Trucking: Car Hauling, state farm insurance, bob stephens

Question
I have been looking into starting my own car hauling business for the past 6 months or so, trying to get as much info as I can before I jump in cold turkey. I have no commercial experience hauling cars just a few of my own on single car trailers. I have recently purchased a 1 ton dually and currently looking to buy a nice used 2 or 3 car wedge( any help in where the best place to find one would be appreciated). Also I am planning on running only in Texas, no out of state runs thinking that it would keep things a little more simple.  I was needing to know if you could tell me what I am going to need to get on the road legally besides the equipment and clients? I was told that I would need a Class A CDL, do I really need to attend a school to get a license to run this setup?

Answer
Hi Mike,

You should be able to find a trailer on www.truckpaper.com.  To get on the road legally, contact the Texas Department of Transportation.  They can get you a DOT number, fuel tax sticker, etc.  Sites like www.dotauthority.com can help too, but I would still call the DOT.

Depending on how much weight you haul, you should be able to get away with a CLass B CDL and you don't need to go to school.  You will have to take a road test with a combination vehicle though.  Again, the state DOT should be able to give you some options.  

Finally, don't forget cargo insurance.  Once you haul cars, you'll need a commercial carrier policy.  A regular State Farm insurance policy isn't going to cover those cars if something were to happen.  www.progressivecommercial.com

Join www.ooida.com!  A great organization that has been helping truckers for a long time!

Good luck!

Bob Stephens