So you wanna be a carhauler? Hope you like walking!

Discussion in 'Car Hauler and Auto Carrier Trucking Forum' started by Hammer166, Jan 7, 2023.

  1. Hammer166

    Hammer166 Crusty Information Officer

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    Here's my steps for the last year. This would be pretty typical for anyone doing multiple ramp loads each day.

    The months working in Omaha are obvious, spend a lot more time driving when I'm there. And the recent higher counts are due to the yard being full, our vehicles are much more scattered right now. I almost hit 20,000 steps one day this week, that's over 11 miles at my stride length.

    Screenshot_20230107-210525_Samsung Health.jpg
     
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  3. D.Tibbitt

    D.Tibbitt Road Train Member

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    Theres a part of me that wish i started in car hauling instead of flatbed... I think i would really enjoy it
     
  4. lual

    lual Road Train Member

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    Threads like this one are great...because they give (in part, at least) the "real deal" on what different types of freight are really like.

    @Hammer166 -- I'm gonna go out on a limb here....and guess....because (in part) of all of the above info.....you're not fat, are you?

    --Lual
     
  5. Banker

    Banker Road Train Member

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    It’s never too late to start. I wanted to haul cars for 20 years before I actually pulled the trigger at 45 years old. 11 years later and I am glad I did it and very likely will haul cars the remainder of my career.
     
  6. Banker

    Banker Road Train Member

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    It’s fairly easy to tell when I slowed down from 8-9 loads a week to 5. 5B680B68-3783-44C9-A03A-F84CFE19AB89.png 9BB39CA5-14A0-4A94-8C6A-A3E07ADE93C3.png
     
  7. ducnut

    ducnut Road Train Member

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    Anybody who DOES NOT think these guys work just needs to visit the Ford-Kansas City plant. You don’t even have to go inside, as you can watch from Hwy 69. The pics don’t do the place justice as to how big the lots are, how many vehicles are jammed into them, or how many haulers are usually crammed in there loading. It’s a completely different place, today, from what Google’s image shows. The building we go into is completely different from the image and there are new vehicles jammed in every nook and cranny they can stick one, all around that building. The outbound lots are crammed full of vehicles, compared to the image. Likewise, there are expanded supplier trailer lots and more of them. The place is booming.

    367AB5BA-A644-4160-A628-F277D7E5EFF9.png 86732A3B-5E12-4044-8BDC-46684F858173.png 49EAE10E-64CE-4C6D-A9BD-B2AC5B382358.png
     
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  8. Banker

    Banker Road Train Member

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    That was my favorite place to load towards when I was a company driver, because the round trip was an awesome paycheck. 650 loaded miles or so to Iowa and 500 or so from Claycomo back to Ky. FCEBC364-22F0-4394-B681-09DBDACCC828.png
     
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  9. ducnut

    ducnut Road Train Member

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    I failed to mention, one needs to factor in the weather, when looking at the size of these lots, too. These places are no fun, when it’s -5°F and the wind is howling. I used to run ramps, from KC to Omaha. The winters up that corridor are brutal.
     
    Tall Mike, Siinman, Hammer166 and 3 others Thank this.
  10. Hammer166

    Hammer166 Crusty Information Officer

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    It amazes me how some of these guys stay as big as they are! I'm carrying some extra weight, but if you're doing this job properly, you end up strong as a mule. The walking and climbing keeps your legs strong, and the climbing and pulling on the bar at all kinds of angles result in exceptional core strength along with a good upper body strength.
     
  11. LBZ

    LBZ Road Train Member

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    This. I remember having jeans freeze to the side rail while securing a car on an upper deck in a Michigan snowstorm.
    In contrast, car hauler decks become BBQ's on the exceptionally warm days.
    All of this is in addition to the daily 3 - 7 mile walk.
     
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