Dually w/3-4 wedge, Medium duty w/ 4-5 car or semi w/7-10? Please help

O/P What happened to you?? I am following this as I am looking at variouis different ways of making money. Thanks.

 

The op is doing very well, he was smart and got advice from others who. had done it before.

 

Well i can tell you my experience for the last year and a half. I build all my loads mostly off of central dispatch, but get some from Uship too, and am now starting to get better paying preferential loads from repeat customers. The problem I have had is that with a 3 car setup, you can never get ahead. It is a little cheaper to run, but I could always find more cars going one way than the other, and it was really taxing my dodge dually fully loaded with 3 large PU trucks or SUV's on board, to the point it was breaking stuff pretty regularly. The down time really kills you profit margin, so I have now sold me 3 car wedge and Dodge and moved up to a Volvo Tractor and Pro6 Kaufman trailer. I only gave 13 grand for both used, and have had to do quite a few maintenance repairs do to the fact this rig was sitting still for 3 years...BUT ITS ALL PAID FOR!!!

I can't stress this enough, don't go jump into a debt hole to get the BEST stuff you can find...its just not worth it right now, like everyone on here tells you, the haul rates just are not that good. Don't get me wrong, you can make money, but you have to be real careful about costs and hauling rates. I just won't haul crap loads (inops and repos) for next to no money either...i just call the broker, tell them my rate, and that I will call them back next week when their car is still setting there, and they decide to let me haul it for what i ask. Don't be afraid to ask for a decent rate. Your truck needs to be getting at least 2 bucks a mile MINIMUM or better (total loaded) or you gonna go broke. IT took me a while figure that. I was just looking and my gross receipts and thinking i was doing ok, but after figuring in ALL aspects of cost of operation, I was barely making any real money at all. Also when you figure in working 14 hour days or sometimes longer, you have to really love this stuff or youd be better off doing something else. As my own boss, one of the good things i do for my self is I usually start out on Monday, and do a 4 to 6 day run, then come home. I may stay at home for a few days to rest up and fix whatever broke that week then go out again.

I do have an advantage of being a mechanic for 30 years along with being a trucker, so i save a lot by doing all my repairs myself...including my own welding and trailer maintenance and mods. That's the only reason at all that i have gotten through this to here...if i had to pay the going rate to a shop to do my repairs, I wouldn't still be in business. That's the only exception i would make to the buying lower cost equipment, is if you cant fix it yourself you might have to buy newer stuff as a means of self preservation. I had a limited amount of money to start up all this, and I still haven't taken out any big loans to do it, so at least when it does break down, its not costing me anything for it to sit a while, until it gets repaired again.

Even if i had the capability, i would not sink a whole lot of money into this right now, with the economy like it is, cause it just might all come crashing down real soon, if the powers that be in Washington DC don't stop spending money we DON"T HAVE to prop up all the bullcrap programs they have voted into being. Chinas not gonna keep buying our debt much longer...they are fervently trying to get the world to change the worlds reserve currency away from dollars right now, and if they and Europe get their way...we all gonna wonder where the America we know and love went to.

 

Good luck with that MAX 6 BH Transport, I bought one brand new and it was the worst piece of equipment I EVER owned.
The extensions on the back folded and cost me a ton of money becase I was loading a truck and it came slamming down on the ground! The air line are NOT PROTECTED on that unit so watch out! My hydro box leaked from word go....hell I could go on all day. I SOLD IT AFTER 9 months OF HELL......thats why the unit you bought SAT FOR 3 Years!

I hooe you bought it cheap......and god knows of everyone on here I wish you thr best!

 

This one is an older 2003 model Pro VI, has electric brakes, and i have replaced the hydraulic lines and returns. What extensions are you talking about? On the rear lift deck or bottom? Mine has some added on the bottom deck but i haven't used them yet, they are only 3 feet long, and I will probably replace them with some stronger one I will make myself. I am also missing some cars cause the middle part of the top deck is too tall, its 7.5, and they dont make them like that anymore. Now they slope down a lot more, and get lower in front so you can get 3 SUV's on top. First time i get ahead a little (if ever) i want to buy a Cottrell, SunValley or Wally'Mo with more hydraulics on top, to make it moire universal, and something with dual tandems on rear with 17.5 or bigger. I couldn't even find a tire guy that would touch my flat on my 16's the other day.

Like I said, I do all my repairs and maintence, and try to stay on top of things, but when your hauling around cars that are bouncing around, something is always gonna break sooner or later. Sorry to hear you had such bad luck. I have had more trouble getting the 95 Volvo tractor fixed up thatn i have had with the trailer so far. I just trying to make do with what i can afford for now.

 

I went to a class 8 after I broke my 7.3 the second time (tuner timing- thank you Jody Tipton!) and while I only pull a 3 car, it's a lot more safe, fuel mileage is comparable, and I can sleep a lot more comfortable in a sleepr than the back bench seat of my Ford. Insurance #### near doubled ($420 - $820 a month) but I can make that up being able to load whatever heavy vehicles I want now. Instead of just taking the one 12k John Deere tractor, I can take that, plus 2 cars.

 

Post some pictures Semper Fi

 

Here ya go

 

Nice lookin tractor, Driver.

 

Thanks brother, for the 962,000 miles on her she actually does look really nice. It's a shame I gotta get rid of her in 2016 because of the #### CARB regulations. Stupid Communfornia....