Truckers Report Jobs

Find Trucking Jobs

Company Driver Company Driver Dry Van Dry Van Flatbed Flatbed Refrigerated Refrigerated Specialized Specialized Owner Operator Owner Operator
More Trucking Job Searches ⌄ Fewer Trucking Job Searches
⌃

NYC xp'd driver nds advice want to be "nyc otr-to-city-relay owner op" - profitable?

Discussion in 'Ask An Owner Operator' started by nyctruckingspecialist, May 7, 2013.

  1. May 7, 2013 #1
    nyctruckingspecialist

    nyctruckingspecialist Bobtail Member

    2
    0
    May 7, 2013
    0
    Hi yall!

    I've got six years experience, and for the last two years I've done basically nothing but NYC for OTR companies.

    But I know a lot of OTR drivers refuse to go into the city or they just can't handle it (nothing against OTR drivers - I technically am one but I just happen to get dispatched to NYC all the time and I never complained so I keep getting dispatched there).

    If I bought a short nose truck with a 36 inch sleeper and was willing to pick up the loads that big companies couldn't deliver (either because their drivers didn't have the experience/skill/confidence or the spots were just so small they needed a smaller sleeper to back in than the jumbo sleepers that are common nowadays)...would I be able to make a bunch of money?

    How would I charge? I wouldn't get a lot of miles...Scenario: truck driver refuses to go to Manhattan but I meet at a truck stop as close as he was willing to get...I grab the trailer - take it in, and return it to the driver or wherever the OTR company wants me to (near by just not in the city).

    Maybe drive up to 75 (100 once in a while) miles away from the city but try to keep it within 50... pick up trlrs, get them in there, and get them empty back to the company that I contract with (or companies PLURAL).

    Would any companies be willing to pay an owner operator enough money to run profitably as an owner op doing just this?

    $100/$200 to take a load in...plus mileage? Something like that?

    And what would the steps be to find customers?
     
    nyctruckingspecialist, May 7, 2013
    nyctruckingspecialist, May 7, 2013
    #1
  2. Truckers Report Jobs

    Trucking Jobs in 30 seconds

    Every month 400 people find a job with the help of TruckersReport.

  3. May 7, 2013 #2
    nyctruckingspecialist

    nyctruckingspecialist Bobtail Member

    2
    0
    May 7, 2013
    0
    nyctruckingspecialist, May 7, 2013
    nyctruckingspecialist, May 7, 2013
    #2
  4. May 7, 2013 #3
    Florida Playboy

    Florida Playboy Road Train Member

    4,102
    6,621
    Dec 19, 2012
    Florida
    0
    It's not a bad idea but most companies would probably rather force their drivers to deliver instead of paying you.
     
    Florida Playboy, May 7, 2013
    Florida Playboy, May 7, 2013
    #3
  5. May 7, 2013 #4
    rank

    rank Road Train Member

    9,918
    113,504
    Feb 11, 2010
    50 miles north of Rochester, NY
    0
    The NYC loads I see posted on the load boards pay ALOT more than a $200 premium for NYC so, in my estimation, you would have NO trouble getting $200.

    As for finding customers, call the brokers that have NYC loads posted and tell them your idea. It's really just interlining. You would need to fill out a carrier packet with them and they will be able to move the load with another company at a discount and you could get a cut of that discount.

    The only problem I see is that the OTR company might worry about getting the trailer stolen. If you had a cross dock facility, then I think you would be busier than a two headed billy goat.

    US trucking companies are already doing this in Detroit I believe for drivers that can't/won't go to Canada.
     
    rank, May 7, 2013
    rank, May 7, 2013
    #4
  7. May 7, 2013 #5
    Studebaker Hawk

    Studebaker Hawk Road Train Member

    2,994
    9,708
    Oct 18, 2010
    NW Indiana
    0
    The operation you are describing is called a cartage operation. It is widely practiced throughout the trucking industry. Carriers frequently get smaller specialty carriers to pickup and deliver their trailers if they can't for any # of a variety of reasons, capacity problems, or in your case, because they have problems getting drivers to go into certain areas.
    As far as finding this kind of work, you would be better off leasing to a company that already does this sort of thing. Any time you see a large well known carrier's trailer ( JB Hunt,Schnieder, Swift, whatever being pulled by a different tractor, you are seeing a cartage company. Call them and see if they are interested in hiring your services.
     
    Studebaker Hawk, May 7, 2013
    Studebaker Hawk, May 7, 2013
    #5
  8. May 7, 2013 #6
    rollin coal

    rollin coal Road Train Member

    13,280
    26,786
    Mar 29, 2008
    TN
    0
    One of my first lucrative expedited loads ran from GA up to Romulus, MI to a crossdock. Picked on a Friday night and delivered ASAP sat morning to be loaded onto a Canada bound truck asap Sat... ...I'm positive there is great money to be made in such an operation. It would also be cash intensive to get started up and a little more than simply grabbing a trailer from a driver and shuttling it in... I wonder how many companies out there don't force their drivers into NYC... ...most of the ones that don't have virtually no freight going there anyways. I worked for a company like that, they would pay a $100 for the rare loads that went there...
     
    rollin coal, May 7, 2013
    rollin coal, May 7, 2013
    #6
  • Truckers Report Jobs

    Trucking Jobs in 30 seconds

    Every month 400 people find a job with the help of TruckersReport.