No experience but getting Authority

You will need authority to pull his trailer unless he has motor carrier authority and you can lease your truck to him. Once you get your authority and if this is still available then you need to make sure that reefer is added to your cargo insurance unless the broker is carrying that insurance. Most likely the shipper would come back on you rather than the broker for any claims. And either you or the owner of the trailer will need to carry insurance on it. Some require cartage or interchange insurance for trailers you pull but don't own. Before you commit you may check with your insurance company for rates.

There are also some other carriers who offer those with authority to pull their trailers. JB Hunt, PTL and a few others are actively soliciting outside carriers to pull their trailers.

 

you all are very crull I think the gent is just needs to be broght to speed it's a tuff bus. out there becoming a o/o ia a great dream and can be done if your careful my sugestion is this like any bus. do your due deligence as to theives yah every bus has them you just have to be proactive i have worked for 13 years as adriver and never so much as took a wire nut home with me there are honest drivers out there and the will work for .30 to .35 cpm w/o benefits as truck care it goes back to what i said earlier due deligence if they tear it up tear them out on the side of the road I'm done

 

Ever hear of a SENTENCE ?

 

Ok, at my 6-month mark and pulled the trigger and bought a used Wilson hopper today. I was really looking at getting a flatbed first and then get the hopper just before harvest in September but saw a couple used hoppers at a good price. So that got me looking. And once that starts it becomes an obsession.

But I'm getting ahead of myself.

Broke my seat Thursday night. My delivery Friday morning was 200-miles from home and was able to find a re-load that would deliver Monday so headed home and bought a new seat, installed it and loving life. Should have done that from day one.

So the hopper purchase wheels are turning and decide to check to see what type of off-season work I can find with it. So I start talking to some of my contacts on what kind of off-season work I can find for my new toy. And here is where building relationships pays off.

The customer that I haul bagged corn to Atlanta needs 30,000 bushels of corn brought from the field to the elevator. I called the guy to see what it was paying. He went back and forth saying this was one of his better customers and really needed someone he knew he could trust. Told him I understood and not a big deal as I couldn't do it for that rate. But for future reference gave him my contact that coordinates the Atlanta loads and the account manager for the farm business.

He called me back in 5-mins, said he would give me my rate and had two other fields I could do. My rate worked out to better than $3/mile - loaded and MT.

So now I have a 1-1 ½ weeks of work for a hopper and no hopper.

I won't get into all the beat-up, over priced hoppers I looked at this weekend. Getting a little discouraged and decide that after I drop my load on Monday I would a road trip and look at a couple down south. So grab the wife and dog for my little road trip.

I head straight to the one that would be perfect. But as I see it I am thinking it is taller than advertised. And if that is the case I am not going to be able to afford it. Measure it, sure enough, taller than advertised. So I am thinking that when the salesman figures this out the price is going up. But I'm here so ... the few things that needed to be fixed would have to be fixed to pass an annual inspection with the exception of some welding on cross members.

Salesman agreed to provide an annual inspection and then I asked him about the size. He measured it and saw it was taller. And he agreed to honor the price. And to top that off, they did the welding, fixed a gauge I did not see was broken and replaced 6 of the tires that where at about 50%.
Arrow Trailer and Equipment in Springfield, IL is a stand-up dealer.

Got myself set-up with ADM and will be moving corn for them for the rest of the week and then start next week on the other corn.

So I have a lush new seat, shinny new trailer and almost three weeks of planned loads that will take me home almost every night.

 

Where do you live Bill? I am in Champaign-Urbana area.

 

Bill i cant believe you got into Adm with all the trucks i see running around that place all the time. Good job..

 

ps I swear if the Illini don't do any better in football, I am going to send my alumni tickets back

 

I live in Gibson and our farm is in Mansfield.

 

Holy crap our farm is 5 miles south of Gibson right off 47 near the curves lol. What does your truck say on the side?

 

Says William Hood. Big green Volvo 780. Pulling a plain white van or now a tall wilson hopper.

What do you pull? Do you stay in the area or OTR?