Starting as an O/O...Advice greatly appreciated!

Discussion in 'Car Hauler and Auto Carrier Trucking Forum' started by StuckInAfghanistan, Oct 25, 2012.

  1. StuckInAfghanistan

    StuckInAfghanistan Bobtail Member

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    Oct 25, 2012
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    Hello All,

    I have been trolling the board for a while and taking notes on information relating to hauling cars and starting up. That being said, some of the info is from a year or longer in the past and I would be grateful if some experienced guys could give some guidance to my particular situation.

    I have been contracting in Afghanistan for the past few years and am about to come home for good. Hauling cars really appeals to me as I love being on the road and also am an automobile enthusiast. The fact that I would be my own boss is also a plus :)

    What I am very close to purchasing is a 2011 F-350 dually and a 40ft enclosed trailer. I would specialize in hauling classics and exotic/high end cars but open to hauling whatever fits in the trailer. Fortunately with money saved overseas, I am planning to buy in cash and not have payments which will be a plus for a start-up.

    I am pretty good at webdesign and SEO...meaning getting online business and getting my name out there to customers will be a task, but one I have experience with. Also, I am very personable and would talk to as many dealerships and auctions as I could. I also would be open to working with other established companies that need help or use of the trailer.

    I understand insurance costs are high for this business...if I am correct, 5-7K is the average per year? Maintenance on the rig and trailer and fuel are other expenses...anything else aside from necessity things? (food, drinks, sleep)

    I would be setting this business up as an LLC and have everything official and legal. Is 5K a reasonable estimate to put aside for start-up cost not including rig or trailer?

    Any information would be a big help to me and greatly appreciated! Thanks for glancing at my first post.

    -Jay
     
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  3. losttrucker

    losttrucker Road Train Member

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    no need for comment.....sorry
     
  4. StuckInAfghanistan

    StuckInAfghanistan Bobtail Member

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    no cable tv in afghan...peaked my interest tho, may have to order it :D
     
    losttrucker Thanks this.
  5. StuckInAfghanistan

    StuckInAfghanistan Bobtail Member

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    Oct 25, 2012
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  6. losttrucker

    losttrucker Road Train Member

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    Hold up!! Why dont yall have satelliate tv?? I know yall can watch the UFC fights LOL
     
  7. StuckInAfghanistan

    StuckInAfghanistan Bobtail Member

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    we have AFN which airs UFC and football...news, stuff like that. No new shows or anything though.
     
  8. 900,000-tons-of-steel

    900,000-tons-of-steel Road Train Member

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    I wouldn't purchase the equipment until to have the contacts and probable contacts. This is the approach I used when hauling RVs and trailers years ago. Getting insurance for this is extremely difficult with no previous car hauling experience and will be extremely expensive, get these rates before purchasing equipment. Here in Florida the broker price is about $300 per unit so that will give you an idea of how you will be competing with low rates of brokers. Uship.com is helping bring car hauling rates down to the bare minimum. Figure on insurance running from $7 to $10K per year. You also have the expense of obtaining your own authority requiring usually a minimum of $750K whereas intrastate often requires $300K liability. With exotic cars the price will be even higher. The majority of duallies have problems. Get a Ford 7.3 Powerstroke, maybe even a clean older one. In my opinion a gooseneck flatbed trailer with ramps would be better..You're going to need more than 5K and can figure at least a month before you see any cash unless you take loads that are COD (cash on delivery).
     
  9. Uncertain

    Uncertain Bobtail Member

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    I am not to familar with the costs of dually pick up type set-up. Though I do know about exotics and antique auto's. Your going to need some hefty insurance for these types of autos. Specially if you get into the super sport car types, bently's, and the alike. Plus do a little more research, many of these types of vehicles are soft strapped w/ carpet or other material between the tire and strap. So that you have a better understanding what is norm when dealing with customers so that you can provide the best service possible. As for money saved for future use. I would actually shoot for 10K instead of 5k. This way, not only will it give you a little more peace of mind room, but also helps set you up with some type of maintance fund as well. It's always good to have an account for "just in case bs happens". Plus like stated, you may not see any positive cash flow for the first month or so. So this would also help you offset your personal expenses as well to a point.

    Just my 2 cents :)
     
  10. WillametTrans Industries

    WillametTrans Industries Bobtail Member

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    I run a One ton Dually out of Oregon. The largest bond any insurance company would offer is $100,000 for this setup. It costs me $8,500 per year. With that said, I am limited on which dealerships will offer me business. A Mercedes-Benz dealership nearby requires $250,000. Hopefully after some clean business I will be able to broaden my horizons.
     
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