Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/14162
Overlooked niches safety equipment and $2-$3 a mile for transport- ing trucks. “You’ve got to build a good work reputation,” Wilkins says. “You can charge a little more when you do that. I look at it this way: If I haul a load 1,000 miles that pays me $2,000 instead of one that pays $1,000, and I have to work a couple hours on one end and a couple hours on the other end, that’s $250 an hour.” Hauling petroleum is often overlooked by small indepen- dents, but it’s a profitable specialty for Michael Goldstein. Safety gear hauler Leo Wilkins uses his 2006 stepdeck trailer to transport medium-duty truck chassis and safety equipment used in highway construction. While the truck hauling has waned, the safety gear transporting business takes most of his time, especially during warm weather. A trucker for 37 years and an owner-operator since 1983, Wilkins has specialized in hauling trucks and motor home chassis for most of his career. When he started as an owner-operator, he transported trucks for General Motors out of Pontiac, Mich., making up to $4 a mile. When that business dried up about four years ago, he leased to a carrier hauling trucks. He picked up his own authority two years ago and began haul- ing used trucks for dealers from auctions or other locations. One of those contacts led him to haul- ing the safety equipment, such as traffic cones and electronic directional signal trailers. Wilkins says his loads require much more work than the average freight. He knows how to stack multiple trucks, deftly using ramps, wood blocks and chains. If an exhaust stack is too high to fit under overpasses, he might have to remove it. He estimates he’s found 60 loads in the past six months through word of mouth. By picking up trucks for dealers at auctions, he saves them the expense of hiring a driver and avoiding the risk of something happening to the truck on the road. “I charge more, but my customer says he doesn’t worry about me because I know what I’m doing,” Wilkins says. “I stay in contact with the shipper and receiver, so they know where I am and when they can expect me to arrive.” Wilkins earns $2.50 a mile for hauling the 30 OVERDRIVE AUGUST 2010 Petroleum transporter Hauling petroleum was supposed to be a short- term job for Michael Goldstein. At first he was intimidated by dealing with a flammable, hazard- ous material. But after undergoing training, he found he liked the work. He’s been hauling since 1999 and an owner- operator since 2005. As a leased contractor, Goldstein hauls gasoline, diesel and aviation fuel in California for MG Liquid Logistics Transport, which owns two trucks and has four leased opera- tors. He doesn’t have a set schedule, but he’s home every night. “Brokers will typically start calling us around 8 o’clock in the morning,” he says. “A lot of it de- pends on the market. If the price is going down 2 cents, they’ll hold out until the price changes and then the calls start coming in.” Goldstein owns a daycab with a 20-foot tank permanently mounted, and he pulls a 28-foot tanker in addition. The truck tank holds 4,100 gallons of gasoline and 3,900 gallons of diesel, while the tanker holds 4,900 gallons of gas and 3,900 gallons of diesel. His drives 250 to 350 miles on a typical day. He delivers to fuel stations, commercial facilities, trucking companies and farms in the Central Valley. Deliveries to stations in upscale residen- tial areas are during the day, while hauls to car washes are made after hours. “A lot of people contacting me on my Facebook page have no idea you can be an owner-operator in the petroleum industry,” says Goldstein. He earns 86 percent of gross revenue, usually clearing $60,000 to $65,000 a year. The typical petroleum trucker is a company driver, and those on hourly pay make $19 to $22 an hour, he estimates. Nonetheless, Goldstein says the turnover is high. Many potential drivers wash out before completing training because it’s detailed and de- mands physical intensity. “It’s not for everyone,” he says. Courtesy of Michael Goldstein