I Want To Start My Own Box Truck Business
Topic 32104 | Page 1
You will have a few problems...
1. If you have not been updating your DOT physical as needed, you no longer have a CDL. It would have been downgraded by the DMV and in order to get it back you would need to go through a Entry Level Driver Training Program and take an exam all over again.
2. If you have kept your DOT physical current. With no recent experience, getting insurance would be very difficult.
How are you buying a truck? Cash or loan. If loan.... The bank may consider your lack of recent experience.
How would you find customers? Are you prepared for getting your own authority/DOT numbers? Permits?
I am one of those YouTube Truckers... And I promote being a company driver over being a business owner.
My suggestion would be to find a local company. Learn the ins of the box truck business and make some connections in your area before you decide to start a business.
CDL:
Commercial Driver's License (CDL)
A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles:
- Any combination of vehicles with a gross combined weight rating (GCWR) of 26,001 or more pounds, providing the gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of the vehicle being towed is in excess of 10,000 pounds.
- Any single vehicle with a GVWR of 26,001 or more pounds, or any such vehicle towing another not in excess of 10,000 pounds.
- Any vehicle, regardless of size, designed to transport 16 or more persons, including the driver.
- Any vehicle required by federal regulations to be placarded while transporting hazardous materials.
DOT:
Department Of Transportation
A department of the federal executive branch responsible for the national highways and for railroad and airline safety. It also manages Amtrak, the national railroad system, and the Coast Guard.
State and Federal DOT Officers are responsible for commercial vehicle enforcement. "The truck police" you could call them.
Dm:
Dispatcher, Fleet Manager, Driver Manager
The primary person a driver communicates with at his/her company. A dispatcher can play many roles, depending on the company's structure. Dispatchers may assign freight, file requests for home time, relay messages between the driver and management, inform customer service of any delays, change appointment times, and report information to the load planners.DMV:
Department of Motor Vehicles, Bureau of Motor Vehicles
The state agency that handles everything related to your driver's licences, including testing, issuance, transfers, and revocation.
HOS:
Hours Of Service
HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.
Not to mention insurance premiums.
For those of you thinking of going on your own, I have three words for you: Don’t Do It. Trucking/transportation is a very risky and complex business. Lots of competition. Only the most experienced and well financed survive. Being a company driver is the best choice, in my opinion.
HOS:
Hours Of Service
HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.
If they downgraded my cdla, wouldn't I have been given a new card? My card still says cdla. Every year I have to fill out a recertification for pepsi. But I thought my dmv said I could just get a physical and reinstate it whenever. But I could be wrong.
CDL:
Commercial Driver's License (CDL)
A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles:
- Any combination of vehicles with a gross combined weight rating (GCWR) of 26,001 or more pounds, providing the gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of the vehicle being towed is in excess of 10,000 pounds.
- Any single vehicle with a GVWR of 26,001 or more pounds, or any such vehicle towing another not in excess of 10,000 pounds.
- Any vehicle, regardless of size, designed to transport 16 or more persons, including the driver.
- Any vehicle required by federal regulations to be placarded while transporting hazardous materials.
Dm:
Dispatcher, Fleet Manager, Driver Manager
The primary person a driver communicates with at his/her company. A dispatcher can play many roles, depending on the company's structure. Dispatchers may assign freight, file requests for home time, relay messages between the driver and management, inform customer service of any delays, change appointment times, and report information to the load planners.DMV:
Department of Motor Vehicles, Bureau of Motor Vehicles
The state agency that handles everything related to your driver's licences, including testing, issuance, transfers, and revocation.
I was going to get my own authority, and try to rent a truck for a while. As far as customers, I haven't figured that out yet.
I was going to get my own authority, and try to rent a truck for a while. As far as customers, I haven't figured that out yet.
That’s a sound business plan.
Your insurance will be through the roof. Have you noticed fuel prices for the past 18 months? Have you noticed the country is actually in a recession now, with no end in sight? How much cash will you have on hand after getting your authority, DOT Drug Consortium membership, plates, ALL the individual insurance coverages, registration, truck rental, maintenance budget, brokerage fees, bonding, taxes, workers comp. coverage, IFTA, accounting, quarterly taxes, etc? These are just the ones off the top of my head, so there are probably many more I have left out.
Do you think there may be an easier way to earn a lot more money driving a truck for someone else that pays all of the items listed above, or do you really want to "drive like a boss"? The large trucking companies are turning a profit margin of between five and eight percent. I don't see any local niche market that will be labeled a success from what I have read. You would probably make more at the job you have now with very little overhead.
DOT:
Department Of Transportation
A department of the federal executive branch responsible for the national highways and for railroad and airline safety. It also manages Amtrak, the national railroad system, and the Coast Guard.
State and Federal DOT Officers are responsible for commercial vehicle enforcement. "The truck police" you could call them.
Your going to need alot more research into your idea. First you have no equipment, second no customers, third no recent experience. Rainy is spot on with her comments.
Renting a box truck in your situation may not be an easy task, unless it’s a uhaul. A commercial rental company usually wants 1-3 years in business before they will rent to you.
You need a customer base. If your business model relies on load boards and brokers, forget it. There is no money in that.
!!!Thanks for the support!
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Hello, I love this forum. I work for pepsi, have been for 18 years. I have a cdla.i drove for 9 years. My current position is in sales so I listed my cdla as inactive( I think). I am really thinking about trying to reactivate my cdla and start a box truck business. I have a lot of fears though. Being my cdla has not been used recently, can I just take my dot physical and get rolling?
Also, do you think it would be possible to be profitable to run local or regional and be home every night or at least a few nights a weak? I have been pouring over all of these you tube truckers and they make it seem so easy and make the money so good. I'm a hard worker. Not lazy, but I still have kids so I don't really want to be away too long.
Also, is there a way to see what kind of loads are available in my area without getting my ein and ask of those other numbers at first before I make the jump?
CDL:
Commercial Driver's License (CDL)
A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles:
Regional:
Regional Route
Usually refers to a driver hauling freight within one particular region of the country. You might be in the "Southeast Regional Division" or "Midwest Regional". Regional route drivers often get home on the weekends which is one of the main appeals for this type of route.
DOT:
Department Of Transportation
A department of the federal executive branch responsible for the national highways and for railroad and airline safety. It also manages Amtrak, the national railroad system, and the Coast Guard.
State and Federal DOT Officers are responsible for commercial vehicle enforcement. "The truck police" you could call them.
HOS:
Hours Of Service
HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.