That was a pretty cool gig you had going there, Jim. At least it appeared so from your posts. I actually considered doing the same thing but never pulled the trigger on the idea. Ya never know, though, I still might. If I do, I'll be contacting you for some tips on how to make it work.

 

Congratulations on your accomplishment! Now it's time to study for your upgrades!

I can be found on 146.520 or the N6NFI repeater usually on the weekends.
Ray - AG6TH

 

It was a cool gig except for the long boring drives alone. Still, I loved it. I love driving, and have way too much time on my hands. So I am looking to do it again in the future. However, not on such a grand scale. I don't have the settlement money to buy a truck or trailer with, so I will have to save up for them. And I remember it being a slow start in the little amount of clients I got up front, I may just buy a truck, and rent a U-Haul car trailer for the moves. Then when business picks up, spring for a used trailer. Being a little more savvy in what I need, I can get a trailer suited for the job instead of the only one available, and having to spend even more money getting it setup correctly. Also, I will need a business license if it picks up. Well, I should get it before I even start. Don't want anything to trip me up this time. And have a bit of a slush fund in case of break downs. AAA elite membership is also a must.

Jim

 

I'd be interested to hear what you mean by finding a trailer that is "suited for the job". If I pursued this kind of a gig, I'd want to start off with the right stuff. Thanks

 

I have no patience, so when I got the settlement money, and started looking for a truck and trailer, I found only two trailers in Craigslist at the time. One was a dovetail and one was a home made trailer. The dovetail was sold (am assuming as he never returned my voicemail) the home made trailer had the back of the trailer higher than the front. Which meant most vehicles would snag on the lip. And he had made short ramps out of heavy steel or iron that I could barely lift. So I paid a ton of money to buy two 8 foot aluminum ramps for it. I say a ton because I don't remember exactly, I think they were over $500 for the pair, but could have been $300 and then the shipping was ridiculous, so maybe that is why $500 comes to mind. After a little more checking, I found out the person who made it mounted the axles below the springs instead of above them. So I paid to have them switched. This lowered the trailer enough to make it easier to load vehicles (especially with the 8 foot ramps, the home made ramps were 4 foot, and made a steeper angle). When I bought the trailer, I decided to add a winch in case I was picking up a vehicle that did not run. I figured it would be easier to winch it up the trailer like a tow truck, instead of gathering a bunch of people to try and push it up. Most trailers do not have a winch so I knew going in, I would need to pay for that. That added $1,000 to the cost. The winch was $450 or so, and the labor to install it, and run a thick welding cable to the battery of the truck to power it was the remainder. I will not go that route this time, as all the vehicles I picked up except for two, ran. One was loaded with a fork lift (LOL) and the other was that POS Jetta VR6 that I bought to flip, only to find out the owner did not tell me it needed a clutch. When I suggested he drive it up the ramp he claimed he did not want to over heat the engine (as he did tell me it needed a radiator) I told him he would not overheat the engine just driving it 50 feet, but he still refused. That should have tipped me off right there, but it didn't. I will say that with my bad knee, the winch did make it a heck of a lot easier to load vehicles onto the trailer. I may do the same thing in the future, just not right away. Anyway, the person who built it, used WWII axles! I found this out, when two of the studs broke on one of them when I got too close to a fence post, and getting the lead wheel on the driver's side hung up on it. Instead of being able to spend 16 dollars for two studs, I had to spend $400 for an axle because nobody (yes nobody) carries that particular size stud since the axles were so old. Lastly, the trailer did not have a breakaway box on it. Something I knew nothing about when in the market to buy one. If the trailer becomes disconnected from the truck the break away box automatically applies the brakes so it does not keep moving forward and possibly running into another vehicle. Do your research before you buy the trailer, not after. After I had already been doing it for a few months, I happened to spot an ad from a trailer dealer right here in Fresno, and for about $300 more than what I paid for the trailer ($1,600) I could have had a dovetail trailer with folding ramps, side marker lights, and a breakaway box. Still no winch, but again, I knew I was going to have to pay for that anyway. Another thing I learned, is that my truck insurance would cover the trailer, but not any vehicle on the trailer. For that, I would need commercial insurance, which was very expensive ($2,600 for a 6 month policy). I would not be able to afford that until I was established and had two or three tows a week. So, I am sure I lost some bids on jobs due to others being able to offer insurance. Most people have their vehicles insured already, so it is not a big deal. However some of the people you are competing against on U-Ship advertise that they carry insurance and specify what their limits are. I could not do that.

I ended up having to stop doing what I was doing because I did not have a back up amount of cash in case of emergencies. I had not saved enough of the settlement money to "fall back on" and when I had two flat tires on my last run it hit me. What if the problem was not a flat tire but a bad alternator, or some other mechanical issue? Back then, I did not have any credit cards except the PayPal business card which is really a debit card. That is how I got paid by the customer. Once the vehicle was delivered, they would go to U-ship.com, and enter a code, which would release the money to PayPal and I could use the card to buy gas and food for the trip home. Most the time, I had $200 in the bank to cover the return trip, but the last trip I made, I had to rely on the PayPal money from the customer to get me home. I now have two credit cards (amazing how paying off all your debts at once gets you credit card offers up the kazoo LOL) and the PayPal business debit card so the emergency fund problem will not be there (as long as I keep the credit card balances down of course) and I will just buy a regular pickup instead of a dually (unless I get a crazy good deal on one) and rent a trailer for each trip. That of course cuts into the profit margin of the trips, but it is cheaper than shelling out $1,500-$2,000 up front for a trailer. One thing that really brought my downfall was the lack of return trip hauls. If I could have found a vehicle to bring back up to Fresno, or even in the general area, I could have made a huge profit per trip, as the fuel/food costs were already factored into the first haul's price. The second haul would be all profit. So instead of making $100-$200 per trip, it would have been $200-$400 depending on distance. Not a lot of people in this area having vehicles delivered. So most the time I would have to go to the LA area, or bay area to pick up. So I would dead head there, and then after dropping off, would deadhead home. No money made when the trailer is empty. Anyway, I hope this info helps, and you don't make the same mistakes I did.

Jim

 

 

I always took my laptop with me so I could check for loads in the area, as well as get paid from PayPal. Never got lucky enough to get a load going back though. I kept my self to California only, which did hurt some, as I could have gotten loads to other states, but my fear was breaking down far from home and being stuck. The Elite AAA roadside assistance I had covered me up to 200 miles, anything over that meant a huge tow bill.

Jim

 

Happy taco Tuesday Nor Cal. All this hauling talk got me so excited I bought a truck (simulator) game. LOL I just happened to watch a YouTube video by one of my regular posters of Farming Simulator 2017 videos this past weekend when the grand kids were here, only this one was on Euro Truck Simulator. I liked it so much I bought it from Amazon. Even got a discount for turning in one of my Xbox games I don't play anymore. Should be here tomorrow, but I downloaded the demo last night and played it until 2am. LOL Told you I have too much time on my hands. I love it so far, but found out the demo is over when the driver reaches level 4 which is so low he is still referred to as a newbie. So now I am starting a new character, and trying different options to see which work best. By the time the game gets here in tomorrow's mail i should be pretty good at it. may end up having to put a steering wheel and pedals on the wish list for the future though as driving a big rig with the Xbox One controller is a bit jerky.

Jim

 

 

Didn't have any accidents with the first character until I bought my own truck. Second character, I had three accidents on one run! Must be losing my touch. LOL. Good thing it is only a game. Would not be able to afford the repairs bills. The cheapest truck is 96k

Jim

 

Happy Humpeth Day Nor Cal!

Jim

 

Happy thirsty Thursday Nor Cal!

Jim

 

Happy Friday Nor Cal, have a great weekend!

Jim

 

Happy Saturday Nor Cal! Go out and do something fun!

Jim

 

Not too sure about fun, but headed out to do a BSA Recruiting event at the city hall.