315duramax

yup, and Im just as bad of a person because i own a landscaping business too and im not insured either, and im driving costs down for those people who are legal lawn mowers as well!


guess we can tell its winter here!

offshorexcursion

iTrader: (5)

Owning a business and doing chores for your parents are 2 different things.............

315duramax

that was clever ill give it to ya!

ICDEDPPL

iTrader: (1)

Oh snap! lol

Waterboy123

I don't think anyone on this board would knock you for being entrepreneurial, especially as a younger guy, however openly flouting the rules is not going to serve you well in the long run, I've seen my friends have accidents (vehicles) growing up and the fiscal penalties can be massive, knock a light poll over $10-15k, and that's easy done just clipping a corner.

I hope you take some of these guys words of wisdom to heart and insurance up even if it's not a long term business.

ham_r_down01

iTrader: (1)

My dad has drove truck for 37 years. Yes hes still working. Semi retired in 2004. Once the economy went in the toilet, he watched his life savings disappear over night. Not quite that fast, but compared to how long it took to make. He also worked when the industry was regulated. Didnt matter where you were going, paid the same. Fuel was $0.39 a gallon, he had 4 150 gallon taks on his truck so he could pick and choose where he got it. People on the road back then were also a lot more curteous. I drive for him in my laid off time. So he can take a break. I could have taken over his truck when he retired from over the road in 2004. I didnt want to, he always told me it wont be worth it in a few years. He was hauling cars for a specialized orange carrier. Now that hes 100% completely on his own, all the ifta reports, dot stuff, plates, insurance, truck payment(1 to go), getting paid for services, are just the tip of the ice berg of the headaches you will get. As soon as you put dot numbers on the door, you will start looking over our shoulder constantly. Just moving the vehicle is reason alone for the dot to pull you over.

Thats just a little bit of the business. Now the fun part, hows your significant other feel about you being gone for weeks at a time? Get comfortable in that coffin sleeper. Motels are expensive. You may head west, but there may not be anything coming east for a while. Especially a boat on a boat trailer, with not as much disposable income as there was 10 years ago, not many people having boats hauled very far.

I dont discourage you to do it. There are some people with some good advice here, I hope you take it.

Oh to the OP, Im not sure how old you are, Good luck getting reasonable commercial insurance if youre under 25. It will be through the roof.

Best of luck either way you choose.

TW720HVY

iTrader: (1)

For someone who is also in the landscaping business, one would think they'd know what season the month of October fell in.

You clearly have it all figured out on so many different levels.

TW720HVY

iTrader: (1)

If I was him, I'd go to the nearest big truck stop and start sharing my business model with any driver that would listen starting with the trucks that have the OOIDA stickers.

Dave Z

I have been in the Air/Ocean frt trucking/warehousing business for 25 years. Things have changed significantly over the years. Almost every business I've seen cut corners, (no workers comp ins. not enough cargo ins, not having the proper authority...the list goes on) has gone under. What comes around goes around. There are people who were living high on the hog, then something went bad and it's all gone. Take some advice and do it right. If it was easy, everybody would do it! Dave

79formula

I have a friend in Buffalo that just auctioned off his fleet of over 100 trucks. He said the cost of ins, fuel, and the prices for hauling are so cheap it was easier to sell after 40yrs in the business.