dvalleyjim
Well-Known Member
I would not own rural routes!
Trying to buy package of routes
- Thread starter BusVenture1
- Start date
sir digby chicken caesar
Member
This sounds like the route I used to drive. I'd driven other challenging rural routes and thought I could make it work but with fixed rate/no OT pay there's really no incentive to run myself down like that. I was clocking 10-12 hour days every day and it never seemed to get better. I like doing RD but not enough to be working for free.
I actually pay hourly. But I am forced to be a hawk with hours. I have put many hours into building routes that take 7 hours to complete. 1 hour to set up and 7 hours door to door. I take the half hour off for their break. Routes have different start times depending on pick ups. It takes some getting used to by the people who work for me, but over time it has helped me staff the routes that historically were harder to find drivers for because the routes that run longer lead to overtime. Hurdles are consistent pay, "take home pay demands", and clock milkers. I sell it to them by explaining, if they have a break down or if we are unusually heavy they are compensated additionally for their time appropriately. But it helps me on days with early/late exemption, weather cancellations and extremely light days. Some appreciate it, others would rather get "straight pay". It was a rough transition but completely necessary.
sir digby chicken caesar
Member
I drove for a contractor a few years ago who paid by the hour and I only occasionally went into OT during peak. That was another rural route, but it covered a much smaller area. Like 140 miles instead of the 250 I was doing kind of recently.
Could you go a little deeper into that?
STFXG
Well-Known Member
If your corporation is renting the vehicle from that person you can write up a rental agreement and run whatever vehicle you want to. There is no required equipment or vehicle size/type restrictions in the contract when it comes to rental vehicles. Only requirement is a rental agreement that you can provide to management upon request.
So a contractor could have an "unapproved" vehicle(s) in his own name and rent them to the corporation and not have them subject to the stupid quarterly inspections?
There's still a 30 day limit on rentals
STFXG
Well-Known Member
Correct. You can rent your own vehicle to your corporation. You can get around the 30 day limit by adding it to your business insurance.
STFXG
Well-Known Member
I found this out when a guy in my terminal set up a fleet maintenance company and leased a van to his P&D company. I was pissed because I had a brand new van sitting there idle waiting for approval so I asked how this guy could be using a van with no bulkhead or any of the safety features required on our trucks. I was told I cannot run my new truck as a rental since it was in my business name, but I could run any other vehicle as long as I had a rental agreement. I specifically asked if I can use my personal SUV and was told I could if I had the agreement in writing and could show proof. Pretty stupid.
you just do another rental agreement after 30 days.
Can you then rent a vehicle to yourself with another 30 day contract to or do you have to wait a certain amount of time? I've rented vehicles for months and months with nothing said.
STFXG
Well-Known Member
The 30 day limit is an insurance thing. Our insurance only covers a rental for 30 days. You can run a rental as long as you want if you add it to your insurance and get it covered. Or just throw any approved truck on the primary route for a single day then carry on with the rental. Move the rental between routes. ISP may be a bit different than moving it between PSAs. You can always just pull it for a day and write up a new rental agreement.
It will be fine
Well-Known Member
The 30 day limit is a DOT regulation. You can't run long term rentals if you operate under a DOT number. It would probably screw up the safety scores if operators were allowed to run rentals indefinitely.
Rentals are have their own DOT numbers. That's why a Penske with an oil leak is not a concern for Fedex's FMCSA score
It will be fine
Well-Known Member
That's why the DOT limits rentals to 30 days. A motor carrier needs to maintain its own fleet and demonstrate competence in that regards. They can't just rent trucks and use them long term.
Well I do. But I have a fleet as well.
It will be fine
Well-Known Member
I haven't rented a truck for more than couple days in years. It doesn't make economic sense to.
