WARNING: USHIP has huge brokerage fees (hidden)

I am new to this forum. Before every big rig driver stomps me to oblivion, I am a hotshot driver in one of those "toy haulers with a gooseneck" but like most of you in this forum, I have an MC#, DOT#, insurance, keep a log, and do everything I can to stay legal and compliant. Before I started, I did my homework and I am still learning the business. I too am not a fan of the tv program that has made a joke of the industry, in particular the type of trucking I do. I am still new in the business and I am also trying to make a living. I have tried Uship in the past and had nothing but bad luck when dealing with them. I have also got my own theory to the Ushi# and Slipping wars connection. The average Joe or Jane sees the show and thinks to themselves, "why the #### am I paying the trucking company $5K to send my stuff 500 miles when I just saw this trucker haul 3 tons of freight from L.A. to Boston for $20?" and think because it is "reality" tv then that is true reality. I found it has spilled outside of the Uship world. I once had a customer who wanted a forklift shipped 2000 miles for $600 and I asked why that low of a rate and they said they expected it to be a backhaul and they shouldn't have to pay a lot to ship their goods. I dumped them as a customer. Even as a hotshot driver I have to make a minimum of $1/mile just to break even. I have another customer who pays better than a dollar per mile . I understand that everyone wants to keep costs down but they also must recognize the fact that they get what they pay for. I have an uncle who has been driving for over 40 years and I listen to his advice often. Regulations suck but I do know they have to be adhered to play the game cleanly and fairly and keep the DOT off my back. I am fed up with Uship because of their site and their show they are doing as much harm to the trucking business as the government. I am breaking my back just to stay afloat like the rest of you. The sooner that dreaded show is taken off the air and that site is either shut down or pressured into making changes to reflect the real costs of trucking the better. I knopw that being new in the business that I must earn my stripes but I should also be able to make an honest living at it. Last time I looked at Uship I had to take a shower because I felt so dirty from looking at it. I love the ever changing view from my office but also making money. Maybe we need to educate the public on the realities of shipping. While the price of gasoline has gone down a bit recently the same hasn't been case with diesel. I do feel for those of you who have to use DEF which makes the cost go up even more (I like the fact that I have a 2003 F-350 with a 7.3 engine in it and does not requirDEF). Anyhow, let's get the public on board with the concepts and get the illegals off the road and maybe, just maybe, we can actually make a decent living.

By the way, we hotshot drivers still have to abide by the same HOS rules as the big rigs and Federal law does not require a CDL, IFTA, NY HUT, KY HUT, IRP if the truck's GCVW is 26,000 lbs or less. However, that being said, if my load is 26,001 I do have to comply with all those regulations and taxes. That is why I always go to the nearest CAT scale after picking up a load. The load might be listed at 5,000 lbs but I have the philosophy of Ronald Reagan, trust but verify because sometimes the weight figure might be a guess at best.

Safety first, treat the load like it is more valuable than one's life, and get it there as quickly and safely as possible

 

I know I will get some grief for this comment but the weight of the load doesn't mean a thing - the combination of weight ratings does.

It is the gross vehicles combination weight rating that counts. If you are driving a pickup truck with gvwr or say 12k hauling a trailer with a gvw of say 15k, you are now in cdl territory.

 

You are correct.

 

My weight limit of cargo is 10,000 lbs. so I am safe. It is always important to run it on the CAT as soon after loading up as possible. if it is over 10,000 lbs. then I have to then act accordingly. in my state of Minnesota all one ton class trucks and higher require a weight sticker on the plates regardless if the vehicle is being used for commercial or personal use. My truck has the highest weight rating and I cannot get any over sized permits. If my combined weight is 26,001 lbs I then have to either remove some cargo or return to the pick up site and pass on the load to someone whose truck is rated for higher weight limits.

 

my truck and trailer combo empty weight is 11,000 lbs BTW

 

call me ignorant but not a fan of hot shots, wannabe truck driver messing up the flatbed industry doing cheap loads. And uship made them more famous and they motivate un-experience people to move freight. i lost a customer to a hot shot company. i cant move freight just to pay diesel.

 

well, this hotshot driver is not a fan of uship. you may not be a fan of my segment of the industry but some of us actually do our homework and get legal instead of just getting a trailer and jumping in a truck and playing trucker. I have actually had some hauls under my belt. There are also some loads we take that others won't. my Ford dually does not cost as much to operate as a KW but I do have to stop more often for fuel. Hotshot has its upsides and its downsides. I am one of the hotshots who actually tries to make an honest living at and I am not into playing screw the other truckers games. I am also appalled by how uship has driven the prices of the hauls down to make it difficult for all of us to make a decent living.

 

Good post, that my friends is a true fact. A lot of guys retire and buy a F-something ford and 24 foot enclosed trailer and sign on with uship then six months later he's back at his old company asking to get back on to pay his truck off. Maybe he used his retirement fund to pay truck off when he bought it. Any way you look at it, it's sad.

 

Like you big rig drivers, those of us who hotshot and do it legally are feeling and facing the same problems you face. I have a 24 foot flatbed on a gooseneck and I enjoy it. I am wanting better pay and fear that will not happen as long as uship is in business or maintaining their status quo. It is killing the whole industry.

 

My Son put his truck on with uship and that lasted one month. You've got to wait a week or so to see if you got bid or take a fast cheap one, then it's the same on your back haul. He simply could not make a living. Pickups don't have a sleeper and the DOT does not allow you to log sleeper time off taking a nap in a truck seat.