uShip Forum / The Truck Stop / Business and Operations

Need info on boat hauling business

smokey507 — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 21:48:41 GMT

I want to start a boat hauling business,I know I need dot number and business insurance.My questions are 1)if im only going move small to med boats,like boats no bigger than 24ft and less than 5,000 pounds,how must lieitbly insurance I should have?I was thinking of starting with either $50,000 or $100,000.2)Im using a dodge ram 1500 right now,cant tow no more than 5,000 bls,so do I need permits in some states when driving thru a state?Do I have to stop at wieght stations? 3)What are the best and cheapiest business insurance compainies out there?4) And any other info who be great.I used to tow small boats for a boat builder in Florida but I didnt go out the state and all the insurance was on him,I didnt had to have any thing,well just auto insurance on my truck.So any info whould be great.Thanks

Broker versus motor carriers/trucking companies

transconHeavyhaul — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 10:32:36 GMT

Is anyone else tired of brokers slashing the rates to get a haul so they can pocket 20% of the line haul?

New Auto Shipper--What Are The Forms Required for business?

potenza — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 21:53:09 GMT

Hello All: I need guidance on what proper paperwork/contracts to use when doing business. In particular, I am looking for a Bill of Lading template and an Auto inspection form for use when I pick up a vehicle. If there are any other car haulers on this forum; what do you use as a contract between you and your customer? Thank you all for your time. Best regards, Tony

I'm looking for investors for a start up company

johnr2112 — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 16:20:11 GMT

This company will offer a drop & hook type of service from FL to NV with a relay in TX. They will have about 30 trucks and 60 trailers and provide local drops & pick ups in those 3 states so that the road drivers do not have to go into CA & no lower then tampa,FL

Fuel Cards/Fleet Cards - Fuel Management

NortheastCargoCarriers — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 10:33:36 GMT

Does anyone use a fleet card or fuel card? I use Wright Express but am considering to move my business to another company and I am looking for suggestions on who to move too. Any comments on the company that you are using?

Help With Getting Started in the Transportation Business Part time

SKFHAULING — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 23:26:49 GMT

I am interested in getting started in the transportation business on a part time basis. I have looked at many different sites and postings for starting in the transportation business and basically all of them talk about doing it full time. I currently have a full time job and do not want to give that up. This job provides the financial foundation and insurance benefits I need for my family. At my current job I only work 4 days a week and this allows me time to do something else to provide my family with additional income in this troubled economic times. I live in the Dallas Texas area and am interested in starting a transportation business on a weekend basis working the business Friday, Saturday and Sunday. I see trucks on the highway all the time hauling 3 and 4 cars on trailers and started looking into this option to only find out that this would probably not be very profitable as a part time business with the cost of the insurance. So with all this said... Can anyone give me some advice as to what type of transportation business I could possibly start on a part time basis that would be profitable and where I could operate the business only on Friday's and weekends. I would like to keep it local between Dallas, Austin, and Houston. Any help will be appreciated.

I'm retiring

boatshipper — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 00:24:27 GMT

Web site and equipment for sale. Google christine transport or boat transporter to contact and leave message

Asking for a deposit right or wrong…

Pilotpeaktransport — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 00:36:59 GMT

Is it wrong to ask for shippers to pay us a deposit up front before transporting anything for them. In our contract we ask for at least 50% upfront before shipping is scheduled. But we will take less on a deposit like 35%. Well while biding and getting booked on U-ship, we did our normal thing and the shipper backed out on us and said we were running a scam by asking for a down payment. We don’t like to use western union or any thing like that. We use ether Green dot pre pay credit cards or paypal. That way the shipper/customer has records of everything. Well here are a few over all question is 1) Are we doing the wrong thing by asking for a deposit up front?? 2) Do we *the transport company* get the money that the shipper pays u-ship, and if we do when do we get it?

Thanks everyone
Pilot Peak Transport

Trailer Flat Tire During Transport

NortheastCargoCarriers — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 11:59:06 GMT

I have a scenario that I would like to through out to the members here. Recently, I was towing a boat from FL to New England. The boat was on the customer's brand-new trailer with our transport plate. In VA, the center tire on the tri-axle trailer had a blow out. Tire was a complete loss. Luckily, there was a spare and it was changed and we continued on the journey. No damage to the boat or trailer, just a destroyed tire.

My question is simple: Do I cover the cost of a new tire since the boat was in my possession when the blowout took place or is this something that the customer would pick up? The trailer was brand-new so it’s not like a bearing or spring. It’s a road hazard. I am sure there are several different schools of though on the issue and that is why I am tossing that out here. I did have a BOL and a signed contract in place but my contract, unfortunately, does not (but will going forward) address tire damage. My contract does specify that the trailer must be road worthy and in this scenario, it was.

Just would like to get a feel on how others have handled a similar situation or how you would. Of course there is insurance in place but the deductible is a lot higher than the cost of a new tire.

Let me know your thoughts.

Brian

Cargo Insurance LIES - LEGAL WORK ONLY APPLIES

ccoop769 — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 12:03:16 GMT

[content removed – outside of the uShip forum policies. Members may not use the forums in the following ways:

- Using the forum to rate other members or to give them negative feedback, including "warning" or discouraging the community from transacting with or responding to any other uShip member, regardless of whether such posts are justified or not. Please use the feedback system to rate any member you have completed a shipment with. If you have not completed a match with another member, you cannot give them feedback.

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Rates

INDIAN — Sun, 14 Dec 2008 20:04:09 GMT

do you people see what you are doing by these cheap rates because the fuel is down,when it goes back up then trouble,they will say i just had (this or that) shipped for this much.people wake up do any of you look at tomorrow,why is is you do not want to make more than a guy del.pizza.just something to think about.jack Indian

any way to talk to another tsp?

hughdawrecker — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 00:26:30 GMT

is there anyway for me to get a message to another tsp, i am not looking to harrass or threaten or anything. we are both bootlegers and i was thinking we could team up as a company and get legit. the way i see it is most bootlegers are illegal because the downpayment on insurance is so high. get 2 or 3 together and we can form a company, save much money and stop cutting eachothers throat so much. this make sence to others too?

Insurance?

ut1volsman — Wed, 14 May 2008 20:47:58 GMT

Who is a good and easy company to deal with? Need a mil liability and 100,000 cargo. Low down payments? thanks

IS THE AUTO TRANSPORT BUSINESS BEING AFFECTED BY THIS ECONOMY?

j1boria — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 19:24:53 GMT

I'm in the process of starting an auto transport business and I'm curious to know if the demand on transporting cars still high?

Bidding Rates

CTC79 — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 08:45:38 GMT

I've been noticing that since the recession has spread across the U.S that the rates are slowly dropping more and more daily. I understand being competitive is one thing, but certain TSP's that are hauling for about 50% of what the rates SHOULD be is a joke and is ----->ruining<------------ work for the rest of us. Over the years trucking has changed which is understandable and the mentality of "keeping a truck working" is slowly turning trucking into a senseless/useless profession. Dropping rates just because you need to run your truck(s) from one area to another to catch a load headed back to your area isnt means to drop the rates to mere pennies on the dollar to "help pay for the fuel". In doing so your cutting the rates of the local guys who your "just passin thru" to get to point C to reload & head home. If I came to your area, hauled for 1/2 of what your trying to haul for how would you like it? You wouldnt and none of us do! In turn, what that's doing it little by little the rates all over the board are dropping due to an oddball truck coming thru the areas & slashing the rate to just get from their last drop to the next pick. It's RUINING the industry so please quit dropping rates just to get to the next pick. I'm constantly bidding against a select few who are rediculously dropping the rate per mile just to keep the trailer loaded. It's a JOKE! Pretty soon, actually there's very little if any profit in this industry at all left so everyone please do not drop the rates just to land a load. Another question I have is since when have people been loading their trucks for free? I'm speaking more of the specialty trailers, not so much dryvans/reefers but them too. I charge to get to the load, load it, haul it, unload it, and go home. I see some TSP's that are merely charging for the loaded miles only, WTF! If you want to work for free, call me, I'll keep you loaded all the time.. OH WAIT! I cant, you just underbid me because you load/unload for free. Way to go!

No payment on COD, what shuld i do please, the legal way.

ALPHASTOCK — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 13:58:35 GMT

guys help me out please

I hauled a car from GA to TX on a COD. The recipient is a 3rd part for the buyer in Canada. Now his broker dont have the money, and I have been holding the car for 2 days now on my trailer.

Whats the legal way of going on with such a predicament. How does the storage and placing the car in an impound yard works?

Please help me out please.

Alphastock

how to deactivate Authority on SAFER website?

ALPHASTOCK — Sat, 07 Feb 2009 22:47:25 GMT

Have had my fair share of auto hauling. Now going out of business.
Any assistance on how I can deactivate my authority on the SAFER site will be greatly appreciated. I do have my PIN and all the other information, but I do not know how to deactivate the Authority myself using the SAFER site.

Thank you for all your help in advance.

Alphastock

Authority to Haul

marydennell — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 20:11:24 GMT

Anyone that has spent time on the road knows they usually speak from the other end of the horse but you know what I mean..now can someone please steer me to where it says Privately owned motorcycles are not exempt?? Ive been toe to toe with the DOT and if your right and can show them your on your way, if not, your on your way to jail. Cant find a thread where this info has been compiled so lets start one.

Heres the Authority thing.

http://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/registration-licensing/registration-OP.htm

In general...

Companies that operate as “for hire” carriers (for a fee or other compensation) that transport passengers or federally regulated commodities, or arrange for their transport, in interstate commerce are also required to have interstate operating authority.

The Reach of Operating Authority
FMCSA operating authority is also referred to as an "MC," "FF," or "MX" number, depending on the type of authority that is granted. Unlike the USDOT Number application process, a company may need to obtain multiple operating authorities to support its planned business operations. Operating Authority dictates the type of operation a company may run, the cargo it may carry, and the geographical area in which it may legally operate.

Financial Responsibility and Exemptions
All of this also dictates the level of insurance/financial responsibilities a company must maintain. Carriers not required to have operating authority include Private carriers, "for-hire" carriers that exclusively haul exempt commodities (cargo that is not federally regulated), or carriers that operate exclusively within a federally designated "commercial zone" that is exempt from interstate authority rules. A commercial zone is, for example, a geographic territory that includes multiple states bordering on a major metropolitan city, such as Virginia/Maryland/Washington, DC.

Getting Paid as a Driveaway Transporter

BillyGarrett — Sat, 17 Jan 2009 14:44:02 GMT

Although new with uShip, I'm not new to the driveaway profession. I would like to start bidding on some local work, but my money is tight.

My question is, how do I get paid? Do I get paid when I pick up the vehicle, or after the vehicle is delivered? Or is that something to work out between myself and the customer?

Or does my money go to uShip, and then uShip turns around and pays me?

Any help would be appreciated. I have two possible trips rounded up for next week, but I need some moola for gas, bus fare and related expenses. Thanks bunches.

Billy

Requirements hauling for another company my truck their trailer??

DBillD — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 00:22:28 GMT

Okay heres the deal. A buddy of mine has a transport company. He has the DOT and MCC numbers. I bought a F350 crew cab 4x4 king ranch. I would like to help with some of his load occassionally here in TN. He pulls to KY, AL, TN, GA and NC. Since it will be cars that i would be pulling on a 53ft wedge trailer, what are my requirements? He says he believes he can lease my truck for like a 1.00 a month or something from me to cover the 1 mil ins under his dot and mcc number. That would be great but will I need a CDL class B and will my truck have to be tagged commercial since it is my personal truck? This is just to help me make a truck note each month so maybe 6 loads a month of three cars a load, and to help him on his busy days where he has more than 10 cars to get back to nashville in a day. I am studying the CDL book now, don't care about taking test, only care if I would be fined for personal plate on truck while hauling for him. Any advise??

reffering a carrier for a shipment

JohnHendricks — Sat, 17 Jan 2009 18:33:59 GMT

I had a shipment that I want to refer another carrier to a shipment. Because I do driveaway services and not trailered services

TRANSPORTATION BUISNESS

jrhorton — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 07:50:57 GMT

GOOD DAY TO ALL:first let me introduce myself.im jr horton and ive been in the trucking buisness for some 50 yrs, im an independent and have always been so,and an owner operator bought or traded for my first truck at the tender age of 16, been doing it ever sense.so i have a little expeirence in the buisness.

now for all of those with the big nose that like to tend other peoples buisness, ihave posted two companys on here for the sole purpose of finding out about u-ship and the people on here and as always it works i have found out plenty,most was no surprise. those companys were idependent transport and jrhorton those accounts have been cancelled and not by u-ship by myself they served there purpose and neither account placed a bid on anything they were in fact dummy companys.

i have read a couple of questions pertaining to people wanting to start a buisness and the answers they have gotten so i decided to give some free advice and information, it is free so it is also free to disregard it or try it strickly your choice it is meant to help not harm anyone , nor do i wish to offend any one.

first let me say the trucking buisness is a great buisness im in the process of starting a new company after all these years , i tried retirement and quite frankly it sucks so here i go again.

this buisness is a diversified buisness with people of all kinds bothe good and bad but if you check there is no buisness that i no of that you can get into for for the amont of money or the lack there of that it cost to get started unless you want to cut grass,but there are some things that anyone should no before taking the plunge.

first you have to remember that every driver out here is a lawyer. they have all the answers, you dont believe me just ask one. so you have to learn who to listen to and who to just pass on by and always verify everything.

you can make money with just about any kind of equipment ,pick up truck or tractor and trailer take a look at you ship that will prove my point. you can be idependent or you can lease your equipment , i dont recomend a lease , that takes away your idependence and you make less money, thats not to say its a bad thing a lot of drivers like the lease, they dont have to look for a load but there is a price to pay if some one else finds that load.you can do the same thing and pocket all the money yourself.

before you start your buisness you have to make sure all your ducks are in place before you take the first load if not you could lose more then you make and worse.

on this site in perticular you will find a lot of drivers who are in love with the DOT they think it is a sin if you run without authority and they are quick to bad mouth you for doing it . well there are pros and cons about that i can tell you this. ive been an outlaw all my life no authority , no permits and half the time no insurance, and ive made some good money doing just that but im sorry to say times are changing. you can still run witrhout authority or permits but it is a lot easier to get caught and the fines are high if they dont lock you up,example, years ago if you got caught without a log book it cost you about 25.00 to day the price is a lot higher not worth it at all and they can put you out of service or even put you in jail. a log book cost 99cents you be the judge.running without authority is real expensive and almost always jail, i dont like it but that is a fact and in reality it really dosent cost that much the costly part is insurance and you cant have one without the other.

to protect yourself and your new company you need to incorperate the keeps you protected if somthing happens and you get sued for example they can take corperate assets but not your personal assets again not a lot of money envolved. all the professional drivers on here that spend most of there time bad mouthing a driver for not having authority few are incorperated.

get insurance to be legal you have to have it no choice about it and that is the most expensive part and prices vary depends on who your agent is .then get your own authority, i hate to say it i dont like it but if your going to stay in buisness you got to have it these days it just cost to much if you get caught without it , and i dont no about you but i dont like jail.to me the dot is lower then low they are glorified tax collecters making money for the state but thats my opinion.

now youve taken care of all the legal nonsense, youve got your equipment and your ready to load and this is critical, KEEP YOUR FREIGHT RATE HIGH over a dollor a mile it cost a bunch to operate and you need all the revenue you can get. and there is no such thing as a back haul it cost the same going out as it does comming back keep your rates the same .

my new company is now listed on u-ship, however i do not have authority, thats for all the nosey ones out there. but i do not make any bids on anything, my corperateion is not yet ready , waiting for the state to approve it takes a couple of weeks , then authority has to be filed for all these things are required but they do take a little time .

somtimes i still cant believe im going legal but like i said times have changed if your not legal you wont last long .

one final thought to ponder, dont pay a bit of attention to what truck drivers say its not like it used to be when a drive come up to offer help and gave it not so anymore there is a different breed out here . just use common sense and you CAN MAKE IT . there is enough freight out here for everyone all you got to do is pick and choose what is best for you to haull.

hope in some small way this has helped some one with a dream thats what it was meant to do.---best oF luck to all.--j.r. horton

ROCKINGCHAIRSERVICES&CARTAGE

Driveaways

JohnHendricks — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 14:33:58 GMT

I am tring to get started in the driveaway aspect of Uship and there seems to be no place here for it? I have bid on certain jobs as driveaways and I seem to get underbid all the time by shippers with one car trailers and under bidders then when they get the bids they are canceling them and some are saying they can be driven so when the bid gets put in they turn it down because cost is too high ask the shippers what they would like to spend and they want prices like 300$ for trips that are 1500 miles or greater. I just don't get it.

e mailed contracts??

onetruckpony — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 19:29:29 GMT

I see some TSR's saying in a profile that they will need a contract emailed before pickup. Can an email be legally binding? Honestly wondering. I'm going for snail mailed or faxed myself.
Thanks,
Dutch
onetruckpony

how to file a claim for non payment?

ALPHASTOCK — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 16:00:11 GMT

I have a company that has not paid a COD for a month now.

There excuse is there were hit by bank issues. Any information on how to recover the money using their bonding company will be appreciated.

overhead costs vs profit?

Buchanans — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 01:29:38 GMT

Hello, I am looking to start a small two man carrier/transport business for misc. items, towables, atvs, small vehicles, and light freight.When I was looking over the cost and fees of licence, insurance, bonding, LLC, and equipment the numbers were pretty high compared to possible income. I decided before I dive into this maybee I should ask some of you that have been doing this for a while if a small two man, one or two truck operation could be profitable after over head costs? Is there a good demand for for-hire haulers and what do you find you haul or pull more often?

Thanks, any helpful sugestions or ideas are appreciated.

1 Truck Pony

marydennell — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 09:42:47 GMT

Hello All.

After many years over the road my Husband is ready to get out of the big trucks and is looking into transporting Motorcycles in a covered long bed pick up truck. He has several offers to run show cars around for race teams but wants to do his own thing and be home more than that would allow. We dont need big money, just enough to cover expenses and put a few dollars in the bank. With that said, he has been driving for many years and is not going to cut rates for a load. In fact, we will probably charge more than most for the level of service we willl provide. Door to Door mostly high end customs and vintage stuff. We know we need more insurance in case something were to happen we want the Customers bike covered along with the truck. He of course has his CDL classA. Do we need MC# and DOT# to haul 1 or two bikes at a time in the bed of a pickup? It's a 2500GMC long Bed extended cab. We are not looking to get into trucking or hotshot loads, bikes only, and only with this truck. Any help would be appriciated. We want to do this right if we are going to do it.
Thank You.

getting paid,

73honda — Sat, 20 Dec 2008 22:08:01 GMT

I have done some research here in virgina,it was not easy. Every one at first was just telling me to call this one or that one, you know the drill.

Well after some comunication gaps were closed I now realise some potenial pros and cons with my orginal plans. So before I attempt to do to much more, with this industry, (hotshotting)how realistic to get paid on delivery. Do I have the right to NOT un load un'till paid?

Also would any of you profesnials, please advice me on how to right and stick to a good starters business plan?

Thank you all for you advise,

73honda

p.s

I gave up on the spell checker and gramma reviewer, hope this helps some!!

Big Boys

PassinThru — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 20:35:48 GMT

Anybody notice the Big Boys like Star out of Indiana bidding on trailers, claiming they are a 5 truck or 1 truck op and they run 1500 or so. Its neither honest or dishonest they'd say, but a lie is a lie. It would be like a Schneider lease operator bidding and saying he only had one truck even if they have 3500 more to help out.

I do not wish exact figures??

73honda — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 17:30:43 GMT

OK,

My brother and I both have records so we are being lead a stray by so many people that we thought was helping. Anyway Just a simple yes or If we team up is it un realistic for us to profit 60.000 a yr so we could split it,

or is the answer not so cut and dry? right now I make 17,000 take home at one job he makes about 19-21,000 take home on the yr, we figured run this little truck till it died, while we save for a f350 or a chevy 3500, and then make the real money, is this a bad idea?

nowplease keep in mind we want to run legal we do not want to get in trouble,

p.s the spell checker is not working, and i know I can not spell very well

Looking into hauling...NEED ADVICE!

sureshothotshots — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 19:32:50 GMT

I own a small concrete business in CA and looking into branching out into hauling cars on the west coast. I will using my 1 ton and still have questions between a wedge or a flat bed trailer. I know the wedge can haul more but the flat bed can haul deversified loads. What do you guys think? Also with a wedge will I need a class A because of the trailer length? Also I know I need DOT and MC#... how long do each of these take to obtain? I have many more questions but well start there! Thanks so much!

Martin

Companies Filing for DOT/MC

1MeanDog — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 13:14:33 GMT

I see ads like the one below all over the internet where companies will file your MCS-150 and OP-01 for you to get a US DOT# & MC# authority assigned. That $500 to $800 price they charge can equate to about $1,200 per hour. I'd file them all day long for people for $400 plus the process agent fee. It must be nice to make that much money sitting at a computer for 10 or 15 minutes. How long do you have to sit in a truck seat to make that much?

How much will obtaining my ICC Authority / Motor Carrier number / cost?

Our company charges a low price of $600 which includes:

Filing your ICC Authority
Obtaining a DOT Number
All filing fees as well as our application fee for the filing of your Interstate Operating Authority.
Securing and filing permanent process agents (BOC-3). There are no annual fees to keep your process agents current as long as your authority is active.
Securing your proper insurance filings (you must provide all required insurance at the required limits).
Keeping track of your application until your authority is issued.

People Bidding on Jobs

sltrrco — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 18:01:24 GMT

I have a question for everybody here on u-ship? The question that I have is that I am a local delivery company and I will bid on a job and them there is a guy bidding on the same job from out of the state. How does that guy make any money on that job if he has to come get it from outside the state. I am just a local delivery company trying to make buck for my family at this time.

Hauling Horses

PassinThru — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 21:01:54 GMT

Are the requirements for hauling horses at a gross wt under 26000 the same as for freight?Someone mentioned somewhere in passing that you needed a livestock permit but I never heard of that when I hauled cattle. They were called exempt freight. I went to Fl last mo and I see where the are going to stop all pickups at the scales regardless. What do you need besides a whole load of isnurance?

cargo and liab. ins. providers

docmanrich — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 13:55:57 GMT

I'm new to uship and getting my CDL's by the end of yr. but having problems getting ins.Going to be using a 3500 dually duramax and a 48' enclosed trailer GVWR 18,000 LBS. Ins. co. said so far no if i have 2 get a CDL and traveling over 300 miles.

Does anyone know of a co. that will take me on since I dont have 1 yr cdl exp.?

Trying to be LEGAL.

Just advice me

73honda — Sat, 06 Dec 2008 23:28:56 GMT

Hello to you all,

I will be very carefull in what I type because I do not want to get kick off the site,

1'st i would like to apologies to the man who I told I would acept his bid the next day. when my girl friend got home and figured out the cridet card part, what happend was, I called michigan and told them i found someone to pick it up and( motorcyle frame) and to my supprise the number was no good, called the local police out there and soppsedly if they were to go to the address it was in a center of the burial grounds I am truly very sorry,for doing that to you,plus I am already out of 200.00 of the 350.00 I was making payments towards. Thankyou for your understanding in this matter.

OK you uship, I am now going to ask for advice, Not personal info, from truckers

I was gifted a 1990 3/4 ton dodge ram, automatic with almost 300,00 miles on it,gas engine would this be a good starter truck.? If so what would you all recomend so I can get legal and strart building up for a leagal heavy hauling hot shot truck.?

I have many questions and will ask them accordingly,

Liability and Cargo Ins. co.

docmanrich — Sat, 06 Dec 2008 09:37:51 GMT

Can anyone refer a ins. co 2 me for this kind of ins. my car ins. co. doesn't write this kind of policies.

Thanks Richard

uShip's Estimator Causes Insanity

1MeanDog — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 19:20:22 GMT

2002 Dodge Dakota Cars & Light Trucks	$300.00	-	Sikeston, MO	Mesa, AZ	1560
2000 Kia Sportage Cars & Light Trucks	$500.00	-	Saint Louis, MO	Los Angeles, CA	1868
1998 Chevrolet Cavalier Cars & Light Trucks	$275.00	1	Arnold, MO	Freeman, VA	881
1993 Ford Taurus Cars & Light Trucks	$350.00	-	Springfield, MO	Bonita, CA	1662

USHIP'S MISLEADING ESTIMATOR.......This is totally ridicules....The sad fact is that people actually believe it. And now it is popping up on other boards. You couldn't pay for fuel if you took every one of these at the same time. Some of these are less than 20 cents a mile and that's their max or target. Three of these don't even pay enough to load and unload them, much less transport them anywhere. They wil all R.I.P (Rust In Place) before I'll even hook up to a trailer at these rates.

Newbie here....... how to get 3 references required for CD and others?

LonghaulTransportationLLC — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 21:15:26 GMT

Just starting out with a single enclosed trailer, under CDL. I am 100% complaint, check SAFER.

I can see that there may not be enough cents per mile from this site, and was told CD and others are much better.

So, how do I get the 3 references required for CD and others?

Thanks in advance.

Thanks to new housing bill, credit-card transactions to be reported to IRS

AnnesLimo — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 17:58:40 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- What do the housing crisis, IRS and your credit-card charges have in common? More than they used to, thanks to the recently-passed housing bill.
Lawmakers decided that closing some of the oft-bemoaned tax gap (the money that taxpayers owe but never pay, estimated by the IRS to be $290 billion in 2001) would help offset the cost of aiding struggling homeowners. See full story on housing bill.
Congress' plan to narrow the tax gap, in this instance, was to require more reporting of business receipts. Specifically, lawmakers decided that starting in 2011, merchants' credit-card transactions must be reported to the IRS.

Check out Personal Finance

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This has caused plenty of upset among small businesses, which fear higher costs will result, and plenty of confusion among consumers. Many bloggers are warning about the new rule, with statements such as: "Every credit card transaction will now be reported to the IRS."
In a sense, that's true -- but the new law requires reporting only of the "gross amount of reportable transactions" per merchant, once per year. That is, the total dollar amount not the details of every transaction.
The payment-card processors who have to generate these reports are unlikely to choose to increase their costs by sending along vast reams of information that are not required. While the IRS has yet to issue more detailed regulations regarding the new law, it's likely consumers don't need to worry about the IRS knowing every intimate detail of their purchasing habits.
"It is geared at the transactions between the merchants and the credit-card company and not looking at any one individual consumer," said Bob Scharin, a New York-based senior tax analyst with RIA, a tax-publication unit of Thomson Reuters.
While the new rule may bring more IRS audits, it's also aimed at encouraging business owners to report income accurately. "It's probably designed to lead to increased compliance," said Mark Luscombe, a principal analyst with CCH Inc., a Riverwoods, Ill., tax publisher.
"If the IRS, through this system, gets information on a merchant that shows X amount of credit-card sales and their statistics show that type of merchant probably has 80% of their business done on credit-card sales, and total reported revenue doesn't seem to mesh up, it probably will result in audits," Luscombe said.
"Merchants anticipating this may ensure their reporting is complying with what the credit-card issuers are reporting to the IRS," he added. The required reports will be sent to the IRS and to the business owners.
The new law requires reporting on credit- and debit-card transactions, as well as third-party network transactions such as through PayPal and Google Checkout, according to an analysis by the Electronic Transactions Association.
Reporting is not required for merchants who collect less than $20,000 in such receipts and had fewer than 200 reportable transactions in a given year.
The steep cost of mistakes
Small-business owners are worried about higher costs under the new rule. "The credit-card companies or the banks are going to have to build this [reporting] system out. That cost is likely to be passed on to the small-business owner," said Bill Rys, tax counsel for the National Federation of Independent Business, a trade group in Washington.
They're also worried about mistakes because any mismatch or problem related to a business owner's taxpayer identification number on the report means the payment processor creating the report must withhold 28% of the total sales. That's a 28% hit to gross sales, not taxable income.
Depending on the circumstances, the business owner may get the withholding back later, but that's a big hit in the short term. "This is gross earnings," said Keith Ashmus, first vice chairman of the National Small Business Association, and partner in a Cleveland-based law firm. "It's not any relationship to what the tax would be. They pay 28% tax on their net income, not on their gross."
Rys agreed. "If there's a snafu or mistake, that's a big hit to cash flow, and cash flow is a big issue for small-business owners, especially right now," he said.
Payment-card processors don't like the new rule either -- they will now have to generate an annual report for each company for which they process payments as well as deal with withholding requirements should an inconsistent taxpayer identification number arise.
But some observers note that the data required in the reports is information such firms collect already. Still, payment processors say costs will rise.
In a letter to lawmakers in April, the American Bankers Association and other groups wrote that: "This burdensome unfunded mandate would impose hundreds of millions of dollars in costs on the business community. In order to comply with this mandate, the payment card industry and its third-party processors would be required to fundamentally redesign card processing systems that were developed to accommodate the efficient and reliable processing and settlement of transactions between consumers and merchants."