How do I find out?????

[church mouse 1]

I need information and really don't know where to get it.... We want to run a van under our own authority, my husband will drive it....He has no CDL, and has lost vision in one eye due to an accident. I called the FMCSA and was told as long as it was under 10,000 lbs federal was not involved....eventually we want to try to step up to a straight truck, class b with a vision waiver, thats another tiger by the tail......For now, the van is a start, but we want to be absolutely sure we are legal to do this.....I know some of you guys run under your own authority, I need to find out all the legalities of it....If someone can point me in the right direction I would greatly appreciate it.............

 

[Pappy]

I would start by calling the department of transportation in your state. Someone there will be able to either help or point you in the right direction.
The concern about the vision waiver is another ball game. I'm not so sure one can be obtained to allow driving a vehicle that would require a CDL!

Good Luck

Pappy

 

[davekc]

Not quite sure on the eye restrictions in your case. Here is a link on the obtaining authority and requirements.
http://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/registration-licensing/online-registration/onlineregdescription.htm
You may want to research as mentioned through your state to determine if you can haul something commercially. I would recommend the training anyway to get a cdl.
Additionally, you might also want to consider driving locally.









Davekc
owner
23 years
PantherII
EO moderator

 

[RichM]

Also whats legal in one state may not be legal in other states. I don't want to discourage you but you have a tough road ahead. You said you were going to get your own authority. Does that mean you are going to attempt to book your own loads as most brokers handle straight truck and up loads. There might be some LTL but the revenue would be small.

One other problem to check into is will your insurance company give you commercial insurance with the disability your husband has.

Good luck and keep us posted.

 

[RichM]

I was talking with another mod today and we were wondering what made you decide to try this business running with your own authority and a handicap. Don't get me wrong,I admire your request to seek information but just wonder what brought you to this decision.

 

[church mouse 1]

The idea of expediting has been brewing awhile for us....I did have an expedite truck several years ago and due to untimely circumstances I got out of the business. I had contacts and was trying to gather enough business for my own authority then, these contacts are still available.... My husbands' handicap will not be a problem, look at all the motor homes driven with eyes closed.....hmmm......Seriouly, I have checked on the vision waiver for the CDL class B when we decide on the straight truck... Alot of paperwork and red tape, but a real possiblity in the future....At this time we want to try to get the van up and running, hopefully, by spring time..Thanks for all the comments, I will check out the information given......

 

[greg334]

I'm going to throw this in to the mix.

As mentioned even if you are going to drive a van under your own authority, the cost of the insurance and any restrictions that they have will dictate to you on how you can do this, even if it is a van. The insurance company may not find the risk acceptable and will put further restrictions on you, like a cdl.

Remember that the cost of the authority is not that much but the insurance cost is and at this time you may be hard pressed to make enough money starting out to justify the $5000 to $7500 yearly insurance bill, let alone the added cost of running the company and the safety audit, etc..

I also would recommend not bothering with a class B but get a class A CDL with any endorsements that you can get. If you go down this path, the extra money spent is worth it in the long run and gives you more versatile skills.

 

[church mouse 1]

Thanks for the insight on the insurance.....Where would we find out about insurance?? When I had the previous expedite truck it was through the company I was leased to....Dumb question maybe, but I don't imagine Allstate deals with this type of insurance...and safety audit, by whom, when and where??? Please explain, I need all the information I can get....

 

[davekc]

Safety audits, employment history, drug screens,and the like are done by DOT. Many places have load insurance so you would have to shop that. OOIDA would be a good place at least to start so you understand the differences in coverage. There is alot of variances in these policies. You are correct, Allstate does nothing with commercial load insurance.
Since you are just starting, I would highly suggest study the archives and the faq forums here at EO, so you get a better feel for what you are trying to attempt. Also check out www.ooida.com for some help on obtaining your own authority etc.










Davekc
owner
23 years
PantherII
EO moderator

 

[Fr8 Shaker]

Near the bottom on the home page of this site is an ad for progressive
insurance, click on it and give them a call. I went through them and they seemed reasonable. You will probably talk to Shelly or Natalie.


Best of Luck,
Fr8 Shaker

 

[fastrod]

I run a van and have my own authority. First you need to get your insurance in place. I used Commercial Insurance Solutions and they are a good company to deal with. You will need a $300,000 primary liabilty policy and at least a $10,000 cargo insurance policy. My cargo insurance is for $50,000 and I would suggest you use the same. I used a company called permits plus to obtain my authority for a price of $499. It was money well spent as they know how to do this type of thing. Because your authority is for vechiles 10,000 pounds and under there is no safety audit, drug tests, or driver files to worry about.

 

[church mouse 1]

Thank you all so much for the information.....I will follow up on insurance leads and will get in touch with permits plus... Do you know if they have a web site???? Again, thanks.....

 

[1stariel]

Fastrod,

Are you leased to one of the expedite companies, or do you book your own loads?

 

[fastrod]

I am not leased to any expedite company. I have customers that call me when they need something expedited.

 

[Broompilot]

Just curious Fastrod:

I admire your independance, but with that said does it pay off when they only call ya when they need ya? Can one make a living off of just a few customers?

Please prove me wrong here: I see this as a one man operation with ones own Auth.. once the business starts rolling customers want more and more and more how do you handle it. And to add this what do you do when they STOP.

In my last business I had enough customer base to cover this problem, it only became a problem when the #1 customer left. And if your having your own Authority, depending on one customer one had better hope to God that relationship stays good, in business things happen like a change in Management.

Thanks I look forward to a response.

 

[church mouse 1]

As with all starting or hoping to start in the business, we have high hopes......The area I live in has many opportunities....I was fortunate enough to work in different aspects of this community and know some key people in the position to really be a great help....As business grows, as we expect, we hope to add vehicles....I had contacts when I previously was in expediting in nearby towns so all our eggs are not in one basket....I will be absoulutely sure I have enough to sustain before the final jump into the business is made...At this point in time, just checking it out and gathering information.....

 

[fastrod]

I stated in an earlier post that I did this part-time. I also do automotive bodywork and painting. That way when things are slow expediting I can make a buck painting cars. What I have found is that if I am out on a run the customer will call someone else and it is not a problem. I am the first call because they like my prices and they know I will get there freight there on time, but mainly it is a price thing. All the companys that call me first know that I only have one van and so far it is not a problem. Some companys will call me if there primary carrier can not cover the load. A lot of times it comes down to if the person arranging shipping likes you or not.