Dealer charge for transport

[orezok]

I have a trailer and I have learned anything less than 7 or so miles I am quicker just to drive my tractor. Figure hitching up, strapping down, ect takes a good 20 minutes if I'm lucky. Usually twice that. My tractor runs at 25 mph and 15 to 20 comfortably so 7 miles is easily done in that time or less.

Chris

Yeah, but that 2 hour walk home is a bummer! :laughing:

 

[BrinkME]

No one likes to hear that a dealer is going to profit from your misfortune, but in the end, it's a business and people aren't running businesses to not make a profit.

Are there cases of overcharging for transport? Absolutely!
Should transport be free? IMO no, but I think it really depends on the situation.

 

[Diamondpilot]

Interesting that dealers will haul for $2-$2.50 a mile and claim that it just covers their cost, yet a commercial semi truck can haul for that amount and make a decent profit. Having $112K tied up in a semi truck and another $28K in a trailer, one is going to have a difficult time convincing me that a $50K pickup and a $10K trailer is just breaking even at $2-$2.50. Even on a fuel basis. I average just under 8 mpg with the semi, and any diesel pickup is going to do better than that unless it is having mechanical problems. Again, not buying the argument that $2-$2.50 a mile only covers costs. Kinda like the electrician that came out with a cherry picker to replace a couple of high security lights on my property. When I got the bill, they wanted $50 fuel surcharge for a 12 mile each way trip out there on top of the cost for the trip and work. I paid them $8.40 in fuel surcharge. They pitched a fit, but I stated that is the fuel surcharge rate on a commercial truck for 24 miles at the DOT average fuel price at the time this work was done. Deal with it or let's go to small claims and you can explain how your little class 6 truck with a boom burns more fuel than my 70 foot Class 8 semi truck weighing 80,000 lb loaded up. They didn't argue further. All of these folks play on consumer ignorance.

It's the length of the haul. Your average haul to the dealer will involve more time loading and chaining down vs actual hauling.

Chris

 

[Fawken]

Thanks guys... Very reasonable! My dealer hit me with $255 transport charge and I am only 3 miles away (that's three miles... pretty much walking distance) I thought that was totally unreasonable, especially since he did not tell me ahead of time.

Holy cow! Long time ago and the traffic is a lot worse out here now, but I actually drove mine home from the dealer (8 miles) Put an hour on the meter. I was so anxious to get on the thing I couldn't wait for Monday. Bought it on a Friday evening, 32 years ago this fall.

 

[Copperhead]

It's the length of the haul. Your average haul to the dealer will involve more time loading and chaining down vs actual hauling.

Chris

Then you need to break it down on the cost invoice. If you are charging more than $25 for load and chain up, you are ripping off someone. Not like you are chaining up a combine on a 53' RGN. Then we are back to the cost for the haul and length of haul. But, I guess flat rate hauling prices works for the average consumer. They have little clue about such things. And the dealer is not having to carry $750,000 in liability coverage on the pickup and trailer like a semi is required to, nor is their cost for plates and permits even in the same league. Yet, they want to charge a fee that is comparable to those that do. A CDL is the easy part. Anyone that can fog a mirror, pass a written test, and can do a pre-trip can get a CDL.

But I guess one can try to tweak things to maximize the profits. It is a market economy. I like it. I also know when someone is playing fast and loose with charges.

 

[DavesTractor]

Then you need to break it down on the cost invoice. If you are charging more than $25 for load and chain up, you are ripping off someone. Not like you are chaining up a combine on a 53' RGN. Then we are back to the cost for the haul and length of haul. But, I guess flat rate hauling prices works for the average consumer. They have little clue about such things. And the dealer is not having to carry $750,000 in liability coverage on the pickup and trailer like a semi is required to, nor is their cost for plates and permits even in the same league. Yet, they want to charge a fee that is comparable to those that do. A CDL is the easy part. Anyone that can fog a mirror, pass a written test, and can do a pre-trip can get a CDL.

But I guess one can try to tweak things to maximize the profits. It is a market economy. I like it. I also know when someone is playing fast and loose with charges.

Umm...we do have to carry $750k minimum single limit liability, do the BIT program, run a log book, pay crazy weight fees, run our name and DOT or CA numbers, go over the scales, etc. If you are running a newer dually with a gooseneck in CA hauling tractors we have no less requirements then you do. But we do go through tires, engines and transmissions much more often. 300k on a heavy haul pickup and it's about done. For you, you would be at 1/3rd life. A nice dually Laramie loaded up with a hydraulic dove hydraulic disc brake goose is about $95k with tax. I have a Freightliner also so I know the drill. Our pickups, other than fuel, are more expensive to run. And I tag my dually at 40k, if I'm actually north of 32k gross combined I suck a ton of fuel. If I could get into and out of driveways and those end of the road deliveries with the big rig, I'd do it. It's cheaper when you consider all the capacity of a class 8 truck.

And if you will tie down a load for $25 and run for $2-$2.50/mile with no minimum I have a ton of work for you. Short hauls of course. You will find yourself and your $140k rig working hard to make minimum wage.

Not trying to pick on you, just showing you that the small commercial rig isn't an easy gig. Neither is what you do. Drive carefully.