Thinking of hauling cars

I am beginning to get worried about the planning part. Loading forwards, backwards keeping axle weights correct. Then u need to worry about height. Is there a set formula that says if the car weighs x then it needs to go on a certain way in a certain spot. Also do they have a scale where u can check weight before leaving the yard. I know I saw a height checker at one once

 

LOL, I bought three brand new Sterling in 2000 but we had ISM's underpowered, but reliable and super lite.

As far as the drive on back on another item to think about, IF, I said IF you happen to get a stone chip on that no.1, as front shield is usually cheaper than a backglass, esp. with a defroster, ant, in it.

 

Or losing the whole works to a bird strike !!! Migrating ducks at 2pm and barn owls on the hunt at 2 am ...... Dave R ..... You taking notes ? There will be a short quiz before tomorrows class starts.

 

All part of the learning curve. We could type out the entire book for you right here, but you'd forget half of it by supper time. Learn by doing and screwing up. If you're a broker, you learn by paying THUS the 'get a company job first' analogy. Most of us are still employeed as car haulers because we worry and plan.

 

Best advice I can give you, this is NOT a job, this IS a career, you will NEVER stop learning, it isn't about KNOWING it all, it is about being able to THINK thru any situations and LEARN from your mistakes.

 

Ice sheets off the roofs of box trailers that take off like a kite and you have NO IDEA where they will land!

 

I'm usually always sitting around 4800kg's on the front and 14000kg's on the drives and 13000kg's on the trailer. Never had to worry about weight before. Today though I had a mitsubishi pajero on the overhead backed on and dropped in the rear and my weight was right at 5450 on my steers real close lol. Steer axles 6000. Lotsa guys running cabovers have to worry about the weight more than me. Its a cat powered truck. Its also slow and under powered but not compared to the mercedes powered city trucks we have lol.

Dave, its an interesting career and like everyone said, your constantly learning. That's the fun part about it. Don't wworry about being quick in the beginning. Having no damage is more important. Loading the truck is the most time consuming when you start. .

 

Good posts Speedloader, nate980 and Kansas Transit.

And hello Dave.
If the yard you are loading out of doesn't have a scale, just go to the nearest truck stop and check you weight there. The best way to see what your truck can haul is to just load it and then check it.

Here is something to think about also.

If you have a list of 9 cars/trucks and you gave that list to 20 different drivers and asked them how they would load it, you would get 20 different answers. And every answer would be the correct one.....for THEIR truck.

Confused? Well, let me explain.

Most car haulers were trained with the skills and techniques that they would need to load their trucks. But because every truck is different they all need to be loaded different. Cottrells load differently than Boydstuns because they are built and designed differently. So car haulers need to be flexible when building loads. If you are assigned a truck, then for the most part, that is the only truck you will be driving for a while. You will learn by trial and error (hopefully not to many errors) how your truck likes to be loaded. After a few years or so your truck will wear out and you will get a different truck.This one will probably be a different design, newer improved style or even a completely different manufacture. It will not load the exact same way as your old truck.You will HAVE to load it differently and there will be a learning curve while you do it. Even car haulers with years of experience will have that same learning curve when they get a new truck and will have to go a little slower at first until they get comfortable with the new truck.

You have to remember that the main goal in hauling cars is to haul them safely, legally, on time and damage free. If you're not restricted by weight or height of a vehicle or by something like a canopy, convertible top, spoiler, bed liner,etc., then it doesn't really matter if you drive them on or back them on. The best rule of thumb to use is do whatever is going to make it easier for you, faster for you and keep you from damaging the vehicles. And this will differ from the driver loading next to you. Personally I try not to "over think the load". If I can just drive them on and not stack them, that is what I do because it is just easier for me. If the load is really complicated and would take a lot of time, I have to think about how far it is going and how much I am getting paid for it. If it is just going down the road 20 miles, I would not try to haul 10 cars because it just takes too much time for that 10th car. By leaving the 10th or even 9th car off, I can save enough time to do an extra load that day and make even more money. Why spend an extra hour for a car that is only paying $45. But if it was paying $450 I would definitely find a way to fit it on because the money makes it worth the time and effort.

Like Speedloader said, we could type the entire book for you on how to load your truck, but it would take you 2 weeks to read it and you would not remember most of it anyway. The best way to learn is to do it. Learn the basics from your trainer, learn from your mistakes and be flexible with your thinking. And be patient. It will take time to get comfortable with doing this job. For me personally it took about 6 months for me to get comfortable with what I was doing, 2 years before I really felt like I knew what I was doing and 10 years before I could do it without consciously thinking about it. Now it is likewalking or brushing my teeth.....I don't think about it, I just do it.

And on top of all of that your loads will rarely be the same, especially with hauling used cars, and if you are hauling new cars the cars change every year with new models of cars, different tie down points or a manufacture goes to "all tire straps, all the time" mode. So every year you will have to adjust how you load your truck. It keeps you on you toes and never lets this job get boring.....frustrating maybe, but never boring.

 

Dave,
I work for JC. Its a union company. You will get last load pick being the low-man on the pole sometimes you don't get to choose your load your told where you are going. Currently they are in a lay-off cycle 1 of 2 of the year. I have been laid off since late July. They expect you to do 1-1.5 loads per day starting off. Then eventually 2 loads a day. M-F Saturdays is optional if the work is there. Pay is really well from my experience in the market, also benefits are good once you meet the union requirements. The yard we work out of is in central mass, sometimes goto Port Newark. Mainly run Mass, CT as a new guy. The truck you will get to start is a not a good truck. Most likely an older volvo. You will get a company fuel card, hotel card. They do not have scales at the yard. Money will vary based on how hard you work. 1st month or so Paper logs then they require you to start on there E-Logs w/gps. There dispatch will call you nightly around 630ish to dispatch you your loads. They mainly Haul GM some Toyota and Mazda (Port Newark) Any other questions feel free to ask.

j

 

Welcome to the board Motaboata.