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How do you make money with a cargo van?

OntarioVanMan

OntarioVanMan

Retired Expediter
Owner/Operator
Therion said:
LOL Losing your shirt to best case scenerio $30k does not sound very good. That's around what I make now doing courier work and being home each night. Why do you people stay in this business if it's so ****ty?
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To answer your original question.....how to make money?.....You don't!!...not very much....most of us have a second and third source of income....at this point it is near impossible to rely on the income of expedite as a lone source....it is not for a young person to rise a family and buy a house and car and 2.3 children.....:)

The carriers and brokers have reduced this to an old fogies occupation where we work for green fees between rounds....
 
OntarioVanMan

OntarioVanMan

Retired Expediter
Owner/Operator
Treadmill said:
Actually we don't make money. We are trying to survive. Period.
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and for most it is pay check to pay check.....hows everyone's maintenance fund? How's your healthcare plan?.....oh and your retirement fund coming?.....did I mention whats your van replacement fund looking like?....
 
ntimevan

ntimevan

Veteran Expediter
Owner/Operator
OntarioVanMan said:
and for most it is pay check to pay check.....hows everyone's maintenance fund? How's your healthcare plan?.....oh and your retirement fund coming?.....did I mention whats your van replacement fund looking like?....
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Your a bundle of joy ...today

Sent from my ALCATEL ONE TOUCH 5020W using EO Forums mobile app
 
OntarioVanMan

OntarioVanMan

Retired Expediter
Owner/Operator
ntimevan said:
Come on ...No pom poms or sugar coating ....where's your welcome mat for newbies...:D

Sent from my ALCATEL ONE TOUCH 5020W using EO Forums mobile app
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When-someone-brings-more-problems-to-your-life.jpg


right there.............:p
 
CharlesD

CharlesD

Expert Expediter
I make money with my cargo van. I use it to drive to the office instead of putting freight in it.
 
RoadHouse

RoadHouse

Active Expediter
Anyone can make money with a cargo van. That's not too hard to do. The questions is "how much money will you keep after your expenses are paid!" The only real way to make a million dollars driving a cargo van is to start out with two million!
 
CharlesD

CharlesD

Expert Expediter
All kidding aside, when I was driving my Sprinter I did rather well most of the time, but I saw the rates start to drop about the time I moved into a straight, and then I only drove the straight for about a year before coming off the road. Now in the office end of it, I've seen a steady decline in the rates on brokered cargo van loads. I still think a van can make money, but you have to run really smart, watch your spending down to the last penny, and run in profitable areas. Try to find those fringe areas where other people don't like to go. If you're sitting in the truck stop with 20 of your closest friends, all in vans, you need to move. Also, shop carriers carefully and sign on with someone who has a good base of direct customers. Brokered van loads are going for rock bottom right now, but shippers are still paying ok money for them. A couple weeks ago I got $1.50 a mile on a cargo van load that I brokered to another carrier for $1. A couple days later the same customer wanted me to quote a van load and then they ended up putting the skid on a cargo plane for way cheaper than I could have done it for. Even with the occasional load going on an airplane, van loads from some 3PLs and shippers are still moving for enough money to make something of a profit. Not as much of a profit as a few years ago, but still a profit.

I think, though, that the days of just taking any load that comes across and making good money are pretty much gone. You have to be a lot smarter, but it can still be done if you're with the right carrier and you run in the right areas.
 
T270_Dreamin

T270_Dreamin

Veteran Expediter
Owner/Operator
CharlesD said:
All kidding aside, when I was driving my Sprinter I did rather well most of the time, but I saw the rates start to drop about the time I moved into a straight, and then I only drove the straight for about a year before coming off the road. Now in the office end of it, I've seen a steady decline in the rates on brokered cargo van loads. I still think a van can make money, but you have to run really smart, watch your spending down to the last penny, and run in profitable areas. Try to find those fringe areas where other people don't like to go. If you're sitting in the truck stop with 20 of your closest friends, all in vans, you need to move. Also, shop carriers carefully and sign on with someone who has a good base of direct customers. Brokered van loads are going for rock bottom right now, but shippers are still paying ok money for them. A couple weeks ago I got $1.50 a mile on a cargo van load that I brokered to another carrier for $1. A couple days later the same customer wanted me to quote a van load and then they ended up putting the skid on a cargo plane for way cheaper than I could have done it for. Even with the occasional load going on an airplane, van loads from some 3PLs and shippers are still moving for enough money to make something of a profit. Not as much of a profit as a few years ago, but still a profit.

I think, though, that the days of just taking any load that comes across and making good money are pretty much gone. You have to be a lot smarter, but it can still be done if you're with the right carrier and you run in the right areas.
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If you have the right carrier you can pretty much go anywhere except Oregon Washington Idaho and Montana. Also weight capacity helps, most carriers will put 3000 lbs MAX on a Sprinter or similar vehicle.
 
T

Therion

Active Expediter
OntarioVanMan said:
YES...get your training and go straight truck driving....the real money is there!!!
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Yes but with the straight trucks you're dealing with all the same bullsht as with a big rig. CDL, medical card, log books, scales, DOT inspections, IFTA etc. That's the reason cargo van expediting interested me, to avoid all that hassle.
 
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OntarioVanMan

OntarioVanMan

Retired Expediter
Owner/Operator
Therion said:
Yes but with the straight trucks you're dealing with all the same bullsht as with a big rig. CDL, medical card, log books, scales, DOT inspections, IFTA etc. That's the reason cargo van expediting interested me, to avoid all that hassle.
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thats the same reason MacDonalds has what they call grill cooks....people that didn't want the responsibilities of becoming a real Chef....so they settle for minimum wage plus .25 maybe....

Cargo vanning you'll be struggling till you croak....there is no money out here for a beginner....unless maybe your van is paid in full and you have no bills to speak of....
 
CharlesD

CharlesD

Expert Expediter
T270_Dreamin said:
If you have the right carrier you can pretty much go anywhere except Oregon Washington Idaho and Montana. Also weight capacity helps, most carriers will put 3000 lbs MAX on a Sprinter or similar vehicle.
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We won't load that much on a Sprinter. If it's a 2500, we won't load it past the 8600 GVW on the door. Maybe we're the only carrier not overloading them, but I see it as a CYA issue.
 
T

Therion

Active Expediter
OntarioVanMan said:
thats the same reason MacDonalds has what they call grill cooks....people that didn't want the responsibilities of becoming a real Chef....so they settle for minimum wage plus .25 maybe....

Cargo vanning you'll be struggling till you croak....there is no money out here for a beginner....unless maybe your van is paid in full and you have no bills to speak of....
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Your point is well taken. That's why I am cured of wanting to do this.
 
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