Equipment Decision

[Preacher]

I am getting ready to get my CDL w/hazmat and have been investigating many different areas of the transportation industry for almost a year so that I can make an informed decision as to the most profitable use of my time and equipment. I have looked at OTR as an O/O or with my own authority. That is pretty much out of the picture. I have looked at car hauling with my own authority and it is VERY profitable, but with a few headaches.(I have a lot of connections in the car biz.) I have also been giving very serious consideration to expedited and so far I like what I am hearing and reading. I have even interviewed several expedite drivers from various companies, and driving various types of equipment. From cargo van to straight trucks and tractors. All have been very friendly and helpful.

If I go into expedited I am a bit unsure about what type of equipment I would go with. I could pay cash for a cargo van, or go into something larger with a loan. One question I have is about the use of a 14' box van under 10,000gvw with a pass through from the cab into the box and a roll-up rear door. Are these used much? Can I get better paying loads with the extra length? I don't see many expediters using these box vans. Any help would be a blessing.

God bless.

 

[Glen Rice]

Hey preacher, morning. If you are comfortable with Auto Hauling and are ready for that type of investment, go for it! I have had bad luck with the car moving industry, claims, cars with out proper documentation [you know what I mean] and all the other stuff that goes along with dealing with individuals that are not always above board. On the other hand as you have read, expediting offers many satisfied customers willing to pay a premium for a service. We have the best customers short of possible Reliable Carriers! You can come out and try the waters by driving a truck for a fleet owner and see if this might be the perfect fit for you. No risk to you, what more could you want? I used to always stay in my comfort zone of trucking and once I went outside the box, I was thrilled about my new found carrier. Good luck and keep us posted.

 

[NoProblem]

Not sure what your particular goals are but heres the way it goes in the expediting biz.

The more weight you can haul and/or the more room for freight you have, the more the load will usually pay. So, using that as the bible, the longer the van, the better the opportunity to get higher paying loads, plus, the longer the van, the better your chances to get the loads that those with shorter vans cannot take.

Example: In my 22' straight truck, I can take anything from an envelope, up to about 15,000 pounds of freight, as long as it'll fit in my truck.

I can always take a sprinter's (C)load, a van's (A or B) load but they cannot always take my (D) load - so lets say that perhaps a load only weighs 900 pounds, but sits on 10 pallets,- A,B and C can handle the weight, but they lack the cube (room) for the load. If its between them or me getting the load, I'll win every time.

Like I say, I'm not sure what your needs or wants are, but the bigger you truck, the better the opportunity - but not automatically guarantee 100% of the time that every load will be the higher paying loads because sometimes, dispatch will bid low just to get you rolling no matter how big your truck is.

Hope this helps and best to you!

 

[Preacher]

Thanks Glen! Car hauling has its drawbacks but they can be overcome fairly easily. Although the equipment costs are pretty high, I can usually locate good used equipment at a great price. Plus I have great connections with many car dealers here in Tulsa and in Oklahoma City, St. Louis and Kansas City. I'm not quite sure if I want some of the headaches that go with car hauling, and it is a lot of work. At 48 years old and my wife at 51, and with grown kids, we would like to do something together that is a little less work.

That is why we have arrived at expedited. She doesn't want to drive a big tractor or straight truck, but would love to go on the road as a team driving a cargo or box van. I just haven't seen very many box vans out there doing expedited and was wondering why not. It seems as though they would be able to carry larger and longer loads while still being able to stay away from logs and scales as long as the box van is rated at 10,000 GVW or less. Plus we could pay cash for a nice used one.

Anybody got any thoughts?

 

[Preacher]

Thanks NoProblem! That is why I am considering a 14' box van. It can carry 8 light 48x40 pallets. With 14' of load lenghth and 76" high, I figure I could get some loads that a cargo van couldn't, and at a higher pay. I have looked at Ford E-350's and Chevy/GMC 3500 series with a pass through from the cab.

My question is this: Do the expedited companies out there use these box vans? And if so, why don't I see more of them with expedided company logos on the box? It seems like a better investment that a cargo van.

 

[NoProblem]

I know that I have seen them from time to time but you should probably call some company recruters and talk with them. They will be able to give the best recommendations.

Best to you!

 

[terryandrene]

NoProblem gave you the best starter advice on this subject. Talk to the recruiters of all of the carriers you might be interested in and determine their druthers before investing in a hybrid expediter truck.

Some companies will pay you more for a larger load, if you GVWR is addequate, and some may not. Example: FedEx Custom Critical charges the customer for the truck size necessary for the size/wt of the freight. If its one skid at 2500# it's a B load and any B,C,D or E truck can carry it but, the customer only pays the company a B rate (there are exceptions if the cust wants dock high, liftgate etc.) Now, the company will give the D and E trucks more money but the customer does not pay more just 'cause the company sent a larger truck, as they often do.

If the one skid is over 2500#, it's a C load and the customer is entitled to a C truck because that's what he's paying for. Putting a C load on a van is, in my opinion, overtaxing the van's drive train/suspension and shortening it's useful life. I question the wisdom of building a C truck on a van chasis and doing the type of work we do.

Next issue is space. Preacher would like to make room for 8 skids on a B unit. The incidences of that much bulk being within his wt limitation is likely so slim that the financial gain would be minimal in the long run. I believe you'll find, Preacher, that you'll need to take up about 4' minimum of that space for living arrangements. Eventually an expediter needs to sleep in his truck and you can't do for very long on the non-reclinable seats of a cutaway van.

I hope my comments are meaningful for you , altho others will surely have opposing views. I think a person new to this lifestyle should either work for an owner for a while or buy a standard piece of equipment for entry level experience. If this life proves to be less than you desire, you can always sell a standard expediter van or straight truck but a hybrid will be tougher to sell.

 

[Preacher]

That was a BIG help guys! Thank you.

I had a recruiter offer to pay me $0.89 per mile and keep me busy if I had a cutaway van with 14' box and under 10,000 GVW so that I would not need to log or scale. or even have a CDL. I am still going for my CDL-a w/hazmat because my schooling is being paid for by the state, including living expenses. So I want to take advantage of the opportunity.

Thanks again!

 

[NoProblem]

I happened to see a couple of vans like the one you described. Don't usually see many, but yesterday coming up I-77, I saw three or four!

Anyway, sounds like you found someone to pay a fair rate - good for you.

I also think its awesome that you'll be getting your class A CDL as it'll open up a whole 'nother world of opportunities - trust me on that, plus the stuff they teach you will only make your driving a van that much safer - good for you!

 

[Preacher]

Thanks NoProblem!

It is especially meaningful to me that I get my CDL-a. What I didn't tell you is that I was born with only one arm. To be more factual, I was born with an arm and a half. I'm missing my left arm about 2 inches below my elbow. In order to get my CDL I have to have two hands to grip the steering wheel with. Now, I haven't worn a prosthesis for almost forty years but I inquired with the prosthetics maker, which hooked me up with the state of Oklahoma, which in turn paid $28,000.....That's right, $28,000 to have one made for me just so I could get my CDL and seek employment in the trucking industry.

Pretty cool, huh? Not only that but Oklahoma is also paying for me to go to one of the best truck driver training schools in the midwest, which happens to be a state operated tech school. On top of that they are paying for an apartment near the school for 5 weeks while I attend.

Doesn't get any better than that!

After I get my CDL in January I am looking at going into expedited or car hauling. (Lots of connections in the car biz.) Expedited keeps looking better and better.

 

[RichM]

Hey best of luck to you.Glad to see a state spending money on someone who wants to work and is a taxpaying citizen. All too often we see states pouring out money to illegal aliens and making sure that someone who broke the law entering our country gets rewarded.

 

[Crazynuff]

I looked into this and there are expediting companies in the Louisville - Nashville area that use cube vans . The trick is to find a diesel under 10,000 gvw . I talked to 3 different companies and they all said I'd gross around $1200 a week which isn't much money , especially running team . That may have gonne up with higher fuel surcharges . I ended up buying a dually pickup and contracting delivering campers and am grossing over $1800 and expect to do better . So many loads are going into FL and AL for disaster relief that there is a lot of deadhead . We aren't forced dispatched but manufacturers are pounding trailers out for FEMA and it really cuts into available loads to other parts of the country .

 

[Preacher]

I currently have a `95 Ford F-350 Powerstroke crew cab dually with a western hauler flatbed. I looked into RV hauling sometime ago with Jayco and it really didn't seem to pay very well. I also looked into hotshotting since I have access to a 40ft gooseneck trailer. It seemed as though there was a lot of deadheading and not as many available loads as compared to expediting. Although they did pay $1.00/mi. The company I mentioned earlier that paid $0.89/mi using a cube van is based out of Memphis. He said that if I didn't need to be home every week and could stay out 10 days at a time, that I could clear $1200 - 1500 net per week on average. He also said that with a 14' cube van that I stand a good chance of getting some straight truck loads that would pay $.96/mi. As far as a 10,000gvw cube van with a diesel, I haven't seen one. I would be happy with a mid size gas V-8 engine. Diesel is higher than gas right now, and gas engines are less expensive to maintain. My Powerstroke lost an injector and it cost me almost $800 to replace.

 

[Crazynuff]

I also looked into Jet Transport . They haul strictly for Jayco . BTW , Jayco contracted with FEMA and all the inventory they can produce thru January is presold . With the fuel surcharge RV haulers are now getting over $1 a mile . I was told if I had a trailer I could run loaded 95% of the time . Expediters may be getting higher pay now also but I am making more with my Dodge Dually than FedExCC said solo Class C drivers averaged .

 

[Preacher]

Are you mainly hauling RV's to Florida, or are you hauling elsewhere? Who are you hauling for? Do you need a CDL? I could use some work between now and the middle of January. I would likely need to install a 5th wheel set-up. I'm only set-up for a gooseneck right now. I've seen Kaufmann and other trailers set up for hauling multiple RV's. I would think that having a trailer that could hold 2-3 RV's would pay alot more. I was told that there is alot of deadheading with RV hauling. I have also thought about hauling horse trailers from the manufacturer. Living in Tulsa, OK puts me close to most of the horse trailer manufacturers. If I could use my dually to make as much as expediting I'm all for it. I like my truck. It's all paid for and is really clean. I would hate to sell it in order to buy an expedite unit, only to find out that I made the wrong choice.

 

[Crazynuff]

I'm hauling for Bennett and they haul all over the country and have terminals in IN , KY , MD , CA , OR , KS , and TX . They do backhaul boat trailers and horse trailers . My truck had a gooseneck hitch when I bought it . B & W makes a fifth wheel that locks right in to a gooseneck setup . Bennett doesn't require a newer model truck as long as it passes DOT inspection and looks good . You don't need a CDL as long as you keep your gcvw under 26,001 lbs. If you have a trailer and haul more than 1 RV or more than 2 cars you may exceed that weight . I saw a Dodge dually with a 38,00 lb tag . That may keep the DOT happy but if he ever tears up a rear end or tranny and the truck gets towed to a dealership they'll laugh in his face when he asks about a warranty . You do need a DOT physical and must keep a log book and pass through the scales .