transporting cars w/ 3 car trailer

89xjnc

89xjnc

Well-Known Member
Joined
Apr 10, 2014
Location
julian nc
i recently purchased a 3 car wedge trailer and am looking at buying a dually and trying to make a living for myself. anyone on here have any experience doing this? any and all info is greatly appreciated. i know i will need a dot # and atleast a million dollar insurance policy. thanks in advance
 
If ya become interested in a road tractor I've got a 93 gmc topkick for sale has 203k miles car engine Allison trans no bed on it! We haul pressure washing equipment use to use a 3500 but the repairs got to be to much bc of wear and tear so switched to topkick problem now is it doesn't fit in all the residential neighborhoods and parks garages a we wash! Million dollar policy is what we have it covers truck trailer and whatever we have on trailer! Get a hauler that can take the abuse of that much weight for long period of time or you'll end up spending more cash in ya truck then what ya make! If ya interested in topkick let me know ill send pics and our maintenance records over last two years we owned it!
 
I agree go with something like a medium duty cab chassis over a dually. I've known haulers that wish they would have bought bigger. You'll probably spend a lil more in the beginning but it will payoff in the end.
 
No advice but I wish you luck. It's a tough business. I've used several companies to haul Broncos from the left coast to this one. I wouldn't do it for the amount I have paid them.

I have only seen 2 show up with a 3 car wedge. All others were 2 man over the road 18 wheel outfits. Where would you plan to sleep and what areas do you want to service? Just curious.

You might have a better life if you could get a 2 car enclosed and find a high end resto shop or sales company to serve exclusively
 
@C.Berry pm me with the info on the topkick and your asking price. i would really like to get a dodge 4500 or 5500 with the cummins in it. i have seen those used in good condition for around the same cost as a 2500 or 3500 pickup. the dodge that @JThomas has on here for sale really has my interest, i am going to try to go check it out sometime soon. i know working and sleeping out of it would not be ideal but it may be a good candidate to get me started. i dont really have a specific area in mind, i would prefer to stay on the east coast but i will go wherever the money is. anyone know a good site or company to get loads from? or a good company to get insurance?
 
Very tough buisness. Check out the ltl hotshot site. Lots of info there. As said above, I am having a vehicle shipped to me right now and I wouldn't do it for what I paid.
 
You might be better off using the wedge to pick up auction cars and sell them, I have thought about doing this many times.
 
CL is chock full of used wedge trailers selling cheap.

Just saying...
 
Ok I'll get some pics and work receipts together and pm them to ya tom looking to get 5k for topkick but for nc4x4 folks I'd def work with ya on price of ya decide it's something ya wanted!
 
What is your competitive advantage?

Do you have an LLC set up for this?

What is your day job; is your current gig flexible enough to allow for you to drop what you are doing and put in a multi-day run to some tiny part of the country? What are you going to be doing until this provides steady enough income to make a run at it?
 
I have a m-f job that does have some flexibility. My plan at the moment is to try to start out doing weekends or fri.-sat. I have talked with a couple of people at greensboro auto auction that say they can keep me busy most of the time but i am still waiting to hear from someone that can give me more information. I dont have an LLC setup yet but I do plan on doing so.
 
Do you have CDL? You'll have to stay under 26,000 pounds if not. You need to keep that in mind when you're looking at tow rigs. The heavier the tow rig, the less weight you can put on the trailer. Trust me, it's easier than you think to hit 26k.
 
89xjnc said:
Yes I know. I have looked. cheapest one on there is more than double what I payed for mine. just saying
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That was not my point.

There are an awful lot of people buying brand new wedge trailers, then turning around and selling them a year later. There's probably a reason for that.
 
I think you could make money if you do it right. IF you do it right. I ship and have cars hauled to me all the time. I have one guy who I've got to be good friends with who hauls the I95 corridor. ONLY the I95 corridor. He has customers up and down it and has a wedge he pulls behind a sleeper semi. I think he can fit 4 cars on it. Since he runs the same route all the time, I know when I buy a car anywhere near I95, he'll be there for it. I just call him up, tell him I have a car, and a few days later it is here. He'll run 3-4 cars a day up and down dropping off and picking up along the way. Rarely does he run a straight run. He'll leave Philly with a few cars, hit DC to drop one and pick one up, then hit Richmond do the same, down here to Raleigh, then Charlotte, Savannah, etc. Only one time did he run a Jeep from Jacksonville up here to Raleigh without a couple other cars on the hauler, and he only did it because we've gotten to be buddies and he was in a hurry to get home so he did a straight shot.

The guys who will haul anywhere for anyone are the ones who lose out, since they might have a problem running a back haul or things along the way because they don't have the contacts, or lose a haul because they are off their normal route. A few times my guy has called me and been like "hey, I'm coming through Charlotte tomorrow and my load canceled, got anything down there?" I'll just on the interwebs and buy something at auction to give him the haul.
 
jankoid said:
Do you have CDL? You'll have to stay under 26,000 pounds if not. You need to keep that in mind when you're looking at tow rigs. The heavier the tow rig, the less weight you can put on the trailer. Trust me, it's easier than you think to hit 26k.
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Not to mention you don't need to weigh 26k + to need the CDL. 1 ton dually with MFG stated GVWR of 11500, and a trailer that is listed on MFG's tag of 15k lbs, and you need a CDL no matter if you are empty and crossing scales at 12k lbs.

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