I've Been thinking for along time that i wanted to change my occupation from fence contractor to trucking with a little "t".....As in say an f450 with a 40 gooseneck that would be licensed to carry a max load of around 20k pounds. I work best when i'm left alone and hauling small loads in a small truck\trailer would seem to be a ideal way to see the country and make some money before i'm ready to retire about 10 years from now......I need some knowledgeable advise from those who are currently or have in the Past made their living doing this type of WORK.......I want the GOOD and the BAD.....i'm interested in Objectivity....thanks for your help.....fd

 

2004 Ford F750 S Crew Cab XLT XLT $58,262 MSRP



hey man get your cdl class a and check with some of your local small shipping companies and maybe one of em will let you work
ive seen some owner operators with straight trucks around here that run small loads
i dont know anything personaly but sounds like a good deal and you might even can get a personal business loan to buy your rig and subcontract through one of those guys who the heck knows


just elaborating on your idea

-Kevin

 

I'd recommend going with something larger than a F-450. You are going to have to get a commercial license anyways and a Class A isn't that hard to get, especially if you have experience pulling a trailer much. I think you can even get a Class A without airbrakes if you wanted. Like previously mentioned though I'd recommend at least a F-650 or F-750, or if you aren't stuck on Ford a small Freightliner or International. I guess it depends on how long of hauls you are thinking of. I think it could be a good business, if you get some good connections. If there is a lot of construction in your area maybe you could find a job hauling materials to jobsites. If your truck had a flatbed on it you could even use it for hauling small stuff for people, such as furniture maybe. Or get hooked up with an equipment dealer and make small equipment deliveries. I think there could be a niche for that kind of an outfit, but you might want to do some research before investing a lot of money into it. If you are close to retirement or are retirement age and aren't looking to make a fortune, just something to do to get to see some country, it could be a great job. Good luck with whatever you decide to do.

 

I used to be an expediter, drove a Freightliner FL70 straight truck with a 22' box and a sleeper. Mostly hauled auto parts out of the Detroit area. I drove for a guy that had 4 trucks signed on with a local expedite company. Deal was I got 55% of whatever I could make, & I paid the fuel. The owner piad everything else. I ended up grossing 1200-1500 a week.

The down side is the time spent waiting for a load, or running empty (unpaid) to get back to the freight lanes. It helps to be on good terms with your dispatcher. I knew drivers that wouldn't get as many loads 'cause they let the dispatcher down, turn down loads they didn't like, etc.

If you want to check out this type of driving, I'd talk to recruiters at expedite truck companies, and ask them about fleet truck owners that might be looking for drivers. Of course you'll need to get your CDL, but it's not that hard.
Also, depends on the outfit, but expediting is done with everything from minivans to 18 wheelers, straight trucks and cargo vans being the most common.

Check out this site, it's got a lot of info related to this field.
http://www.expeditersonline.com/

BTW, I'd still be expediting, if I hadnn't moved to FL, there's hardly any hot shotting here, and the wife really wanted me to stay home more.........

 

thanks for the help guys.....I'm just beginning to build a knowledge base so I'll know what decisions to make when i get ready to make a move. Blueoval......What a website for trucking that is...it has alot of good info on all aspects of trucking.....thanks for your help....fd

 

At the price of fuel I'd make sure you know what you were getting into. Good paying feight,etc. You will be under the same requirements as us in the big trucks if you start crossing state lines. Running under your employers authority will save you from getting your own if at all possible. June of this year there is going to be a big pow wow about hours of service. Currently at 70 hours a week(8 days) there seems to be talk of change coming. 10 hours of driving and 5 hours on duty per day currently. Good or bad it problably will go in favor of the goverment as we all know they are the experts. This will mean less hours of operation. Enlight of all the truck/car accidents they feel we need more rest. This is only speculation as I'm just repeating things I have heard. Good luck and be careful. There are trucks being repo'd daily and as a group here I don't think anyone would wish it on one of us.