Is it a good idea to buy newest 5308 for 135k usd？

i would buy 9 cars stinger only if I wanted to be true car hauler ...telling you from my experience starting as 4 cars hot shot , getting 7 cars after , 8 cars stinger ( modified truck with stand up sleeper ) and finally true 9 car stinger
...still missing car hauling from time to time
Doing step Conestoga at the moment

 

I am definitely not trying to keep you from hauling cars, but before I entered Carhaul I was planning to buy a used carhauler and “learn” how to haul cars later similar to what I feel you are proposing. (My plan would have been a huge mistake) I am definitely trying to keep you from hauling cars as an owner operator with zero carhauling experience. The knowledge/experience you will 100% need and gain will not come cheap and it could either bankrupt you or cause you to damage enough that you could be banned from some of the shippers you want to haul for. If you are properly trained by a good carrier you will still tear stuff up, but it is to be expected with anyone new in this industry and it should be minor compared to what you will tear up not having a clue. If you have a close friend who has been in the business for years who will train you my opinion could be slightly different. There are a lot of people pulling high mount trailers, but I don’t know their business model and won’t tell you which way you should go. This job absolutely sucked at first for me but with 36 years trucking, 12 years in hauling cars, 8 as an owner operator carhauler I very likely won’t do anything else.

 

Get the 9 car. You won't regret that decision if the place your working for has good paying freight. It's actually a lot easier to learn and far more flexible with different mixes of vehicles. It won't be as much about the 1 extra car's revenue as it'll be about easier to load, easier to learn. That 5308 is a complicated setup for sure. Good luck!

 

On my Winnipeg to bc runs I see empty and half empty car haulers or loaded with wrecks .. I’d make sure you have steady work before making the leap.

 

I don’t recommend anyone should buy either with zero car-haul experience. What I do and what someone else should do may very likely not be the same.
I don’t know what revenue potential you have with your opportunity versus what your opportunities would be with a 9 car and I wouldn’t want to plan your potential business opportunity. I need a rig that hauls the most cars legally possible for my operation. In my case a 9 car hauler makes me more than an 8 car hauler would because every load I haul would have to be adjusted down. Most of my loads aren’t 9 units but fit on an 80’ and wouldn’t fit on a high mount.
Typically I don’t see high mounts pulling new automobiles from the plants I haul from. Since I am not familiar with their business model I will not have an informed opinion on that business model.

It is not a one size fits all approach in carhaul, or any business that I am aware of. You may be able to buy an 8 car trailer to pull with your rig and make more money than I ever thought about making. Or you may not, but I don’t know your details nor do I want to be more specific in telling you whether or not you can be successful with what you propose.
Good luck with your choice!

 

Carhaul is a far cry from flatbed. I would not recommend going out on your own without experience, unless you plan on hauling mostly wrecked auction units. If this is what you really want to do, hire on to a bigger outfit and learn on their dime. Best of luck.