Tips For Rv Transporting

[R C Cola]

$ Money

Just spoke with Don the Dispatcher. Average is . 80 to $1. 00/mile to the truck with 2 cars on board on an open 2 car trailer. Sounds like they do work hard to keep you loaded though. So empty miles would be minimal. Also learned that loads requiring enclosed trailers are less than 3 % of total and very difficult to keep 2 car enclosed loaded with good paying loads. Can't justify an eclosed trailer purchase with those numbers. RC

 

[JHardwick]

Around here guys are making $. 50/mile/car. I looked into that when I closed my machine shop, but horses pay way better and without a DOT regs or a CDL.



Horses pay $. 75/mile/horse minus a 15% booking fee, and since I can haul 6 with no DOT regs, I can put down 1,000-1,200 miles per day

 

[PatrickCampbell]

What you can do and what is legal is a bit different...

 

[MMeier]

What you can do and what is legal is a bit different...

You can say that again !!!!! :-laf

 

[MMeier]

And it seems some of you guys need to read up on what constitutes a legal sleeper, a simple spot on the floor of an trailer or your pick ups back seat are not viable options here!

 

[doppx006]

I work for a RV Dealer and almost every drive we run across would not reccomend the job. If you can haul a truckcamper and pull a traveltrailer dont worry about the fifth wheel hitch.

 

[MMeier]

Around here guys are making $. 50/mile/car. I looked into that when I closed my machine shop, but horses pay way better and without a DOT regs or a CDL.



Horses pay $. 75/mile/horse minus a 15% booking fee, and since I can haul 6 with no DOT regs, I can put down 1,000-1,200 miles per day

Horses don't require all that, explain please!

 

[ThrottleJockey]

Yeah, but they are not going to give you a camper shell when they are loading them four at a time on a 53 foot Monon stepdeck pulled by a Kenworth W-900.



Theyr'e starting to load these small TT on flats and stepdecks, too.



Sucks.

 

[JHardwick]

Horses don't require all that, explain please!

I'm never over 26,000lbs, and as far as I know that is the only deciding factor for being cdl/dot and all that jazz. I do have to stop at several ports of entry to show health certs, but never weigh or show a log book.

 

[MMeier]

I'm never over 26,000lbs, and as far as I know that is the only deciding factor for being cdl/dot and all that jazz. I do have to stop at several ports of entry to show health certs, but never weigh or show a log book.

Not to harp on you or anything JH, you may want to dig a bit deeper on the subject. Are you generating revenue pulling those horses? Are you crossing state lines? Just like when NM DOT started on me 2 summers ago pulling my car trailers, was only at 17-20k# , but they got me going on this whole thing. One thing I am surprised at is California, "no pick ups" supposedly means no pick ups, even when you are hauling 48' high cube containers on a 40' GN behind a dually!! cruised right on by the stations in broad daylight in full view of the scale houses and not once did they bug me or my buddies!!

 

[JHardwick]

Are you generating revenue pulling those horses?

Nope, just like to buy/sell/trade horses :-laf :-{}



The guy who books my loads was a big truck driver for many years and he admitted to being paid for hauling horses at I believe the NM, or maybe UT port of entry ... ... ... ... . they made him pay I think $36 for a 1 time permit to cross through the state.

 

[PatrickCampbell]

Well here's a list of things you probably should be doing http://xj.cdevco.net/auto/trucking/forhire.html



Sounds like you just don't look commercial so you can get away with it.



MMeier those containers you haul are empty right? You bring them back to the port or other way around? How much do they weigh? Lots of ports around here... wonder if it's something I should look into.

 

[GAmes]

And it seems some of you guys need to read up on what constitutes a legal sleeper, a simple spot on the floor of an trailer or your pick ups back seat are not viable options here!

Not having a legal sleeper just means you don't log sleeper time, you log off duty time. When you are off duty there isn't even a requirement to actually sleep. Even a motel room doesn't qualify as a sleeper, it has no restraint system :-laf .

 

[CumminsPower98]

Not having a legal sleeper just means you don't log sleeper time, you log off duty time. When you are off duty there isn't even a requirement to actually sleep. Even a motel room doesn't qualify as a sleeper, it has no restraint system :-laf .

From what I understand if you don't have a legal sleeper and log off duty you need a motel receipt to show for it if you are stopped. I personally built a nice bed with 4" foam in place of my back seat, which is quite comfortable since I'm short but it's still not legal. I just log off duty and hope I'm not caught sleeping in there. My cousin when hauling wrecked cars a few years ago put on his log "didn't sleep in truck" and an officer who stopped him for something said it was a good thing he put that on there so who knows, I personally just log off and sleep.

 

[KBalzuweit]

From what I understand if you don't have a legal sleeper and log off duty you need a motel receipt to show for it if you are stopped. I personally built a nice bed with 4" foam in place of my back seat, which is quite comfortable since I'm short but it's still not legal. I just log off duty and hope I'm not caught sleeping in there. My cousin when hauling wrecked cars a few years ago put on his log "didn't sleep in truck" and an officer who stopped him for something said it was a good thing he put that on there so who knows, I personally just log off and sleep.

Don't get caught in Iowa with that bed in the back. Even if not in use they will nail you with a Non-Dot Sleeper ticket!! I fold my seats down and make a bed in the back of mine to, but when crossing Iowa I put the seats back and roll up my foam and bedding. Never had anyone ask for a motel receipt in 3 years though.

 

[GAmes]

I know that Iowa DOT just makes up the rules as they go along, but I'd fight a ticket like that. That particular reg applies to those who do log sleeper time. They would have to come up with a reg requiring a motel receipt too. The easiest thing to do is to try to stay invisible. Don't speed, drive sensible and courteous and don't draw an a-hole's attention.

 

[KBalzuweit]

Agree!! I fly under the radar as much as possible, signs on loaded and off as soon as I deliver.

 

[MMeier]

Yes Pat, they are empty. 40' standard steel comes in around 8500 up to 9310#, same as 48' High cube aluminums. Me and my buddy pick them up at the container yards( right by ports) and take them to whomever just bought them,( local container yard, busisnesses, etc. ) Hauled 9 48' HC's up to Pahrump and had 8. 5' hanging off the back of my 40' GN, HP didn't even bat an eye at us, not even when we blew by the Cajon scalehouse. According to the guy that was helping us has a CHP DOT buddy that says a tailgate on truck means pickup, read the signs in California by the ports..... "No pick ups"

 

[CumminsPower98]

I also take my signs off as soon as I deliver to keep as low a profile as I can.



Someone told me that you can even be fined if you enter a CA scale with a pickup. He also said if you had a flatbed it was no longer considered a pickup and you should stop.

 

[GAmes]

Someone told me that you can even be fined if you enter a CA scale with a pickup. He also said if you had a flatbed it was no longer considered a pickup and you should stop.

I don't know about being fined but I'll bet they could make your life miserable with a 100% inspection. I have also heard about the flatbed thing from a guy who doubles horse trailers behind his flatbed.