Getting your own authority for sprinter
- Thread starter 06081956
- Start date
Jack_Berry
Moderator Emeritus
call ooida they can help you.
First you need to obtain the insurance required, $300,000 primary liability and $5000 cargo. Those are the minimums, you can go more if you like. With the insurance in place you can now apply for operating authority. This you can do yourself but when I got mine I used Permits Plus just to be sure everything was right the first time. The cost of the authority is $300 and Permits Plus charged $499 which included the $300 filing fee. That is really about it and once you have it as long as you maintain the insurance the feds will not bother you about anything else. This authority is for 10,000 lbs and under only of which should include a sprinter.
Jefferson3000
Expert Expediter
Contract? You may get a contract to sign from a brokerage in order to haul their freight. If you're looking for a contract that will guarantee you someone's freight, that's probably NOT going to happen.
A reefer sprinter in Tampa? Good luck! You would basically need to run reefer freight back to back to make it pay for the truck, much less the insurance.
A reefer sprinter in Tampa? Good luck! You would basically need to run reefer freight back to back to make it pay for the truck, much less the insurance.
chefdennis
Veteran Expediter
06081956 wrote:
i am just asking because this comes up from time to time.....
who is going to find your freight while you are driving?
who is going to do your billing?
who is going to do your collections?
those are just 3 time comssuming items that are best handled by someone that isn't driving the truck for the most part.
and as Greg said, hope you have 3 month (at a minimum) in total operating expenses in the bank. and as Jeffersonson said, forget any guarantee that you will get someone's freight, that's probably NOT going to happen.
if you have those issues covered, go for it......
i am just asking because this comes up from time to time.....
who is going to find your freight while you are driving?
who is going to do your billing?
who is going to do your collections?
those are just 3 time comssuming items that are best handled by someone that isn't driving the truck for the most part.
and as Greg said, hope you have 3 month (at a minimum) in total operating expenses in the bank. and as Jeffersonson said, forget any guarantee that you will get someone's freight, that's probably NOT going to happen.
if you have those issues covered, go for it......
Getting your own authority is only for a small handful of drivers. It is not the picturesque life that everyone on here makes it out to be. Most of your time as an independent will be soent in front of the computer screen trying to track down freight. That is unless you have a wife to do that for you while you are asleep. This means that "while you are driving down the road" you will be glancing over at the laptop to see what loads are popping up on the boards. You have to factor the extra 10-20-30 cents per mile into the countless hours you will spend behind the computer playing dispatcher.
Then there is the whole issue of getting loads from the bigger carriers and slowly establishing you reputation. Most bigger carriers will not even give you a load even if you have the lowest bid because they have simply never done business with your company before. You better be a very hard worker if you are going to get your own authority. It ain't as easy as laying around in the bunk all day waiting for a load offer. You'll have to find out for yourself I guess.
Then there is the whole issue of getting loads from the bigger carriers and slowly establishing you reputation. Most bigger carriers will not even give you a load even if you have the lowest bid because they have simply never done business with your company before. You better be a very hard worker if you are going to get your own authority. It ain't as easy as laying around in the bunk all day waiting for a load offer. You'll have to find out for yourself I guess.
Yes you are right this wont be easy. I have been talking with a company in tampa about running a dedicated route within 250 miles of home. Waiting to see some paper to see if this is real. I thank everyone for the input. That what so great about this forum thanks again.
Jefferson3000
Expert Expediter
Right Now: I still drive, book, dispatch, manage, and invoice at this stage of the game. (Wife is beginning to relieve me of some of the accounting and data entry duties.)
It might take away from some socializing with others at the truck stop though. If you let the technology be your friend, you might even have time to sneak in a nap. There is a LOT of misinformation on this site about how a carrier does business. There is knowledge being disseminated by those who have done it, as well as those who know nothing about it. You just need to decide who to listen to.
Well here is how it works for me. I work directly with shippers so I dont have to look for freight, they call me.
I use a freight factoring service for billing and collections. It costs me 5% of the face value of the bills but to me it is worth it.
Hope this answers your questions so you dont have to keep asking when this comes up from time to time.
And one other thing, I started 4 years ago with a 17 year old chevy conversion van and $400 in my pocket so the idea that you need 3 months operating expense is nice but not really necessary.
Fastrod, thanks for the scoop yes i listen then try figure things out find proof. I know some things work for other people maybe wont for me. I agree about the working capital i did it with e unit and didnt have three months. Only reason i got out is girlfreind took a job offer no one could refuse. Thanks
How needs all that paper work be like the Russian buy a yellow rental truck that 14 feet long dually wheels and start rolling.You can over load it, have bald tires,rusty brakes.That what I saw in Eagle Pass last week,he heading to Portland, Or with 8 skids in the box.I asked him if he had to log?He told me the truck was under 10K don't have to log.Oh sorry I asked,he said that his boss told him to call him if he had a problem.Okay,be safe out there.Why do these thing keep going on,why do these people come to this country and so what ever they want to.Are the rules made to be broken and it seems there more and more of them out there in equipment that not road worthy.Were is DOT do they just pull over Big Rigs,why is this able to go on. Don't get me wrong I love what I do and I take pride in doing it,sometimes I wish it was better,but we have a real concern here with these people to think they can come to country and do what ever they want and not play by the same rules I have to play by.I've started to take photos of these trucks and I'm going to forward them to the DOT in the state it came from.What do you think.
