New heavy haul operation - Nuevo Leon, MX to California

I mis-read your post. Even that many trips in a month is going to be challenging.

 

That rate of $20 a mile is not just paying for the driver and equipment to haul the load. It's paying for years of experience on how to move freight that size without causing damage to it or public infrastructure.

Let's just assume you import at Laredo and deliver somewhere near Sacramento in NorCal. Shortest distance that's 1800miles. Once you have a permitted route that is likely going to be closer to 2200-2500 miles. A single workzone restriction can add hundreds of miles in the middle of the trip. At 15'6" wide that is going to be a slow going move. Minimum 5-6 days traveling. Then at least 3 days to get back if you have a legal dimension trailer. 4 with your planned 12'w trailers. So each single piece will be a 2 week round trip. The pilot and fuel expenses alone are going to be $10K+.

4 axle tractors that can handle this kind of freight constantly without breaking down from being over worked are going to be 250K+ in today's market if you buy new. If you go used you will still be looking at 100-150K.

I'm telling you all this as somebody who does move stuff this size.

The old phrase "You get what you pay for" very much applies here.

 

ROFLMAO, I hope you have extra tire and rubber gaskets for airlines at your terminal on this side of MX, as the Swift Terminal in Laredo had all that cross border switching going on with just regular sized loads and their own trailers and we always had to inspect them and have tires put on because they require good rubber going over, but it never comes back in that condition, let alone the abuse that happens to the trailers over there. All I can say is, Good Luck. You're going to need it.

 

The trailer will come back with just the outside tires on the axles, all the wiring removed, and probably an axle missing.

 

Bricker heavy haul is right in Laredo and they have a huge yard with trucks and equipment and I believe even a crane to transfer stuff.

 

Is the delivery costs not something y’all thought to price before going into business ?

My neighbor drives for a small 10 truck heavy haul outfit , they have three 13 axle rigs and the rest are 6 axle rigs .

he gets paid 20% of the gross to the truck , and he averages getting paid right at 90 cents a mile for all miles .

this means that usually the company charges an average of $10 a mile for all miles , which means they charge $20 a loaded mile .

Taking a 16 wide 15 tall load across 9 states is quite the adventure .

And they do it every week . Except their cargo costs $51 million .

Every big city has curfew times when OS loads are not allowed .
And nearly every trip will have a construction zone on the interstate where you have to exit and take two lane backroads .

having to get off interstate 40 and take secondary roads all the way across Arkansas or Missouri with a 16 wide , is , uh , fun .
And adds several hours to the trip and might cause you to miss the curfew in the next big town ,

or not make it to the truck stop you planned to stop at , or the truck stop is so full you can’t fit in , be sue you didn’t want to pay to reserve three parking spots , or you did pay to reserve three parking spots but they have trucks parked in them ,

and since most states require OS to be off the road 30 minutes before sunset , except for the states that are 30 minutes after sunset , and a flat tire on your rig or the escorts , or some debris into the windshield of the escort car , or a popped radiator hose on the escort car , or the construction that wasn’t on the permit , or the accident that has the road squeezed down and you can’t fit ,

or the accident that has the interstate closed and all traffic diverted , except you can’t divert because that would mean you’re off the permitted route .

or your or one of the escorts CB radios quits working and no one has a spare CB and magnet antenna and SWR tuner .

or one of the strobe beacon lights stops working and no one has a spare light , or the wire gets damaged and no one has extra wire or knows how to repair the wire , or a piece of debris gets kicked up and rips your strobe light light off the trailer , taking half the wire with it , and shorting out the wire , blowing the fuse etc .

Etc etc etc


And some states like Ohio that don’t allow your OSOW load to exit and cross over the interstate to the truck stop on the other side , you’re only allowed to use truck stops on the same side as the exit ramp etc .


But I guess the not having OSHA or EPA and 10 times lower wages in Mexico is worth the money savings ?

as advised , if you take your nice new trailers to Mexico , they will get stripped .

it’s easy to swap the cargo once it’s on this side of the border .

Back the Mexico truck under the crane , raise the cargo , pull out the Mexico truck and back your new trailer under the cargo and drop it on .

gonna add a day to your trip time though .