car hauling capital?

bobker

Seasoned Expediter
Hi everyone,
I'm thinking about starting a car hauling biz soon;using a new dodge dually 3500 pick up and a 3 car trailer.
How much money do i need?for the ruck,trailer,insurance,permits et c.....?
Your answers are really appreciated.
 

nightcreacher

Veteran Expediter
Hi everyone,
I'm thinking about starting a car hauling biz soon;using a new dodge dually 3500 pick up and a 3 car trailer.
How much money do i need?for the ruck,trailer,insurance,permits et c.....?
Your answers are really appreciated.

I'm not sure you will find anyone in this forum that can give you a direct answer to your question.For your insurance and permitting needs you may want to contact OONIDA,I would buy a new truck,might find pretty good deal right now,and shouldnt be hard to find a good deal on a car trailer. I would do a 4 car not 3. Three cars up,and one in the bottom.Auto transport business right now is really cut throat.Good luck.Another thing,make sur you have enough cash on hand to run for a couple months.Getting paid sometimes takes awhile,and to factor your pay,is spending money that isn't needed
 

moose

Veteran Expediter
The first step will be to get you costumers in line.
where will you get your cars from ?

keep in mind that once you go over 10,000 , you have to log Dot # , scales , DOT approved sleeper (or hotel receipt ) for all runs over 11/14 Hours .
you will need to upgrade your truck to stay competetive :
K&N intake , full 4" muffler , Edge programmer ,external fuel tank , by pass oil filter ... Ext ... Ext...

PM me if you need more info.
god luck
got to go.



Moose
 

Crazynuff

Veteran Expediter
I would not do a 4 car with an F-350 . You should upgrade to a medium duty truck for that . Dually's with wedges are favorite targets for D.O.T. . You do NOT need motel receipts . Nothing in FMCSA HOS regulations say you must even rest when logged off duty . You must only be relieved of all responsibility . When you are off duty you are exempt from regulation and they have no right to ask what you did while off duty . You should have a CDL-A and IFTA plates with a 3 car wedge though because you will find most loads will have you grossing over 26,000 lbs. .
I put 100,000 miles on a Dodge 3500 in 8 months with no upgrades , no problems .
 

truckrnnr

Seasoned Expediter
You can haul using a stock dually (no upgrades) It's stupid,.....but you can do it. By reprogramming the computer,opening up the exhaust,and a few other nifty little tricks,you free up a TON more power and the end result is MUCH better fuel economy,and the side effect is more torque.
As far as a trailer,go with a wedge, I recommend a 53 footer with the flip dpwn extenders on each end. This allows you to haul 4 small cars,or 3 big ones. I prefer a tandem axle with dual wheels over the tri alxe set up due to tire wear on the front axle.
The 3 up one down trailers have you carrying a ton of tongue weight.
You can make great money hauling cars,but you have to learn the ropes. Everyone thinks centraldispatch.com is the way to go,...........Don't get me wrong. Alot of people make alot of money with them,but that flat rate per vehicle is not the best deal in town. I have contracts to haul out of several area auto auctions (much better $$$, paid per mile-per car) Then I use central for back hauls. I have 2 six car carriers,a 4 car (3 up/1 down), and a 4 car wedge. But I have all medium duty tractors,no duallys.

As far as start up money, Make sure you can operated for a minimum of 3-4 months with no income. Fuel,maintnance,insurance,driver pay,truck and equipment payments. It takes a while for the money to start rolling in. As with any business,..............you get out of it what you put into it. Hard work does pay off.
GOOD LUCK!!
 
Top