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ready2cDaUS

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<p>the only issue i am having about becoming a van dweller is making enough money for gas and what little money i will need for things like ciggs. and food. I came across&nbsp; 2sites - <a href="http://www.uship.com" target=_blank>www.uship.com</a> &amp; <a href="http://www.cargosoup.com" target=_blank>www.cargosoup.com</a> .. sites u can bid on shipping jobs. one cost like $20 a month to access fully &amp; be able to bid on the shipments. Does anyone have experience with this type of thing? Or have info about sites like this?</p>
 
<P>Sounds like a scam to be honest. Why not just sign up&nbsp;at a national temp agency and work a week here and there?</P>
 
<p>I know its not a scam.its hotshot freight&nbsp;mostly.&nbsp;the demo showing how one site worked was mostly hauling motorcycles and furniture people had bought on ebay and single pallets of goods going across country(sub-contracting from freight company's that didn't have a load going there.) what i was wondering was is there special insurance or permits needed to do something like that? where do you go to find national temp service that u suggested? And how does that work?</p>
 
<P>Hauling things around the country would be really ify from state to state I would think. It would be o.k. probably if nothing happened, like an accident or something, or getting pulled over. You would have to have some kind of permit or special insurance and be licensed and bonded to haul other peoples property across state lines, I would think.&nbsp;It would also depend on what kind of trailer you would be using, re: car trailer or whatever. I know for a fact that if you had to have special permits you would have to stop at the weigh stations and would be subject to inspections and so forth. I&nbsp;am not positive about all this,&nbsp;but I drove a big rig for over 18 years, and I am assuming this would probably be the case. I would research this VERY well before hand. I do know for a fact that the guy's that pulled those hot shot trailers did have to be permited and also had to have a log book. We have talked to some of these drivers before. But also, I have been out of the trucking industry since 2007, so some laws could have changed since then. I'm sure that if you called any hot shot company they could tell you all that you would need to know.</P>
 
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</P><P>I know its not a scam.its hotshot freight&nbsp;mostly.&nbsp;the demo showing how one site worked was mostly hauling motorcycles and furniture people had bought on ebay and single pallets of goods going across country(sub-contracting from freight company's that didn't have a load going there.) what i was wondering was is there special insurance or permits needed to do something like that? where do you go to find national temp service that u suggested? And how does that work?</P>&nbsp;
<br><br>I didn't mean it was an outright scam. Just like work from home type deals or mystery shoppers. Yeah you can do it but it's nowhere near as lucrative as it seems. <br><br>Temp agencies like manpower are nationwide but there are regional ones that would work too. Not sure about all state laws and working in them but from my experience in the few out-of-state jobs I've done it's not a problem. You just file state taxes online for the most part. It's just the jobs are usually crap for $9-10 hr or something.<br>
 
I know some one that ran hotshot freight.he told me biggest draw back was ya had to be on call 24hrs and mainly called when something had to be there over night.and all speeding tickets were yours<br>
 
<p>well i have been researching this and here's what i found out so far.. u must have full coverage issurance on the van, be bonded for atleast $250,000.00 ( which was told it would run me around $500.00 a year). that there are some companies that will contract out to you under their name...thats where the being on-call 24hrs. comes in.. think one of those companies was called Panther or something like that. do not have to keep a log book or&nbsp;mess with&nbsp;weighstation. can't transport anything over my class C drivers license restrictions. still looking into the bidding on freight online thing. i do know that you have to deliver freight&nbsp;on your own dime and collect from the person who had it shipped to them. was told by a guy who use to do it along time ago always collect owed shipping fees before you unload it.&nbsp;Something about once they take possession&nbsp;some try to renigotiate and pay less.&nbsp;he said it was the first hard lesson he got...will post any new info as i get it for those who might want to try it also.</p>
 
my uncle has his own hot shot freight business here in Texas and he has to be bonded licensed, insured and DOT numbers.&nbsp; And half the time his freight is small packages to the airport, although the other part is large freight that requires his trucks or trailers<br>
 
An acquaintance of mine mentioned that he has a friend who is a van dweller who lives in Florida. He buys regular t-shirts &amp; a local vendor puts various theme logos on the t-shirts. Then he sells the t-shirts at a local beach. He makes $$ on the days he wants to work. He only works a few days a week. It's all up to him.
 
&nbsp;I know this is late, but I just found this thread<br />I used Uship for about a year and I did pretty well.Here is the scoop.If your gross weight is under 10,001 LBS you don't need to register with the DOT. If it is over&nbsp;you need a DOT number. In washington state you have to go across the scales if your over 16000 Gross weight, in oregon I think its 12000, In california everyone has to go across the scale unless you drive a pickup or regular van. When I say gross weight, that is the gross weight rating combined for your truck and trailer. For example, I have a dodge dakota and a flatbed trailer. The gross weight of my truck is 5300 LBS and my trailer is rated for 3500LBS. Total gross weight is 8800 LBS, thus I don't need to register with DOT. You have to have a business license from your home state and you need commercial insurance and cargo insurance to cover what you are hauling. You need a CDL if the combine gross weight of your vehicle is over 26000 LBS<br />If you have any specific question, you can ask me<br />Hope this helps...
ready2cDaUS said:
<p>I know its not a scam.its hotshot freight&nbsp;mostly.&nbsp;the demo showing how one site worked was mostly hauling motorcycles and furniture people had bought on ebay and single pallets of goods going across country(sub-contracting from freight company's that didn't have a load going there.) what i was wondering was is there special insurance or permits needed to do something like that? where do you go to find national temp service that u suggested? And how does that work?</p>
 
To do this one must KNOW, on paper, how long,wide,high, and weight. Where from, where to, All on paper. What it pays, when it pays. NO checks, cash only. <br />We all know what our fixed cost per mile is, right. Some of my cost per mile are: Fuel 31.2 cents per mile. (12.5mpg) (gas is 390.9 per&nbsp;gallon here in Mcminnville Oregon) &nbsp;Oil change (1.5cents per mile) I change oil and filter ever 3000 miles, tires, (3 cents per mile) I change tires ever 30,000 miles. (sell old ones) These are some of my fixed cost per mile, your's WILL vary. <br />Repair? Replacement? Ect. Insurance?<br />That being said, if i am going from Portland Oregon to Lexington Ky (Love those Wildcats) and can find a boat with trailer attached, or something i can put in a small u-haul that will pay for gas alone, i am ahead of the game.<br />As the "ol" saying goes, you're mileage will vary
 
I think the best way to get by would be to take odd jobs for awhile to get the money that is needed for travel and day to day needs. You can get by on minimum wage jobs while living in a van. But I would take loads off Uship once in awhile to cover the cost of travel. I'm not sure about Cargosoup I didn't see much positive about it when I did a search on them. This is what I plan on doing if I quit my job I have now, I'm getting tired working 12 to 14 hours a day.
 

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