Questions from wannabe driver

Hey all.

I'm looking into becoming a driver. I worked for a crane/towing/hauling garage for a number of years and gained a lot of experience and knowledge of chaining/tying down loads and hauling small loads. I mainly drove an F450 Super Duty flat bed where I hauled small loads a few hundred miles to job sites. I've been in a different field the past few years and when I look back at the jobs I've had and when I was most satisfied with work, it was when I worked in that field.

I have started my own small businesses as side hustles before and was successful. What I'd like to do is start another but with the plan for it to become my main hustle and become self employed. The idea that I have is to buy an F450 SD Flat bed or similar and transport small loads on the side. The job that I have now would allow flexibility of my schedule to do some loads here and there and see if it's something I can be successful at before quitting my job and jumping in.

I do NOT have my CDL and do not plan on getting it immediately. Maybe once I am driving for a while and if I see that it would be of great benefit then I will look into it then. But right now I have a couple of young girls and a wife that I want to be home for and not away for weeks at a time so I'm not interested in taking an OTR job.

Any advice in general on this plan? Anything I need to really think about or take a look at? Also, are non-cdl loads difficult to find?

Thanks for any advice!

 

No trailer, simply haul small loads on the flat bed of the truck. This would keep me from needing a CDL for the time being.

And the plan is to make it full time quickly. But doing regional hauls mostly for a few months

 

Sorry, I’ll fix that. I’m in Pittsburgh. And I didn’t consider it CDL trucking since I’m not going to have my CDL immediately. Possibly down the road 6 months or so if I feel it’s a good fit for me then I can get a trailer and a CDL and do bigger loads.

Is this the right area to post this question, or is this all OTR CDL drivers in here?

 

Not a CDL graduate as I’ve tried to be clear on.

 

I see what you’re saying now, sorry. Thank you. That’s helpful!