Need help getting started

[justsomeguy]

Hi all, I'm brand new to both this site and to expediting. I found a job offer for a company to work for as an o/o but my biggest problems are getting cheap insurance and making sure I have steady and good paying work. I am think of getting a Ram Promaster 2500 due to the high roof and the superior fuel economy as compared to a Chevy Express 2500 with the 4.8 V8. I'm just wondering if you think that's a good idea since the cost of the Chevy van would be much lower initially. I am also thinking about repairs and maintenance as well. I should also mention that my credit is not so great so I may have no choice since I don't know if I will be approved for something as expensive as the Promaster. I may also need to have a cosigner to make this loan happen.

The next thing is steady work. The company, R&J Transport says they have steady work all the time and I should get anywhere from 1500-2500 miles a week. They do not offer FSC though which is another reason I am really leaning toward the Promaster since that big V8 in the Chevy is really thirsty. Are there any other companies that offer something similar? I don't want to be stuck with payments for a vehicle and not be able to pay for it!

The biggest thing holding me back is insurance. R&J wants 1 million in liability and 100,00 cargo which seems to be the industry standard. I got a quite from Progressive Commercial and they wanted over $10,000 a year. This is of course with full coverage but that's because I need to have it, at least I think, since I'm financing the van. There must be insurance cheaper than that? What companies do you use? How much do you pay, if you don't mind my asking? I have a Class B CDL with air brakes, tanker and doubles/triples if that might help lower my insurance cost. I also have a spotless driving record as well. I am 29 and male if that helps.

 

[Mailer]

I'm curious, the ins reps actually gave you a quote without the VIN # and not required to have the vehicle in your possession? I'd think without these info, quotes may be inaccurate.

Well, I haven't spoke to the ins reps for awhile, I could be outdated.

 

[Turtle]

Please don't go out and buy a new van in order to learn this industry. If you do, your worst fears will be realized. "Woulda, coulda, shoulda" becomes a butt-kicking exercise when you realize you should have just bought a good used van for five grand cash and used that as your trial and error machine.

 

[Treadmill]

Hi all, I'm brand new to both this site and to expediting. I found a job offer for a company to work for as an o/o but my biggest problems are getting cheap insurance and making sure I have steady and good paying work. I am think of getting a Ram Promaster 2500 due to the high roof and the superior fuel economy as compared to a Chevy Express 2500 with the 4.8 V8. I'm just wondering if you think that's a good idea since the cost of the Chevy van would be much lower initially. I am also thinking about repairs and maintenance as well. I should also mention that my credit is not so great so I may have no choice since I don't know if I will be approved for something as expensive as the Promaster. I may also need to have a cosigner to make this loan happen.

The next thing is steady work. The company, R&J Transport says they have steady work all the time and I should get anywhere from 1500-2500 miles a week. They do not offer FSC though which is another reason I am really leaning toward the Promaster since that big V8 in the Chevy is really thirsty. Are there any other companies that offer something similar? I don't want to be stuck with payments for a vehicle and not be able to pay for it!

The biggest thing holding me back is insurance. R&J wants 1 million in liability and 100,00 cargo which seems to be the industry standard. I got a quite from Progressive Commercial and they wanted over $10,000 a year. This is of course with full coverage but that's because I need to have it, at least I think, since I'm financing the van. There must be insurance cheaper than that? What companies do you use? How much do you pay, if you don't mind my asking? I have a Class B CDL with air brakes, tanker and doubles/triples if that might help lower my insurance cost. I also have a spotless driving record as well. I am 29 and male if that helps.

I would stay far away from RJR if that is who you are referring to. They are not a very good company to drive for. If you can take verbal abuse along with the miles then fine go for it but I wouldn't touch them with a ten foot pole.
The insurance rate you got is about right. We've had a major increase in insurance rates over the past year or so. This is going to be the normal for the foreseeable future.

 

[scottm4211]

............

 

[billg27]

Please don't go out and buy a new van in order to learn this industry. If you do, your worst fears will be realized. "Woulda, coulda, shoulda" becomes a butt-kicking exercise when you realize you should have just bought a good used van for five grand cash and used that as your trial and error machine.

Turtle is right! I started just over 4 years ago in a 1999 Chevrolet 3500 that costed me $3,000. A year later I moved up to a 2006 Chevrolet 3500 for $7,500. Now about 3 months ago I moved up to a 2015 Ford Transit. Would have never have survived the first year of learning with a huge van payment hanging over my head. Plus, as time goes on, you'll know better which vehicle best suits your needs and driving style. And it gives you time to find the carrier that's right for you! Mistakes are costly!

 

[xiggi]

Two things, you don't want cheap insurance you want the right Insurance. Secondly steady work is not very common in the van market, even with cheaper rate companies there is never a gaurentee of steady work. I just saw 3 RJR sprinters set in laredo for 5 days. Not uncommon with any company.

 

[justsomeguy]

Please don't go out and buy a new van in order to learn this industry. If you do, your worst fears will be realized. "Woulda, coulda, shoulda" becomes a butt-kicking exercise when you realize you should have just bought a good used van for five grand cash and used that as your trial and error machine.

I was actually planning on getting a used van but the reason I wanted to go with a used Promaster despite being hard to find and still quite expensive was because I'm thinking in the long term it will ultimately save me money due to the massive increase in fuel economy and hopefully lower maintenance costs. I guess I still have some research to do

I'm curious, the ins reps actually gave you a quote without the VIN # and not required to have the vehicle in your possession? I'd think without these info, quotes may be inaccurate.

Well, I haven't spoke to the ins reps for awhile, I could be outdated.

The quote was without the VIN since I don't have a vehicle selected yet however I asked if that would make much of a difference and they said no since the year, make and model would be the same, the only difference would be trim level.

I would stay far away from RJR if that is who you are referring to. They are not a very good company to drive for. If you can take verbal abuse along with the miles then fine go for it but I wouldn't touch them with a ten foot pole.
The insurance rate you got is about right. We've had a major increase in insurance rates over the past year or so. This is going to be the normal for the foreseeable future.

The company name is R&J Transport Division, maybe it's a different company but it sounds like the one you are referring to. They say they have steady freight and drivers gross on average $2000/week. All I want is to find a good carrier or possibly multiple carries to work for who can give me steady work and fair pay. Are there any companies you recommend? Also since I am brand new to this and therefore have no experience I would think I would be limited to the number of carriers who would take me since I see many of them requiring at least 6 months of experience.

Turtle is right! I started just over 4 years ago in a 1999 Chevrolet 3500 that costed me $3,000. A year later I moved up to a 2006 Chevrolet 3500 for $7,500. Now about 3 months ago I moved up to a 2015 Ford Transit. Would have never have survived the first year of learning with a huge van payment hanging over my head. Plus, as time goes on, you'll know better which vehicle best suits your needs and driving style. And it gives you time to find the carrier that's right for you! Mistakes are costly!

The thing with buying a really cheap van though is reliability and year miles. I'm worried that it will break down and have very high maintenance costs, that's provided that the carrier with even accept it because of the year/miles.

Thanks for the help so far everyone!

 

[Treadmill]

Where is this company located? Is it a Canadian company?

 

[str8trk]

From the R&J Transport Division web-site : We are a Texas based 3PL freight consultant with service connection points throughout Texas and the entire United States. With a pre-qualified satellite tracked networked Carrier core base we can expedite just about anything Read this carefully ...... Then check them out on www.safersys.org

 

[justsomeguy]

From the R&J Transport Division web-site : We are a Texas based 3PL freight consultant with service connection points throughout Texas and the entire United States. With a pre-qualified satellite tracked networked Carrier core base we can expedite just about anything Read this carefully ...... Then check them out on www.safersys.org

So they are a broker then? Also that link seems to be a site restricted to government officials only. I'd rather not go there.

 

[Turtle]

It's not restricted to government officials only. It's a service for those in the transportation industry that lets you just what a company is, how many power units they have, and their insurance and authority history (click the MC number).