Loads and Companies out West

[Ternkiem]

Since I am currently in the RV Transport business it would not be a far stretch for me to expand my horizons into moving expedited OR light-freight...problem is...I live in the far Northwest reaches of Washington state.
Can anyone give me a name or two of companies moving expedited freight along the I-5 corridor or maybe the 11 Western states?
The company I am currently leased to will not allow me to move freight so I would have to lease on with another company (or get my own authority).
Also where does one even begin to locate expedited OR light-freight? I subscribe to several "Load Boards" but by the time I call in to check on the load posting they are gone.
I sure would appreciate the assistance here since I have not found anyone since I started searching last fall.
Thanks for the assistance,
Terry B.

 

[Bearcat]

Does your lease contract specifically say haul exclusively for this company? My last carrier I was with only required me to cover there sign on my truck if I pulled for someone else (backhaul). The only problem is I had only his insurance for cargo so unless I had my own insurance, no one would want you to haul there stuff. You could lie about it but could come back to bite you in the ##### if damage occures. You might want to seek out local couriers in the areas you go to. Try to set up something as to approximate time arriving in there area (call ahead). You might get lucky. You will still have to go through your company (they get there cut) since its there cargo insurance. Getting your own authority is expensive for insurance. I looked into it and was told as a new carrier, the insurance was high for a couple years. If no accidents, it would drop down. I looked at pulling rv's (haul and tow) but from the different companies I talked with, sounded like alot of deadhead. Decided against it. I did find one which offered 90% to trucks with there own authority. Still have to find the back haul though.
Good luck
Randy

 

[Ternkiem]

Randy;
Thanks for the come back. Actually the company I pull for encourages us to find our own backhauls...the catch is not that they want their 15% cut, it's that their authority will not cover general freight. I need to find some type of trailer to tow as my backhaul. When I am in (or a reasonable driving distance to) someplace where they make cargo or horse trailers that is where I try to find my loads. Not too good of luck with it last year. I drove 68,000 mi. and 32 of those were deadhead...I can't continue doing that! So I would like to find a new companyu to lease on with to haul light-freight, primarily up and down the I-5 corridor. My GCVW is 21,000 pounds, I would think that there must be a supply of this freight out there somewhere, after all, someone must be moving it. I just cannot seem to find a company willing to give me a shot at it without my owning a big truck. I guess I'll keep looking.
Thanks again,
Terry