Hello everyone my name is Greg. I am new to the site and wanted to introduce myself. I am sorry if i didnt post this in the right forum. I am looking into buying a 05 or newer Ram 3500 mega cab Cummins 6 speed manual and a 40" dual tandem straight deck trailer 20000 lb capacity and hauling mostly LTL freight. The trailer i am looking at is a gooseneck trailer that has a 16 ft stationary deck in the front and a 24 ft hydraulic tilt that will lift 9000 lbs on the back. I have been told that there is more money in freight than there is in cars right now? I originally was looking at a 48 ft 3/4 wedge here locally for 4 grand but I figure if i buy this 40 ft deck trailer on slow weeks or days i am at home i could haul cars for a good friend of mine here locally that owns 3 semi car haulers now and i could still load cars with low clearance and would not have to worry with ramps with this trailer. I plan on getting my own authority and from what i have been told that to make the best money i will have to have my own authority.I have been quoted $7k a year for 1 million liability and 100,000 cargo if i stay within 1000 miles of Atlanta. If anyone on here could give me any useful information that will help me get started it would be much appreciated. I know i will need tarps, 3/8 chains with ratchet binders and the trailer i am looking at has 10 stationary 4" straps welded to the trailer. I used to haul skid steers, mini excavators an for a small construction rental company on a 24 ft gooseneck dovetail behind a 96 F250 stroke that was overloaded most of the time so i dont think i will have any problems securing loads or getting the tongue weight right. I have looked at load sites like getloaded.com and uship and i see LTL freight that is under 15000 lbs available going all over the country. Once i have my authority, insurance and all my equipment i can simply call these companies and accept the load and simply show up and they will load my trailer? I know this sounds like a stupid question but i dont see or notice that many "hotshot" pickup trucks on Interstates around Atlanta or in GA and i drive alot. Will any of these freight companies turn me away because i am in a pick up truck? Will there be any issues since my trailer will not be dock height? I believe the trailer i am looking at sits at 36 inch height. It seems to me that most flatbed loads would be loaded from the side anyway. As long as i stay under 13 ft total height for bridge clearance i should be able to load anything under 10 ft tall with a deck height of 3 ft right? Again any help or info would be appreciated. If i stay at my current job i will lose everything in a few months, Thank you and god bless you. Greg
Hey everyone i just got a quote back from a commercial insurance company. Will this be enough coverage to get me started? I gave them my non CDL license number so i am guessing thats how they came up with less than 26k combined weight. I will still get my class A CDL to be safe. I am guessing the Ram 3500 probably weighs 7-8k and the trailer 7k empty so i should be able to load 11-12k and stay at or under 26k total? I told the insurance guy the truck would be valued at $20k (100000 mile used Ram 3500 at auction) and a used $7k trailer so he is close. Will this cover my arse? Greg, Please take a look at these estimates I have put together based on 1000 mile radius and 26000 maximum combined weight (Truck & Trailer). $900 – General Liability - $1M/$2M Limit $5300 – Auto Liability - $1M with $75K Uninsured Motorist and $100K Cargo $1500 – Physical Damage - $20,000 coverage with Comp and Collision deductibles (Truck & Trailer) $7700 – Total Premium Estimate I’m sure we could do a little better once we got down to moving forward with something. I did not shop this around with every carrier I have access to. I will wait to hear back from you and shop more aggressively if you are serious about moving forward with something. Thanks for the opportunity!
Almost 100 people have viewed this and no one is going to give the new guy any advice? There's 100's of thousands of loads out there folks. I am not going to take food off your table or clothes off your kids back!
Have you looked at Progressive for insurance. I got a quote for half that with a 500 mile radius. As far as loads go, they are out there, but depending a on a broker for one cuts into your bottom line. The best thing to do is find a customer close to home to get outbound loads, then look for a broker for inbound. Price your self to make money, even coming back empty. A backload is then a bonus, not a neccessity.
Thank you for the reply LBZ. There are alot of Industrial areas close to my home. I am going to stop by a few companies that manufacture machinery this week and talk with them and see who they currently use for shipping.
I am not trying to push you away, just giving you the explanation as given to me by multiple different state DOT personnel. For licensing issues (both vehicle and driver) the proper way to figure GCWR (Gross Combined Vehicle Rating) is to take the GVWR of the tow vehicle (12,200 for a 2007 Dodge 3500DRW) and add it to the GVWR of the trailer (you claim yours is tagged at 20,000). In your case this makes it a total GCWR of 32,200. Therefore you need to register the truck commercially (you are using it to make money) for a minimum of 32,200, therefore requiring you to hold a class A CDL. You can get a restricted CDL A by taking the basic written test (no airbrakes, no multiples, no tanker, your choice on HAZMAT), then take the driving testwith your truck/trailer combo. You will also need an operating authority from your state, or from Federal DOT if you are planning to cross state lines. The best way to figure out what you need is to visit with someone from your states DOT. I started by going to a local Port of Entry. These people are not out to screw you over, they will appreciate you coming in ahead of time to make sure you are doing things correctly, and will help you greatly. hope this helps. If you have any questions on what I explained here, call me at 3O7-two77-835three Darin
