anybody do local hauling on the side?

hey guys,some of you may have seen my crazy schoolbus thread yesterday,and once again I am thankful for you fellow's advice.anyhow,i am looking for any advice for a stupid guy like me just trying to do local hauling on the side.i have a 87" ih s1600 diesel,that I can use as a start up truck,along with a trailer.i am wondering for those of you who are experienced in this,what was it like just starting and getting your name out there,also how to charge a customer,and is it a steady side business.thanks
Rock

Some states frown upon this, unless your truck is licensed commercial and you have a CDL license.

Get a cdl if you haven?t . The commercial insurance is the killer for a million dollar liability and 50,000 cargo was costing 700$ a month and in the world you now live in would probably want three times that amount of liability if some idiot pulls out in front of you then slams on the brakes you?ve had it .

Back in the day, my Grandfather would haul things for other people, he always "bought" the stuff from the owner including a bill of sale, and would sell it back to them when they arrived at the destination.

Rich

Could you make more money working part time driving someone else's truck on the side instead of driving your own truck part time? Crunch the numbers to see how much you would need to drive/haul just to break even after you pay your all your truck's expenses and pay yourself the same wage you would get driving someone else's truck.

What commodities or items are you planning to haul to make your business base or in others words what will make the money? Do you often run across Joe X saying if I just had someone to haul this for me? You will likely need to have at least 3-5 of these jobs that would pay at LEAST $75 to $150 come up every week if you expect this to be a profitable endeavor. And those prices would only be very low ball for a 5 mile haul. As others have said once you start hauling other peoples items to be on the ...up and up... there are certain regulations that need met. If you haul something and someone accuses you of damaging their items that is when the liability kicks in. I don?t want to nay say your idea to death, but as others have said it has to pencil out.

As others have said check things out. A while back I believe you were talking about getting farm tags for your truck. I expect that will not work (at least legally if you get checked) hauling for hire. Different vehicle inspection levels may apply, DOT commercial inspection vs state inspection (for farm trucks here). A CDL is not required for farm trucks, but is required over 26000 lbs. on commercial plates here, that varies in some places and what is being hauled. You may need to have a current DOT physical (done by approved DOT examiner). Insurance will be different. Possible log book and record keeping depending on where you travel. You may want to operate as an LLC. Its not as simple as having your farm truck and saying I can haul that for you; if you are going to do it legally. Its not impossible to do but you need to do the proper research by checking with the agencies. Good faith answers given here may or may not be right for your location and situation. Check for yourself the FDOT, State regulations, insurance, finances, and if you plan to seek loads (business plan). How steady a business will be depends a lot on the operator of the business. Someone wants a load hauled and you have hay to make; how are you going to handle it? What is the competition in your area, several ramp trucks? How will they react if you try to slide under the radar and take business from them? What will you offer that others don't? Real life things to think about.

Great advice.

87 IH red flag to every DOT cop on the road they will pick it apart

Anytime you enter into a business, you assume much more liability and must conform to a higher standard.

I have rarely seen anyone be able to pay these extra costs by doing work part time.

Farmer rock, you asked. I went into a trucking business i5 years ago after selling a different type of trucking business. I bought a two year old tri-axle dump truck, with the intent of hiring out by the day, 3-4 days a week. I sold the truck two years later when construction stopped, and went to something where I could make some money. Six years ago I started driving part time for one of the companies that had hired my truck when I had it. I have found that I can make a lot more per hour driving for someone else. What is your current part time line of work?

Jim ME gave you some good advice.

Look at it this way. There are 3 kinds of trucks. Recreational; Not for hire; and For hire. Each step up brings more regulations and cost involved.

As soon as you start hauling other people's goods for hire, you enter a different world than just hauling your friend's tractor home for him.

You need to have proper insurance and licensing. Otherwise, you might end up getting a lot more trouble than you bargained for.

I suggest that you either go into business and do it the right way or just forget the whole idea. There isn't any middle ground on this one.

hey guys,thank you for all of the great advice.i was figuring om hauling just about anything that will fit on the trailer,also since i never got farm tags for it,so i will register it when i get around to it.so would i be better off with a cdl or can i make it without,i only ask because the truck is under cdl,so i was not sure if i needed it.the truck empty weighs 9500 lbs. so if i am understanding correctly since the gvw is 23500 lbs. that leaves me with around 14000 lbs on the back and pull up to 16500 lbs. to stay under the 26000 lbs. limit.so would i be able to do this legally.thanks.rock

Go to the oversight agencies in the area(s) you plan to operate in and ask them. If you cross state lines the requirements may change some. There are motor carrier associations (you might have to join) in most areas that can likely give you proper info or at least tell you where to get the info. Ask your insurance agent what coverage will look like, you may need to go to another insurance carrier. If you are serious you need to do this like a business and research at the oversight sources; not count on advice you get from discussion forums. What might be true in my area may not be in yours, and saying that's what they told me on the YT forum likely won't cut much ice. Sorry if it sounds harsh, JMHO.

I was a motor carrier for 15 years. Dropped that when they forced us to the Electronic hostage program. (ELD) Yes you can circumvent that with a truck with an engine older than 2000 year.
There are several hoops to jump through. First you will in some states need intrastate authority for hauling with in the state then if you plan to cross state lines then you need interstate authority for that.
You will need to have at least a million liability with you will want to have at least a 100,000.00 for cargo. If you have more than one piece on and it exceeds your cargo limit,and there is an issue. They can penalize you for the lack of cargo insurance. Another words if you have 3 pieces on your truck there's is a damage claim on one piece. The cargo limit is 100,000.00 the value of the 3 pieces is 300,000.00 they can penalize you at a 3 to 1 so they would cover about a 1/3 of the damage you are on the hook for the other 2/3 of the damage. That can get real expensive real fast.
Then you will need a drug, and now alcohol testing program set up. Commercial plates. In MI if you exceed your plate you can get 2 tickets one for the over weight then another for exceeding your plate limit. This gets into much more. Your best bet to keep legal, would be to talk to these people. OOIDA. I used them for my drug testing deal . They can do all the filings and keep you legal if you will listen to them. Memembership is 45.00 per year. This will end all the he said she said. with accurate and helpful people. If you do get into a question they will research it and get back to you. I am still a member with them. The number is 800 444 5791. Ask about their many services. I have no dog in the fight except my membership for the last 20 years.

caterpillar guy-thank you very much for the phone number and info,i will be sure to look into that.jim and showcrop-i am just starting out with my career and am looking at a apprenticeship for welding right now,and am also planning on getting a intrastate cdl for now.thanks.rock

You are figuring the weight way off . You need to go by gvwr on the truck and trailer combination for your license requirements. Total of truck and trailer gvwr over 26000 means Cdl, and if trailer is over 10,000 gvwr class A cdl.

You want to be a motor carrier. Will cost you a ton to get started for insurance license (CDL plus business license plus special licensing for your truck). Don't embarrass yourself (or your friends) by trying to haul commercially with an old school bus. Even your dog will abandon you.

If you are in the Provence of Saskatchewan when your dog runs away they say you can still see him after 3 days(still running)

The answers to a good portion of your questions should be found in your states CDL instruction manuals. Download one online from your states DMV or get a hard copy from a local drivers license office. Most of it is information you will need to know to get a CDL license: do's, don'ts; regulations; requirements; restrictions, where to get more information; where to apply; etc. That could be a good place to start.

I know calss a means semi and trailer. Did not get into that. Had a class B with tanker and hasmat. with no air brake. Limited to 26,000# or below truck. Biggest I drove was either a 1 1/2 ton or a 2 ton rated truck. Most of what I was doingh was pulling Anhydrous tanks or liquid fertilizer tanks with either a 3/4 ton pickup or 1 ton flat bed.Trailer was supposed to be not over 10,000# but we were over on all the trailers. Never got questioned but if had company could have been in trouble. Even smallest tanks over limit. We usually din dot know a weight of trailer. Seasonal job. Plant I worked for sold and shut down. Tried getting in at other places and companys complete ignored the licence law highirng with just a passenger licence. If you are delievering even just a 1 gallon can of weed spray to company aplicators with just a car you had to have a Class C CDL. Turned in my CDL 14 years ago when I turned 62.

Just a thought. Go to uship dot com and see what it requires to be a hauler.

Caterpillar guy says it all. I ran a semi on my own authority up to a few yrs ago. But made more money pulling a tank for Beelman. Got 70 percent they furnished the trailer and told me where to go. 5 days a week and went by my house twice a day. But do a little hauling now with a 25 ft. Gooseneck flatbef and a F250. Hauled 11 big bales today. About 5 miles. Absolutely a looser. But got me out of the house. The way I charge is. If it takes 10 gal of gas. And gas is 2.50 a gal. That is $25. So $25 for tires truck etc. And$25 for me. Or $75 for the job. Works for a semi also 1/3 1/3. 1/3.