Dry Trailer VS Box Truck

[jpalmer]

Hey guys, I've been looking into getting into a Box truck to push up my income a little. I am a courier in DFW. Lately i've been seeing a lot of Fifth Wheel dry trailers being hauled by pickups. What would be cheaper to purchase? the fifth wheel trailer or box truck? I am having issues finding a site on the net that has these types of trailers.

Would i get a better Weight limit with a box truck VS the Trailer and pickup?

Also. I don't have a CDL yet so it has to be under the limit...

Thanks for ya'lls help!

 

[Crazynuff]

The trailers you see being pulled by pickups are probably private carriers . The big problem with them is they aren't dock height and probably wouldn't support the weight of a forklift . There are pickup and flatbed owners doing well leased to Acme . Without a CDL you'd be limited to a cargo van in expediting . I doubt you would see a boost in income . Many hotshotters with pickups and trailers stay under 26,000 lbs. and don't require CDL's .

 

[bluejaybee]

You can drive a box truck under 26000 GVWR without a cdl.

 

[guido4475]

Yea, I was going to say, there are several people that have straight trucks that are 26,000 gvw and doing well at it.Even if it has air brakes and air-ride but is UNDER 26,000 gvw you do not need a cdl. The gvw rating is what dictates the need for the cdl.I have had 3 straight trucks set up this way, and researched it deeply before doing it for the first time. This is what the DOT calls a "gray area".

 

[FIS53]

I agree that most of the trailers for pickups are not dock height although on my trip to Quebec last week I saw two that were. Both had raised framing above the trailer frame for the suspension etc and looked a little too top heavy for my liking. I also would like thicker tires on the trailer than either of these had so load limit might be lower than the trailers I looked at. But I was looking mostly at flatdeck ones. I looked at trailers for pickups last year and the load limit for most was 10,000# which isn't too bad. That's more than my s/t can haul. The only problem with the trailer and a pickup is that some jurisdictions do require a license upgrade for the truck - trailer combination of such weight limit, so check into that first.

My truck is under 20,000# gross so no special lic required. The truck handles pretty good and can move through traffic alright but no fancy moves though. Only part I don't like is the fuel mileage.
Rob

 

[greg334]

Many hotshotters with pickups and trailers stay under 26,000 lbs. and don't require CDL's

If the state follows DOT regs, they have to have a class A to drive a combination trailer and truck over 10k - I just renewed my CDL and I asked to confirm what was in the book I used for the test. It is the combination of the trailer and truck that matters.

 

[jpalmer]

Hi Guys, Thanks for the advice!! I am not looking at getting into an expediter at this point. I want to stay local for as long as i can make enough to stay local. I make about 500 a week in a car right now. I could bump that up to about 700-1000 in a box unit....

Yeah, I didn't even think about have an endorsement for truck-trailer. And I am sure a box unit would do better on gas then a hauled unit. I do 350 to 500 miles a day in my car (i've gotta civic now) God that car gets incredible gas mileage. I do about half a tank a day on them miles. CRAZY! Won't be getting that in a truck though. But The per mile rate and weight costs will kinda help that.

P.S. Have any you guys ever heard of Everitt Express or Ceva Logistics? I am just curious cause they got box units flying around DFW like crazy now. Never seen them before.

 

[bluejaybee]

I do alot of hauls for CEVA. They bought out the old Eagle Logistics company. They do alot of local and some OTR. Most of their trucks are leased to them by O/O's. Good folks to expedite for. Heard several of their drivers complaining about some recent changes they made. Of course, it didn't benefit the drivers, hence the complaining.