ANOTHER NEWB!! (GETTING LEGAL)

I've been lurking here for about a month. I signed up yesterday. Before I bore you to death let me say that every single question I had about starting in this business legally has been thoroughly answered using the search function. You guys are a wealth of information and I appreciate that you share it so freely. Thank You!

I've been a jerk.
On 05/05/05 I started a little business recycling HVAC systems which grew rapidly with little control. It didn't take long to figure out that the bigger and heavier the AC, the more I made. Greed took over. For more than 10 years I have been moving some pretty large equipment around the SE.



I have done this with NO CDL, NO DOT#, NO PERMITS, NO LIABILITY INSURANCE ETC., ETC. USING EQUIPMENT NOT SUITED TO THE JOB. I traveled back roads and ducked weigh stations. In 10 years I only had one DOT stop/inspection. I was empty and he parked me and let me call a friend with a bigger truck and a CDL.

Basically, I operated with no regard for the safety of others. It wasn't a conscious decision, I just slowly took on bigger and bigger jobs over the years and it got out of control. Not long ago, while having a rear end replaced, one of my trucks was dropped from the lift and one wheel was bent. The shop replaced the tire and said nothing. I picked up a load and hit I95. At about 70 miles per hour the left rear tire (SRW F350) dismounted pulling a full 40' trailer. I DID A COMPLETE 180 IN TRAFFIC. By the grace of God no one else was affected. How no one got injured or killed has only one explanation. If that tire came off a few seconds earlier while being passed by 3 motorcycles I would be writing this in prison, overwhelmed with guilt. I have not taken chances with other's lives since. I have shut down operations until such time as I have proper equipment, licensing, insurance etc.

Why post this and expose myself ?

I hope some other jerk out there reads this and see's that it doesn't matter how long you get away with it. It can catch up to you in a fraction of a second, surrounded by innocents. So if you're out there ducking and hiding, skirting the law, stop before it's too late. And join me as I dive into the unknown, the world of LEGAL trucking.

ZILLA
(a reformed jerk?)

 

You should have heard the loud POP as my head emerged from my ####.

 

That's the plan. I've been paying taxes on the recycling income. I haven't hauled anything for anyone else, it's all been ACs or generators I purchased when they were taken out of service. The plan is to move into the trucking business. With the Chinese out of the metals markets, the metal recycling business has taken a kick to the groin. Some metal prices are only 20% of what they were a year ago. I always had people working for me but I did all the driving/hauling because I enjoy it. Why not stick with what you enjoy and do it right.