Team RV Express anybody drive for them

[Simplysmn]

Question for the guy's that haul RV's have any of you worked for this company or do you have any feed back on them good or bad ? they offer 1. 50 a loaded mile but I was told you have to pick up most unit's in IN. that's alot of deadhead miles from Ca. Any advise on better companies to run with ?

 

[BIGNASTY]

No back-hauls from Ca East? There use to be a RV haul yard near March AFB in Riverside Ca. Seems like a bunch less deadhead miles. Or in Rialto Ca on Lilac ave. Bennett did some RV East still a few RV companies in Ca.

 

[Ram4Sam]

No back-hauls from Ca East? There use to be a RV haul yard near March AFB in Riverside Ca. Seems like a bunch less deadhead miles. Or in Rialto Ca on Lilac ave. Bennett did some RV East still a few RV companies in Ca.

All the factories and those lots are long gone... ...



Sam

 

[BIGNASTY]

WOW its been that long??? seems like yesterday when I moved up here to MT. Time flies when your having fun.

 

[Barry]

National went out as well as Alfa. And Western Rec in Yakima, Washington(Alpenlite) they went out... ... ... ... There were a few more, but I cannot recall the names. There is no money in hauling RVs and dead heading one way. It works about as well as taking a scissors and trying to cut the hole out of your blanket... ... ... ...

 

[Simplysmn]

That's what I am beginning to see

 

[BLNRAY]

i worked for Horizon for 4 yrs just before the economy tanked,would probaly still be haulin except for the economy. most new rv's are built in north indiana,if you are looking at 1 way haulin you're put a lot of miles on your truck and end up with very little money. 1. 50 a mile seems pretty good,unless there are insurance and dispatch,pickup fees,or other cost the company will back charge you

 

[HBarlow]

As everyone knows I spent two years and nine months as a transporter until a certain political party took over the house and senate and immediately tanked the economy. It is true that little money can be made transporting. Lots of cash flows through your hands but you don't get to keep it. RV transporting was lots of fun. I thorougly enjoyed it but some driver die on ice covered roads, some turn their truck and trailers upside down and total both, some, mostly Furd owners experience major breakdowns that bankrupt them and cause their truck to be repossessed. It's a tough game.

I learned how the system worked and worked it to my advantage and worked very hard at it. I ran 400k miles in two years and nine months, earned a gross of about $225k, and actually netted about $35k each year IF, and that's a big IF, I overlooked the cost of replacing a Dodge-Cummins truck. If I count the truck my net was a lot smaller.

A good worker can earn more working 35 hours a week at Wal-Mart and stay home.

An RV transport company that promises you a flat $1. 50/mile is not providing commercial liability insurance which leaves you running illegally on your ordinary policy and will destroy you financially if you have the bad luck to have a major accident that injures or kills someone.

Horizon Transport is probably the single best company out there. They provide training and demand high standards of performance. JET pays better but their logs/safety manager is a rectal orifice with a capital RO. He takes all the fun out of transporting.

 

[Barry]

Uncle Harvey,

I have read your eloquent epistle regarding RV Transport. Because it is so informative and may save some youngster a pile of money and a massive bout with depression, I have substituted some medical terms where appropriate. I hope you don't mind.

Great post! Y'all listen up! Uncle Harvey speaks the truth!

 

[Simplysmn]

Hey Harvey I knew you would Chime in on this post and Thank you for the info I have made up my mind there is No Way in Heck I would drive for theses Worthless companies out there they tell you 1 thing to your face and Another behind your back as they Screw you .

 

[NIsaacs]

Hotshoting is just tough, period, and Harvey knows. However, it can be done as some on here prove. Like Harvey said, it can be fun and I really enjoy it, but I just do it part time and make no money



Nick

 

[HBarlow]

I should have added, if you live in a state close to an RV transport company's terminal, RV transporting as a sideline or part time job to earn a few extra bucks can become more practical.

Horizon, for example, at least when I worked for them, insisted that their drivers have a laptop computer and allowed drivers to self dispatch. What that means to the driver is you can sit at home an hour or two away from Wakarusa, IN or Pendleton, OR in your comfortable recliner with a cup of coffee at your side and your laptop in your lap and review the available loads. If you like one that goes to a destination you consider attractive for whatever reason you can dispatch it to yourself, grab your travel bag, get in your truck, and drive to the terminal and pick up the paperwork for that trailer, hook up and go.

Your deadhead expenses will be greatly reduced if you live near the terminal and your personal convenience will be enhanced.

Pulling a load from IN to the west coast or up into Canada feels good when you take the load and see the money it will pay. But once you drop and turn back to drive across country without a paying load your enthusiasm will quickly decline. Backhauls can be had but they are generally rare. The longer you have worked for the company and the better your reputation and relationship with your dispatcher the better your chances will be.

 

[BIGNASTY]

As everyone knows I spent two years and nine months as a transporter until a certain political party took over the house and senate and immediately tanked the economy. It is true that little money can be made transporting. Lots of cash flows through your hands but you don't get to keep it. RV transporting was lots of fun. I thorougly enjoyed it but some driver die on ice covered roads, some turn their truck and trailers upside down and total both, some, mostly Furd owners experience major breakdowns that bankrupt them and cause their truck to be repossessed. It's a tough game.



I learned how the system worked and worked it to my advantage and worked very hard at it. I ran 400k miles in two years and nine months, earned a gross of about $225k, and actually netted about $35k each year IF, and that's a big IF, I overlooked the cost of replacing a Dodge-Cummins truck. If I count the truck my net was a lot smaller.



A good worker can earn more working 35 hours a week at Wal-Mart and stay home.



An RV transport company that promises you a flat $1. 50/mile is not providing commercial liability insurance which leaves you running illegally on your ordinary policy and will destroy you financially if you have the bad luck to have a major accident that injures or kills someone.



Horizon Transport is probably the single best company out there. They provide training and demand high standards of performance. JET pays better but their logs/safety manager is a rectal orifice with a capital RO. He takes all the fun out of transporting.

Ya we've been told by you so many times we have spent the last 2years and 9 months reliving every revolution of your tires. And of course it was some political agenda that you ended up loosing your A**. It couldn't have been you just cant run a business and have no driving skills to get a real truck driving job and prove yourself. No its always is someone else's fault that your in the pile of I TRIED TO BY-PASS THE CUSSING FILTER that your in. But your at least consistent it would have to be a Democrat agenda that made you the POS that you are today. And by the way I must not be the only one that cant spell or use spell check.

 

[BIGNASTY]

Pulling a load from IN to the west coast or up into Canada feels good when you take the load and see the money it will pay. But once you drop and turn back to drive across country without a paying load your enthusiasm will quickly decline. Backhauls can be had but they are generally rare. The longer you have worked for the company and the better your reputation and relationship with your dispatcher the better your chances will be.

Like __________________

Harvey Barlow



NO I TRIED TO BY-PASS THE CUSSING FILTER your kidding rite. Really the more you drive with a load the more you make. WOW!!!!!!!! you should write a book on your business management skills. HOLY COW!!!! REALLY???? loaded pays more than empty WHAT A CONCEPT. Of course you are the all knowing authority of the relationship with the dispatcher part thats illegal in some parts of the country and morally wrong in all parts.

 

[RVTRKN]

Hotshoting is not the same as RV transport. When hotshoting, your truck will rarely run empty, as long as you set up another load while in transport on your way to your destination. Your deadhead may only be a few miles and maybe a day or two wait, in the meantime you can reset your Log hours. However, there are fees for certain websites that will help you locate paying loads. You will also need to purchase your flatbed or wedge trailer. I came close to owning a flatbed trailer just for hotshoting, but the economy tanked and I never did. I had storage set up to park it while in summer mode (HVAC contracting) and was just a few days from paying cash for it, glad I didn't. Auto transport can also be done with a flatbed gooseneck, and that was what I was going to start with, so I could also haul anything else that would pay.



My one experience at RV hauling was not a good one, and will never do it again at any cost per mile. But if the economy picks up again, I just might finish my dream to hotshot.

 

[HBarlow]

Hotshotters don't routinely have backhauls either. If they could run loaded all the time everyone would be hotshotting.

Big trucks can't run loaded all the time either. I see the flatbeds running without a load all the time and have been seeing more and more tractors deadheading without a trailer.

Nobody in commercial trucking is making any money, particularly right now.

 

[NIsaacs]

Hotshoting is not the same as RV transport. Auto transport can also be done with a flatbed gooseneck, and that was what I was going to start with, so I could also haul anything else that would pay.







It's hard to get small cars on a flatbed, the ramps are too steep. I hauled a 97 Suburban yesterday and even with my low bumper pull trailer, I had to jack up the hitch to clear the center of the Suburban for clearance on the rear of the trailer.



I recently made a round trip to Alabama and saw several 3500/5500 rigs pulling double decker 5 car trailers Also a lot of hotshot trucks in Texas and Arkansas, about half were empty.



Nick

 

[RVTRKN]

But you can haul cars, if I had purchased the 40' Gooseneck trailer, I would have had custom ramps made, if I had found out what your talking about. But you still have the flexibility of hauling other cargo to minimize your dead head. I planed to buy a car hauler after I had built up enough capitol, but I was worried, because I predicted the bank closures and property values falling as well as the stock market crash.



Its true that Cargo has slowed down, but if your experienced and have been doing it for a long time, you can find loads. If your going to stick with RV's only, then you will have a lot of dead head miles, thats just a fact.



I went with RV hauling because there were a lot of manufacturers in California before the collapse, that would help minimize the dead head issue for me, and no DOT or other related costs because you drive under the company your driving for.

 

[GAmes]

Transporting isn't for everyone, but I like it and I can honestly say I've made a few bucks while doing it. However, the company I lease to doesn't limit itself to new trailers from the factories. We also pull cargo trailers that have been equipped for businesses, first response and portable medical units. We have customers who buy used units from all over the US. We sometimes pull units from repo yards to the auction yards. Add to that boats, both used and new, flatbed cargo trailers (sometimes stacked) and other trailers and the percentage of loaded miles becomes a lot more than back and forths to IN. I recently got home from 3 weeks out. Start to finish miles were 12,269 miles with 7647 paid miles (62%). By the time the average transporter gets to the storage yard, does the job and gets home the end result isn't 50% like some choose to say, it is more like 45%, maybe less. Having a second income, like military retirement, is the only way I would recommend trying it out. Being fairly savvy in mechanical knowledge of your pickup and trailers in general is a plus.

 

[BIGNASTY]

RVTRKN

I know in Hotshot work you have the same fee's as other commercial trucks. But do the Commercial RV'ers have to pay pro- rates/highway use tax/ state fuel tax. I never have seen the RV'ers in a scale just wondering not that I want to transport RV's.