only required a log book. Some companies YOU haul for require the rest. I've talked to several DOT bears about this. I've asked at a couple ports, I've talked to the scale master about 10 miles from my house and awhile back I took a car with a salvage title in for inspection to be tagged ..... I asked there too. I'm not sure where you are getting your info.



In fact it's kind of a game at some ports depending on the agent. Some of the scale masters in a livestock inspection port will stick his head out the window and say "your horses right"? I say "Yup" and he rolls me on through. Florida scans my ID and horses health papers into a computer, others date stamp the paperwork, others make me fill out a form with the health certificate numbers ... ... . I have no CDL, DOT, ICC, MC, log book etc and as far as I know I am legal.



Heck, I forgot to mention the perks. On numurous occasions, these people have a good home cooked meal waiting on me when I arrive with their horse, and if it's late they will put me and the rest of the horses up for the night. I get tips, bottles of wine, cookies and cakes around the holidays etc ... ... ..... it's all good!

 

[PatrickCampbell]

Both of you guys are wrong.





JHardwick, assuming you hauling other people's horses for money, you are definitely illegal.



If you are over 10k but under 26k and for hire, you need an MC number and USDOT#. If you are commercial but not for hire (you only haul your own stuff) you only need the USDOT#.



You don't need a CDL if your state doesn't require one.



You do need a log book if traveling over 150 nautical miles 26k or under, you need DOT physical, DOT truck/trailer inspections, 750k liability insurance, cargo insurance if you are for hire. Fire extinguisher, triangles, wheel chock, etc. , etc.

 

[JHardwick]

Both of you guys are wrong.

Until one of these scale masters or DOT bears tell me otherwise, I'm haulin!



I've never heard 150 nautical miles, they have ALL told me 100 air miles.

 

[DSteimle]

we got hammered in penn last year. pulling a 42 ft enclosed race car trailer with car, spare parts, fuel, etc. going to maple grove for a race. car driver and car owner fly in, while myself and another crewmember drive. stopped by DOT. even though we were not getting paid, the event we where going to compete in has a purse to the winner. therefore we were commercial. according to the penn state trooper, we had to have all the above mentioned liscencing and logs, and a hazmat endorsement for the 55 gallon drum of race fuel. it turned out to be a very expensive trip





i'm not a haul for money guy so i won't argue with you about this, but my interpritation is if you get paid to haul anything across state lines, you are commercial and need a dot#.