what it takes to start a trucking business

i am new to the industry and i like to know what does it takes to start ,financially,what are all the expenses,the profit and also what are the best brand of truck .

Stephane,

Are you planning on getting your own authority? Do you have a lead on getting frieght direct or using brokers? How many trucks are you talking about? Long haul or short haul?

yes i am planning on get my own authority ,i dont have lead to get frieght nor brokers.i want to start with twoo truck long haul .

what you need is your head examined,do yourself a favor and put your money in something else.

To get your authority will be about 350.00. In order for that to go through you have to get your insurance coverage. The to get the insurance started will be anywhere from 1000.00 to 2500.00 per truck.

Are you planning on driving one yourself or having two drivers? That will make a huge difference in your profit.

Let me know if you want some more info.

thank you i am planning on driving in the beginning and as i grow i will hire a driver.How do you do your marketing ?have your company known so you can have contract? what is the space requirement ? do you have a place to park your truck ? what would be the cash requirements to start up ? and also financial projection fo a year with two trucks .thank you in advance

Stephane,

do you have a instant messenger thing for aol or msn? I think it would be much easier to answer your questions that way.

yes i do have hotmail messesnger dcarnage@hotmail.com send me ur address so i can add you too .thanks

Stephane,

I sent you an e-mail.

stephane wrote:

thank you i am planning on driving in the beginning and as i grow i will hire a driver.How do you do your marketing ?have your company known so you can have contract? what is the space requirement ? do you have a place to park your truck ? what would be the cash requirements to start up ? and also financial projection fo a year with two trucks .thank you in advance

The way the economy is going, it is not a good time to do this, unless you PERSONALLY know a shipper (or a relative) who can give you freight direct. Some are doing that, they cut out the brokers altogether.(some O/Os give them a commission, you need to really know them well, you don't walk in the door offering money. It probably isn't illegal, but it is unethical and most companies consider it a fire-able conflict of interest for employees to accept monetary kickbacks. Once they know you well enough, they are happy to "deal direct" and save for you all good loads.) Absent that, ride along with others to see what it is like before you commit your money. Best of luck.

I'm also new to the trucking business and would like to start a trucking company but with a 27 ft box truck. Do you know if I'll need USDOT#'S, 2290'S, IRP TAGS MC#'S or handle fule tax reporting? Do you know what permits I will need? Any help will be appreciated. Thank You in advance.

Learn your market first!! Call brokers and look at load boards then put pencil to paper and draw out a budget. If you can make the numbers work for you then do it. Please just don't jump into this because trucking is a tough business to be in. When I look back now after 20 years if I had invested half the money i put into my trucks i would be a whole lot better off. Also don't discount the liability factor, one bad wreck ( the kind you never think can happen to you) and the lawyers come out of the woodwork looking to take everything you have. And don't think the "corporate veil" will protect you either, that only works when you get bigger. Good luck and I wish you the best.

Do I need to get the IRP tags if I am only going to be hauling within a 500 mile radious?

If you are going to cross state borders then yes or you will have to buy a temp permit. Some states are different so check with your state office. Remeber if you are running in state then you only need to worry about intrastate reg's, so figur eout were you will be running and then you can go from there.

There are myriad exceptions to every rule. Weight,# of axles, what you haul (your own property, agricultural, etc.) And like houndog said some states are different there are a few states next to each other that allow each others plate, special prorates, commercial zones, driving into the state to buy fuel or repairs, etc, etc, etc, etc. Do you already have a plate of any kind?