Can local driving be done?

Yes staying away from big companies is huge. They can be a great start for someone with no other options but since you have options stay far from them. Now that’s not to say all big carriers are bad and all small carriers are good just the odds are better to be seen as a human with a small place.

One thing to be mindful of is that being home everyday doesn’t guarantee a normal or optimal home life. Lot of times it’s you get to sleep at home that’s about it. I get the allure of getting your own truck right out of the gate and in your situation, with the buying a camper I could see it working out no matter what. Unlike with a semi you can have other uses for it if the hauling stuff doesn’t work out. Just try and get some contacts before you go out and buy a truck. When I tried my hand at the hot shot stuff the load boards for it were a joke, that’s not to say that hasn’t changed over the years.


Also had a thought after my last post, idk how far from Indiana you are but camper hauling out of the Elkhart area is a huge business but that’s not usually local. I’m sure there is local runs and you can be selective. Guy I know runs for Star Fleet, he had a dually forever but now drives high end motor homes. Not sure if it geographically makes sense to you but maybe it’ll help you.

 

If you're dead set on the 2022 F450 and running your own truck, you might just want to start out with one of the RV transport companies in Indiana (there are many) since that is basically just power-only delivering campers to dealers. They have lots of trailers going to OH and nearby to where you could theoretically be home either every day or every other day at worst, depending on where you live in OH. They have local-local work too as a "shuttle" or "pull-out" driver where the trucks go pick the units up at the nearby factories and drop them back at the transport company holding yards, but that really only applies to guys who live in the immediate area. I did that for about a year and a half and it turns into a boring daily grind and wouldn't recommend it anyway. But hauling campers would be an easier way to get your feet wet to see if you even like driving for a living and the rates are not nearly as bad as they used to be. You don't need a CDL either. Getting set up to run hotshot is a large investment and no small task either, so unless you already have to some contacts or leads I wouldn't recommend trying to jump straight into that with no experience.

 

Be careful; I've seen drivers do what you're thinking of and ended up having to use the wife's paycheck to stay afloat.
That puts some stress on a marriage.

 

He'd make money hauling RVs and honestly after reading his original post again it sounds right up his alley. Wants flexibility to work own schedule and doesn't need to make a ton of money. Sounds like he already has some greater amount of financial flexibility if he's talking about paying cash for a new F450 (I wouldn't do that BTW...put down 50% and keep the rest in the bank.)

I just left a place at the end of the year but rate per mile for basic travel trailers was up to $1.77 and ones going to the Northeast $1.84 because not many guys want to go that way so they spiff a little extra. Also unpopular this time of year (for good reason) is anything going out west because the weather gets treacherous. The rates were at $1.67 about a month ago and they bumped them 10 cents...should have gone 20 IMO to really get some guys to leave the house. Ain't like Forest River can't afford it. There are certainly things I don't like about the camper hauling business but if he played his cards right and did that for a year or two he'd have enough of a war chest to either upgrade to an RV/car trailer or get a gooseneck a switch to general flatbed freight.

 

Where in Ohio are you at ?

 

There's an expediter outfit near me that runs Sprinters and 1 ton flatdecks. They pretty much stay local and they always seem relatively busy. We probably use them at least once or twice a week.

 

Pay out of pocket for a private school if you can. OTR training companies will put you through their school (like Swift or Schneider) but at that point you’re beholden to them for up to a year last I checked to pay them back and they overcharge anyway. Like payday loan lenders they’re taking advantage of guys who don’t have any other options. Then If you quit on them and don’t have the cash to pay them off they send it to collections and trash your credit. You’re really starting off at the bottom of the heap holding none of the cards in that scenario.

 

That could be a nice deal.