Advice on 3 car trailer for non CDL?

Not here in Arkansas they are not. The local sherriff and police are looking out for those rigs as a potential revenue source because part of enforcement is educating. If you are running a motor vehicle for a livelhood in INTRASTATE or INTESTATE to make a living when other people pay you money to haul things like cars you need to have a CDL.

The state will figure out the correct weight class for your rig and trailer at gross combination for licensing purposes in class rating. If you have the correct class license and a CDL because you are making a living then you are fine.

If you do not have it, then you can be prosecuted, fined etc for it. Also the vehicle and trailer plus whatever is on it will have to sit right there and wait until you dig up a licensed driver to drive it away. Otherwise it becomes a towing problem back to your yard until you do have the correct licensing for that work.

Remember every state has a DOT Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Board. It is not just for doing bad things but more importantly they bend over backwards should you call or show up and ask them what is the proper path forward for a given rig in terms of what is required. They are always more than happy to educate you, point you correctly the right path and so on. Before you run out there and get pulled over.

 

Atlanticus,

I am going to share with you and others just starting out some very important info that will make or break you when hauling cars with a 1 ton pickup.

1. DOT loves to pick on 1 ton trucks because they are easy to inspect and usually have issues with weight, permits, cdl, improper logs, tires not rated for load, safety chain on trailer to truck not hook correctly, and most setup fail the parking brake test. Fully loaded on an incline, the parking break on truck alone may fail to stop from rolling since wedge trailer with electric brakes does not have parking break.

2. I did not get inspected because i tagged my plate to 40k and in big bold letters on my f350 truck, i labled my truck as 40k gvw so DOT can clearly see that i am tagged above 26k and would announce that i have Class A license. I tagged for 40k even though i will never go over 30k with a 3 car trailer. I got this tip from another long time hauler. It is best to not get stop by DOT since they can usually find something wrong.

3. If you get 2 out of service in one year, insurance company like Progressive will not renew your insurance. There are less than a very small handful of insurance companies that insure car hauling. And i only know of Progressive, that will insure new drivers. I met with 2 other experienced owner operators that was in business for 3+ years, no accidents or claims, and Progressive did not renew their insurance due to out of service 2 in a year.

Without insurance, authority will be shut down. It is very easy to get a out of service hauling cars on a 3 car wedge trailer.

Here are common out of service that most one ton truck face:
Elog/HOS, bad brakes or fail brake test, worned or blown tire, tire rating not support weight, safety chain from trailer to truck improperly attached, brake lights out on trailer, turn signal light out on trailer, improper load securement, trailer needs welding, bent cross member on trailer,......the list goes on.

Wedge trailers that everyone are using are poorly made and fall apart after only a few years. The 3 axle single tires configuration is the worst because it wear out tires unevenly due to sharp turns as well as breaking or bending the trailer axle. One bald spot on tire is a violation per DOT.

Bottom line, if you want to haul safely, get CDL and use a real truck with air brakes on truck and trailer. For about the same price, you can buy a semitruck with a flatbed trailer to haul both cars, ltl, and general freight.

Before i started the route with a 1 Ton truck, I asked every one of these guys at the truck stop for their info. After 2 years, every one of these guys have quit hauling with the 1 ton truck and upgraded to semi truck.

Hope this helps.

I only hauled with a 1 ton truck and 3 car trailer for 5 months before selling my rig. Went back to semitruck with sleeper. Oh, i missed my sleeper in the semi truck. With the 1 ton truck, i dreaded sleeping in the back seat and wake up more sore and tiresome than before i slept.

 

I have been an OTR owner operator, CDL, for over 10 years, hauling flatbed, stepdeck, van, and reefer before downgrading to a smaller truck. My main reason for downgrading is maintenance costs. Semi truck cost a lot to maintain and fuel mileage was horrible. I was hoping that the 1 ton truck would cost less to repair and generate a least 2k+ per week after fuel. To my surprise, it cost more to run a 1 ton truck. Oil change every 2 weeks, trailer tires always worn out in 3 to 5 months, and i only got 6 to 7 mpg with my ford f350 loaded with 3 cars.

Bottom line why i quit running with a 1 ton truck is because of fatigue. Imagine Working 14 long hours and then try to relax by sitting on the cramp driver seat or squeeze in the backseat to sleep. Truck is too small to stand or stretch.

1 ton truck hauling cars will not generate enough revenue for you to sleep at a motel.

 

Swift is hauling 3 cars on a trailer.
But it's UPS vans, being pulled by a FL m70.

 

In the East coast you will make more money with 3 car and smart way dispatching than with 9 car.

I was stunned when I saw how much 9 car guys gross (25-30K) a month which is possible with 3 car and I have done in winter consecutively. It is not just a particular month. I have hauled cars from snowy Vermont in Winter and Buffalo NY while I have not seen 9 cars working at all cause they can and my rate was $2-3 a mile per car. You can always find loads like this and beat 9 car grosses. I met 9 car carrier driver on a truck stop in Connecticut he was hauling Adesa Boston cars to Tennessee. Each car paid him $350. I was stunned. WTF? really dude? I get $450 as regular price on Audi hauls from Boston to Philadelphia. WTF is this?

Not bashing 9 car hauler, been myself years ago and it sucked, you are behind the bars. It is jail and if you decide to be local with 9 car trailer then 3 car hauler will beat you

Have run 5 and 7 car trailers too

However in Arizona, Texas 3 car is not a smart decision