Some help and advice please.

[NewtotheGame84]

I live in NJ and im currently getting my CDL. I am going down south this weekend to look at a 10 car carrier. I first thought of getting a brand new dually and 3/4 car carrier but realized I can get a used 10 car for almost the same price.

Starting off I am planning on getting work just from load boards. I have plenty of cash to get started. Starting money is not the problem.

I would like to get some opinions and advice from you veterens on whether using load boards alone in the beginning will keep a 10 car full.

Ive driven f450 trucks with trailers for my fathers landscaping business for a long time but have no experience with a tractor. When I go look at this 10 car carrier what should I be looking for as far as if the truck is good. It has almost 1,000,000 miles but from the pictures it looks very clean. It also just had major work done on the motor and I'm told its ready to work.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

[LBZ]

Have the truck & trailer inspected by someone who knows what to look for. If they do not have paperwork for something they state has been repaired, it didn't happen.

Before you buy anything, make sure you can get insurance. With no previous experience, that may be your biggest obstacle wanting to start out in a 10 car.

[NewtotheGame84]

Have the truck & trailer inspected by someone who knows what to look for. If they do not have paperwork for something they state has been repaired, it didn't happen.

Before you buy anything, make sure you can get insurance. With no previous experience, that may be your biggest obstacle wanting to start out in a 10 car.

He says he has all the paper work for the repairs made, as far as insurance I have already looked into it and will be able to get coverage.

[Tosch88]

There isn't anyone on this board running a 10 car so you would be the first. My opinion on buying a 10 car with only the load boards to get loaded is not a good plan (just my opinion) unless you have someone booking loads for you & still 10 picks & drops is a lot of work let alone finding people that will wait that long to get there vehicles picked & dropped. I will agree that buying a new dually & wedge is not the best investment either. A compromise would be good, a nice 4 to 6 car carrier with a single axles semi which can be quite profitable and easier to stay loaded off just load boards. It should be cheaper for maintenance (less moving hydros, hydro lines to replace etc). When going to look at low slung car trailers look at the main outside lower rails to see if there straight or bowed. If bowed it has been curbed & this causes massive structual stress on the overall trailer. Rust is also a major problem in the Northeast and common on low slung trailers. If you have never been around a big truck then its best to take it to a qualified mechanic\shop to have a thorough inspection done if it passes your initial inspection that is. Review maintenance records for the truck to see if its had lots of repairs lately or had major component replacement with the paperwork to prove it. Once at the shop (if you feel its worth spending the money on) have them dyno it, get oil & antifreeze analysis, check brakes, clutch, king pins and have them give you an estimate on repairs needed. This will be important when negotiating the price on the truck or may be the point where you walk away from the deal. You may have to spend $400 to have it checked out but this is a small amount of money to spend compared to the cost of replacing an engine that you thought was good 2 months later or transmission and so on. I just did this with a truck I thought I made a great purchase on after getting an oil analysis and dyno done (which were good). I bought it to find out it had the wrong clutch in it, wrong brake shoes, and numerous other problems that I didn't have checked out. In the end it cost me an additional $7000 of repairs that I didn't expect. That's why I said $400 to get it checked out is nothing compared to what repairs can cost. I'm sure others will add to the post with there opinions and experiences.

[haulin rv]

I suggested a single axle too on another forum. I can't even imagine trying to keep a 10 car loaded right now off of CD.

[pmmjarrett]

I ain't trying to dash your dreams or bash you but there is no comparison to driving an F450 hauling a landscape trailer and running a big truck OTR. Not even close, it's 2 completely different worlds.

I don't recommend anybody go owner operator in a big truck until the have run as a company driver for 1 - 2 years. Frankly most wash out in the first few months. Most drivers will tear something up the first year, usually when backing up or manuvering in tight quarters. Stop signs, light poles, bumpers or worse.

I suggest you keep your money in your pocket for now, go to a good truck driving school to learn to drive these things as well as log and learn the laws and then run for a year as a company driver. Then if you are still wanting to run a stinger steered rig look into PMTG (http://www.pmtghome.com/default.aspx) They'll train you how to load and unload these stinger steered rigs and operate in your neck of the woods. They hire with as little as 1 year OTR experience and successful completion of driving school or 2 years OTR without schooling.

With the ecomomy down and freight slim and cheap, now is a good time to train for the future. Massive economies like ours take years to turn around, there's no instant fix to this.

Train on somebody elses dime and equipment. If you go out with little experience and start tearing things up with no experience you will have a $50,000 paperweight in your driveway because you can't get or afford the insurance.

[cosgo]

I agree with pm... nows not the right time for a 10 car, especially with no experience

[Dorsey]

If I was going to buy a 10 car I'd lease it to one of the big carriers. I wouldn't recommend you getting a 10 car with no expereince or regular customers. All of the advice the others have given you is dead on.