Hauling

It's the rate of premium for the distance traveled from home that gets expensive. I'm insured to a 150 mile radius from home. Yearly cost for full coverage PD plus the liability end with 5,000 cargo on both the trailer and tractor (88 Pete 377 and hopper bottom grain trailer) is $1850 a year. Was going to go on a trail ride in OK from MN last year and use the Pete, had get the OK from the insurance company, not the agent, to be covered. They said go and have fun, it's a personal trip not commercial.

There are only a couple states that require more, it's been 15 yrs since I ran interstate as an owner operator, but even at that time, the ones that required more, it was usually incorporated witht the individual fuel permits, not all but most.

Minnesota commercial requires 750,000 liability, not 100,000. I can't even use my car to do field sampling for Seneca unless a min of 500,000 is in place. But that's Seneca's ruling.

When I got the semi to haul grain, state minimums were 750,000. So check with DVM as to what the minimums are in your state. Might be less with a pu/gooseneck not sure, but check the state ruling/requirements.

Best place to start is with the ICC. Interstate commerce commision. Usually, things associated with agriculture since the deregulation of the trucking industry don't have as many hoops to jump through for authority. You can get authority to do the US as a whole instead of each state individual.

OK; so you still want to do this. Yes you can make money at it if you can stay loaded and running or it will just be a hobby. My suggestion to you is to find a company that does this kind of work. (such as a hot shot firm) Lease on with them with the option to bring in your own loads. This way they will take care of # 1,2,4,6,9,12, and sometimes 7. The way it works is they will hold out a percentage of money on loads they give you and you will pay a percentage (not the same amount) of loads you bring in to cover the cost of above. This way you can get your feet wet and learn all the ins and outs of the business building your contact list all the while. Then when you think you are ready you can set out on your own taking your contact list with you.

Hope I did not leave anything out but know I probable did.

Do not want to scare you just give you the facts. There are trucking firms going bankrupt every day because of fuel prices and insurance cost so just make sure you know all the facts before you jump into this. But on the other hand this may be the best time ever to start this with the new HOS rules. They estimate we will need many more trucks just to haul the freight we now have. (maybe even driving rates up)

Wish you the best of luck.