An Industry Still Thriving During the Pandemic
Hot-shotting. Never would have guessed. I’ve been a writer, programmer, server, manager, unemployed, and more. Never thought about driving.
A friend of mine heard about a job where you don’t drive semi trucks, but get paid to haul commercially. You have to bring your own truck and there are many stipulations, but once you’re in, if you work, you make money.
I went out and spent a month getting a Texas Class A CDL from Edge Tech Academy for this job. It’s not required, but many of the skills are applicable and you are able to haul heavier loads if you have it (more money), so I did.
I got a truck, spent all my life savings and went into an obscene amount of debt (you don’t have to do it this way, but I decided it was best for what I wanted to do). You can rent a truck from Enterprise rent a truck or you can get a used truck as long as it meets the requirements, or you can get a semi, which can often be the least expensive option (and make you the most money if you haul doubles or triples).
So I met all the requirements and I met my friend and got to work. Now, for a season, I haul RVs. Turns out it’s the biggest pandemic impulse buy. Dealerships are desperate to replenish their quickly emptying lots and my job is to take RVs from the manufacturer to the dealership. I get paid half up front and half upon delivery.
I only worked part of the month in September so I’ll post my income and expenses and repeat this every month. It’s not an easy job, but it is a good way to make money in this time of uncertainty.
September
Trips: 3
Locations: 1 to Ohio, 1 to Utah, 1 to Texas
Miles (on paper): 3221
Gross Income: $4880.65
Maintenance (oil, fuel filters, rotations, etc.): $181.98 : 4%
Fuel (includes DEF): $1123.63 : 23%
Meals: $321.54 : 7%
Truck Payment: $1000 : 20%
Hotel: $281.30 : 6%
Total Profit: $1824.18
Not too shabby. Didn’t include insurance on this one because it was included in my pre-income expenses (startup investment). You are an independent contractor in this job, you work as much or as little as you want. There are opportunities for back hauls, but they are few and far between and often not worth as much as just getting back to take the next load.
We are required to run logs. I drive between 9 and 11 hours per day not including fuel stops and other breaks, then I sleep for 8–10 hours and do it again.
It can be tough to find places to rest. Truck stops and rest stops are often full and it’s always a blow to morale to have to keep driving to find the next one. Weigh stations are also annoying, but they just slow you down a little if you’re running completely compliant.
I’ve gotten fat driving all day. I need to cut back on the snacks for sure.
I use a trucking GPS. This job has given me an immense fear of trees, wind, and bridges. Trees can scratch up your RV haul and that’s your fault if it happens. Wind over 25 MPH is enough to topple an empty RV. The magic number for bridges is 13' 6". If it ain’t higher than that, don’t do it!
In the end, I made enough money to pay my rent, pay my truck payment, and cover my other business’s expenses so month one was a success. I also got to go home after the Texas run so that was nice!
Stay tuned for October’s numbers!
