Clueless...need help!!

[tkane3117]

I am moving from N.Alabama to my roots in Destin, FL. I desperately want to start my own trucking company (within a 75 mile radius of Destin). I have good access to capital and a great partner. However, I realize that North Florida is not the ideal location to start a trucking company .....high fuel, land, and labor costs AND an apparent complete lack of outbound freight. I'm fairly certain that a standard, full-load trucking company would be a dog in that area. So..I'm considering whether or not expedited freight is the answer. However, I don't have a clue where to start. I don't particularly want to commission a marketing research firm to tell me to try somewhere else. How do I find out if there is an excess demand in the area for expedited freight carriers? Which companies should I talk to? Who has a transparent, open-door policy?

My ultimate goal is to be running approx 15 trucks out of N.Florida within 5 years.

Please help this wet-behind-the-ears newbie. Thanks guys!!

 

[RichM]

Don't want to give you bad news but nothing other then some military freight comes out of the panhandle in Florida. Mobile AL might generate some business but you won't keep 15 trucks busy in that area doing expedite freight. Now there might be some ltl stuff that you can work with but expedite freight usually requires a large manufacturing area to stay busy.

 

[BigBusBob]

Yes, since he's in the panhandle... over near Pensecola area, that would be a tough area to run expediter rigs out of with freight.

Now, considering FL, if you were say in the area's around Lake Okeechobee area's, down near West Palm/Ft.Laud./Miami area's, or north of SR 60 and/or north of and/or near the I-4 corridor, you might have a good chance with 53' reefer trailers moving produce and perishable food products around in/out of FL. Lake Okeechobee area's have oranges, sugar cane, and rice is becoming more and more common as sugar cane growers rotate crops. I-4 area's will have all kinds of freight coming in, not too much goin' out, because you have Daytona, Orlando, and Tampa area's that need to feed the tourists.
However, on the north side of Orlando, there's a town called Apopka, that's teeming with plant nursery's of all kinds... mostly large scale commercial nurseries that feed outfits like Home Depot and Lowes. Same with the west side of Miami.
Many people don't know that. Yes, there's many a plants you find in the garden departments of Home Depot and Lowes that come from FL.

Now, set that dream 15 truck operation down in Loredo, TX or
Detroit/Cleveland area and you'd be rollin' in so much money you have to have one of those trucks doin' a dedicated run to your bank.

Expedited Freight areas, a good place to set up shop in the SE...
if I had a choice over Destin, FL... I'd choose somewhere along I-75 in north GA, or anywhere in TN/KY (esp. along I-75) or along I-20 between Birmingham and Atlanta or Columbia, SC.

For truckin' outa Destin, FL... just brainstorming, but you might want to try talkin' to some fish warehouses. Fishing industry might be in need of a nice reefer trailer or reefer truck goin' to the North East or up towards Chicago area... or anywhere really. Maybe you could get yourself a dedicated run with a load of seafood somewhere. Don't just look into seafood, as you might want to try out anything and everything related to the water... hauling boats, marine suppliers, manufacturers that feed supplies to the marine related industries, including, but not limited to tourism.

There's trucking co.'s that specialize in hauling sailboats from MD area down to Ft. Lauderdale and FL in general every year for the winter.
While some have rigs set up especially for hauling boats, others set their trailers up to pull boats in, and new small cargo trailers out of FL...
Therefore they're always pulling a load, not deadheading much at all.

FL is big on agriculture... 15 trucks set up in the right area would serve that well.
Just trying to give you ideas.
BBB

 

[LDB]

Yeah, what he said. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^ :+

Leo Bricker
OOIDA 677319
truck 4958
73's K5LDB
Support the entire Constitution, not just the parts you like.

 

[Pappy]

Sounds to me that you and I may be a lot alike. Off the wall-- against the grain or against all odds. Seems like your mind is already made up about geographical location--OK, thats one issue out of the way. Enough has been said about that area being tough for the trucking business and how that type of business would'nt work in or around the Destine area. At this point, sit down and make a list of all the reasons why your type of business in that area would be an overwhelming success. Brainstorming works, and where there's a will, there is surely a way
Good Luck
Pappy 34yr T/T

 

[RichM]

Just plain curious. Why do you desperately want to start a 15 unit trucking operation. Are you aware of the legalities and costs of insurance,driver problems,DOT rules and so on. It is not an easy task to have a small trucking company because the big boys,Yellow,ABF SouthEast can pick up freight with rates that you would not be able to match.

Now if your fleet was leased on to one or more of the major players in the expediting world you could probably make it. Your main problem would be finding and retaining drivers who will put up with the irregularites and time away from home that expediting requires..

So back to my original question, why not 15 Subways Shops or 15 Convenience stores?? Once again just curious as too why you want to do only trucking in a somewhat depressed area..

 

[BigDiesel]

I was in the process of signing up for a load broker and he was giving me some stats on FL. One day there were 2,500 loads going into FL and 750 comming out. So you can see the averages suck and it just doesnt seem like good business to operate out of FL.

 

[BigBusBob]

Where's my trucks???

I suppose one could "Operate" an office out of FL for a trucking co., they'll just never see their trucks that's all. Unless they want to service the rigs themselves or somethin' like that.

I supposed he could live in Destin, FL and have an office and/or home-office in Destin, FL... but reality is: The trucks will rarely if ever make it to Destin, FL. They'll see more miles north of Atlanta and Louisville than they will ever see on I-10, unless he's got one of those dream dedicated runs with Dupont or some pharmicutical co. that runs water to water every week.

Destin?
I would choose Jacksonville much sooner than I would Destin... but that's just me, and the only reason I would do that is 'cause atleast in Jax. you'll have a much better chance of gettin' a load out of within an hour or so's drive. Plus, in Jax. you're closer to I-75 and you'd be able to get back up into good freight lanes a bit faster/easier.

 

[kwexpress]

KW Express
o/o till i die

I run trucks to florida every week I just make sure the rate down makes up for the .85-1.05 per mile i get coming out.

There is freight everyplace just not expedite.but you can get ltl out of florida.just load a small ltl up into Ga,TN,KY then put your expedite on.

 

[Broompilot]

You wana make a small fortune,,,, Than start with a big fortune in what you described. PS do not forget that your deep pocketed friends will be X-friends and the drivers well go ahead find a few people that want to make you $ as much as they want to make $.

To many drivers only need to make lets say X or 2,000.00 a month when they hit that limit there done and so is your revenue. Your only recourse is to pay all the expenses to retrieve your capital investment (your truck) X 15 you will need a full time recovery team just to go and retrieve your trucks plus a detail shop to clean them up when they come back.

If this were so easy than Dave Vec would be a millionair and I would be following in his footsteps. Read this CLOSELY REALITY.....