New to the forum, not to trucking

I've been a CDL-A driver for about 13 years, always working for someone else. I love driving! About 2 years ago I got laid off from the last company I was working for due to them closing my local branch. It was a local job which was great. The pay sucked but at least it was a job. About the same time I got laid off my wife and I had our 3rd (and hopefully last) child. I have been a stay-at-home dad since then while my wife kept her job in Chicago. I really need to get back into a truck. Local doesn't pay worth a darn and I don't want to be committed to an OTR company and not have the home time I want / need. I have been tossing around the thought of hot-shotting since I live about 2 hours from Goshen. The next hurdle is to find back-hauls. I've been reading this forum and have found a TON of great info. There are a few things I'm most concerned about though...

1. Why not buy a brand new truck? The potential for less down-time and longevity of the vehicle plus the tax benefits should outweigh the financial burden of the initial purchase price. At least that is what MY math is telling me.

2. I am considering buying a 40-50ish foot gooseneck for hauling more than one RV at a time. If the average pay for one RV is $1.40 than will I double that if I am able to carry 2 rv's or does the broker pay less for the second load?

3. Why exactly do RV shippers pay more to ship to Canada?

As I said earlier, I have read a ton of posts here on this forum. I know the debate of a new truck v/s old truck will create a bit of a stir. All I ask for here is honesty and integrity. Thanks in advance.

 

I'm not necessarily looking at local LTL. Local, regional, minor OTR is fine. Home time is important toe. Nt looking for more than full time. Gone 2-4 days here ore there is fine but not all the time. I know I want to have my cake and eat it too. There has to be a happy medium for those that want to work for it.

 

RVTransporter, thank you. Agreed about the financial situation.

Another question... assuming I get my feet wet as an RV hauler and going with a broker like Horizon, what is the average possibility of a backhaul? Heading out with only one trrailer makes me think the possibility of a backhaul seem unlikely. If I had a trailer I could load anything from vehicles to crates to whatever for a backahul. Thoughts?

 

Now if I am leased on to an RV broker, am I allowed to get my own backhauls or does everything have to go through the RV broker?

 

Last question... for now.

I see most hot shots using a wedge trailer to haul multiple rv's. Do any of you use a longer flat deck? I know height can be an issue as well as loading and unloading without a forklift.