Has anyone done this for a living. Thinking of doing this since I Have OFFCIALLY Retired out of the military and could use a little spare change.. The company I am thinking about driving for is Classic Transport. Also what do they look for on a D.O.T. inspection I have to get one done on my Dually

Thanks
Rick

I personally would not go to Classic!! Try www.horizontransport.com (http://www.horizontransport.com). I have been there almost 4 yrs.Is one of the better ones. You can make some $$ not to get rich though. I also am retired so it is extra income when I feel like making it. They only require you to pull one trip every 30 days to stay active. If ya want email me and i will give ya a call. If not I believe you can download an app on line. If you do please use my driver #3868 as a reference, will credit me some safety miles. Bill

I pull for Classic:) . We have 2 divisions one for the casual driver, there slogan where you want when you want. There is no pressure at all, haul when you want. Just do atleast 1 run a month. I pull out of our dedicated yard, exclusive to Jayco. We have to run 5000 miles a month and are getting $1.00 a mile. It is supposed to go up .05 next week because of fuel costs. I have been with Classic almost 2 years and have no big complaints, dispatch is great, people are friendly, and management is always helpful. We also do not have some of the rules ):h like Horizon has, like the no shorts :eek: and dresscode. Heck if its a 95 out, I am not going to be wearing jeans sweating my but off hooking up my trailer. Be glad to talk to you also if you need any help. They are all hiring now, so even if you go with Horizon, Classic, Star-Fleet, Quality, Hossier, Rad, Bennett, or one of the other 20 in Indiana you can always change if your unhappy. Best info I have found is talking to other drivers in rest areas and truck stops. Also as far as DOT insection, its no big deal. Any company will give you a list of what you have to have in your truck. Good Luck, Karl

I pull for Classic:) . We have 2 divisions one for the casual driver, there slogan where you want when you want. There is no pressure at all, haul when you want. Just do atleast 1 run a month. I pull out of our dedicated yard, exclusive to Jayco. We have to run 5000 miles a month and are getting $1.00 a mile. It is supposed to go up .05 next week because of fuel costs. I have been with Classic almost 2 years and have no big complaints, dispatch is great, people are friendly, and management is always helpful. We also do not have some of the rules ):h like Horizon has, like the no shorts :eek: and dresscode. Heck if its a 95 out, I am not going to be wearing jeans sweating my but off hooking up my trailer. Be glad to talk to you also if you need any help. They are all hiring now, so even if you go with Horizon, Classic, Star-Fleet, Quality, Hossier, Rad, Bennett, or one of the other 20 in Indiana you can always change if your unhappy. Best info I have found is talking to other drivers in rest areas and truck stops. Also as far as DOT insection, its no big deal. Any company will give you a list of what you have to have in your truck. Good Luck, Karl
Is Indiana where all the loads originate from?

Carey

i am leased to classic,i would not sign on with them if you want to make any money.part time rate with them is .67 pm and full time is like .95 before they add on a fuel surcharge.also you only get paid one way.so you are coming back on your own dime.i would sign on with bennet or jet transport,they both will back haul you atleast part of the time.i only went with classic because at the time i had a short bed and they were the only ones that would sign on a shortbed.

Horizon pays the same rate full or part time $.98 a mile and you need only pull 1 trip every 30 days. They now also have 4 people signing up reloads, so we are getting many more than in the past. Also we can access the dispatch on-line from anywhere, and view reloads available.

i am leased to classic,i would not sign on with them if you want to make any money.part time rate with them is .67 pm and full time is like .95 before they add on a fuel surcharge.also you only get paid one way.so you are coming back on your own dime.i would sign on with bennet or jet transport,they both will back haul you atleast part of the time.i only went with classic because at the time i had a short bed and they were the only ones that would sign on a shortbed.

I pull out of Middlebury, we are getting a 1.00 a mile. I have a friend that pulls for bennett and back hauls a few and far between. They also pay next to nothing, backhauls with Horizon are the same. You end up go way out of the way to get them, they usually are not to IN, and they pay less. So to make a couple a bucks with a back haul, you waste time, put more wear on the truck, spend more in fuel. I would rather run and get 18-20mpg and get back and get another load that pays. I do agree that the part time rate Classic pays stinks, but really how hard is to run 5000 and get 1.00.

This is from the Horizon site, I just think they need to base it on miles, not trips. If you run west coast and back and do a ton of miles, you may not make the better rate. Yet the guy that just runs a bunch of little local does. Not fare to me.

Driver pay rate is based on your TAC (Trip Activity Code) see below for TAC definition. The following base pay rates apply to Wakarusa, IN origin loads only
<CENTER><TABLE width="60%" border=1><TBODY><TR><TD align=middle width="50%">TAC
(Trip Activity Code)</TD><TD align=middle width="50%">Base rate per mile
(fuel surcharge included)</TD></TR></CENTER><TR><TD align=middle>A-B-C</TD><TD align=middle>1.02 per mile</TD></TR><TR><TD align=middle>D-E-F-G-H-I</TD><TD align=middle>0.98 per mile</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
What is TAC? <TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0><TBODY><TR><TD>TAC is a structured system that is designed to protect our "Core" driver base in the event we have days where there are more available drivers than loads. This system will help ensure that those drivers who want to stay loaded "all year around" have the opportunity to do so.

The contractor's TAC is based on the previous 90 day load total, starting from the last day of each month. The contractor's TAC is updated on the 1st day of each month.

All "NEW" contractors will start with an "I" TAC

Your load total will include "all" loads that you accept, nationwide. Our average mileage per trip is roughly 850 miles. </TD><TD><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 border=1><TBODY><TR><TD>TAC</TD><TD><NOBR>90 day load total</NOBR></TD></TR><TR><TD align=middle>A</TD><TD align=middle>30+</TD></TR><TR><TD align=middle>B</TD><TD align=middle>27, 28, 29</TD></TR><TR><TD align=middle>C</TD><TD align=middle>24, 25, 26</TD></TR><TR><TD align=middle>D</TD><TD align=middle>21, 22, 23</TD></TR><TR><TD align=middle>E</TD><TD align=middle>18, 19, 20</TD></TR><TR><TD align=middle>F</TD><TD align=middle>15, 16, 17</TD></TR><TR><TD align=middle>G</TD><TD align=middle>12, 13, 14</TD></TR><TR><TD align=middle>H</TD><TD align=middle>9, 10, 11</TD></TR><TR><TD align=middle>I</TD><TD align=middle>8 & Below</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

After retirement from the Military, I took a year off to do just that. Got base/commercial plates and insurance, and signed up with a couple of the "big ones" (at the time). Being a new drivers, the loads were all dead-head runs of 1000+ miles, and the few times that I was able to get "back-loaded" were by going through other dispatchers or other hauling companies. Unfortunately, this put my local dispatcher's panties in a bunch, and she stopped calling me for loads! I guess its a competitive business, dispatching that is, and she was jealous of her competition.

The three companies I hauled for all went bankrupt, and the seasonal stuff (boats, horses etc.) are just not enough to make it profitable, so I had to quit before I went under.

I wont touch a load under 1.25/mi loaded, 1.00 bobtail back to point of origin, plus $25.00 hook-up/unhook and block....and I don't wash their sh|t for any amount of money anymore...road dirt happens no matter who hauls it, even the owner. That's because you may have to burn $50.00 in fuel and quarters for the car-wash, spend 2-3 hours hosing down a unit that was filthy when you picked it up, for only $15-20.00 that you may not see for 3-6 months from the hauling company.

I also had difficulty dealing with most of the dealerships. Refused loads because they already have 15 of these cause they cant sell them, or having to back a 37' into a 24' slot with a road truck, or the attitude that because you're a "driver" you must be too stupid to get a real job, like them, or .... well it goes on.

Needless to say, DON't DO IT! Call around for jobs hauling lifestock, boats, race cars. Those folks care about their animals/products so they pay both ways (loaded/unloaded), at up to $3.00/mi, and are as nice to you as they want you to be towards their property/animal. Its seasonal, but, your not wasting fuel or running up the miles on your truck bobtailing 2-4,000 miles/month which don't pay a dime!

That's my .02 on the subject.

Wow someone had a bad experience. I have doing this for 2 years, I make a good buck, if I wash I get $25 and never spend more than 20 min or so doing it. I guess you picked the wong companies, Classic, Horizon, and many more have been around for a long time. Here is a thought to anyone that is thinking of doing this, sign up make a couple runs and if you do not like it, just quit!! It costs nothing to sign up, most companies pay the physical and drug test. So the worst thing that happens is you put a few miles on the truck, made a couple bucks, and maybe spent a couple days in IN to get all the paperwork and physical done. There are a ton of companies out there and thousands of drivers out there. I guess some of us must be making a living and enjoying it or nobody would be getting those travel trailers in anywhere but Indiana. Karl

Karl,
Maybe it could have been better hauling out of IN, but running the east coast, the mfg's are not that centrally located and the New England Tolls eat up most of the profits, well before you make them.

In this area, many dealers have their own drivers on hourly, and supply truck, fuel, tolls, and meal expensed for them, so they are not as willing to pay the haulers for tranport. The only haulers they see are the ones from the Midwest.

Perhaps this has all changed since I did it. I know that there has been a lot of consolidation and bankruptcies since, but I can't imagine that there could be that much change. The price on the NY Tollway and bridges has gone up, IFTA for New England has gone up 100% over the past 5 years, lots of 1 lane bridges with max 10K lbs limits and 8' rail tressles to go around. and the list goes on. True, its not that way in the rest of the country, but sooner or later, you'll get that delivery on Long Island or Cape Cod, and you will understand how those that do these everyday can't make any money!

R/ RF

If you live in NC and pull for a company in <st1:state><st1:place>IND</st1:place></st1:state> do you have to have com<st1:personname>me</st1:personname>rcial plates or can you pull with weighted plates?

What kind of insurance do you have to have?

Why do you have to have a long bed if you have a slider? I pull a 36 foot Alfa and have never used my slider.

Workedforit: The hauling companies are engaged in interstate commerce...meaning commercial plates, insurance, and to display their ICC number on every vehicle in their fleet, owned, leased, or contracted. IFTA must also be paid for every state in which the vehicle is operated when the operation extends beyond 100 miles of home terminal. The operator must keep a logbook, have current physical, and a CDL for trailers rated over 10,000 lbs. These are the laws, whether everyone abides by them, because they are costly to maintain and restrict hours of operations, is another story.

garyk211: Not all trailers to be delivered have "extended kingpins". In fact, some manufacturers, Holiday Rambler, Teton, and others, require costly alterations before you can hitch up to them. For instance, full width stone guards (mud-flaps), anti-sway bars, auxiliary batteries (trailers for delivery have no batteries to operate the emergency break-away brakes, and is the responsibility of the driver to install one before the trailer is taken out on public roads), rear view mirrors that extend beyond 102" from inside corner to inside corner, flat and convex mirrors, etc. etc. It is also to the driver's advantage to add an auxiliary fuel tank, to get the best price on fuel, and try to stretch it as far as possible, so that he is not caught having to pay premium prices in high tax/high cost areas (think about having to fuel every 200 miles with a short bed's 25 gal tank). Crew/Extended cab is also a good idea, since the driver is not permitted to sleep in the unit he is towing, and there are no "fluids" in order to use any of the facilities. No batteries, no porpane, no water = no cold sodas, no heat-A/C, no lights....

Everyone else interested: Once you start, your recreational camping days are about over. If your on vacation, your not making money! The hauling company does not provide paid "vacations, sick-days, personal-days", no 401K, no medical, dental, vision....no nothing, your're on your own, and pray that you've made enough to pay your taxes, come April 15. Despite what it seems, you are not your own boss...there are other ways to keep the pressure-on which will keep you "rolling". Every mile driven unloaded and every day you want to eat, sleep, shower, brush your teeth, etc. while on the road is $$$ out of your pocket. It is also a good idea to have good control over bladder/bowel control, because not every rest areas are open 24/7, and truckers do not always welcome you to park amongst their midst. It won't take a second driver's side window replacement to get their drift.

RF

IFTA is not required if licensed under 26,001 lbs. Also our Co. pays all East bound toll roads BOTH loaded and empty. On West & South bound tolls they pay loaded. They also pay the cargo & liability insurance on whatever you are towing. You must have your own inurance to cover you when empty, I would hope you have insurance then anyway. We are also reimbursed for wash jobs with a receipt. If we wash it ourself we are given $10. for about 20 min work. I dont know who you worked for but it must have been a very bad experience for you. We are NOT rerquired to pull more than 1 trip in 30 days. We work at our own pace. When I dont want to, I dont. Also we have 4 people constantly getting reloads for us. We can look these up befor ever leaving on a trip to help you decide which direction to go for a partial return towards home or somewhere you may want to go. At time of this trip there were over 60 reloads available. Yes they dont all pay as much,but no one forces you to take them. AS for the TAC system , I am not a fan of it however I havent noticed a great deal of problems with it & I fall in the middle of it. You can change the miles on entry to the computer and come up with a whole new list of trips. I dont have to rely on a dispatcher to tell me what is available. I can do it from any computer,anywhere in the country and lock in the trip with the push of a button. :stirthepo

hd90,

Now how do I get a refund on all that IFTA? Nevermind...spilled milk! The three, now defunct, companies barely had computers in their offices, much less an electronic dispatch system. The biggest one, Morgan Driveaway -:t had over 20 dispatchers around the country and Can, and they took care of their own area. Fine, except that if you were in WI and called the local dispatch for a load, your home dispatcher would get pi$$ed and not give you loads for a month...or more! I'm glad to hear that there has been improvements in that sector, but unless you get your own "authority" and plates, you MUST load up from the one contractor only! This means that you have to pass up good paying loads comming back, say from FL boat builders, or NJ horses from boarding farms. ...every mile empty, is a hole in your pocket. $10.00 for 20 minutes washing a 35' fiver? Your're a miracle worker! It usually takes 20 minutes to get the Mgr. to give you permission to use the hose! BTW, none required that you haul anythng...ever, and you got paid by the mile ($0.81 at Morgan, $0.68 with the others)....0 miles = $0.00.

RF

You take the large ones to a truck wash on the way.LOL I dont wash big ones, let the truck wash do it & get receipt. A lot of dealers we go to will wash them also & give ya the receipt. I wash little ones 18 to 25 TT all we have to do is get the bugs & film off, not required to do a detail wash. Actually, we don't even wash Newmars anymore, they require dealer to do his own wash after delivery now. I understand some of the transport co's are trying to get other manufacturers do to the same. Still dont understand why you had IFTA if licensed under 26k. Our Co. does not even want a truck that is required to have IFTA. Also if you get your own authority,then you must supply your own cargo & $million dollar liability to the tune of around what??? $1000 or more a month? so take all that insurance out at the start & I dont think you clear as much, also you must make that payment every month work or no work. I think I will keep letting the transport co. pay that and work when I feel like it.

03 Radio Flyer:
If I call boat dealers how would you go about selling yourself to haul for them? What kind of "extra insurance" if any would I need? I already carry commercial plates rated at 15000 lbs.:help2:

HD,
I suggest you look up "brokers" that deal with boat manufacturers. These often advertise in "Boating" magazines, since they are always looking for drivers. Sometimes it can be stacks of boat trailers, and other times it may be "oversized" loads that need permits and escorts, so you have to call to find out how you can be of service (not all deal with towables).
You can also call the boat makers, such as Donzi, Grady White, Criss Craft, Bayliner, etc. and ask an amicable shipping manager for some leads. They should be happy to steer you towards their contractors/brokers, since they want the ready to sell stock off the lot as soon as possible. What they CANT do is load you up directly, so don't ask unless you have your own "authority" and are bonded for $1/2 Mil. thats an expensive proposition for just one haul.

The 15K plates would need to be upgraded to at least your max Gross Combined Weight Rating (GCWR). The 15K won't do you any good since smaller boats are ususally put on flatbed semis for delivery 2-3 at a time. For 22-30+ (102" max width x 13'6" max heigth) fiberglass boats you are looking at 10K-20K with trailer, depending on the make, type, and ammenities (flying bridges would be over 13'6", requiring permits and escorts). Demasted sailboats are another story, which you have to be cautious of. Deep water keels most often need permits and escort(s), while bay keels may not.

What I'm trying to say is boat hauling is lot more involved than road-ready RVs. But there are a lot of side perks. You do get to go to some real nice places and the "clients" are always nice, as long as their goods arrive in good shape.

Boat show seasons will keep you busier than a 1 legged man in an a$$ kicking contest, which can load you up 2-3 times a day for a week (2-3 days before then 3-4 days during and after), as they prepare for it, try to get sold units delivered to buyers, or have to clear the show-grounds atfter its over.

Another considerarion is Seniority (longest with the hauling company) counts during the slow periods, much like any other hauling jobs, so you need to figure out your budget with that in mind too. In the Mid-Atlantic region and FL, those periods are also usually County Fair seasons, where hauling livestock is in high demand, but that's another bail of hay because the govt. inspectors get involved (and the Humane Society). However, you can make quite a few $$$, since these pay well above your overheads.

As I said in earlier posts, I don't do that very much anymore, and times do change (admited that too) because of electronic dispatching over the Net. That has to make it easier on everyone for shure, expecially when you need a permit or a health department document from an out of area location.

HD, Hope this helps.

HD90,

I don't contest what you say, I can only refer to my experience. I've had some real negative responses "on the road", such as using truck washes in Alabama, which involved a trucker and a tire thumper, because his opinion on who can use Blue Beacon truck washes is different that yours or mine, so that was no longer an option. I don't wash-em, and don't spot them on the lots, period.

The electroninc dispatching was a nice feature when I was O/O trucking, and am glad that it is now available to contract drivers in the smaller markets. It has to be much better than the "touchy-feely" dispatching I had to use, since I never felt comfortable having to "stroke" some dispatcher's ego just to get a load (I don't want to ****** the lady, I just want to make some money). I was not comfortable with having to make all of her winter dead-head deliveries in Maine, and summer dead-head deliveries to Florida, because I did not have seniority.

I did meet some of these Senior Drivers in drop yards and got a look at their tow units....lets just say that safety were not very high priority.

Speaking of drop-yards, I also saw a lot of dropped fivers in those drop-yards (no pun intended), more than I ever wanted to see (never dropped one myself). For those whom don't know what that is, it is when the kingpin is not locked in and the driver pulls out with the levelers up. Crash-boom, and bent trailer and bed rails. Not pretty!

I recall seeing 9 bent trailers in a row at the drop-yard in Wakarusa, IN......chills down the spine... and one of the drivers said they all had "broken kingpins" :eek: .

Just want to wish you luck and prosperity. You're braver than I am these days, but I've moved on to other things that pay much better, and keep me home evenings and week-ends.

RF

The main reason I was thinking about going with a company was to keep from buying com<?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" /><st1:PersonName>me</st1:PersonName>rcial insurance and plates in NC. I have been quoted up to $14,000, but the insurance companies here don’t seam to know what I need to have covered. And if the companies are supplying the insurance why do I need to buy it?

I have been told to get none trucking insurance buy so<st1:PersonName>me</st1:PersonName> and bobtail buy others. Anyone in NC know want I need?

The plates I have are weighted to 2500# and cost $330 what is the cost of com<st1:PersonName>me</st1:PersonName>rcial plate in NC and should I up the weight?

I keep to weight down because I don’t have a CDL and if you are looking at fuel mpg as part of your profit the lighter the load the more mpg you get <st1:PersonName>me</st1:PersonName>an more profit.

In NC you don’t need a CDL until you go over 2600# unless they changed that to suck more money out of us. They are talking about taxing ice cream and candy. Taxing kids is going too far if you ask <st1:PersonName>me</st1:PersonName>. I can’t want to get out of this liberal state.-:t

Workedforit, as far as commercial tag cost I can tell you that a plate weighted for 15,000 lbs which I have is $167.00. If you go up to 20,000 lbs the price is $265.00. Over that I am not sure.