A Day in the Life of an Independent Car Transporter (Pt 1.)
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 13 ธ.ค. 2013
- ( www.TFLtruck.com ) Everyday tens of thousands of cars move across the United States. Some are new, some are used and some are even damaged. This is a job done by an army of truckers that transport cars. (Pt.2. • Big Rig Car Transporte... ) These car transporters work for large transportation companies, auto manufacturers, or just for themselves. Today we introduce you to Michael Ebert of Transwerks. Mike is a young and independent car transporter that was kind enough to share a day in his life to show you what it is like to be one of the many truckers that move cars across the United States.
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The Fast Lane Car ( / romanmica. . ) - ยานยนต์และพาหนะ
In 2008 I had a 2008 Chevy dually w/ 3 car hauler, made great money,drove lower 48, slept in my truck 20% of the time 80% in hotels. I had to shut down because started my business with no capital at all. Existing bills started to pile up,and remember in 2008 diesel gas prices was crazy high! I had new equipment but didn't have extra money to pay my bills until I get caught up making enough pickups and deliveries. This is just to help a reader that sees this. Have at least 6 to 12 months of funds on hand before you start out
I lease out 1ton dually with towing capabilities - our program design helps owners get running without messing up cash flow and having all of your capital tied into the trucks themselves. If anyone is interested in hearing about it just give me a call. Name: Ivan Hunter, Phone number: 716-681-6700. Email: Ivan.L.Hunter@ehi.com - I work for Enterprise Truck rental out of Buffalo, NY.
How much are we looking to make per week? Im thinking about buying this instead of buying a semi truck
That’s a good point and good advice thank you
How much used dually truck n trailer?
He constantly hauls 10,000 lbs more than the truck is rated at and wonders why his differential keeps going out lol.
on 16's no less lol
what's the towing capacity on this truck?
lorenz rowe Thats a tricky question..........Do you want to know what they say it can tow and do so once or twice a year or do you want to know what it can truly tow all day everyday without problems ;)
SouthJerseySound all day everyday
lorenz rowe In rough terrain,mountains,logging roads,etc you could cut the max by half.But if its less of a severe duty 75-80% is a good maximum number to go by in stock form.I've been in the towing business for years and when picking a chassis I try not to ever go above 75% of the ratings.I work with others who have bought trucks that on paper can handle the loads,but realistically they end up with too small a truck and end up burning through them.
One contractor I work with bought a F250 dualy and he used to make fun of us for buying a 450 to do the same job.He added airbags and a few other mods to help but after 10 transmissions,6 rears,4 motors and 3 trucks later we're still running that same F 450.Yes it was more up front and unloaded mileage is a little less(but better loaded) but in the long run it has been much cheaper and more profitable but I wasnt going to argue with him because I enjoyed picking up the slack when his rig was down ;) Also you need to think about resale value too,nobody wants a ragged out overworked truck.With all things being equal if you pick a truck with a little headroom to work with over something just barely capable of getting things done.You will find it much easier to sell and recoup more of your investment from the bigger truck.
This is something i've always wanted to do.
He should have gone with an F550. They use a D130 rear axle. The F450 uses a D80. There is a significant strength difference between them. The F550 is intended for commercial use, so holds up better to towing that much weight all day long.
Roman & TFL Truck guys, great video and very interesting. Glad to see a video 'review' of this truck by people who use it for work. Please more episodes like this! Love the whole look into the transporting world and all the info provided about the job as well. Keep 'em coming. I will keep checking back! :)
Looking forward to the next video.
@The Fast Lane Truck - You guys should do more stories on small independent hotshot trucking. I love watching those! I recently just purchased my own Freightliner FL50 with a 36" sleeper and a 24' aluminum gooseneck trailer to do some side jobs hauling cars on weekends.
Neat that he upgraded to a Kenworth T680 and an 8-car trailer not long after this video, if you're driving the miles might as well be getting paid for 8 cars instead of 3, especially at the same loaded mpg.
Thank you for explaining the death wobble. It just happen to me and didn't know wth was going on. I do appreciate your honesty.
all these companies already a have a good estimate of what weekly expenses look like, they paid just enough to bait you into the job. Than everything goes down hill if a big repair, accident, claim, fines, and taxes hit.
more videos like this, very interesting
You guys should do a series like this will be great
Wow this is amazing. Excellent Video.
Reason he's blowing up rear ends is due to the fact the pickup is exceeding the GVW mandated by Ford. The death wobble is due to worn shocks and cheap tires. At least he wised up in the end and recognized he needed a Class 8. 7.5 mpg wow I get that in a 02 FLD 120 Freightliner pulling 80,000 lbs. His gross weight is what I weigh empty.
Terrance Herwig if I want to buy my first used 18-wheeler. What makes do you recommend if I want to just spend 20K or maybe 30K at the most? Freightliner, Volvo, Peterbilt? And what's the safest kind of freight to transport from your experience?
@@giovanitorres9360 At that price point you're going to be stuck with a HIGH MILEAGE used "Cornbinder" (International) or "Freightshaker" (Freightliner). Buy a dry van for LTL bulk as a flatbed is more expensive and the heavier loads will kill your older truck.
Actually DW is a inherent issue with the style of suspension used in these trucks and Jeeps. It comes from loose components. His tires (rears were only visible) looked to be Michelin LTX, so not "cheap". The HD Fords are known to have alignment issues when loaded heavily, that's what is eating his tires. In the end, he needs a heavier truck.
@@mdnky Yep. The heavier 550 variant with an aftermarket suspension upgrade does pretty well up here in the NE US. I would also recommend the longer-framed (10ft or 12ft bed) version because of the heavier rear end. The GM 6500 would also be an option here.
Wouldn't be a problem if used air helper springs.
Very informative video. Thank you!
Great ideal to do such a video. It was very interesting, so thanks for putting it together TFLT!
ram 5500 and i use 4 car wedge ( 3 sometimes) . very comfortable driving
Looking forward to thw next video!
These guys will be delighted with the new tow ratings on the modern HD trucks
Seems like the Super Duty is a pretty popular car hauler as he is not the only one I have seen using a 2011+ Super Duty as an independent car hauler.
Hello I have a random question for you. The trailer in this video....can you tell me what brand and model it is? I've got the same exact trailer however my serial tag is missing.
Any info would be greatly appreciated.
i love this video much love from Montreal Canada
Oh wow. Is that your profession?
The death wobble is not just on ford, all other brand have them too, the correct way to fix it is you haft to get your front end tightened, your steering stabilizer is probably loose.
hell yaaa day in the life !! i love what i do. Eric - Team Auto Carriers. WHITTIER,CA.
How much used dually truck n trailer cost? Insurance per yr?
differential issues? lol. overload.
The problem with the "death wobble" is the tires are under inflated. We had this problem with our 12,000lb F350 and inflating the tires to the recommended PSI always solved it.
I use Cummins, I pull loads daily with it only issue was overheating from a worn hose but since she still kicks ass
Apparently the fix for the deathwoble is to add an aftermarket steering stabilizer shock like you get when you lift these trucks. Poor engineering on Fords part IMO.
Had an old Cherokee with death wobble and same as you describe, bridge joints in a curve would cause chaos. I Replaced all ball joints expecting it was the issue. Finally I replaced the steering stabilizer and POOF it was gone.
Hands down the best way to put TT that much weight on a truck is starting with a 26k gvwr like my 99 International 3800 loading one or 2 cars on its flatbed. Then if CDL holder, mount a stinger steered 5th whl totaling your length at 75ft long truck& Trlr. This trailer can be a 35-45' long lowpro 25k gvwr and you'd have over 60ft deck space. I'm not CDL so my truck only pulls a 10k gvwr trailer holding 7000 lbs so 2 small cars or a truck. My 23ft truck deck 12' upper & 11' lower rear deck holds 2 dinky cars or cargo trlrs. Mine grosses $3/mile
this guy spends all that money going to ford for fixing those problems. he needs to find a diesel shop that know what their doing and install caster adjuster, and bulletproof rear differential.
Or just buy a Duramax.
Shawman buy a bunch of problems
Im jealous of you americans, you get to pull and tow so heavy loads with your pickups and over here in sweden we have all kinds of regulations and weight rules and you need all kinds of drivers licence to do so.
The 2011 F-450 is using the F-350 set up. This is the reason you are having problems with the dif and front suspension. My Dad has an 08 F-450 with 19.5 wheel and Dana 110 with 4.88 gear. He has over 450K miles on the truck with no problems with the dif or front suspension. The truck has been perfect with the exception of the 6.4. It is still running the same trans and shifts perfect. Ford brought back the HD F-450 in the newer trucks. The 6.7 with the 19.5's and Dana 110 is the perfect setup for hauling. My Dad's normal load is around 26K to 28K Lbs...
The new F-450 will tow 31,200 pounds vs his 2011 that tows 24,500. The 2015 F-450 is basically a semi. Go look at their specs.
thanks for sharing
Never understood that problem ford had with their front tires. Happened to my friends ford and it hasn't been a year since he bought it brand new. Then again its ford what do we expect.
I drive a 2012 F350 6.7 Diesel, it has 830,000 KMS (515.000) miles. The truck a single rear axle, I added a leaf spring and air bags. I tow about the same weight, on a 42' 5th wheel trailer. I only had to change the diff once, its a 3.73. I think Mike is hard on the throttle when taking off loaded. Also, the tires, the best tires to run on these rigs are Michelin LTX, they last 70-80KM so about 45K Miles if properly rotated. Also i never head a death wobble on the truck and never hear of it on a ford !!!
I like these kind of videos
great video, more hauling videos please!
It's why I'm selling my last ford wrecker! Moving to Chevy c3500 about to purchase a UD wrecker so far so good leas worries less problems.
I just buoyed and returned the f250 power stroke…it had that death wobble..smh…2019 that had 25k miles on it super clean but…had to act up in the dealer ship to get my tundra back
Get a trailer like that, and race some trucks up the Ike pass! Dont forget to get a Semi-Truck to set the benchmark and a Tank just to show off.
In 2011 Ford went to a Dana 80 rear Axle and 17 inch wheel E Rated, in 2008 to 2010 they had a Dana 110 with 19.5s, they are going back to Dana 110 in 2015 make the Rear Diff much stronger for that much weight.
There are people out there that actually make use of their trucks, and this video proves it. Car manufacturers pay close attention to these true torture tests on vehicles by their customers. I've wondered why sometimes manufacturers make smalls changes to vehicles each year, such as improved steering stabilizers or small cooling fins on a diff cover, but this video explains why.
has ford fixed those two things? what year?
Wait so how do ford's get death wobble? And does it happen to all of them even brand new like the 2017 ones
Pretty Impressed! Hes hauling more then the specs says he can and has just shy of 200 thousand miles! He never really said anything about engine problems, When you`re hauling that weight frying the axle is understandable and lastly the death wobble is with every truck. Just my opinion but hauling that weight in a chevy would scare me because of all the alignments needed. My neighbor is the manager of a travel company and His 3 Gms are pretty good aside from a couple glowplugs, one of them has a dying trans and the other thing is all the alignments he needs done on them. Lastly I live here in BC and a lot of his tours go through the Rockies and Up Rogers Pass and The Coquahala Highway. Those are nasty roads. He tries not using the GMs for the fully loaded tours because they sometimes goes into limp mode up the passes and that can really hurt business. Just My opinion. Thanks!
I've been hauling a 4 car wedge with my 2012 ram 3500 for 2.5 years now. avg 30k-36k lbs pending on vehicles. with around 270k miles. and I've had one problem and that was the fuel pump. once. ram 3500 has a higher towing capacity than a f450. this is the first Chrysler product I've owned. 2012 was the last year trucks w/o DEF. honestly I would not buy any other brand for hotshot trucking. I'm a true believer now. my routes are from southeast to the northeast and back. no programming, stock everything. only a k&n cold air intake.
drive what you choose. but I would recommend cumins. .
think about it. are there any v8 diesel 18 wheelers anymore? In line 6 cylinders produce more torque.
take this advice or leave it. it's working for me
Larry I'm a driver for Sysco but trying to get in the game. can you give me some direction?
Hello larry im thinking about starting my own business using a 4 car wedge. Do you mind corresponding with me through email so i can ask you a few questions and pick your brain a bit. My email address is Oroberts8802@gmail.com
are you still out there working? i appreciate your knowledge. i wanted to get started hauling cars. i've read alot of comments & for some reason you seem like that you will lace me up with the game. if you don't mind can you respond through my email address? its ced_wilson74@yahoo.com
Hey Larry have a question for you in the 26000 pound rule does the truck pull capacity get added to the capacity to stay away from having to get a cdl? Just trying to see how much weight I can haul if I get a dodge 4500 which weight is 8700 pounds with a 5 car Kaufman?
Bro how do i get in this game
New tires isn't the only way to fix the death wobble. He needs to get dual steering stabilizers, helps a ton.
I like how he admitted to running illegal at about 9:40 😂😂
He's not illegal he's non-cdl.
He's cdl
If he ran 7am-7pm first day, with ten hours off, started at 5am drove to 5pm. Delivered in the afternoon. Not illegal with time to spare.
Sorry, but i just replayed that segment and there was no admission of illegality there. Right at the end there's a tacit admission that his current truck/trailer combo may not be up to the job so he's thinking of upgrading. His sunk cost will go up which will require him either to raise his rates or cut his margin.
Hi . Can you help me... I have a Ford Truck 3500 dually and trailer 5 cars . Do I need CDL or only Business insurance ? Thanks
good video , good info
Nice trailer you ever use the top?
Does anyone know why brand model or type of trailer he is using in the video and anything about its height and length loaded?
you guys should do more videos of guy hauling with there trucks like this
Great video! Im starting my car transporter career with a independent contractor this week he will train me. Any advice?
I will never run anyother pick up than a Dodge with a Cummins. At 515k+ original motor and trans, no complaints here! If you look on the highways the Cummins are the king of the roads.
Sounds like something in the front end like the track bar bushing, or track bar balljoint has play and is trigerring the death wobble, a proper wheel alignment should keep the tires from getting outside wear in and front and getting cupped.
I love my cummins it dont ride like a ford or chevy Heard the 2014 comes with airride rear suspension. But my Dodge Greyhound will pull anything
12K pounds over max towing and 200K miles the problems are minor.
wow good job but can you make it a manual transmission and more gears
How do you find an dependent auto transport company, theres a ton of middle men out there... Any ideas?
Man all these pathetic government regulations on the taxes you have to pay or where you drive through that's fucking ridiculous !!! Just wait America into the carbon tax kicks in and then were all in deep shit! # stopthecarbontax
I think 250s use a sterling differential and 350s use dana diff. think dodge uses dana to but I may be worng
Thank you how about some more video's on Goose neck haulers pulling general freight, cars etc?
How much do I will make a month if I start business like this
I live on Long Island NY and I have a Class A , im bored with my current job which gets me home everyday ..Looking for a change ,how did you get the wheels in motion with this car carrying business. Looking for some input ...
What resale? Wouldn't he use it until all worn out?
Do you have to have a certain cdl endorsement to do this?
I’m trying to start my own car hauling business. How much do you charge per car? And do you need a Dot or MC for 3 to 4 car hauling trailer? Just need to be sure of all the things I need as a beginner.
Interesting video Roman.
Im a Cummins man 100% but I always give due respect to Duramax's it has nothing to do with Chevy or GM but rather an appreciation I have for Isuzu the actual manufacturers of the engine.
stumbled upon this again.. would love to see more videos like this. perhaps a day in the life of a product manager? lol
if I bought a king ranch. I would tell the dot to f off, i'm sleeping in my truck
You don't screw with the DOT.
threefortyduster LOL, deff. right about that.
threefortyduster your right you screw with them OHHHH you better be ready for a shit down
Actually, DOT allows you to sleep in your truck if your fall under their requirements. There are sleepers available for one tons, OR if you dont want to buy a sleeper (roughly $10,000) you can purchase what is called a "crew cab sleeper"... the CCS meets all DOT requirements in the back seat of a pickup truck.
AMGV Media
do you have to have cdl to tow multiple cars on that two storey hauler
The you need CDL to drive the truck please if you know let me know thanks
How much used dually truck n trailer cost? Insurance per yr?
Man...only Ford owners would think that 4 differentials and a death wobble makes it the best truck for the job. I don't care how dyed in the wool Ram I am...if I blew up 3 differentials and had to stop every time I hit an expansion joint, I'd be jumping ship.
I got a F-250, but would of got a Ram Cummins for what that guys doing, no DEF to think about about and, Cummins are better at running high RPM's for long periods of time. Their built a bit better, last longer under tough conditions, and are more fixable.
Josh McCarthy Rams have their own front end problems (including death wobble), notorious for their ball joints, the weakest automatic transmission in that segment (68RFE) and the lack of DEF caused those engines to burn a lot more fuel. Though I think the 2014 Ram 3500 with the new chassis, AISIN tranny, and stronger diff, and inclusion of DEF would have fixed all that. But then Chrysler seems to be still doing a lot of recalls on their products. You probably think I hate Rams after reading this, but no I really like them, I would buy the 2014 Ram 2500 when the time is right. But I am just pointing out, as many others have, they all have their problems.
MrChevypower I have a ram with 311k miles with no death wobble issues. Death wobble is usually an issue with 4wds. These guys are stupid for buying a 4wd to tow on hwy. More parts, more maintenance, more problems, and more money. The 68RFE is a great transmission and I know many car haulers that r still running their original tranny with over 300k. And ford and gm started running def just a few years before dodge so their 07-10's have the same exhaust problems. Everyone talkin shit on dodge autos is ignorant, that was 20 years ago. Today they are as bullet proof as the G56
Josh McCarthy Whats a def? you mean a dpf or are they different?
Yeah it seems like those two things could have been fixed with some aftermarket parts the first time idk why he didn't but its kinda impressive he didn't have any other problems tho with engine trans etc
If I get my USDOT and MCC numbers but drive with a regular driver's license pulling a trailer with 3 cars. Do you think I should be ok with the DOT guys if I stay under 26,000 loaded with cars and below 26,000 combined GCWR ? Thank you
Anderson Araujo nope you will exceed the 10k trailer limit and need a class a CDL. You just don't need the combination endorsement for a full on semi.
Can anybody give me anofher clue !!! How to start into this bussiness please .. any company or something pleaseee
Can TFL truck find a similar story with a GMC/Chevrolet Truck?
Better off with a big rig pulling that trailer
Jack B until it's time for big rig repairs
What kind ford dually truck do you have?
very cool :)
i was wondering wich is the best truck to go with this type of trailer
will a ford F350 handle ok with a 4 car trailer?
get ram 5500. way better
Just get a late 90's--early 2000's Ford E450 cab/chassis (7.3L diesel or the 6.8L V10) and install a DOT approved sleeper on it. Should get you a little better fuel economy, you wont have the same front end issues, and you gain that sleeper to spend the night in...
My old Freightliner could have hauled that truck, trailer, and all the cars and would have gotten much better fuel economy. I used to get around 5 to 6.5 mpg (depending on terrain) loaded close to 80,000-lbs gross. 7.5 mpg sucks for just hauling a few cars.
the 6.8L V10 is an absolute horrible motor. It will struggle to pull more 6,000 pounds!
If he's towing this much he definitely will not want a v10. I'm sure towing this much he'd have to measure in gallons per mile instead of miles per gallon 😂
I would like too see more on this topic looking to starting my own business doing the same need as much info as possible
Did u start that business I’m tryna start right now?
Ive learned 2 things from this video. 1. Do not buy a Ford. 2. There are too many regulations.
The chevy can't even tow this much so that's not an option..and after 200k miles of towing 35,000 pounds he gone through a couple diffs that ford paid for I don't see a problem the dodge engine wouldnt break but all The truck around it would fall apart
trevor philips You should do your research sir before you make wild claims about a Chevrolet not being able to tow that much. The light duty starts out at 11,000 pounds.
It's not wild accusations look at max tow rating for ford and then chevy ...chevy is far lower
Eric Boucher Ford has the highest tow ratings for the 2015 model year, chevy doesn't go up that high.
Wasn't aware that chevy decided not to produce any vehicles in 2015.. Sales must have been really bad
Big truck with car hauler will get about the same milage give or take a mile a gallon (driving style, truck dependent)
You still haul cars. I've been trying to get my car moved 325 miles. From Portland or. To boise idaho. For 2 weeks nothing but lies and shippers trying to pull a fast one. I would have never thought moving as car could be so aggravating.
Did you intall air bag on truck rear axle?
I had the same wobble on my Dodge 2500 an I put 2 horizontal stabilizer shocks in front of the front axle and got rid of the wobble. Hope it will work for you.
what year was your dodge 2500 and how much weight do you often tow?
2013 F450: rear differential is 4.30, Maximum 5th wheel towing is 24.7k.
Since Mike's pickup is out of warranty, we can say that it was good for him, when Ford did honor the warranty on the differentials, because he was constantly exceeding the factory specs, by doing 36k lbs GCWR.
And as others have pointed out. An F550(4.80 rear differential) or higher, with single cab and 2wd would be a better candidate for doing these kind of towing daily.
GCWR on the F450 is 33,000lbs, so Michael may be about 10% over the limit. But 4WD is a must running over the Rocky Mountains.
The Fast Lane Truck Its really not. Look at semi trucks, they are considered 2wd. Now chains, they are a must.
+The Fast Lane Truck do you have any idea on how much he makes doing this? I've got a 450 and thought about starting up my own transport business.
+Blake Watson That # varies MUCH more so than an over the road trucker!
Yes.... You cant push it though to like 30k.. With Best Line you can do the crap this guy does in normal operation.
what's the average rate for hauling a car?
I’m curious how much money can you make doing this? Per year roughly?
I did auto transport for a few months with a 6.0 powerjoke it was the worst driving it to California and back to Arizona. If I had the chance to do it again I'd do it independent and not through a company.
Anyone watching in 2017?
Ryan Urukalo nope...just 2018 lol
I'm watching in 2018
2019 is here
I'm watching this from the future..I'm in 2020
2021 here
I respect the set up. I had a single enclosed trailer with a f-350. I miss my business. Salute to you guys still grinding.
Does anybody had put a bed inside a heavy duty truck moving the passenger seat and the Bach seat to sleep in the truck ????
i want to ask you a question do i need the cdl to drive 3 car hauler to different states ??? im asking you this because a lots of people being sayig that what im doing is ilegal driving with regular licensee 26,000 pounds pleae anwer me thanks
RESPONDER
Yes you will need a CDL. A three car hauler will definately pass the 10,001 lb rating for the trailer and the GCWR of the combination will be more than 26,001 lb. This will require a class A. If you show up at a port as you are, you will be in violation, will be placed out of service for driving a CMV without a CDL and will be cited. Get the CDL.
my dad does the same thing and its a nerve wracking job im so sad he has to do this to provide
It seems like he earn very little profit from all those extra charges