I have an interesting situation. A close family member is moving from where I am in Oregon to the east coast. That means I'm going to be making that trip a lot. I've been doing the math on what it will take me to drive there and back in my truck, and it's not cheap. (almost 3000 miles)
So I thought maybe I could start shipping things while I make this trip? I already have a nice diesel 1 ton truck that can pull a trailer. The cost of the truck and fuel is almost free because I would have made the trip anyway. (unloaded) I realize insurance is the deal killer for most people here, and I haven't got a quote yet, but I could stomach $10,000.
So my question is, can a new guy that already has a truck and insurance find enough loads to pull across the country? If I could make $2000 per trip (gross, before expenses) I would be really happy with that. Am I delusional? Is that even remotely possible? Am I going to be able to find multiple loads going each way once or twice a month? I would be buying a trailer but not sure what yet.
It seems like I would have a good chance at finding things, since I've already accepted that I am going to drive across the entire country, loaded or not. I could pick something up anywhere along the way. I don't have a problem taking a different route through another state if it pays. I have an alternate source of income, so I can take a risk with the time and insurance. I don't want to make huge profit so much as regular free trips to the east coast. It would really be great if I this could pay for my fuel, maintenance, insurance, and hotel stays.
Is trucking for me?
Discussion in 'Expediter and Hot Shot Trucking Forum' started by Number21, Nov 25, 2014.
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Naturally, you would have to give up your Oregon CDL and replace it with a CDL of the state that you would be moving to. Are you working for a company that can transfer you over from the west coast to the east coast?
It may also be a lot less stressful than having to constantly worry about getting loads to drive back and forth from one coastline to another. -
Research, research, and then research some more. I'd advise against just trying to make enough to cover expenses. You'll end up burning up your equipment with no money to replace it.
If you're gonna do this, do it as a business. There are cross-country loads to be had, but there are also a boatload of regulations in some of the states in between that you'll need to be aware of.
Read through all the threads here to get a good sense of what hot-shotting involves. I think you'll probably want to do this, but go into it prepared so that you don't run yourself broke "covering expenses." -
My biggest concern is that I invest money in a trailer and insurance, and nobody wants to hire me because I have no previous experience to show. Is this something I need to worry about? I don't have to be real picky since I'm not looking for huge profits. Anything is better than going empty, but now I have to pay for the insurance. I can see stuff available now that seems profitable, but I'm always worried I won't find it when I need it. I don't want to be in a situation where I'm begging for work to pay for my insurance...
Looking into the car trailers, would it be hard for me to find three different cars that want to go across the country? Is it a lot of work trying to book all the shipments? -
I did the 1 ton and 40 ft gooseneck trailer hotshot truck for a while, and I was signed on to a carrier. They supplied my plates, I ran under their authority, the insurance wasn't that bad, and at first I thought, "this is cool". Then I got running. I ran a lot of deadhead runs, I often returned home empty. The 1 tons, at least my Dodge at the time wasn't wide enough to where it could be considered a "berth" legally. This meant motels all the time. Often brokers will get you a load that ends up being overweight. When I signed on to do this, I was told that 95% of my runs would be light, HOTSHOT freight, and local to regional. I ended up running coast to coast, and with trying to keep revenue on my truck, being gone longer at a time than I ever thought I would. If you are going to truck, get a big truck and get real revenue. Possibly you can sign on to a better company than I did. I looked into getting my own authority, I don't remember all the details, but that wasn't cheap. Good Luck.
You might want to look into delivering RV's. Most are made in Indiana, and possibly you could pick one up going east, and then another heading back west on your return. This will be cheaper as you don't have to have a trailer. It's an idea.Number21 Thanks this. -
I like the idea of at least starting with RVs so I don't have to buy a trailer. Is it possible to buy 6 months or less of insurance? -
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I would really find another source of revenue or a different way to earn money. To get your own authority, cargo insurance, trailer, plates etc.. its just not worth it for what your trying to do. This would turn into a job for you and from what your saying I don't think its what you want. -
There is a guy that lives close to me that does this. I don't know him but he looks successful. He's got two nice Rams with his name on the side and a couple smaller goosenecks, probably 30 foot or so. I see him loaded up with all kinds of random stuff. Must be making money, he's got two nice trucks he parks at his nice house. Who knows, maybe he's running drugs...
Insurance: $1000/month (probably over estimating)
Fuel: $1400 per round trip
Truck Maintenance: $200 per round trip
Truck is paid for and will be driven out there either way.
One trip/month cost $2600. That's an average of 43 cents/mile for the whole 6000 mile trip. Anything over that is profit and a free trip across country. How much do they pay to deliver RVs?
Not trying to argue, just want to make all the numbers make sense. -
It will be almost impossible to find loads coming out of your area going straight to the east coast on a regular bases, that will fit on a hotshot trailer, that would be profitable. Freight going long distance pays less per mile, because you will be competing with big trucks going the same way. You would have to hop scotch your way across country, depending where the paying freight takes you. Think about it that way. Also the time of year you travel will affect your plans. The learning curve of being a owner/operated is thing of it's own. You might think of it like getting in to this business then when the opportunity to come east take it, that is a way I could see working out for you. You could work with a dispatch service ( someone you pay, you are buying experance, and using their connection's ) they will have brokers calling them on a daily bases, let the loads going east find you. ( the best paying loads seldom come up on load board ) I have a question. What kind of background do you have?
Number21 Thanks this.
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