Should I buy a truck, trailer and go to CDL school for this driving contract?

Migueljs16 · Dec 11, 2012

SierraMike said: ↑

Here's what I'm seeing.. you will be keeping your current job and adding this route. If this is correct, this sounds pretty good. If not, it sounds a little more risky, but not impossible. Have a good mechanic check out the truck and get an oil sample analysis. At 148k miles, thats not a bad price... if the tires are good and oil checks out.
how well do you know the owner of your company? i bought my daycab and sold it to my company for 1 dollar with a contract to buy it back at any time for the same price. What this did, was allow me to act like an owner operator, but i am treated like a private hauler. i cannot accept back hauls, but state farm carries my insurance like a car. i pay $120/ month to insure the truck and trailer. if you can land this deal, you will pay off your truck and trailer in about 6 months if you do not have any major mechanical issues. my little daycab only has 310 horsepower and i have pulled 53 foot trailers with 28,000 lbs in them. i run a single axle truck and put the heavy stuff in the back. I was running through Flagstaff and some spots were pretty tricky, but not unmanagable. Repairs are expensive and scary, but if you get into good truck, they arent too bad. get an oil sample on that truck and let us know how it looks.

i apologize for my poor punctuation. im typing this out on my phone .
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Thanks for the advice, I already started

Migueljs16 · Dec 11, 2012

Here is the facts for me now.
I did not go to school, I rented a truck from Penske for a weekend, and that was all the training I needed.
I bought a 2007 international 8600 single axle (latest year before the emission stuff kicked in), it has 97k miles, it has a cummins ISX 385HP.
Cost me 33k, but I figured I would rest easier with a more reliable and modern truck.

The Trailer is a 48 x 96 (not 102) with 2007 Wabash with 4k hours, costd me 17k, 100% tires and breaks when I got it.
I have no problems in the weight station, I place the heavy stuff in the back, and the light produce in the front.

I'm doing 3 hauls a week now, each haul pays me $625.
I spent $125 (on average) in gas, and $27 in tolls.
I payed my insurance all cash in a lump sum, its all tax exempt and got a very nice rate for my liability (100k liability)... it ran me 5k all and all

I got 4k in the bank in case anything happens, mechanical, tolls ect, I'm slow building it weekly until it reachest 15k.

I'm banking $1,400 a week after paying my tolls and gas. While only putting just 700 miles a week on the truck.

It felt like a good idea, which is why I went for it. Thanks for the advice from everyone, a lot was helpful other was way off the numbers margin (worst case scenario I imagined)

And of course I still got my machine operator job paying me 650 a week.

o/otony · Dec 25, 2012

congrats miguel!!!! im about to buy an 8600 with a ism 425 cummins to add to my fleet of dodges.

rockyroad74 · Dec 30, 2012

Migueljs16 said: ↑

insane, I was told 750 max by my friends. Im hauling produce, all and all it will be about 35k of cargo on the reefer trailer, plus another 10k for the trailer itself (the trailer is tandem).. it comes out to about 50k pounds worst case scenario (Including trailer). The trailer gets 36k pounds on the tandem axel, and the truck gets 18k pounds on the rear, so Im pretty safe. I think.

The owner operator with the contract is currently hauling our produce, he is very unreliable, he has a full time job, and takes our cargo as secondary, so whenever he does 12 hour drive or something, and our stuff is ready for him, by DOT law he makes us wait until he gets his rest. Not to mention hes been absent more than a dozen times over the course of a year.
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Wow! You really are very unprepared, and frankly just downright ignorant on this.

You don't know a #### thing about trucking, you don't know the axle limits, the equipment, and you don't know or even respect the law concerning transportation.

You have much contempt for the previous hauler "making you wait". If he ignores the HOS laws, he will be fined over $1000, receive a misdemeanor criminal conviction, and possible jail time not to mention a suspended license, which really makes it hard to get insurance later on.

I suggest you start having respect for things like the law and a professional trucker's experience, even if he makes you wait for his 10 hour break to complete before hauling your load. If not, people are going to die, because you were criminally negligent.

spacetrucker88 · Dec 30, 2012

SHC said: ↑

Your weights are a bit off as well. A 48' reefer trailer is going to weight about 15,000#, then add the 30,000# of cargo and the weight of the truck. You drive axle on that will be rated at most likely 20k. With the empty trailer and reefer unit on the nose, you will be close to 14k on that axle alone.

Insurance is another $12k for the year and your taxes to IFTA and plates about $2,500. Then add the fact you have to pay taxes on the money you make, so that $875 is now about the same as what you make now after SE tax and all the other crap. If the turbo goes out, you'll be dead in the water with no money to fix it. A blown tire will run $800 easily.

Trucking isn't a get rich quick biz. You are going fail and there is no way around it.

And then onto the rate for going into NYC, the bridge isn't $13, it's between $75-$100 for a big truck, plus that rate he is paying you is just WAY too cheap even if it was going across town. Now add in NYC and the premium just doubled. Your boss knows it and sees a sucker in you and is taking advantage of the fact you know nothing about this industry.

So after you figure all your costs and expenses, you'll be lucky to break even. You will have $0 in your check left for you. And that's the disaster u don't need.

Keep your machine job and work your 24 hours a week. That's gravy

Dont do it
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where do you get those $800 tires Ihad 16 bridgestone and 16 michelin tires a few weeks ago they were new trailer tires 24.5 low profile for380 a piece if I remember correctly.

spacetrucker88 · Dec 30, 2012

Migueljs16 said: ↑

Here is the facts for me now.
I did not go to school, I rented a truck from Penske for a weekend, and that was all the training I needed.
I bought a 2007 international 8600 single axle (latest year before the emission stuff kicked in), it has 97k miles, it has a cummins ISX 385HP.
Cost me 33k, but I figured I would rest easier with a more reliable and modern truck.

The Trailer is a 48 x 96 (not 102) with 2007 Wabash with 4k hours, costd me 17k, 100% tires and breaks when I got it.
I have no problems in the weight station, I place the heavy stuff in the back, and the light produce in the front.

I'm doing 3 hauls a week now, each haul pays me $625.
I spent $125 (on average) in gas, and $27 in tolls.
I payed my insurance all cash in a lump sum, its all tax exempt and got a very nice rate for my liability (100k liability)... it ran me 5k all and all

I got 4k in the bank in case anything happens, mechanical, tolls ect, I'm slow building it weekly until it reachest 15k.

I'm banking $1,400 a week after paying my tolls and gas. While only putting just 700 miles a week on the truck.

It felt like a good idea, which is why I went for it. Thanks for the advice from everyone, a lot was helpful other was way off the numbers margin (worst case scenario I imagined)

And of course I still got my machine operator job paying me 650 a week.
Click to expand...

I thought the experts said this would not work for you.$2.65 a mile with half of the miles empty sounds pretty fair to me. You insurance does seem a little low for no experience but good for you.

aarondeere · Dec 30, 2012

Good for you. Sounds like you took the bull by the horns. Gotta love all the naysayers. I heard the same stuff 13yrs ago. I farm and back then sold all my hay through dealers or by the small truck load. Looked into semi's and many said too much work, too costly, on and on. Well looking back, I've made my investment back so many times and more importantly have a more stable customer base. Hard work pays off and it sounds like you made it work.

rickybobby · Dec 30, 2012

rockyroad74 said: ↑

Wow! You really are very unprepared, and frankly just downright ignorant on this.

You don't know a #### thing about trucking, you don't know the axle limits, the equipment, and you don't know or even respect the law concerning transportation.

You have much contempt for the previous hauler "making you wait". If he ignores the HOS laws, he will be fined over $1000, receive a misdemeanor criminal conviction, and possible jail time not to mention a suspended license, which really makes it hard to get insurance later on.

I suggest you start having respect for things like the law and a professional trucker's experience, even if he makes you wait for his 10 hour break to complete before hauling your load. If not, people are going to die, because you were criminally negligent.
Click to expand...

He is already up and running.

JRut · Jan 6, 2013

Congrats and it makes me mad when people discourage you to do something, newbie or not. I'm thinking about buying a cabover and start making some money! Either sand or water hauling..maybe belly dump. But congrats to you for your decision.

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