Educate me on Intermodal

So how do you get work running containers from the sea ports or rail yards?

Brokers or what?

I see that illegal aliens without drivers licenses are moving containers, so it must not be so hard to get work.

I know zero about this business, so please let me know anything you know about how the business works. The basics.

Thanks in advance.

 

The #1 way to go broke is to go into something you have no clue of what it takes.

The #2 way to go is to haul containers on a regular basis

The #3 way to go broke to to haul cars.

 

Yeah but judging from the rigs I see pullling containers, they haven't had a truck payment since the 90's.

 

got acouple friends doing that and there trucks are old and paid off.They are bringing home 2500.00 to 3000.00 aweek and home everynight so it cant be that bad.......

 

Most of the money is contracted out. There is a lot of local business that from what I saw did not pay that much. Spent over a year going from Denver to Long Beach or San Pedro. Waiting to get into the ports before they opened would see the guys lined up and a truck would pull up and they would all rush over. It was like picking up day labor outside of Home Depot.

And while it may seem they are all illegal you can't get into the ports these days without being checked out.

 

I have been doing a lot of homework on this subject myself and have found a lot of good and bad info. The biggest thing you can do is go to Google and look up Intermodal companies in your area. Then pick up the phone and start calling around asking direct and pertinent questions. From what I have gathered and built my business plan around is that the lower you keep your fixed costs the better you will do in the intermodal business.

Since I made my post about a certain company in my area that didn't work out I have found another company that seems to be doing very well by their drivers. They pull their own chassis' and have a full time shop to maintain them. They also pay enough that with my projected expenses I should be able to NET $1000-$2500 a week after all expenses and taxes. The problem...they don't need any contractors right now but I'm on the waiting list and have a friend who pulls for them so I have an in.

 

Seems like they always have 2 flats, simutaneously !!!!!

Same side, same axle, too !!!

Strange.........

 

Yep, that's because the shipping lines have dinosaurs for chassis' and they use tubed bias ply tires still. When one goes flat it rubs on the other and heats it up until the tube inside pops. This is the reason I did not lease on to MDII because they wanted the contractor to pay for chassis repairs upfront and then turn in receipts to be reimbursed up to two weeks later. I told the recruiting manager that my business plan did not allow for fronting his company money to repair someone else's equipment. My maintenance fund was for my truck only.

 

it is important to know where YOU are? Since with the new CARB rules things are changin considerably on the West Coast especially--so picking up an older reliable truck might not be an option for you--which would change the entire dynamic!
just my $.02