What is the best equipment & truck to start a profitable, car hauling, horse transport & rigging business?

Question

Hi everyone, we are suffering from this horrible dump truck industry in Florida & even though we are surviving, we see the work diminishing to almost no work whatsoever. I am the logistics coordinator for our family operated dump truck business & also the daughter to a dedicated trucker. We are interested in starting a new business that can be well rounded & long term, staying strong through an economy like what we are currently living with today. We hear hauling used cars, exotics, race cars, antiques, motorcycles, horses & cattle can be a profitable business anywhere in this nation. We are still learning & still doing research, to guide us into a profitable long term business. We are calling car hauling brokers & getting positive feedback.We are honest & devoted workaholics.We are at the purchasing stage & would like some advice & suggestions on what type of truck to get including: what size, brand/model, trailer & other additionals.

I would appreciate any advice, thank you so much!

Answer 1

I don't know much about horses and cattle hauling.  Though I do know it is more difficult to make money with cattle hauling because the government passed a law reducing the number of cows you can put on one trailer.  Less cows = less money per load.   I have spoken to quite a few cattle haulers who are either independent or work for a small company, and they all say the money isn't there, like it used to be.  Yet, if you're really interested, email me privately and I'll see if I can dig up the phone number for a cattle-hauling company in central FL, who might be able to give you some guidance.  

Horse hauling, I have no clue, except that I too have heard there's good money in it, and you're in the right state to get involved with it.  The horse thing is huge in Ocala and Miami.  There are a couple companies I know of who do a lot of business between Florida and the Midwest, you could give them a call:  http://www.creechhorsetransportation.com...

http://www.drexlerhorsetransportation.co...

But I do have experience car-hauling, and there can be good money in it.  There are at least 2 companies in FL that haul all sorts of high-dollar cars in enclosed trailers; Exotic Car Transport and Horseless Carriage.  Hollywood Wheels near Tampa (Clearwater, I think?) has open carriers, but they haul a lot of high-dollar cars as well.  

Hauling people's personal vehicles, auction cars, Ebay cars, etc....can be fairly lucrative as well without the MAJOR investment in an enclosed car trailer.  And it's easy to get started on a small-scale basis, with sites like CentralDispatch.com to help you "pick and choose" the cars you need to build a load.  

With car haulers, there are a couple basic setups.  There's the 10-car "stinger"....which requires not only the trailer but special modifications to the tractor, so that cars can be carried on the roof of the tractor and behind the sleeper.  Typically the wheelbase on a standard tractor needs to be stretched, plus the rack and hydraulic system needs to be built.  Of course they sell tractor-trailer setups already built, you can find them brand new or used.  

  The pros of this setup are obviously more cars = more money...and you have a little more versatility when it comes to being able to haul "oddball" vehicles (stretch limos, panel trucks, cargo vans, etc).  However, you're still restricted to 80,000 lbs of weight, and if you're hauling anything besides just "cars" (pickups, SUV's, etc)....you often can't haul 10 cars due to weight concerns.  

Also, when you have a 10 car stinger, you can't use that tractor to haul anything else BUT a car trailer.  

The other basic setup affords you a little more versatility in terms of the types of trailers you can haul....it's referred to as a "high 5th wheel trailer".   It's a car trailer that can carry anywhere from 6-8 cars, and it hooks up to a standard tractor via the 5th wheel plate, just like any other trailer.  No modifications need to be done to the tractor EXCEPT adding the hydraulic system (tank and lines) and PTO....being around dump trucks, I am sure you are familiar with it.    

You are limited to the number of cars you can haul, the "8 car" trailers can only haul 8 when they're little cars.  If you've got SUV's and big cars, you can be lucky to get 7 on, often times you're going to be limited to 6.  However, depending on where you haul, how creative you are with building loads if you're hauling personal vehicles, etc.....you can expect to set up a load of 7 cars that pays around 3 dollars per mile, which is well above-average for the trucking industry!  

And to me, the smart reason to run a high 5th wheel if you're an owner-operator, is the fact that you can drop that car carrier and haul any type of standard trailer, if the situation calls for it.  Or, in your situation since you're just getting started looking for "new options"....if the car-hauling thing didn't work out, it wouldn't be hard to sell the car trailer and buy a horse trailer, or a cattle trailer and try that out for a while.  The tractor is going to be your bigger investment (though the car trailers get PRICEY!) and IMO, you're better off if you have some "freedom of choice" especially in the beginning!  

There are a couple basic types of trailer, the "high rail" and the "quick loader".  High rail is basically what it sounds....you've probably seen them on the road, they have the tall vertical rails on the sides of the trailer.  A quick loader doesn't have the rails, it looks more like a series of connected, flexible ramps.  

High rails take a little more effort, planning and know-how to load....but they are more versatile as you can wedge all sorts of cars in them, in all different configurations.  High rails have actual seperate platforms for the cars to sit on, and once the car's chained down you can slide and rotate the ramps to all sorts of angles and "sandwich" cars together quite well.  

Quick loaders, like the name says, are easier to load and easier to learn.  You can still get quite creative with loading them, but you don't have quite the versatility of a high rail, as your ramps are usually connected and flex at "hinges"  (this is sort of hard to explain in words).  

As to the "brands" of car hauling trailers, perhaps the most common name is Cottrell.  Delavan is another common name.  Boydstun is another.  I have only worked with Cottrell trailers so can't speak for the other ones....but I like the Cottrells a lot.  As for parts and repair, generally any place that can work on car carrier trailers can service them ALL, so don't worry about picking an "uncommon" brand if it's what you end up liking.....most often, you'll be needing welding and hydraulic repair more than anything else!  

As for the best kind of tractor to use....I think it boils down to personal preference more than anything.  I personally love Volvo trucks for the ride, creature comforts and safety features, but they can be electrical nightmares and they're computerized to the hilt and as such, difficult to work on yourself.  It can also be like pulling teeth to get any "warranty work" done on them....and many of the Volvo shops around the country have a pretty ridiculously high labor charge.  A lot of owner/ops favor the classic Peterbilt 379's with the Cat mechanical motors in them....they are easier to work on yourself, more durable, more reliable.  Parts can be expensive, but they're a good quality truck that'll last forever if you maintain it.  They're not very aerodynamic, but then again, if you opt for the 10-car Stinger, you're going to lose any aerodynamics with a car on top, anyway.  Kenworths are also good trucks, another frequent choice for the owner/op.  Freightliners can be good trucks, if you choose wisely....they are the most preferred among the "big fleets" because they're cheap to buy and cheap to fix.....but the big fleets also don't keep trucks for more than 2-3 years, so durability isn't a primary focus of many of the Freightliner models.   Yet they do have trucks geared towards the owner-operator, with more quality manufacturing overall.  

I don't know if you're looking at new or used trucks- a good quality used truck that's been maintained can be a fine investment, because it's been broken in and the "bugs" are worked out of it.  Plus, it's cheaper and you avoid the massive depreciation that comes with a new truck.  On the other hand, a new truck comes with a warranty, which can be a life-saver in the event of some sort of costly failure, early-on.  

One other thing to keep in mind, whichever route you choose, your insurance rates are going to be higher when you start hauling high-dollar freight.  This alone will offset some of those better per-mile rates.  And at least with car hauling, damaging cars is a lot easier than you might think!  Even with the utmost caution in loading or unloading, you can't always avoid a flying rock or road debris.  A little trick of the trade, especially should you start hauling personal vehicles.....get an insurance policy with a high deductible ($1000) to save your monthly costs.    If you inflict less than $1000 dollars damage on a car, it's not hard to stop along the way before you deliver, and pay to have it fixed.  Other car haulers can often direct you to a good place that'll cut you a deal.  Maaco does decent cover-up work, and windshields are relatively cheap!  It's much better than delivering a damaged car to a customer and having THEM submit a claim to your company; usually you come out cheaper if you go ahead and do it yourself.  :)

Sorry this is so long....my knowledge of the car hauling industry is far from complete, but I've driven for 3 car hauling companies and have been researching getting my own truck for some time now :).  It can be pretty good money if you do it right- good luck!