Anyone haul for Coparts or IAA in Georgia

Discussion in 'Car Hauler and Auto Carrier Trucking Forum' started by henry4890, Feb 14, 2018.

  1. henry4890

    henry4890 Bobtail Member

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    Feb 14, 2018
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    I have CDL's and been driving for a local company in Atlanta but not making much per hour. Thinking of getting a 4 car hauler and start my own business. I hear some people haul for Coparts or IAA. Wondering if anyone here does and how hard is it to get business with them? Or are there any other ones to haul from in the Atlanta area? An advice is appreciated.
     
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  3. brian991219

    brian991219 Road Train Member

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    This is going to sound like a smart arse answer but it it the truth. Copart and IAA will contract with anyone that can pass the mirror test. Meaning, if you can fog a mirror (are alive and willing) they will give you work. I was a Copart driver trainer back in the late 90's when they still had their huge fleet and they used to be a good company to work for, then they went to this sub-hauler model and it became crap.

    Here are a few important points to consider with salvage contracts since they don't work the same as traditional auto transport operations.

    1) You have a limited window to pickup the wrecked vehicles at the tow yard, body shop or impound facility and if you miss that window Copart will charge you for the extra day(s) of storage fees until that car is picked up.

    2) Their rates are zone based with no extras for flat tires, no keys, severe damage (that has to be strapped down and secured), bad information, delay times, etc. Their rates are way below even average Central Dispatch rates.

    3)THIS IS IMPORTANT, most of the cars are wrecked and need to be winched on/off the truck and many storage lots will not help you so you need to be able to back your truck up to the car to load it. SO BY 4 CAR I hope you mean a 4 car rollback not a pickup and trailer. Obviously that doesn't apply if you are hauling out of Copart facilities since they will fork load your truck.

    4) Insurance carriers hate insuring salvage transport operations because of the bad business practices many of the barely surviving contractors use. Go get some insurance quotes before spending any real money or time on this.

    5) Be sure you have at least $10,000 set aside above the costs to buy the truck, pay insurance and fuel so that you can cover unexpected repairs quickly. You will have a lot of flat tires running in and out of the salvage yards, plus with the way they charge you for missing pickup windows you will need to be able to very quickly repair anything that breaks on your truck.

    Now, if I haven't scared you off, I have a real nice 2007 KW T370 with a Chevron aluminium bed on it for sale. 652k miles, Cummins motor rebuilt by the dealer at 400k, Allison auto, fully equipped and ready to rock and roll for $50,000. See photo below. 20150606_143047.jpg
     
  4. woolybully35us

    woolybully35us Medium Load Member

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    the local wreaker companies around here will not haul for them .they told me they want you to haul for a cut rate an the try to pay you less when it is delivered to their yard. I had a wreaked truck they had picked up, the hook that came an got it was a 150 miles from me an took it 90 miles in the opposite diction from where they were from.
     
  5. brian991219

    brian991219 Road Train Member

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    I've never heard of them not honoring their contract rates, they are pretty good about that since it is an automated system that pays you. You are 100% correct that they pay way below value for the work which is why the sub-par companies are the only ones really doing salvage auction work, with a few exceptions of course. There are a few large companies up in NJ, PA and DE that do real well with salvage work but mostly it is guys that can't qualify to haul elsewhere.
     
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  6. Brucely

    Brucely Light Load Member

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    Thanks for this post... I was thinking about getting into car hauling... then realized it requires a huge overhead :/
     
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  7. BigBob410

    BigBob410 Road Train Member

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    What yard did you work out of? I drove for them for a few years back around '97in Waldorf. I came off the road when my wife was pregnant and did pretty good as a company driver. Can't say too much about them now but it was decent then, a hustler could do well there back then.
     
  8. brian991219

    brian991219 Road Train Member

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    FB_IMG_1458948871024.jpg @BigBob410 From 99-03 worked out of yard 24 Marlboro (Newburgh) NY, travelled wih the CAT team a few times and worked with them to hire/train drivers to open yard 91 Somerville and yard 94 in Albany. Also helped on Glassboro, Pennsburg and Long Island.

    You are right, I made better then $75k in a 5 car working M-F, occasionally a Saturday and never more than 10 or 11 hour days.
     
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  9. BigBob410

    BigBob410 Road Train Member

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    I drive one of those in Waldorf. Also a 4 car Jerr-dan and got a new Chevron before I left. Used to go to Glassboro a good bit. Used to get teased for my Southern accent by one young lady. I wish I could remember her name. Oh and we had a really old 7 car Landoll for awhile but it was more trouble than it was worth!
     
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  10. DrDieselUSA

    DrDieselUSA Bobtail Member

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    You were definitely given some great advice by Brian991219, thank you Brian for sharing that with us. There are a few things that I would like to add to Brian's list as I am planning to do salvage hauling in the next few months. I will be working in South West Florida, so being located between multiple yards for Copart and IAA along with my main business operations and my experience I am confident I will do well hauling salvage for the auctions.

    First let me give you a quick run down of my background,so you can have a better understanding from my point of view. I have been working as a heavy duty truck and equipment mechanic for over 25 years. I have been working for the last 12 years in Ecuador in the oil and mining industries. During my time in Ecuador I had to do a lot of heavy transport and some heavy equipment recoveries for the insurance companies. This is where I learned the art of doing more with less. I got my class A CDL in 1998 when I was 23 and I first learned how to hook up cars when I was only 8 by riding with my father in his 1977 F 350 with a No Mar single line sling and pan style dollies, as he would tow cars to his gas station in New York. I also remember my uncle's 1971 F 350 with a PJ Ortiz. That truck had a tow bar and my uncle would use an old tire and 4x4's when he towed cars. I always thought that was a pretty cool trick that I still use to this day!

    Since my main work is selling parts and components to mining companies in South America and also traveling and working as a mechanic for these companies when needed, the salvage hauling would be more like filler work for me to give me something to do and get me out of the house / office. So, enough about me and lets get back on topic and add my opinions to the great advice you have already received.

    It is my understanding that in order to get any out bound towing jobs from Copart or IAA, you have to do in bound towing for them. A 4 Car flat bed tow truck is not what I would recommend you start out with for several reasons that I will list below. Please understand that these are my opinions and I am not trying to discourage you or step on anyone's toes.

    1) Any decent 4 car carrier is going to be very expensive. It would be very difficult to save that large amount of money to get started correctly. You figure that truck posted above is $50,000 plus the cost of tags, insurance, business licenses, business supplies such as chains, straps uniforms, ect... and a place to rent to park the truck and operate your business out of could be another $20,000 depending on where you live. Then as mentioned above, you should have about $10,000 cash to cover any maintenance or repairs. Not to mention fuel, tolls or other emergency's. I did not even mention having any money to pay your rent / mortgage, by groceries to feed your family. I would never recommend anyone starting out to go into debt to buy such an expensive piece of equipment. You would be starting out behind the 8 ball and the odds would be much greater of you failing than succeeding.

    2) 4 car carriers are great for outbound towing, especially if all 4 cars are going to the same place. However for inbound towing, you will be making multiple stops and some towing and impound yards could be hard to get a truck that large in and out. Also some inbound tows require you to pick up at a residence, again a very large truck to be driving around in residential neighborhoods. Many drivers I have seen with a 4 car carrier have to drop and pick to shuffle around the load to make it work. This can be very time consuming and a PITA., something you definitely do not want to be doing in a residential neighborhood. Also where I am in South West Florida, most residential homes have a concrete slab drive way that is maybe 3" thick. If you accidentally move the 4 car carrier on these drive ways, the weight of the truck will crush the drive way raising your already high insurance premiums.

    3) I would suggest you get a 2 car flat bed tow truck or a wrecker. A 2 car flat bed could be found for a much lower starting cost. They are much easier to maneuver in and out of some small tow yards and especially in residential neighborhoods. I personally prefer to use a mechanical sling type wrecker with pan style dollies as I find it easier to load and move cars that are wrecked, but I have many years of towing under my belt and this method would be difficult for some one with little to no towing experience.

    4) Join tow411 taptalk forums. There is lots of great information in those forums and do not be affraid to ask questions. Even if you think they may be dumb questions, the professionals on those forums are happy to help you and share their knowledge.

    5) Watch youtube for videos of loading different types of tow trucks ( 2 car , 3 or 4 car, self loader and even sling type wreckers ) . This can be very helpful and again look in the forums and ask questions.

    6) If you start out with a 2 car carrier, try to get a second spare truck like a wrecker. Even if it is just a 3/4 or 1 ton pick up with a sling, this is a back up when your primary truck is down for repairs because as mentioned above, you have a limited time pick up window and the late charges could add up quick. However I would look for a Holmes 220 unit, you can score one on craigslist cheap. I am not to fond of the slide in repo sling units. I think the sling is at too low of an angle when towing and I would be afraid of hitting the brakes hard and the car sliding up the sling and hitting the back of the truck.

    7) Make sure you look and act the part of a professional. Appearance is everything and you do not want to be lumped in with all the unprofessional salvage haulers out there. Keep your truck clean and presentable. Wear steel toed boots, long pants or jeans ( with out stains or holes in them ), have shirts made with a simple logo, and most importantly watch your language! Most truck drivers I have met over the years can not complete a sentence with out using the F word at least once. No tow yard, body shop or residential customer wants to hear a driver spouting off profanity. Also get yourself a shop coat. This looks like a blue lab coat to wear when you are loading up to protect your clothes from getting dirty. two pairs of good leather work gloves and a box of blue latex gloves for parts that are greasy or if you have to reach into the interior of a wrecked car where there is blood or other bio hazardous fluids present.

    8) Many out bound tows from Copart and IAA are export vehicles. If you are close to a port I would suggest you apply to get a TWIC card. You need this to enter the port. With out a TWIC card some one has to accompany you. This could be ok if your customer has a TWIC card and is in the port to meet and accompany you, if not you have to hire a company to escort you. They are not always readily available and they charge a pretty penny for their services, which btw Copart and IAA will not reimburse you.

    9) If you are close to a Richie Bros Auction you could get some work moving some light duty trucks and some small construction equipment and maybe some ltl items like gen sets. Ritchie Bros is hooked up with U Ship, but you can talk with the local yard and ask to be added to the list of transporters in the buyer services page of their website. I have an account with U Ship, but it really is a waist of time because the shippers are not really serious and take forever to commit to a load because they are afraid that someone else may offer to do it cheaper. Also U Ship if full of non compliant carriers, meaning you will be competing against " Bob the red neck " with his 1987 Chevy 1 ton pick up and 14' trailer. He also has no commercial insurance or operating authority and is doing the job for beer money.

    10) Last but not least, if you are normally working Monday through Friday you should spend half a day Saturday washing, cleaning, greasing and maintaining your truck. If you learn what are the items most mechanics check for during an annual inspection and check these items, you will be able to find most problems before they become break downs. This will help keep your operating costs under control and reduce down time due to unscheduled repairs.

    Sorry for the long winded rant, I hope I did not discourage you and I really wish you the best of luck. Remember that in business no one plans to fail, but many fail to plan and this often causes the business to fail.
     
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