What do I do from here

[Nubbin]

Hello everyone, new to this thing. I've acquired a 2014 Mercedes Sprinter 2500, and I want to put it to work. Once I have a carrier and the van is ready, I plan own hiring a driver. My question is what do I need to get my van ready. Insurance? What and how much? Do I need my own authorization, if I plan own signing with someone
I'm in the search now of carriers close to me, which there isn't many.
Just questions
Thanks,
Nub

 

[Grizzly]

Nub,

How much are the monthly payments on the van?

 

[Nubbin]

Grizzly,
The van is paid for.

 

[Grizzly]

Start looking in the classifieds section. The market for expedited vans is completely over saturated. Best to do more research on this site.
Lookup CIS for insurance ...

 

[Nubbin]

Thanks Grizzly

 

[Moot]

Hello everyone, new to this thing. I've acquired a 2014 Mercedes Sprinter 2500, and I want to put it to work. Once I have a carrier and the van is ready, I plan own hiring a driver. My question is what do I need to get my van ready.

Do you plan on hiring a driver every few months or keep one for at least a year? If it is the later then you need to insulate the entire van, install an auxiliary heat source, add a powered roof vent, get a decent bed or cot, put down a couple rows of E-Track with 4 ratchet straps and whatever you would want if you were going to live in it for extended periods of time. Cargo Van - cargo van threads

Insurance? What and how much? Do I need my own authorization, if I plan own signing with someone

If you sign on with one of the larger carriers plan on spending between $75-$125 a week. This depends on the declared value of your van (physical damage) and the rate the carrier pays for cargo and liability.

I'm in the search now of carriers close to me, which there isn't many.

Define "close to you". Why is important to lease to a carrier close to you? Do you know anything about the expedite industry other than I gots me a van and wants to make me some moneys?

 

[Nubbin]

Thanks for everyone's input.

 

[Moot]

Is that a sincere thanks? Hard to tell being written. When I turn down a load a dispatcher will often say "thanks". Being a verbal thanks, it sounds more like "thanks and I hope you choke on a sandwich and die" and is followed by an abrupt disconnect. If you are serious about becoming a fleet own, keep reading, researching and asking specific questions.

Also don't be afraid to answer questions.

Define "close to you". Why is important to lease to a carrier close to you? Do you know anything about the expedite industry other than I gots me a van and wants to make me some moneys?

 

[indycolts]

I started with new van in 2016, Mercedes 2500 with extra height and enough length to carry 3 4- way pallets if needed. I was fortunate enough to find a transport company with no one under contract for expedite work. Being gone for extended periods sucks tbh. Getting work off load boards was not going to cover personal/ business expenses... brokers are cheap as hell. Luckily every trip out did begin with a customer load from my transport company so each trip started well. Getting home different story. Cargo insurance while under dispatch is about $5,000... transport company put me on their driver roster and pay that bill annually. Second insurance for anything else is costing me about $2,500. Keep in mind I live in NY State so what requirements for insurance exist here are not same everywhere. In almost 4 years this had turned from expedite work on the road to literally 100% customer work, much of which is bringing in $1.25 - $1.50 per mile for all miles. The one thing I didn't consider was my level of expenses vs. business expenses. Last year it cost me $36k out of my $100k in earnings and that does not count self employment taxes or private health insurance. You say y li you're looking to actually hire a driver but you have bam fully paid for. I haven't been doing this as long as many others here but it seems to me if you have an employee with the one van I don't know how you're going top get a positive return out of this. Prior to this year I waded doing 100,000 miles annually to make ends meet. Good luck in your endeavor.

 

[indycolts]

Couple typos in there so hope it reads okay.

 

[Moot]

Thanks indy for sharing your story. Your learning experience was expensive but you persevered. How long do you think you would have lasted, financially, had you sat on the sidelines and paid a driver to operate your van?

 

[indycolts]

Thank you and funny you ask. In first several months of doing this I had grand vision of purchasing a couple more vans and putting a couple people to work. Would have been disastrous now that I know what expense(s) are for just one van. Only reason I have stayed afloat is the company i'm contracted with realized there was enough work from their customer base that it made sense for me not toi be going out of Northeast region. Right now I have dedicated work 3 nights per week into Manhattan. Because it's Manhattan the rates are great. Covers 75% of weekly goal. Some weeks they come up with other work and some they don't. No way would there have been enough work for my grand vision to have worked and if one van operated by a driver working for me that individual would have been unemployed within a year.

 

[Nubbin]

To answer some questions..... Experience. I drove over the road for 15 years and have dealt with dispatchers, broker's, waiting for loads and been away from home for weeks at a time.....I gave up the road to help raise our family......That was over thirty years ago......

As far as hiring driver's, I know trying to find an employee is one thing but trying to find a good one is the hardest part....I deal with that at my other business often.....We are try do develop an employee package for the right person, to give he or she an incentive other than just a pay check so to speak.....

As far as business, profits, expenses and maintenance, etc, I'm very familiar them all, plus more....

All of the research that I have done on expediting as recommended me to come to this website, so that's why I'm here.......So all I'm asking things like what insurance company is a good one to talk to, what company's out there all ones to look into and which ones not to waste my time with, as for as contracts. .....What I meant by "close by" was just a comment, there are not one in my home area that deal in expediting......Again just a comment......

All I am trying to do is to make it to the end. As the wife says, I'm running out of time, meaning life is getting shorter every day that the good Lord gives us, and I thank him for that day he does give us....

As far as my "Thank you" to be sincere you can take it how ever you want to, but it's meant to be as while as when I say please and sorry. I also say yes sir, no sir and I open the door for a lady......just saying.

So I hope this might have answered question or two, and I feel sure I will have plenty more as we go forward. Any help or guidance will be certainly appreciative.

Please forgive me any typos, word mispronunciation, spelling, etc..I didn't have my secretary proof read this before I posted it.

Sincerely,
Thank you

 

[indycolts]

Nubbin...I hope someone corrects me on this but no matter how hard I tried it appears Progressive Insurance may have a monopoly on the type of insurance you are going to need. I know the company I am contracted with moved to another provider out of the midwest for their fleet cargo insurance. However like I said earlier there is also insurance need when not under dispatch and I always wind up being directed to Progressive.

 

[Grizzly]

Nubbin...I hope someone corrects me on this but no matter how hard I tried it appears Progressive Insurance may have a monopoly on the type of insurance you are going to need. I know the company I am contracted with moved to another provider out of the midwest for their fleet cargo insurance. However like I said earlier there is also insurance need when not under dispatch and I always wind up being directed to Progressive.

If you sign onto a large carrier ... you'll have to go under their insurance.
If you have to provide your own insurance, Progressive isn't the only company but they are by far the most popular.

 

[indycolts]

Must be because it's the only company I get steered towards.