Categories
Trucker News

How to Get a Motor Carrier Number

If your company transports passengers or goods, you may need a USDOT number. USDOT numbers uniquely identify your business and allow the USDOT to track safety records and ensure that you are adhering to all operating requirements. You can get your motor carrier number online for free from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA).

Step 1

Navigate to the FMCSA website listed in Resources.

Step 2
Click on “Register Online” under “Registration & Licensing.”

Step 3
Click on “Start the Step-by-Step Registration Guide.”

Step 4
Fill in the interview style questionnaire. The questionnaire will help you decide if you need a USDOT number and if you do, it will ask your the questions needed to submit the application.

Step 5
Pay for your motor carrier number and then write it down when you have completed the application. It will be issued immediately.

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Categories
Trucker News

Convert a Freight Trailer Into a Travel Trailer

A freight trailer is a great platform for conversion into a travel trailer. Medium and large sized freight trailers are wide enough to accommodate a full-size bed and high enough to allow most people to stand upright. Many have preexisting personnel access doors at the front and full-width drop-down or roller doors at the back, which make them ideal toy haulers. Although such a conversion is time-consuming and likely to be costly, the finished article will be designed specifically to serve the builder’s purposes. A great deal of detailed planning should be carried out before starting such a complex project

Take accurate measurements of the freight trailer’s internal dimensions and transfer them to graph paper. Mark on the plan the exact location of all preexisting doors and roof vents. Visit a recreational vehicle show or go to some dealerships and learn what options are available, then design your own interior. Locate galley and bathroom areas beneath the preexisting roof vents, and design storage areas around the doors.

Determine how your motorcycles or four-wheelers will fit into the freight trailer if you are converting it into a toy hauler travel trailer. Consider whether you will wish to keep muddy areas separate from the residential space, and draw partition walls on your graph paper plans accordingly. You may need to make provision for the safe storage of fuel canisters, and if specialized protective clothing is required then dedicated closets should be considered.

Photocopy your plans of the fixtures and fittings, then plan 12 volt and 120 volt electrical systems to serve the lighting circuits, appliances and outlets. The 12 volt system should have a deep cycle battery connected to a fused hot wire from the tow vehicle which will recharge it when the engine is running. By fitting a shore power cord and circuit breaker board to a 120 volt system, household electrical equipment and air conditioners can be installed.

Draw a plumbing system onto a separate photocopy of the plan; consider whether you will need a toilet and a shower, or just a wash hand basin. Consider a freshwater storage tank for remote camping, with a 12 volt pump and waste storage tanks installed beneath the freight trailer. A city water hookup can supply the system when external supply is available.

Plan on insulating the walls, roof and floor against extremes of climate, and the use of interior paneling to make the interior attractive and easy to clean.

Ensure your freight trailer travel trailer conversion will be legal for road use. Learn about the legal change-of-use requirements in your state, and the minimum number of running lights necessary for the trailer’s length and width.

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Trucker News

Start a Logistics Company

Logistics companies specialize in the organization, storage, transportation and delivery of their clients’ products. Lean manufacturing companies will outsource the logistics function to decrease costs and increase efficiency in their supply chains. As more companies realize the benefit of operating lean and outsourcing non-core competencies, the demand for logistics service providers will no doubt continue to increase. Knowing how to start a logistics company is the first step to entering this exciting industry.

Determine the specific logistics services that you will offer your clients. Logistics companies can provide a range of specialized services, including storage, trucking, shipping by sea, air transportation, shipping through the mail and integrated supply chain technology management. Choose services that you are experienced with personally, and those that will give you a competitive advantage over competitors in the marketplace.

Register your business in your state. The process for registering your business varies by state, and according to how you plan to organize your business. Contact the Secretary of State’s office in your state to determine the exact filing requirements and fees for your business. Ask the Secretary of State’s office whether the transportation and shipping industries require specialized licenses in your state, as well.

Obtain start-up funds. Logistics companies with a transportation focus generally cannot bootstrap their start-up; significant amounts of money or credit are needed upfront for vehicles, facilities, technology and other equipment. Create a business plan, and present your business model to lenders and investors to obtain the money you need to buy your initial equipment. Consider bringing a partner or two into the business to increase the debt-free resources brought to the table, as well.

Purchase the equipment your suite of services calls for. Purchase enough vehicles and storage space to handle the volume that you expect for the first few years; do not try to start out too small or you may have trouble gaining momentum in the logistics industry. Purchase enough equipment to be able to simultaneously serve several customers at once in the beginning.

Implement supply-chain-management technology. Logistics-management software can help you to track exactly which items from which clients are on which vehicles, as well as show you exactly where each shipment is via satellite tracking. Install long-range communication technology for your drivers, such as CB radios or cellphones, to stay in contact at all times. Implement Radio Frequency Identification tracking technology to gain further control over your shipments, storage and products in the pipeline.

Categories
Owner Operators Truck Leasing

Become an Owner & Operator of a Truck

Many truck lovers aspire to become the owner-operator of a truck. Being an owner-operator of a vehicle, such as an 18-wheeler diesel truck, allows you to make the decisions and be your own boss. Most owner-operators are responsible for buying gasoline, finding work, maintaining their trucks and paying expenses.

Learn to drive an 18-wheeler diesel truck at a truck-driver training school that fits your needs, schedule and budget. Browse the Internet and Yellow Pages to locate schools in your area. Truck-driver training programs typically last two weeks to two months. The longer programs usually have shorter classroom sessions.

Obtain your Class A driver’s license. A Class A or commercial license is required to drive an 18-wheeler truck. It is obtained by passing the Class A driver’s test offered at the state’s Department of Motor Vehicles. A fee is usually required to obtain the licence.

Work as a company driver for at least one year. This experience may be needed before taking the big step of working for yourself. The income enables you to save money to buy your truck, and the experience builds confidence.

Purchase your truck. The truck should be in good condition and have good tires, because you will pay your own maintenance costs. A truck should have passed all operating tests before purchasing it. Commercial truck dealerships are similar to car dealerships. Search the Internet for commercial truck dealerships in your area. Some dealerships permit you to browse their inventory and prices online. Truck prices have a wide range, from $10,000 to hundreds of thousands of dollars. The typical price for a basic truck starts in the $20,000 range.

Find work with a company as an owner-operator. Search classified-ad websites for opportunities. Consider the pay and the benefits offered. Only a few companies offer owner-operators benefits, but the search to find them may be worthwhile.

Categories
Trucker News

Calculate Occupancy Loads

The occupancy load is the number of people that can occupy a building, arena, auditorium or stadium at the same time. Generally, city fire departments establish occupancy loads in association with building and fire codes. However, all fire departments use general guidelines established by educational or research institutions such as the Georgia Institute of Technology (GIT). GIT’s report established guidelines for four basic types of buildings: assembly, business, laboratory and residential.

To calculate the occupancy load for an assembly building, first calculate the area of the building by determining the length and width and multiplying them together. This will give you the area in square footage. If the assembly area is without seating, divide the area by seven to get the occupancy load. If the assembly building has conference rooms, dining rooms, exhibit rooms or a gymnasium, divide by 15 to get the load. If the assembly area has seating arrangements, such as bleachers and pews, divide the square footage by 2.25. For libraries with book stacks, divide by 100. For reading rooms within libraries, divide by 50.

To determine the occupancy load for a business building, measure the width and length of the building and multiply them together to get the square footage. Divide the square footage by 100 to get the occupancy load.

To calculate the occupancy load for a laboratory, measure the width and length of the building and multiply them together to get the square footage. Divide the square footage by 100 to get the occupancy load.

To compute the occupancy load for a residential building, measure the width and length of the building and multiply them together to get the square footage. Divide the square footage by 200 to get the occupancy load.

Categories
Carriers Trucker News

Techniques for Transportation

Transportation is physically moving goods from one location to another. Selling transportation means providing customers with optimum service for an agreed-upon price. Although some customers may enjoy knowing the details of how a package moves by air, ground or overseas cargo container, most are not interested in how transportation works. What customers want to know is, “When and how much?” Transportation sales will try to answer this quickly, accurately and, most important, more competitively than the competition.

Price
Transportation pricing is based on weight and distance. As weight and distance increase, prices go up. The transportation salesperson will provide quotes for shipping to the customer. As with all sales, the salesperson’s job involves name recognition and response as much as the actual product or service delivered. Promptly providing pricing for cargo will lead to customers preferring the salesperson’s company over others that may be slightly less expensive but that are slow on returning needed information. Moving cargo is definitely not suited to waiting for someone to get back with a quote.

Transportation salespersons will know the bottom line for the company to make a profit, and possibly to insure a minimum commission for themselves. The salesperson will then take the base amount and, knowing the customer and the customer’s expectations, add an additional markup that is best for the company but low enough to ensure the order.

Scheduling
A pickup and delivery schedule tells the customer when the cargo will leave and when it will arrive at its destination. Not every transportation company will be able to meet all schedule demands. The salesperson’s job is to coordinate the service availability with the customer’s need to move a shipment in a specific time frame. When regularly scheduled air transport will not meet the deadline, then the salesperson will look at over-the-road transport.

Overseas transport can be the most exasperating to schedule because of ship traffic and intervening ports of call before arriving at a destination. If the cargo is the right size and weight, then airfreight may work much faster. If weight, size and total costs prevent using expensive airfreight, then the salesperson will have to use pervasive people skills to convince the customer that the shipping order will have to be changed. For the successful transportation salesperson, part of the job is explaining to customers that not all their demands are feasible while still getting the orders from the customers.

Packaging
Transportation salespersons also sell packaging and shipping readiness services. These can include crating, pallet loading, strapping, loading and the like. Although many large companies have their own departments preparing cargo for shipping, some smaller companies will need such services from outside. The transportation salesperson will again price for maximum profit while keeping the cost low enough to insure the customer’s order.

Categories
Freight Brokers

Cargo Freight Company

Logistics
A big part of starting a cargo freight company is figuring out logistics and costs for moving cargo. Analyze the cost of shipping cargo within the United States by land and water, and into foreign countries. This includes accounting for customs, freight duties and cost of transportation. The general costs for transportation include not just gas, but also vehicle maintenance, driver salaries, tolls and loading and unloading.

Strorage and Shipping
Some cargo freight companies will also factor in the storage of freight in a warehouse during delivery. When freight is shipped, sometimes it ships from one warehouse to another, then is picked up by another driver and shipped to a final destination. This is all part of the complicated logistics solution that you as a shipping company can provide. The companies that do it cheapest are the ones that succeed. Gather information not just on the cost of shipment, but also on warehouse storage. Find several options for storage that you can work into your plan.

Analyze Vehicle Costs
Vehicle costs are another large topic to investigate. Freight trucks must be dependable and fuel efficient. Diesel engines also require specialized mechanics. Hourly wages range from $20 to $50 or more. Find a servicing company that can provide maintenance, or look into hiring a full-time diesel mechanic for your cargo freight shipping company.

Buy a Warehouse or Rent
You will need a warehouse. Look into the prices on warehouses for sale through a commercial real estate broker. They have the best insights into the market and will also give you comparisons on renting a warehouse over buying. Compare the costs and balance your budget accordingly. If you do not want to take on additional assets, renting a warehouse is probably your best option.

Categories
Carriers Freight Loads

Test a Load Board

A load board is an interface device that works in between the IC under-test and the test head of the automated test equipment. The purpose of the load board is to provide mechanical and electrical interface between these two devices. It is extremely important that a load board be tested to see if there are any problems in its connections. There are three main methods to test the devices, which vary in effort, time, and money put into the test. Choose the one that is best for you and your situation.

Perform a manual verification test. To do this, you will need to use an ohmmeter to check for any shorts or opens between the test socket-to-IC contacts and the PCB to ATE connections. This method is, however, very limited. It will save you some money if your load board deals with a low amount of contacts (under 50); it is on the flip side not very practical for load boards that happen to feature a large amount of contacts (100 or more).

Use the same expensive device that you employ when testing your ATE to test the load board, whatever that may be. This method is the least desirable out of all the options as it is very expensive and inefficient. It can also waste a large amount of your test resources, which will then consequently impair your ability to test your ATE. You may also need to write some special software to test the board. Avoid this method if possible.

Take the test out of your hands. Employ a dedicated load board testing system. This method is your best bet as it will save you the greatest amount of money and time. It is also much more reliable than any form of manual testing that you undertake. This test measures leakage currents and resistance to confirm that the load board does not have any shorts or opens in its circuitry. One system that is especially noted for its abilities is the Cerprobe BOSS Load Board Test System, which measures not only for the shorts and opens but also a variety of other factors. Find a group in your own town that can perform this test for you and let them take care of it.

Categories
Freight Loads

Logistics Company

Logistics companies specialize in the organization, storage, transportation and delivery of their clients’ products. Lean manufacturing companies will outsource the logistics function to decrease costs and increase efficiency in their supply chains. As more companies realize the benefit of operating lean and outsourcing non-core competencies, the demand for logistics service providers will no doubt continue to increase. Knowing how to start a logistics company is the first step to entering this exciting industry.

Determine the specific logistics services that you will offer your clients. Logistics companies can provide a range of specialized services, including storage, trucking, shipping by sea, air transportation, shipping through the mail and integrated supply chain technology management. Choose services that you are experienced with personally, and those that will give you a competitive advantage over competitors in the marketplace.

Register your business in your state. The process for registering your business varies by state, and according to how you plan to organize your business. Contact the Secretary of State’s office in your state to determine the exact filing requirements and fees for your business. Ask the Secretary of State’s office whether the transportation and shipping industries require specialized licenses in your state, as well.

Obtain start-up funds. Logistics companies with a transportation focus generally cannot bootstrap their start-up; significant amounts of money or credit are needed upfront for vehicles, facilities, technology and other equipment. Create a business plan, and present your business model to lenders and investors to obtain the money you need to buy your initial equipment. Consider bringing a partner or two into the business to increase the debt-free resources brought to the table, as well.

Purchase the equipment your suite of services calls for. Purchase enough vehicles and storage space to handle the volume that you expect for the first few years; do not try to start out too small or you may have trouble gaining momentum in the logistics industry. Purchase enough equipment to be able to simultaneously serve several customers at once in the beginning.

Implement supply-chain-management technology. Logistics-management software can help you to track exactly which items from which clients are on which vehicles, as well as show you exactly where each shipment is via satellite tracking. Install long-range communication technology for your drivers, such as CB radios or cellphones, to stay in contact at all times. Implement Radio Frequency Identification tracking technology to gain further control over your shipments, storage and products in the pipeline.