Brokers vs Carriers for Ford Transit?

[MrHopeful]

I have a bunch of friends who drive CDL. I'm interested in the long tall Sprinter/Transit side of things. (It just fits my situation better.) My friends use whatever boards they prefer for loads and also have built relationships with some brokers. But it seems that most people here recommend using a carrier instead of finding loads on a board.

1. For a van owner/op, is a "carrier" the same as a "dispatcher", where they find the load, bill for it, etc. for a fee (above the broker)?
2. What does it mean to "lease onto a carrier" if you own your van? (Does it mean something in addition to trucking under their authority?)
3. Are carriers recommended because they're are no good boards for sprinter loads?
4. Are the main recommended carriers still Load-1, Landstar, Panther?

And yes I understand there is a learning curve to driving, and a lot of people could make more $ elsewhere. I'm an Army vet with with a medical issue, just trying to find an opp to do something.

Thanks.

 

[danthewolf00]

Carriers are safer for you because of 3 things
1 they understand cargovan freight
2 they are safer for pay because they chase down the pay
3 and the good carriers pay for part of the insurance.
Check out commerical insurance solutions here on eo for a price.
And yes load-1,fedex,landstar
Make sure the door sticker on the side of the driver's door says 9990gvw or your going to have to log and go thru scale houses.
Subtract your gears weight and yourself from the door stickers number and that is your carry weight.

 

[MrHopeful]

I'll try to get a quote tomorrow for insurance.

I noticed some of the Ford Transits say they weigh 10364 lbs or so. Does that still qualify for the under 10K?

Also, what is the gear weight? What does that mean?

 

[RoadTime]

Over 10,000 is over 10,000 there is no close enough.

Gear weight is everything you bring with you, including yourself and a full tank would be good. If you later add more weight with upgrades, you will want to get a new weight done.


Sent from my iPhone using EO Forums

 

[MrHopeful]

Oh, that kind of gear. So is there a place that weighs you and gives you a cert for the weight? Or the owner just takes it upon himself to create such a sticker for the door?

And as far as carriers understanding cargo van freight, you just mean there shouldn't be any big surprises when you pick up a load for a carrier right? (As far as it not fitting or something.) Or is there more to it than that?

 

[Turtle]

The vehicle's Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR) means far more than and sticker you might affix to the door. The manufacturer places a sticker (or a stamped metal plate) on the door jam or under the seat that lists the GVWR. If that's more than 10,000 you have to log and scale and have a medical certificate. You cannot get around that (for very long) by placing a lower number on a sticker on the outside of the door.

Even if your GVWR is less than 10.001 pounds, if the vehicle is loaded heavy and actually weighs more than 10,000 pounds, you have to log and scale while at that weight.

You can get a weight ticket at any truck stop with CAT Scales.

The important thing about the weight ticket is, you fill the fuel tank and have all the gear in the van when you weight it, and subtract that number from the GVWR of the vehicle. What you get is your maximum cargo carrying capacity.

Carriers do understand cargo van freight, but that doesn't mean you won't run into some surprises every now and then. Sometimes the dimensions and weight communicated to the carrier is incorrect. It doesn't happen all that often, but sometimes you'll get to the pickup and it's too heavy or won't fit.

 

[RoadTime]

Just yesterday I saw a sprinter type cube van get pulled over just after passing the scale, and it wasn't even yellow. I think his under 10,000 sign fell off.

 

[MrHopeful]

The vehicle's Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR) means far more than and sticker you might affix to the door...

You can get a weight ticket at any truck stop with CAT Scales.

The important thing about the weight ticket is, you fill the fuel tank and have all the gear in the van when you weight it, and subtract that number from the GVWR of the vehicle. What you get is your maximum cargo carrying capacity.

I wasn't saying the sticker is the end all be all. I just wasn't sure if all transits all viable for cargo van expediting (as in "no logs") or not. People keep saying to affix a big sticker on the side of your van to make it obvious to authorities that it weighs under the 10k limit; wasn't sure where to get that sticker.

Thanks for the tip about the truck stop scales.

But you just taught me something about the GVWR. So if a Ford Transit has a 9950 GVWR, that's not the actual weight of the van? You're saying that's actually the weight of the van PLUS the amount of cargo it can carry?

(So that means folks who install sleepers and plywood walls in their vans are actually decreasing their maximum cargo limit.)

Let's just say you are overloaded by the broker. Is there a way to check this before leaving the pick-up location? Or how would you deal with it if you did find out you were overloaded? That would be a bad thing to be pulled over and, if they can force you to be weighed, end up being overweight.

 

[Turtle]

People keep saying to affix a big sticker on the side of your van to make it obvious to authorities that it weighs under the 10k limit;

The authorities are a lot smarter about this stuff than many people think they are. Afterall, It's what they do for a living. They've seen it all. Sticker, no sticker, they know.

But you just taught me something about the GVWR. So if a Ford Transit has a 9950 GVWR, that's not the actual weight of the van? You're saying that's actually the weight of the van PLUS the amount of cargo it can carry?

The Gross Vehicle Weight Rating is the maximum weight the manufacturer has rated the vehicle for, according to the components used to build the vehicle (suspension, tires, etc.). If the vehicle ever weighs more than that, it's unsafe to drive because some of the components might just snap, or the steering might not go as planned. You can be overweight a little bit, maybe 5% or 10% without worrying too much about it.

GVW = The actual weight of the vehicle
GVWR = The maximum legal weight of the vehicle.

According to the DOT, if any vehicle (operated in interstate commerce) has a GVWR, or an actual weight of more than 10,000 pounds, it's a CMV and you have to log and scale. So if a Transit with a GVWR of 9950 is loaded with an extra 100 pounds, you need to log and scale.

(So that means folks who install sleepers and plywood walls in their vans are actually decreasing their maximum cargo limit.)

Yes. Everything you put in the van that's not cargo subtracts from the cargo limit.

Let's just say you are overloaded by the broker. Is there a way to check this before leaving the pick-up location? Or how would you deal with it if you did find out you were overloaded? That would be a bad thing to be pulled over and, if they can force you to be weighed, end up being overweight.

If you get to the shipper and it weighs more than you can carry, don't take it. Call the broker and let them seal with it.

I once got to a shipper to pick up 840 pounds of freight, and it said 840 pounds on the BOL. But when they put it on the van it bottomed out the van (my original Ford E-350, max cargo weight 3300 pounds). THWOMP. I said no way that weighs 840 pounds, so they took it off and put it on their scale and it weighed 840 pounds. They put it back on the van and I drove the 2 miles or so to the nearest CAT scale and weighed. Turns out the freight weighed 5400 pounds. I called dispatch and took the freight right back to where I got it.

If the vehicle is overloaded, but not over 10,000 pounds, you can haul that, just go slow. If it's over 10,000 pounds, go slow, and either start logging or take it back.