Equipment ready. Need advice to start.

That is a true statement.

 

Aluminum or combo, they both do the exact same thing, only difference is the price and weight.

 

Lighter is always better if you are willing to pay for it.

 

Working 5-6 days a week and living in Jersey...........I'd suggest you try running a regional triangle. Get out and beat the bushes with other small companies and get your OWN freight for two of the three legs; use broker freight to fill in only. You #### sure ain't doing two turns to TX (and who'd want to??)and be home on the weekend; let alone have any time to work on the truck.

 

Get an aluminum if you can not scale 48 on a combo.

 

Not attempting to discourage you and if you have been at this for years and have a solid business plan and dedicated customers disregard my advice. You would be better off leasing to an O/O flatbed company and learning how freight moves and find freight lanes in the areas you want to run. Most of the O/O companies are the about same 22%-25% of the line haul goes to them the rest of it and all of the FSC and tarp ect. is yours. I would look at Kaplan, Mawson&Mawson, CRST Malone, Land star, BESL. You have free factoring, Group Insurance rates, a network of freight to pick from, Fuel discounts and guidance. You are still your own boss and do what you want.
The loads on land star public board are the crap that Land star Drivers do not want. Cheap crap for the most part. You do know a lot of brokers will not deal with you until you have 6 months in business. Also freight is paid 90 days after it is billed.

I pull a combo Great Dane all my friends make fun of me they have all aluminum trailers. My trailer is heavier but cheaper and I think tougher. $22,000 for a combo, $60,000 for a nice MAC.
you have to be able to scale 48,000 I hope you didn't get a condo Volvo they are heavy

Good Luck

 

You dont have to be able to scale 48k.