Business question - May be a driver one day

[kblackav8or]

I am nearing the end of my Naval career in the next couple years and am thinking of the future. My brother has been running a warehouse operation for years and we have talked of expanding some. He transloads paper. It is a pretty small operation but he has expanded to moving paper bales for recycling. He unloads them from boxcars and loads them onto 53' vans. Pretty heavy, they contract with an outfit running old Bud light 4 axle trailers. The tractors have an extra axle. I am not sure the exact terminology for this axle. Anyway, we are crunching the numbers and trying to determine if we could make enough running our own truck to afford me. It costs him about $200 a trip for the truck to move his paper right now. It is about a 50 mile round trip. I am going to crunch numbers and see if it will fly. That would not be our only trucking business but would be the bread and butter. My idea would be a KW T-800 with the extra axle to be weight legal. The trailer or trailers would be leased.
Comments or suggestions welcome.

 

[JP9124]

Are you thinking of buying a used truck or ordering a new one? Keep in mind its a 6 month wait minimum for a new KW right now. In a few years that may change but keep it in the back of your mind if your thinking of ordering a new truck.

 

[Pacific]

If you are going to go with a heavier haul tractor go with a tridrive truck you will find them here in B.C. or Alberta I thing Oregon has used ones. You have three driving axles they handle weight better than a truck with a booster/tag axle.

You are better off buying a used truck to start with to see if this new venture will be profitable enough. Doing it by the hour can be more profitable if you know how long it will take you can charge by the load.

You just need to figure out what its going to cost you for a truck and if you have to supply a trailer.

 

[kblackav8or]

I would be on salary. The trick is having the truck make enough money for the company to pay me. I am also going to be the lift truck mech, driver, salesmen etc. After the Hyster guy wanted $600 or more to change a water pump... I looked and decided I could do it pretty easily. Just saving the huge outflow of labor costs on basic maint, I would almost save enough to pay my salary. I am betting hoping to pull down something approaching 60k doing this. Add my retirement pay and I would be doing just fine. There are other moonlighting options for me as well. I would be locating a used KW for this. I don't know what a airlift axle costs to add but that may play into our choices. I don't think we need the triple drive. It isn't very far and almost entirely on interstate.

Kevin

 

[Pacific]

Forklifts are tough to work on some Hysters you have to change parts by feel because you can access them with out removing the engine.

If you find a T-800 with 46,000lb rear axles that should give you enough carrying capacity its what the lowbedders use here to gross 140,000lbs which is legal everyday gross in B.C.

If you want more info start reading www trucknet.com

 

[Brickman]

Tag axles are not that expensive from what I've heard.

With the price of a new truck I would never buy one. So many good used trucks out for far less.

I know guys that buy a $9000 to $12,000 truck. Make it DOT legal and run the wheels off. When the motor blows they buy a new one and start over. The reason being overhauls can run into more than the truck is worth, depending on the engine.