Overdrive Magazine | Trucking Business News & Owner Operator Info
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46 | Overdrive | April 2016 The other way is to go through a training program, either with a com- pany or at a school. AHAA co-brands a school, the AutoHauler Training Institute of Orange Park, Fla. One thing that drives up the cost of car hauling equipment is that the trailers have to mesh with the tractors in a very precise way, unlike most other applications in the industry. Young's uses Cottrell trailers, so the company installs Cottrell head racks on its trac- tors to ensure proper alignment. "If a truck breaks down, we can't just go and rent another to continue the trip," says Jeannie Phillips, Young's transport specialist. "With the newer trucks with the emissions gear, the trucks end up in the repair shop more often. That means loss of revenue and loss of repeat business." Lepke started hauling cars in 1990 after owning a towing company. "I met a guy in the parking lot at the auction in Chicago in 1989, and he was operating an eight-car hauler," Lepke says. "A few months later, I bought my own. Three years later, I was operating three trucks. It cost me $1 million to learn how to do this. I made a lot of mistakes the first few years." Lepke compares loading an auto hauling trailer to putting together a jigsaw puzzle. "You know how much space you have, and you have to know the dimensions of the cars as you're putting your load together so you know where to put them on the trailer and whether or not you can haul them at Car haulers' average earnings often beat that of owner-operators in more common applications. Specialists at the top, hauling one or two expensive cars in an enclosed trailer, can earn well into six figures. The Auto Haulers Association of Ameri- ca's Bill Schroeder says a driver with good experience and skills who has a contract to haul new cars for a car maker likely will make between $75,000 and $110,000 a year. "Years ago, there was a greater variance between what a box driver and a car haul driver made than there is today," Schroeder says. "The gap has narrowed a bit, which exacerbates the shortage problem we have in car hauling." Using the online brokerage board Cen- tral Dispatch, Fortun Transportation's Jim Lepke says he's satisfied working hard nine months of the year and clearing $75,000. "It's all about money management," he says. "I can take a lot of time off, usually June through most of August, because people aren't moving as many cars that time of year." Lepke usually goes from Wisconsin to Florida, then back up to Detroit, for a 10- day round trip. "When I'm putting together a load on Central Dispatch, I'm looking for a full 10-car load, otherwise it's not worth my time," he says. "I used to run empty coming home, but with Central Dispatch, I was able to find cars coming back to Detroit out of Florida, so I get paid going both ways." On a recent run, Lepke left La Crosse, Wis., and picked up eight cars in Milwaukee to haul to south Florida. He then picked up eight more cars and took them to Detroit. He grossed $11,500, about $4 a mile, but made 33 stops. Dean Zervas, who drives hot shot and hauls cars in a two-car enclosed trailer, hauls mostly classic or rare cars, clearing $125,000 to $150,000 annually. "I haul play toys for guys with big money," Zervas says. "I've got a car back- ground, a good presentation for customers with no straps touching the cars, and I'm at about 80 percent repeat business now. My customers know they're getting high-quality service from me." Frank Cuomo, CEO of Bears Transport brokerage, says carriers will get 40 to 50 cents a mile on long runs, and closer to $1 a mile on shorter runs. The broker takes $100 to $300 per car. Young's Transport charges $500 per car when doing a full load for a dealership. Hauling for a private owner, it can get clos- er to $900 for a car. "We don't do too much full-load stuff," says Jeannie Phillips of Young's. "The private shippers can and will pay more for our services." What does auto hauling pay? Bruce W. Smith Stephen Ashburn's 2005 Peterbilt 379, pictured in 2011 near the Las Vegas strip, was entered in Overdrive's Pride & Polish at the Great West Truck Show. Young's Transport of Fort Myers, Fla., hauls cars for private shippers and dealerships.