Carhauling: Is this any place for a woman?

Cassens has one that works in Indiana.Every time I load around her she seems to be doing a good job with no trouble and she is a plus size lady.But not everyone can haul cars male or female.I have trained some for our company and can tell you,not everyone is cut out for it! Good Luck

 

As an old codger that's trained a whole passel (what's that?) of car haulers in 40 years of car haul exclusively from guys that had never even drove a truck before to some well-heeled drivers wantin' jobs, I can safely say from my point of view, that whether or not you possess a pair of chesticles has nothing to do with whether one can haul cars. Shoot, I'm working on a pair myself. That lays to rest the skinny requirement to be a parking lot driver. You'll learn from your very first car until your very last one. I haven't hauled my last one yet (I hope...I gotta load Tuesday as long as I can stay above ground) so I'm expecting to learn some more then. It is a pretty thankless job because you'll be the only one that realizes you are doing a job that nobody can properly even classify. I don't think folks even want to think there are people in their midst crazy enough to do this job.

A lot of good words of advice in this thread and if I could add anything positive it would be that you must be a thinker and very detail oriented if you are going to be profitable. Careful...not nervous. Thorough...not cutting corners. Too much liability involved. Makes no diff if you are hairy legged or not...I have attempted to train some guys that were decent truck drivers but absolutely could not haul cars. Someone said something about blood. Good analogy. If it ain't in your blood, you can expect a long learning curve. Then I guess it's how deep your pockets are to cover that learning curve. Most won't survive it. I'm speaking O/O here but same applies for company drivers. Screw up and they are not gonna want you in their truck.

JustMom...just a word to close. There's a multitude of silly things car haulers do and say and one that has always stuck with me was one of the first I heard way back when Moses hauled his first Cadillac with tailfins. There are 2 kinds of car haulers...them that's nailed an underpass and them that's going to. Don't ask me which kind I am.

 

When I managed a Terminal for Hadley Auto Transport, I had a lady that ran on the night local board (slipseat) and used to run 5-6 loads a night on a regular basis (Cottrell quickloader). She was an excellent driver and had a very low damage ratio. She used to like to tie pink bows on the truck to irritate the day driver she shared the truck with.
That said...
I would recommend getting basic driving experience under your belt first. It is tough enough learning the driving part without trying to learn to haul cars too.

 

hey nate980, can you suggest a good company to get started with?

 

From Canada so all I really know of is allied systems who I used to work for.

 

I have to second SLANT6. Car hauling is pretty much like any other job, once you get it all figured out. But the learning curve is steep, expensive and dangerous. Best to get the driving part all figured out first, then move on to hauling cars. Generally speaking, we are the only trucking family that damages the freight instead of the truck when we make a driving mistake. The customers are much less forgiving of rookie mistakes than are dispatchers and mechanics.

Anyone with a reasonable amount of common sense and courage can do it, male or female, but I'd start with a van and work up to car hauling.

 

I have met a few girls that stack em and pull em.

 

thanks for the update.
good luck on the road!

 

Women can be car haulers as well as men can. This is what you need to know:
Car Haulers are a different breed of trucker. Doesn't mean they are better or worse, just different.

Do you enjoy the great outdoors? Be ready for loading in rain, sleet, blizzards, scorching heat among many other unfriendly conditions.

Do you have plenty of patience? Loading a carrier needs someone who is willing to double check everything from height of your load to positioning of vehicles, making sure racks are pinned correctly and that you hhave great tie down skills with chains and straps. It takes a lot of practice to load and unload cars, transport them and not damage them. Even coparts and iaa cars can cost you money if you damage one.

Want to move private owner cars? Be prepared for them to try to use you as their personal moving company, filling their vehicles with every item they own with no thought to how you will either back on or off the truck with no view. On delivery they will either llove you or hate you. If they love you, they tip you and sometimes they even bring you fresh home made food to take with you. If they hate you, they will try to claim tiny scratches as carrier damage and want you to pay to repaint their entire vehicle.

Dealerships? Be ready to spend the night if you cannot arrive until 10 minutes after closing time. Be ready to fight thesmall dealerships when thhey try to pay with their company check even though certified funds was the agreement and if you are gullible enough to accept that check, be prepared for quite a few of them to bounce. You will need to have an eye for detail to do a thorough condition report that can save you thousands of dollars even if the auto is filthy.

Truck Stops? Our 10 car stingers stick out well past the other trucks at the truck stop. You have to learn where the best spots are to park or you may be jolted out of a nice sleep when a less experienced driver clips a car on your headrack or back rack or they will be long gone, leaving you with an insurance claim.

Overall, can you tell what a thankless job this is for a man or a woman? Yet many of us love it. We are that different breed of driver. Are you?
Good luck in whatever you choose