Any company starting in the car hauling industry can tell you that the auto transport business requires much grit, patience, and communication. For years, the auto-transport industry has been stuck in the past—relying on paper, phone calls, and outdated technology that costs you, the Carriers, time and money.
Are you tired of searching for lost papers and improperly filed forms? Are you sick of wasting time trying to find reliable drivers and carriers? Essential documents like vehicle condition reports are crucial to your car hauling success, but difficult to obtain and even more difficult to manage. By connecting Shippers and Carriers through smart, seamless software, we can make auto transport faster, easier, and more secure for you than ever before.
For those car hauling newcomers that aspire to reap the benefits of secure, revolutionary workflows, here are four tips to get your business off the ground!
License and Registration
Before even purchasing your equipment, obtaining your Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) is critical to starting a successful car hauling business. Without it, your company will have a more difficult and expensive time getting insured.
Once you can afford and get approved for insurance, it is essential to obtain all the necessary legal documents required by your state. You must register for the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) which is required for both interstate commerce and intrastate operations. Here you will apply for your USDOT number, your MC operating authority, and learn about Safety Assurance Programs. It is also critical that you file Form BOC-3 with the FMCSA and update your registration using the MCS-150 form.
Download a Carrier App
When car haulers arrive to load a vehicle, you have yet to establish trust with the pickup contact. To gain trust and avoid damage claims, every car hauler should thoroughly inspect the vehicle for prior damage and obtain a Bill of Lading (BOL). It is critical to obtain a signature from someone at every delivery location and take pictures of any damage on the vehicle when you pick it up. By completing inspection reports and documenting previous damage, you can establish your credibility and avoid expensive damage claims.
Unfortunately, obtaining signatures and keeping track of important documents is time-consuming. It is critical that you download car hauling apps that safely store all those essential documents in one place. Electronic Proof of Delivery (ePod) apps and Electronic Bill of Lading (eBOL) apps enable you to complete BOL’s, take advanced inspection photos, and send invoices to get paid faster. The Super Dispatch BOL app makes it easy to start a vehicle inspection and offers three different inspection options, all to help you establish credibility as car haulers and avoid detrimental claims.
If You Don’t Snooze, You Lose
Transporting cars across the globe is a dangerous process. Although there are regulations requiring rest stops and limited driving hours, it can be tempting to power through a long car hauling journey.
In one study of long-haul drivers, 13% said they actually fell asleep at the wheel.” -Attorney, G. Turner Howard III.
Two solutions can the traditional electronic logging device (ELD) or the new biometric sensors that ensure that drivers won’t drive more than the legally allotted hours in a day. These types of software strive to protect car haulers. The ELD is a mandatory device that connects directly to your vehicle to keep you compliant with regulations like Hours of Service. While the biometric sensors are not mandatory, it’s complex but useful software that detects specific movements indicating fatigue to inform the driver when they can no longer safely operate a vehicle.
In addition to these helpful safety and compliance tools, there are additional feature to help keep you safe. Tools like a Carrier TMS come with a feature called Trip Planning that enables you to plan your trips ahead of time based on pickups and deliveries. By planning ahead, you eliminate rushing, taking dangerous shortcuts, and time spent on your phone, therefore preventing accidents on the road.
Want more tips for ensuring safety on and off the road? Check out our Definitive Guide to Auto Transport Safety on the Road!
Auto Transport Platform
Unfortunately, managing essential paperwork and transactions on different platforms is incredibly demanding. But, by leveraging an end-to-end auto transport platform, your business can have access to a suite of tools that help you run your business and manage loads all in one place. And with platforms like Super Dispatch, your Carrier TMS and load board are directly connected to ensure efficiency and eliminate the time-consuming negotiations of the auto-transport industry. The Carrier TMS and load board combo serves car haulers, by improving organization, eliminating wasted time in the contracting process, and providing assurance at every step of the transaction.
The Carrier TMS connects you to the rest of the auto transport industry as you can book loads, negotiate with Shippers, and access custom reporting to optimize your business. The software securely stores and imports important documents like the Bill of Lading, to protect you from detrimental damage claims.
The Carrier TMS eliminates all paperwork and saves us thousands of dollars in false claims.” -Kendal Enterprises, Jason K.
Although managing loads of paperwork and maintaining communication with all parties is time-consuming, the Super Dispatch auto transport platform is here to help your company manage more loads with less effort and maximize efficiency.
Starting off in the auto transport industry can be complicated and expensive. With these tips, you can now build a plan to kick off your car hauling business on the right foot. Want to learn how Super Dispatch can help you get going? Sign up now and start a free trial on the Super Dispatch platform.
