Posts Tagged ‘trucking’

How Much Will It Cost To Ship My Vehicle?

Monday, July 11th, 2011

That Question Is Loaded. Wow !

However, with the information available to you on the internet, we not only have answers but can also supply good reasons for those answers.

There is quite a variety in pricing within the auto shipping industry. It is important that you understand the reasons and there are several.

Firm Costs: Start off with the cost of a tractor/trailer rig which in today’s world can run up around $500,000.00. Add to that insurance of about $10,000.00 – $25,000.00 per year, fuel costs of over $4.00 per gallon (these trucks will average 3 – 4 miles per gallon) maintenance, repairs, tires, and depreciation. Don’t forget to include the cost of licensing, permitting, and paying a driver and you are starting to get the idea. Operating an auto hauler is a very expensive operation

Marketing: The owner/operator of an auto transport rig must now find customers in order to make any money. This can typically cost several thousand dollars per month.

Pricing in the auto transport industry will run the gamit from top to bottom. From those who practice the Walmart strategy of offering low discount pricing in order to encourage high volumes of business to those who would rather charge top prices and not move their trucks unless they obtain them. The auto transport industry certainly has many schools of thought represented when it comes to pricing. There is a price that will meet with your approval somewhere between the top prices and the bottom as you search.

Comparing several prices is of course the secret to discovering that range of pricing you desire. Simply provide them with your email address and phone number and then wait to be contacted in a prompt manner. Or you can simply pickup the phone and give them a call.

In order to really be smart about this you will need to do your homework. The American Trucker is known as an independent spirit. This translates into a wide range of pricing for the same delivery job when you compare the prices across a wide range of quotes. This is not about being right or wrong, several prices are available. This is about being smart and comparing prices.

Some differences in the way brokers do business are deposits. Some require deposits up front and some don’t. Both are correct in the way they do things, they just don’t agree. Most if not all will want final payment in the form of a cashier’s check or money order paid to the driver and that is the normal way of doing it.

Searching Google is one of the best and easiest ways to get pricing. Simply search under auto transport quotes or auto shipping quotes and select one of the many that come up. Provide them with your information and submit. With quotes in hand you will be ready to talk with a broker. This is the time to ask all of the questions you may have concerning your auto transport. Broker’s that truly want your business will be happy to provided answers at this point.

Quotes received will be from brokers that will only select the really good guys to transport your vehicle. This pre-screening done for you is an additional service that really enhances your auto transport experience.

Compare car transport quotes and compare quotes at car shipping quotes

Visit MetroGistics for all of your Vehicle Shipping needs.

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What If My Car Is Damaged During Transport

Thursday, June 30th, 2011

If you are not prepared for it this can be a frightening moment. It doesn’t have to be of course. During the screening portion and while you are comparing prices is the right moment to handle this issue.

Truckers/Carriers licensed and permitted by the FMCSA (Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration) are required to have insurance. The real question you need to discover is do they have it? You can find out for yourself online at the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration web site.

If you are dealing with a Carrier (Trucker) you can simply ask them to fax or email you a copy of their insurance. If you are working with a Broker just ask the Broker and he will be glad to advise you. This is part of the service that a Broker is always happy to provide.

But, what do I do if my car is damaged during car shipping ?

Easy Answer. When your car arrives you and the driver need to inspect it together before you accept it and sign the bill of lading. If you in fact find damage (new damage that was not there when the car was loaded) simply make a not of it on his bill of lading, both of you sign it, and you get a copy. Request that the driver provide you with proof of insurance (yes, again) and contact his insurance company. The only thing required is to file a claim with his provider of insurance and supply them with the documents they request which will also include an estimate of repairs from your body shop.

Upon discovery of damage and while still with the driver, it is always a good idea to make a call to his insurance company and simply ask them how they would like to proceed. They will direct you in how to file a claim with them and you will find that the insurance company will be very pleasant and helpful as they really have no reason to be otherwise. If you can’t reach the insurance company representative it’s still not the end of the world, call your Auto Transport Broker, he can help.

This is a good time to point out the obvious. Household goods (and the damage they cause) are not supposed to be in your vehicle, and are not covered by the truckers insurance according to the Federal Motor Carriers Safety Administration.

Although kinda scary light damage is not unusual during auto transport and is handled in a rather routine manner. You will be taken care of and your car will be fixed and guess what ???? This problem too will simply go away.

If you are working with an Auto Transport Broker, relax because most of them check out the truckers you will use very carefully during the quoting process. Part of their job is to only select the good guys. You can count on it.

During searching for estimates to compare don’t fail to check out Bob Frost’s fantastic articles on details to know when shipping auto transport as a little information can save a lot of money and grief.

Visit MetroGistics for all of your Vehicle Shipping needs.

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Making Your Trucking Business Successful

Thursday, September 2nd, 2010

Thinking about having your own business in the trucking industry?. If you believe that being successful simply means that you’re spending all of your time on the road, then think again. You can only reach your goals if you learn to manage both your driving with your business.

Starting your own trucking company takes a knowledge of transportation as well as a fundamental understanding of running a sound business. If you consider that being successful simply means that you’re spending all of your time on the road, then think again. You can only realize your goals if you learn to manage both your driving with your business.

Once a plan has been written for your business, determine how best to work your plan. Running a profitable trucking business is only possible when you move in the direction of your goals on a daily basis. Be persistent if you want to be successful. After you make progress in the direction of your goals, you may find that you start accomplishing more than you had ever hoped.

Partnering with others should be built into part of your plan after you have started seeing success. The power of relationships is sometimes not thought about in terms of business. The more relationships and partnerships you can create with others in your line of work, the better. These relationships can assist in uncovering opportunities that you may not have been aware of before. While you are creating your business, take time to ask yourself exactly how you can be introduced others in your line of work and continue building your network.

When a trucking business starts to grow, so do the responsibilities associated with it. Make sure to continually re-prioritize in order to focus on activities that can keep your business up and running. Minimize any debt you might have if you wish to keep your business profitable for years to come.

Creating your own profitable trucking company begins with a strong goal and an understanding of sound business practices. To see your vision come to life, think beyond the basic fundamentals of trucking and focus your attention on running a profitable business. Find others who share your vision and can support your goals. You can create a successful trucking company with persistence and will achieve your goals with persistence.

Joe Hoovestol is the owner of Lone Mountain Truck Leasing which provides semi trucks for sale and semi truck financing on today’s best trucks. Learn more about being an owner operator with the assistance of trucking professionals.

Visit MetroGistics for all of your Vehicle Shipping needs.

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Trucking Business Budget Pitfalls And How To Avoid Them

Tuesday, July 20th, 2010

For truck owner operators, the topic of budgeting should be heavily considered. As we all have experienced, the economy has caused a number of financial problems for many people, and the result has been a heightened awareness of expenses. You can plan and plan again in this business,but it may not always help unless you’re prepared for other expenses that may come up that were not expected. The miles you run and your rates of payment may be easy to predict, but truck maintenance (and how much it can cost to take care of the fixes) cannot. Therefore, you should always be budgeting for the future.

Whether you have a brand new truck or a used truck with a million miles on it, the chance always is that you never know when one might need maintenance. Some trucks may break early on, some may break at a later point in time, but it eventually will break somehow. When it does break, the visit to the shop to get your truck back in business is rarely less than $1,000. Keeping this in mind, your budget needs to factor in these types of occurrences. Once you have this factored in, these repairs just cause a minor setback versus completely halting your business.

At Lone Mountain Truck Leasing we include a one year/100,000 mile engine warranty on each of the trucks we sell that were manufactured in 2005 and newer. These warranties include a lot of the major components that will result in what we call a “catastrophic failure.” Typically, these fixes will be in the area of $5,000-$25,000. While these failures do not happen very often, there will be other non-catastrophic events that will potentially put your company underwater if you aren’t prepared for them.

Setting aside at least five cents per mile specifically for the purpose of maintenance and repairs is a reasonable rule to follow. The number can also vary depending on how old the truck is, how many miles you are adding to the truck during the course of a year, and the number of miles were on the truck before you owned it. To keep the calculation easy, five cents for each mile driven is a great place to start your calculation. If nothing is being set aside from the start, and the only items you are budgeting are oil changes, there is a significant chance you are not going to last very long in the owner operator business.

This economy shows that the trucking business (just like any business) requires to you to frequently monitor your expenses to try to keep a financial cushion when times to begin to get tougher. When the repairs come around (and they always will) you will be well prepared for them. Rebounding quickly from these types of issues to get back on the road is the key point to remain successful in this business.

Are you looking for today’s best truck leasing business? Lone Mountain Truck Leasing services all types of commercial truck leasing and financing.

Visit MetroGistics for all of your Vehicle Shipping needs.

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Job Stability

Monday, June 14th, 2010

Believe it or not, one of the greatest turnover rates in any industry belongs to the trucking industry. A turnover rate of 100% actually exists in several fleets out there. What causes this large turnover? This is caused by many drivers in the industry leaving for another company after only working at a company for a few months.

One thing we check when we receive an application at Lone Mountain Truck Leasing that is not credit or income related is the work history of the applicant. We look at the person’s work history to see what they are doing once the truck leaves our lot, and if they’ve been employed by one company for a couple of years with thoughts on remaining there. If a driver has spent more time within a particular business, they know how to succeed within that company’s structure, and who to talk to in the business.

Just like beginning any job where you are new, you generally do not start right at the top of the business. With a large corporation (if you chose to work for one), you would not expect to be given the same pay or treated the same as those who have been with that company much longer, and have gained a significant amount of experience by being there. Even though a trucking company may not be huge, the same facts are true. Generally, the much easier and highest paying loads go to the driver with the most experience, that have shown their value through a long history with the company. The same applies to the dispatchers in the company. Why does this happen? The trucking company wants to keep their most loyal employees happy.

A brand new driver could have abilities that are just as good as anyone that has been in business for a long time. However, the new driver will always need to prove their worth before getting any type of special treatment from their new place of employment.

There are always stories from drivers at other companies or recruiters that are tell the tuckers how well a different company is doing. Drivers in the business can sometimes get involved in the “grass is always greener” mentality, which can be hazardous to the career growth of the driver. What is left out of these conversations is that the success stories are generated from veteran drivers. Because immediate success is sometimes not experienced immediately after joining a company, drivers may move to a different company. This pattern can continue occurring until they begin to spend a larger amount of time at one company and begin experience greater success.

For anyone new to the trucking business, there are some things you can do in order to check into the company you may be working for. To find out how people with varying levels of seniority are treated, talk to a minimum of one new driver in the company and one veteran driver. If you get a great feeling from both, then you may want to pursue a job with that company. Even if the company may not be what you anticipated at first, remain there for a minimum of a year. By doing this, you’ll build relationships within the company which will increase your chances of success. In the event that you still don’t favor the company, your next employer will see that you have a better job history than just moving from job to job. When you are debating about making your next move within the trucking industry, please keep this advice in mind.

Are you looking for today’s premier truck leasing provider? At Lone Mountain Truck Leasing we offer semi truck financing, allowing you to become an owner operator quickly and easily.

Visit MetroGistics for all of your Vehicle Shipping needs.

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