Dually w/3-4 wedge, Medium duty w/ 4-5 car or semi w/7-10? Please help

Discussion in 'Car Hauler and Auto Carrier Trucking Forum' started by Nikki/, Mar 15, 2012.

  1. WillametTrans Industries

    WillametTrans Industries Bobtail Member

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    Mar 16, 2012
    Hillsboro OR
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    I am right about where you are. I sought out a small tractor, frieghtliner or international for sometime, problem was I could not find any financial institution to give me an auto loan for one. Then I looked into small business loan. SBA (the government) wanted 50% down. I have some capital but I want to save it for operating costs. Then I found an investment corperation but they just wanted to drag me over the coals. In the end I was stuck with a one ton dually. I went with the dodge 6.7 primarily for the engine brake. Maybe if you have better credit and more capital you will have no problem picking up a tractor. That's my experience so far.
     
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  3. smugglinggoods

    smugglinggoods Light Load Member

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    Jul 22, 2010
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    Maybe some others on here could give some good advice on hp rating and trannys that would be best for your setup. My Peterbilt has a 13speed and 425hp. It works really well as with the 13speed and light loads I can keep my rpms where I want them. But there are alot of guys on here that would be really helpful with this.
    I dont know alot about pricing so your just gonna have to look at the truckpaper and see what things run. A good 4 or 5 car trailer could run most of your budget.
    Biggest advice I can give you is buy a truck and trailer that is the most versatile. Tara Sport builds a really nice step deck trailer that will haul cars trucks and pretty much any other freight you could want. Try not to limit yourself to what you can haul. Once you get going you will quickly realize you need to be able to haul more then just cars. This will keep your trailer full and you will make alot more money.

    Good luck
     
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  4. Nikki/

    Nikki/ Bobtail Member

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    Mar 15, 2012
    Greensboro, NC
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    Thanks! If im a car-hauler can i take any other loads like general freight? btw, you can only fit 3 cars on step deck right? people pays much more for delivery of bigger trucks like dually and medium duty that i can put on stepdeck?
     
  5. Poker Guy

    Poker Guy Bobtail Member

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    Mar 4, 2012
    Austin, Texas
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    Hey Nikki......

    I will do the best I can to help you out with your searches for equipment. I am on Central and can give you some general quotes if you want to get an idea of how things work. What you really need is some sit down time over the phone and ask some questions which concern you. That way you can get some straight answers without dealing in the blind. That takes time and money and it sucks. Take it from a guy who spent alot of time without any help to get where I am today. This site is great and you can meet alot of people who are helpful. Just let me know and if you need my number you can give me a call and I will try to help you out with as much as I can. I just sent you a Private Message too. Let me know, right now I am a captive audience because of a health issue so I have to sit out for a while why I recover. I would rather talk to some folks then sit around and do nothing. Have a great day.
     
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  6. SHO-TYME

    SHO-TYME Road Train Member

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    Dahlonega, GA
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    Nikki, jsut be aware, if you think you can make a living off of Central, it's gonna be really tough.
     
  7. Nikki/

    Nikki/ Bobtail Member

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    Mar 15, 2012
    Greensboro, NC
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    Probably so, I was hauling cars for about 5 months on 2500 truck & 1 car trailer, it was kinda hard to find expensive loads to cover gas, dispatcher %% + other expenses and keep something in my pocket, it was tough, especially when gas went up, thats why i wanna switch to something bigger to earn more bucks to cover my bills and keep some..i hope ill be fine ) Thanks for advises
     
  8. smugglinggoods

    smugglinggoods Light Load Member

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    Jul 22, 2010
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    Sho Tyme is right central dispatch is only a good tool to fill in loads. A lot of people try to use it to run a business off of and that wont work. It may seem sometimes you could but when things slow down you will be hurting with out your own customers. Also central dispatch lets any hauler or broker on and they both are some of the worst. I have been unpaid a couple times from brokers on central. I dont use it anymore and havent in awhile so maybe things have changed but I doubt it.
    Once you get your own authority and insurance you can haul any type freight you want so with something like a 3 car step deck type trailer you can haul pickups which are usually better paying and you can stack some LTL freight on it. And since you gonna buy a class 8 truck weight will never be a issue.
     
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  9. LBZ

    LBZ Road Train Member

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    Oct 22, 2008
    Road to Nowhere
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    Yeah, it has changed, for the worse.

    I have given up on telling people this business is brutal, they usually do not listen. But with day job I gave up in '07 to start this, I had way more money in my pocket at any given time than this past few years.

    If you are dead set on this business, find a car hauling company to work for. Hold on to your own cash, this economy is not fixed nor will be anytime soon.
     
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  10. texan007

    texan007 Medium Load Member

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    Jun 5, 2010
    In the woods,TEXAS
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    It took me two years to get caught up from my investment. I started with a Chevy 2009 3500 and a 3<4 car hauler. Bought a double axle Pete and a 6/7 CR hauler. Then hauled frac sand with the Pete. If your going in without contracts YOU WILL FAIL. Unless you have enough capital to hold out for a year or so while making almost no money. The rates on centraldispatch will BARELY COVER all your bills.
    I cannot stress enough that if you have no contracts to start what a big mistake your about to make. I presently get $1.00 a mile per car and do OK with my Chevy again. I'm not renewing my insurance next month most likely. I do have steady work hauling lease returns at that rate but there is almost nothing out there right now for back hauls. I'm wearing out my truck fast also. I'm about to start a new job as a broker agent for a large company.
    To answer you question WITH A DOSE OF REALITY.....1 ton with DPF/EGR DELETE, airbags on rear axle, tuner , boost and exhaust gauges, upgraded tranny, synethic fluids all the way through, tranny cooler, fifth wheel, beefed up front end and brakes , fuel separater and oil bypass will be the only way to start. THIS WILL MAKE YOU ILLEAGEL AND COST OVER $5000.00.
    A single axle class 8 and a 4/5 car hauler will give yo the best return on your investment. Double axle with less than 9 cars and your just buying fuel.
    REMEMBER I GET $1.00 per mile per unit and its hard for me. I do have some good connections in this area so if your dead set contact me and i will do my best to help out.
    I DO STAND BY MY STATEMENT NO CONTRACTS TO START .........YOU FAIL!
    Just reality , not trying to be mean. This industry is on a FAST TRACK to be for big companies only. This extra you pay for fuel, insurance etc alone will force you to try and haul for united road rates which just will not work.
    THERE ARE CONTRACTS OUT THERE THAT STATE IF YOU DAMAGE A NEW UNIT THEN YOU PAY THRÈE TIMES THE COST OF THE REPAIRS .........I PROMISE. READ EVERY CONTRACT.
    Take photos of every unit with a time and date stamp before you load it.

    Good luck,

    Bryan
    alltexan@live.com
     

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  11. Nikki/

    Nikki/ Bobtail Member

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    Mar 15, 2012
    Greensboro, NC
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    How many HP u had on your 4700?
     
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