Have 2007 f350 6.0 cclb w/ gooseneck hitch looking to off set
Payments by taking on some loads. Put ads on Craigslist and got
Business cards and threw out some bids I guess I'm lost and just need some help

 

Things are tight in this economy. Getting tighter. just have to keep hustling until something comes along.

 

This market has gotten really competitive as has almost everything in this economy.

Steve

 

I get most of my business by word of mouth nowadays. Average about 2-3 loads or tows per week that way.

Takes some time.

 

I ship out ten or so loads a week. I can't take the time to deal with everyone' schedules, we end up dealing with the brokers or it's a full time job that is required to get quotes, schedule, arrange pickup and delivery, etc. I think you need to find someone who makes local hauls and you can save them money. IIRC, I'm paying $85/hr for short haul stuff with a 40k limit on capacity. What can you haul that can compete with that? How are you going to make things easier for the company hiring or be cheaper than the current vendor?

I for one would love to dfind a local guy that will drop his trailer in the morning and go do something else and let me load him up. so I'm not paying $85/hr for him to stand there while we load him up.

Where are you at?

 

You guys ever try U-Ship???

I have a pretty good 33,000 gvwr Volvo FE flatbed with ramps for my 4X4 rigs and was thinking about hauling some other stuff for $$$ and was told that U-Ship would be the thing.

 

If you are going to try UShip be prepaired to haul for less than $1.00 a mile-these people can't be making any money like that-then you will need to take a load to somewhere you really don't want to go then sleep/live in your truck until you win anouther less than $1.00 per mile bid-you could be out on the streets for a long time like this-just saying....

 

I can see there is a lot of freight offered on U Ship for $1 a mile. I do see that. But, the appropriate load for my Volvo is probably 15,000-20,000 pounds and there are a lot of loads shown on their web site asking $3+ per mile with higher low bids in that 15,000 or so range, mostly heavy equipment, tractors and excavation, etc. My Volvo gets about 10mpg fully loaded. But, having never done it before, I am a bit apprehensive.

 

I looked into this as well, but by the time I paid for the business license, commercial vehicle insurance, required bond(s) as well as complying with all Federal and State DOT laws as well as record keeping on the truck(s) as well as the business record keeping, I figued for one or two trucks and a couple of trailers and one driver, me, (I can only drive one truck / combination at a time!) it just was not worth it.

At least not for a 12-16k maximum load haul with what I have (combination or straight, depending upon combination of truck / trailer)

I could see as a owner / operator in interstate Class 8 service there would be some profit, but wow even then it has to be thin..... Better now that fuel prices are on a downward spiral, but still the romance of the road has taken a beating since the days of the TV show "Movin On" with Will and Sonny!

I ahve even thought as to renting out my Tractor, the new one only has 29 hours of use so far... but still to get it to the renter would take a commercial use of my truck(s), so all of the above rules would apply.

And no, I have a good job, paid off home and property to loose, so there is now way for a relativly few $$ in the larger scheme of things that I would risk all of that as a "wildcater" and operate illegaly!

Just my thoughts on the subject.

David

 

All good points, most of which I did not consider. Maybe I'll just stick to the occasional one off from those who know I have the truck. I moved an M352A for a guy, and took a 40 foot cooling tower for a ride that almost paid for my rig alone.