Hey I saw what looks like to be a bunch of these guys hauling cars and trucks on my way back from TX. Is there a place I can find more info on this? Or someone here who does this.

Would I have better luck in the chit-chat forum?

Since the accident I can't do a physical job for anymore then 4 hours so I was thinking about doing some car hauling.

I think it sould be a good market since trucks are so cheap in other parts of the country compared to CA prices?

Any help would be great.

dan

Dan,
Hotshotting is not something many can do part time. It is expensive to start up and be legal. Having connections in the auto business is a huge help. It's late, but I'll add more later if you want.

Yeah I dont mind it being a full time job.

I'd still like more info

if you have the rig i would just call a hotshot company and tell them you want to lease on. They will let you know what you have to do to get set up and then they will just hire you on. Most of the time you don't even have to live where they are based out of. Even if you are pulling with a pickup i think you need to get a cdl to do it legally.

It's a lot more involved than what you think. As far as your CDL is concerned that will depend on your registered gross vehicle weight. Also whether or not you have air brakes, will make a difference on your license classification. Think about this thoroughly,how many vehicles you can haul at a time multiplied by about 6-700$ a vehicle and how many miles your going to have to drive to make good money. I've got a few friends that do this on a larger scale and they routinely do 120-150k miles a year. Hope you like to drive. Good luck and research this very well.

ditto on the above. I do it and I have made good money....I have also struggled. Getting all the permits, licenses, stickers, plates, and handing out money hand over fist to every state and federal agency insures you will have to put down a lot of miles to break even. Don't forget brokers, listing sites, INSURANCE (damn), and maintenance will all take large amounts of any profit you make. Some states have different ways to get more money out of you and all will want to know how many miles you are driving on their roads, so spend some time trying to figure out how much they will want from you.

I hate to sound down on it but you should make some serious decisions about what you are going to haul, where to where, how many times a month, and how many years your going to want to do it. As you start filing paperwork with DOT, DMV, IFTA, IRP, and FMCSA they are going to want to know those figures as well.

There are several trucking forums that can provide you with more information then you want to read. Also keep in mind when you read this info that a lot of what is said is speculation and that no one including the above mentioned Gov. Offices will be able to tell you what it will cost you to get everything you need to be legal. Every office you contact will only be able to tell you what they need from you and won't even be able to tell you if you have everything you need.

I find it very frustrating that you cannot get a straight answer from any of these offices. Just when you think you have everything you find out there is more.

Good luck with your decisions. And remember....It's only money.

I have been looking in to it as well. Forced retirement has not been very good to me. Long hours of scratchin my butt mostly. Theres nothin left to fix on my house or my trucks. I made a run to walla walla a few weeks ago and couldnt belive how much ni missed sitting in the drivers seat. I know a few guy that say they will set me up about 2 or 3 times a week on some short runs. Having a cdl helps and knowin the laws even more. Look into it alot it pays less to know more. At least less than the tickets.

Dodgeboy...I have a few things you could fix on my house if you get too bored!

hey dan!! hows it goin? well, ive been a transporter for almost 3 years now. gimme a call, you should have my #, but if not, 916-622-1193
FP3

IFTA is only applicable if your registered weight is over 26,000lbs.... the guys that i have run with all stay under that magic number....
i haul oversize cat machinery, so not too much i can suggest, but i would seriously try to stay under the 26k mark. all those nice pickups, with the bells and whistles are all good, but remember, the more you weigh empty, the less you can haul! try and keep you empty weight down, and watch for the overall lengh rules, i know some states have them for pickups.
another suggestion would be escort or pilot car. we routinely pay over $1 a mile for a rear escort. in ca. that means over 12' wide, so theres plenty of work....and in ca. we can run night time aswell within reason, so no hassles there. maybe look into getting certified for that?
i have a couple of number for pilot cars there in ca if you need them...
good luck whichever route you take!
martin

my dad hauls boats (mainly pontoons)for tracker, voyager and lowes. He tows with an 05 duramax 3500 with a flatbed and can do 3 at a time. The company he works for pays for everything all dad has to do is just drive the truck. Try to find something like this because he works around 5 days a week drives about 2500 miles getting 25cents a mile.

Get your own DOT #'s, Insurance & CDL'S Thats all you need.http://www.centraldispatch.com

considering the cost for locally bought (calif) small enclosed cargo-type trailers, (think enclosed motorcycle/quad trailers) I would think a guy could
make money hauling those out here somehow..........

Georgia 7x14 enclosed trailer: 2900 bucks.

California 7x14 enclosed trailer: 4900 bucks.

you do the math.........

haul 3 at a time on a custom low-bed/pickup combo...............

--Sherpa

let me know if you try this one, I know of one other guy wanting
a small cargo too.

RV trailers pay .75 to 1.05 per mile plus the dispacher will take 10 percent right off the top

and some places charge you a pick up fee on top of that of 20.00 just for moving a trailer to there yard for you to pick up
plus you will have to pay out or wash the trailer before a dealer will except it
plust you need DOT medical card and DOT instection on your rig.



carry a ca,era with you and take picture befor even hook on to any thing do a good walk around as many people will try and syt you damaged there load and you have to pay with no back up as to conditon when you picked it up

make sure they have the title before even hook on ot it
saves problems in the long run i know that one cost me 10000.oo for moving a boat for a dealer which in fact was a suppose to be repo but it fact had just been inpounded by dealer for lack of payment with no court paper work
person with name on title reported it stolen was stop just after crossing a state line even with all the paper work i had it was worth less as dealer did not have court paper work or title

Any of you guys have any contacts looking for a 48' X 102" stepdeck with 20K ramps? Oversize, overweight? Bruter and I have 03' 379 Pete and are trying to keep her busy. Barry is looking to stay down south, CA, TX or there abouts. 970-846-4545

Thanks,
Peter

peter, i am leased onto midwest specialized, out of rochester,mn.
they broker loads out, for steps and rgn's.
507 288 5649
haul 99% cat machinery. pull out of houston and galveston in tx, going midwest and west coast.
haul out of il and mn also, at the cat plants there.
lot of oversize, overweight mainly needs a rgn, but get some on a step also.
give them a call if you are stuck, guy that runs west coast and tx is called dean.
hope this helps
martin