If he hauled a car for you and was paid for it then yes it is commercial and he must do all the above. If you are hauling a car that belongs to you then it is private and does not fall under DOT regulations.

 

Bad advice if he gets caught the fines and tickets are unreal!!

One you went through the licensing you became a business. Hauling these cars to auction, going to go and buy, hauling back are much easier situations to deal with(since that is not the issue we can skip it). But once you agree to be paid to haul something whether its a car, bags of SAND, or anything you are now in the world of being for hire!

I used to do the same thing you are doing a few years back, I also considered doing what you want to do (I actually did do it and not legally). I got pulled over and luckily I was .5 mile from my exit by my house (3 miles total). I had an IL state trooper that ended up explaining these very same things wrote me a couple much more simple tickets and followed me home. I then checked into the costs and sold my trailer (2 car). I was very lucky, my tickets were for lights out and some other minor violation, he could have really slammed me if he wanted.

Another thing is like it was said before there is NO money is hauling one car. There are carriers out there now giving out such low ball prices, plus the guys on you ship are so cheap its just not worth the risk.

No as long as you are not paying him its fine. Myself and several friends haul things for each other all the time and its not an issue since we are not being paid. I got a call from a buddy (he was out of town) and he asked if I could go get his camper from the dealer and bring it to his house so he did not have to pay storage, no issues at all not being paid. I hauled a pallet of shingles on my trailer to a friends house for him (his Toyota could not handle the load in the bed), not an issue I did not get paid. I have pulled friends cars to shows, to the track, again no pay, no issue.

 

You're only as safe as your paper work. If you get stopped ANYTHING, they'll want to see what kind of paper work you have. If you have a personal registration,,,no problem. If you have a bill of sale that say's you're the dealer and you're taking the car to someone else,,,,you might have a problem.

In my best Clint Eastwood voice,,,,,

"Well do ya feel lucky punk". Just kidding of coarse. Couldn't resist.

 

I have been asked to PROVE that my load (vehicle (s)) are my property, as I prove my truck and trailer are, on several occasions, when making the (legit) claim that I am NOT COMMERCIAL, and hence am not subject to FMCSA rules and related State DOT regulations.

As the vehicles are "privately owned", by ME - I have had ZERO problem. However, that has led me to believe that, clearly, had the vehicles belonged to anyone else, or I had not been able to PROVE ownership, I would have been "in the ringer" big time. Guys will tell you "not to worry" and such, so maybe they'll put their money where their advice is if/when you get nailed to help with the fines. It's a personal choice.

With diesel fuel prices, insurance and other operating costs increasing, the trend I see is more medium-duty trucks facilitating heavier loads on longer trailers to maximize profit. A mile is a mile - the more you can carry over that mile which is generating $$$, the more POTENTIAL (not guarantee) one has for profit. If you have low overhead, then you can do light/small loads, but most folks try to cover both ways and loaded-for-dollars.

 

The thing is you are charging for delivery . That makes you For Hire . Now you could say set your reserve on eBay $500 higher and have the ad say "Free delivery in a 200 mile radius" . Then you are donating your services - not for hire .

 

Is this true Rick? That may be the way to go.

 

Date the bill of sale for the day AFTER you get there, that way the car is still yours.

 

Why not just do it right, or let someone who is legal do it. You are still transporting good for the furtherance of your business. You may be avoiding the being for hire portion. But you still need a dot #, med card, log books, correct insurance. I will say it again for as much effort and time you will be investing to do this, you would be better off to use your time and effort to buy and sell another vehicle or two.

 

OK to start it out with what the thread is about depending on how far you go it may or may not be worth it if you're going long long miles then hauling one car would be a waste now if you could do it say in your own state and make a few hundred bucks it may be worth it to you. When you cross over the stateline is when you have more issues I mean of course you could probably do it for years without being caught with like your truck and a little one car trailer BUT it only takes once to get caught and get in trouble fine wise OR get into an accident and you could be in BIG trouble for the rest of your life. Me personally I wouldnt take the risk for 3 cars a month let alone 3 cars a week.

I have been hauling cars on and off for almost 10 years now it started back with my Dad then when he passed my Sister and Her husband took over the business now I am doing it full time and have been for about a year and a half now and its a VERY competitive market right now. We do have a fuel surcharge and while yes some customers complain they still pay it BUT there is ALWAYS some one lurking that will do it cheaper just to undercut you.

By no means is this an EASY business if anyone ever says it is they are lying well unless they work for someone else thats getting them all their work.

There are WAAY too many people out there with 1 tons whether dually or srw running around thinking they can haul cars or RV's oh hes doing it so can I, if you are a hot shotter dont plan on getting rich doing it sure people on here claim all this money but truth is that is far and few between sure there are some people that will pay more for loads and you will definately make more money running 1 car here 1 car there then trying to find 3,6,9 or whatever cars going to the same place. I stay local but the local market has been overwhelmed by all these people with one tons trying to get into the hauling and all it does is mess up the rates and the order of things for the people that have worked hard and have been doing it for years. We had a customer stolen from us cause this guy offered to do his cars for $20 less a car than us how do these guys make a living?? Once they start having all their bills pile up an realize they were WAY undercharging and then try to raise their rates they cant and end up going under.

This is already a long enough rant if I offended someone I guess im sorry but probably not you have too many honest hard workers out there getting messed over by someone wanting to make a "quick buck" but in reality all they are doing is making it worse for everyone...

Oh and a lot of times its hard to find a full load going to one place and having a full load there ready to go to the next place. The other day I had to drive 300 miles empty to get my load pick up drop it off then drive 100 miles home empty so I made one amount for going about 700 miles and more than half werent paid miles.

 

Ok, this will be the last time I ask a hauling question on this forum. It seems like there is alot of negativity towards anyone wanting to haul for pay. Not just this thread but others.

I guess you hotshotters just want anyone else to stay out of the industry so that you have a less competitive market. Thanks anyway...

 

woah buddy, you got it all wrong.

First off, there is more cars then transporters. There is no real competition out there.

Second, I beleive the above comment says it all. We dont make rules. Fmsca does.

Again, I care care less what you do. You ask people for advice and you got it. Nobody cares if you haul it or not and we will never know. But towards the illegal haulers is why the real haulers get messed with all the time and spend an hour at the weigh station doing inspections.

DOT people are lazy and hate there job and when they get bored, they mess with us hard.

Have a nice day

 

I'm not saying the following with a harsh tone. Just the fact's.

You asked,,,,we told. Most of the guy's said do it legal. The one's truely in the know said you can't make money doing it. Fuel is almost $3.50 a gal. How much money you think you're going to make hauling 1 car. You're just not hearing what you want. So by all mean's go for it. After a year report back and throw it in our face about how much money you're making. And, don't forget to tell us if you got any fine's. Again,,,this is meant to be friendly advice.

 

I could care less if you take three cars a month from "the hot shotters", heck I haul rv's so why should I (sorry guys)and I am thinking and trying to get out of it.

You asked we answered. What you want to do is illegal. What you want to do will cost you big $$$ in fines if you get caught.

That is the answer, if you do not want the correct answer why did you ask??

Its funny how we tried to save your but from doing something that could cost you big fines and maybe more if an accident was involved and now it attitude.
Go pull your three cars a month ILLEGALLY and when you are crying about tickets or a lawsuit from an accident remember the guys on here that did nothing more than try to help you over.

 

I've learned in my business and personal life to conduct "due diligence".

I reach out and research. I ask questions, I search the Web, I try and talk to people who are doing, or have done, what I am thinking about. I then sort out all of what I collect, consider the sources and possible bias, and validate (for me and my purpose) the relevant data, and make an informed decision.

One source are these forums, and www.hotshothauling.com (on topic). I don't agree all the time with what everyone says, and I have been corrected, and I have corrected others. It's all free advice, and I appreciate the effort people have spent getting things across to me, even when I disagree.

I have found that not doing this can be an expensive mistake at best, and at the worst, in some cases, with some of the issues, someone can get hurt or worse. Forwarned, as they say, is forearmed.

That's the great thing about forums like this, we get to agree, or disagree, or argue, and it's all a learning process. I'm almost 54, and I have had a CDL-A since the mid 1970's. I have driven professionally. But I can still learn things from people on this and other sites.

I may be buried with a closed casket, but it will be with an open mind !

 

Here's what you do. Run a simulated trip. Take the mile's for the last couple of car's you sold and figure out how much the fuel would cost you. Then figure in the rest of the expense's. Figure it at .50 a mile,,,but there's guy doing it cheaper. Don't count insurance or anything like that, just the basic's. Now figure out how much money you're going to make. Is your customer willing to pay you more than he can get someone else to do it for. Let us know what you come up with. I'm curious to see.