From: grntrks@juno.com
Date: Fri Jun 03 2005 - 12:56:55 PDT
Went into trucking business last summer ( hot-shot). I'll give you a
brief start up cost for our INTRAstate operation.
1. Driver training, 4 weeks school, $3,000.00. With no income for
4 weeks.
Training is now required by USDOT with periodic refresher
courses required.
2. Commercial liability coverage ($500,000.00 ), required by
State of Texas.
3. Cargo Insurance ($20,000 ) required by shippers. Many shippers
wanted $50,000 to $100,000 coverage.
Combined Insurance cost $3,000.00 down and $600.00 per
month.
4 1991 Ford diesel dually crew cab $6,000.00.
5. 40' gooseneck flatbed, 3 axle, $4,000.00
6. 18' car trailer $2,000.00
7. anual DOT inspection (1 truck, 2 trailers) $180.00
8. 6ea. tires for truck and 6 tires for gooseneck $1,500.00
8. Texas DOT registration, anual, $210.00
9. Class A CDL with all indorsements $50.00
10. DOT physical $60.00 anual
11. Drug and alcohol screening $120.00, random.
12. Office setup for DOT required files and records $500.00.
13. DOT compliant sleeper (pickup truck) $2,600.00 , unless you
can show reciepts for overnight rest stops ( motel).
14. Ratchet tie-down straps, chains, boomers. $850.00.
15. Tarps = ?
Total on above.= $24,880.00 before I left the driveway for our first
load.
These are just off the top of my head. There are more I can't remember
right now.
Then you should figure several thousand dollars for maintenance and
repair, fire extinguisher, tire chains, tow chains, spare lamps and
fuses, etc., emergency triangles. Not having any of these items will cost
you a citation and fine for each.
By the way, average fuel costs = $1500.00 per month. The IFTA permit is
only required if you cross state lines. If you go INTERstate there are
more registration fees, higher insurance requirements, and vehicle tag
costs. Next time you see a sign on the back of a truck that says " this
truck pays $XXXX.00 highway taxes anually" you'll have an idea what that
means.
We lasted from 18 June,2004 to 28 Feb, 2005, when we ceased operations
before we were forced into bankruptcy.
Frank Cox - 'Nam 1966
MVPA 14530
'45 GMC 353 DUKW
On Fri, 03 Jun 2005 13:36:21 -0500 MV <MV@dc9.tzo.com> writes:
>
> Yep, you are right. But I've got a bonafide corporation and I'm
> dealing
> with other corporations and they want everything to look right.
> Also I
> think I would have had a hard time passing my rig for a "personal
> vehicle". It's 66 feet long end to end and that's a big personal
> rig!
>
> I think I can get by with that a lot easier with my M51 dump truck
> than
> this rig. Plus if I keep everything commercial, my commercial
> liability
> insurance is working and if someone drops something while loading
> the
> truck, etc. I know I'm covered. Otherwise?? Who knows.
>
> I probably could have gone with farm tags and setup a farm division
> of
> the company, but those trucks are supposidly limited to 150 miles
> from
> home base.
>
> However from a commercial standpoint - the BS you have to put up
> with on
> a CMV makes me wonder whether it is worth it. It certainly costs a
> lot
> more than I had initially planned in both time and money. I've
> heard
> that independant truckers are dropping out and I can see why. For a
> one
> man show the legalities of trucking are pretty extreme with a lot of
>
> upfront costs.
>
> Dave
>
>
>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>
>
> David Ashley wrote:
> > Um ah why did you ?
> >
> > " Proper commercial insurance and registrations onboard for both
> truck and
> > trailer."
> >
> > I think you put your self in this commercial arena buy having
> commercial reg
> > and ins. I don't know how much business you do but I think a
> personal plate
> > would have been a better option, Also I have heard the words "Not
> for Hire"
> > go a long way of keeping you out of commercial areas. I think you
> need to
> > go all commercial or all personal. Your business and the amount
> of income
> > will dictate.
> >
> >
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: Military Vehicles Mailing List [mailto:mil-veh@mil-veh.org]
> On Behalf
> > Of MV
> > Sent: Friday, June 03, 2005 8:20 AM
> > To: Military Vehicles Mailing List
> > Subject: [MV] My recent run in with the Commercial Vehicle Police
> - Indiana
> >
> >
> >
> > I just wanted to share my tale with you so you can possibly avoid
> this
> > sitaution. I'd also like to hear about your experience with the
> CMV cops.
> >
> > Last week on the Friday before Memorial Day I was driving my 22 ft
>
> > flatbed truck with my newly renovated gooseneck trailer attached,
> across
> > Indiana.
> >
> > Here are the particulars:
> >
> > Truck:
> > GMC 1984 Diesel 22 ft. flatbed straight truck with 28,000 GVWR on
> the
> > door jamb plate.
> > Indiana truck plates - 26,000 lbs tags registered in my companies
> name.
> > Hydraulic disk brakes on all both axles.
> >
> > Trailer:
> > Dual Tandem Gooseneck trailer with 16,000 lbs plates - trailer is
> really
> > good for 24,000+ lb payload. Plates registered in my companies
> name
> > also. Trailer was attached to the above truck via a gooseneck
> ball
> > mounted in a well in the truck bed.
> >
> > Proper commercial insurance and registrations onboard for both
> truck and
> > trailer.
> >
> > I was heading across Indiana when a semi blew by me and hit his
> horn
> > pointing behind me. I had a cop on my tail with the lights
> flashing -
> > but no siren. I pulled over.
> >
> > I was not breaking any laws apparently when the cop pulled me
> over.
> > Commercial motor vehicles can be stopped without cause. It was my
> turn
> > apparently. This was the first time I had the trailer attached to
> this
> > truck.
> >
> > I was asked for my license (standard issue - non-CDL).
> > I was asked for my medical card. I did not have one.
> > The officer did a 100% inspection on my rig and found a tail light
> on
> > the trailer has stopped working - everything else passed.
> > I had the proper USDOT numbers on my truck.
> > I did not have a truck inspection sticker or documents.
> >
> > She asked me how many trucks I had in my fleet. I only have one.
> > She asked where I was coming from and where I was going and the
> plans
> > for my trip.
> >
> > The officer told me that all 3 axle trucks and all combination
> vehicles
> > with total GVWR weight ratings of over 26,000 require a CDL. I
> told her
> > that the BMV told me that my truck did not require a CDL even
> though it
> > says 28,000 on the rating plate (which they did).
> >
> > After the officer did an entire truck and trailer inspection, she
> mulled
> > things over for a long time and finally said that she can't allow
> me to
> > drive the vehicle because I don't have a CDL. She said that she
> really
> > wished that she had not pulled me over since it was obvious that I
> was
> > trying to do everything correctly.
> >
> > She said I needed to call someone who had a CDL to come and drive
> the
> > vehicle from where it was. I made a couple of phone calls but I
> knew
> > that no one was immediately available. After sitting on the side
> of the
> > road on the back edge of the trailer for about 2 hours waiting for
>
> > people to call me back - she re-emerged from the car and gave me a
> bunch
> > of info - a department of revenue booklet with a bunch of pages
> turned,
> > a warning ticket for no CDL and a tailight out, and an actual
> ticket for
> > not having an IFTA fuel tax license and stickers. She then told
> me that
> > she would follow me down to a truckstop. She pointed out that the
>
> > truckstop was on a north-south county road and she drove on and
> did not
> > stay with me at the truckstop. Since I had to go north anyway,
> that
> > location was a convenient drop off point.
> >
> > There is a lot of confusion over the 26,000 lb limit for a CDL
> > requirement. But the officer said that since the truck was rated
> for
> > 28,000 it was clearly over even though the plates say 26,000 lbs.
> The
> > fact that I had a combination vehicle with a total plated weight
> of
> > 42,000 clearly put me in CDL land she said.
> >
> > I knew that by pulling the heavy gooseneck trailer that I was
> running
> > the ragged legal edge pretty hard - but I didn't think I would get
>
> > pulled over so quickly. The pullover and the almost 3 hour delay
> (while
> > I paid for guys to wait for me at the destination) was costly. I
> have
> > called the courthouse to find out what the situation is with the
> IFTA
> > ticket and they could not tell me if it required a court
> appearance or
> > if it was just a fine. I'm guessing it is a fine since it is not
> a
> > moving violation, but who knows.
> >
> > This week I called the Indiana Department of Revenue - as they
> handle
> > the IFTA licensing - this was all news to me but I'm sure heavy
> truckers
> > are very familiar with this BS that they apparently have to deal
> with
> > every 3 months. IFTA is all about fuel taxes and trucks and the
> states
> > struggles to grab as much money from truckers as possible. If
> your rig
> > is licensed over 26,000 lbs, and commercial - you have to get an
> IFTA
> > license and stickers. Note that I said licensed - not rated. The
> DOR
> > doesn't care if you rig is rated for 80,000 and licensed for
> 26,000 they
> > said. The proof is when you run it across the scales. If you
> exceed
> > your plates, or the maximum axle ratings - then you are in
> trouble.
> > They also don't care if you have a CDL or not - the DOR is all
> about
> > money. The cops at the scales and the CMV cops enforce the DOR
> laws.
> >
> > Then I found out about interstate laws with a rig over 26,000 lbs
> total
> > licensed plates. My rig was officially at a total license weight
> of
> > 42,000 lbs. (26K + 16K) Since the total rig is over 26,000 lbs
> she
> > told me I would need trip permits to visit other states with this
> rig.
> > (What? I already have plates - Indiana ones - what is this about
> I
> > thought - again caught off guard!)
> >
> > If you take a rig that is over 26,000 lbs across your home state
> lines
> > you either need an IRP apportioned plate or a trip permit to enter
> that
> > state. (Yes, more BS) I told her I may be going to Michigan, IL,
> OH,
> > and Kentucky and NY with my 42K licensed rig. I said how much
> would an
> > IRP plate cost for that weight. She said about $942.00. The
> truck cost
> > $1800!!! She said that I could get a credit for the unused
> portion of
> > my Indiana 26,000 lb truck plate - which cost about $350.
> >
> > I checked on the cost of trip permits and they are not cheap, but
> a lot
> > cheaper than an IRP plate. A 3 day pass to New York is $25, etc.
> Ohio
> > about $15. You need a permit for each state you pass through. So
> much
> > for the "United" States - this is expensive, and obviously very
> > politically centered on the individual states. It's basically a
> big
> > money grab from truckers. If you are an independant heavy truck
> owner
> > operator - I have newfound respect for your ability to put up with
> all
> > of this BS.
> >
> > Anyway - even though I am setup as a Private Carrier - I move my
> own
> > commercial stuff - not for hire - this commerical truck stuff is
> darn
> > expensive. Especially for only occasional use - which is what I
> bought
> > the truck and trailer for - to haul machines that I purchase,
> rebuild
> > and sell. I'm going through the CDL licensing process which I
> don't
> > think will be much of a problem - just a time eater. Will it make
> me a
> > better driver - probably not. But it will make me 100% legal.
> >
> > The lesson that I have learned from all of this is to avoid
> getting into
> > the commercial end of truck situation if at all possible. I have
> an M51
> > 5 ton dump with Indiana historical plates and I intend to keep it
> that
> > way. If you attempt to go commerical with a truck like a 5 ton
> M54 type
> > truck - make sure you have a lot of money to spend and you like to
> fill
> > out fuel tax returns every 3 months as that is what is legally
> required.
> > If you miss a filing there is a $50 fine. Also you will need
> trip
> > permits to cross state lines. More BS. If you don't intend to
> use the
> > vehicle for commerical use - stay as far away from the commerical
> stuff
> > as possible - In fact I would avoid getting a CDL since it may
> make you
> > look like you are a commercial driver attempting to skirt the
> law.
> >
> > If you are going to be using a truck for commercial use - go all
> of the
> > way and do it 100% correct. You will just end up paying for doing
> it
> > right or pay even more for doing it wrong. There seems to be no
> in
> > between - at least that is the way I look at it now.
> >
> > I'd be interested to hear other people stories and experiences
> regarding
> > this type of thing and how far you can push the envelope before
> the CMV
> > cops come down on you.
> >
> > Do many people have 5 ton trucks licensed as CMV's. What about
> M35? If
> > a vehicle is over 10,000 K lb GVWR and commerical it is suppose to
> have
> > USDOT numbers (free to get) but it exposes you to more scrutiny.
> >
> > I have talked with some Commercial drivers and some have said that
> they
> > have never been pulled over by the CMV cops. I think there are
> only
> > about 10 CMV cops in the entire state of Indiana. Obviously last
> Friday
> > was "not" my lucky day.
> >
> > Dave
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
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> >
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> >
>
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>
>
Frank Cox - 'Nam 1966
MVPA 14530
'45 GMC 353 DUKW
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.1.4 : Fri Oct 28 2005 - 22:47:27 PDT