Hi All, I'm looking to possibly get my feet wet in transport by doing local auto transport, such as transporting vehicles in need of repairs to repair shops, or transporting vehicles between buyers and sellers around my local area. There are also several auction houses around my area, that might be a good place to pick up business. I am not looking to do this as a primary means of income, but only to supplement. Does it seem like it would be worth getting into? Thanks in advance for the help. Usaf-denalidrw
You might want to check with said repair shops, auction houses etc., as they should be able to tell you their guidelines, insurance needs. They probably already have people in place but you never know, they might throw you a few bones if their busy?
I know I am gonna need additional insurance and other certs, but was hoping I could get the perspective from people doing it, to see if its still worth it with the addtl cost.
Hoping to get some more input from people running similar operations. Money is getting tighter and with a baby on the way I need to decide if this would be a good way to make a little extra.
Car Hauling I have found in the 37 years I have been hauling that car hauling is one of the worst category of hauling. First the cost of the specialized equipment is high, second the shipper will not pay over $0.25 per mile per car no matter what the distant. To brake even in this business of hauling you need $1.33 per mile (to cover insurance, fuel, expenses, etc). and that is very hard to get.
I haul a couple times a summer between Alaska and the Pacific NW. I have hauled cars and trailers and get no less than $1200 for a 2450 mile trip. That is just under $.50/mi. I only do this so I can go visit my granddaughter in the summer (I am a school teacher and have summers available for travel). I will only make the trip if I have a back haul. My costs for the trip one-way amount to around $900 depending on fuel costs. So, the extra $300ish goes toward playing with the wee one I also set aside a little each trip for tires and fluid changes. Oh ya, that does not include anything additional I may pick up that fits in the bed of the truck. Heck, in June I hauled a guys new dump trailer from Olympia to AK and had it full of barber chairs for my barber, and he gave me $500 on top of the $1200 from the trailer owner. I do not plan to make a full-time business out of this and mostly haul for friends and friends of friends just so I can spend more time with family.