Location Transport

Do I need a special license to be a private auto transporter in Florida?

I have a clean driving record for the past 3 years and have been cleaning cars for the past six years, under my own company . With the desire to put my abilities and character in the field of over the road driving and serve a need in the United States, what's the best way to start my own business to transport automobiles across the state and from state to state in the proper way with a proper license?

Public Comments

1. @ No just the trailer hitch for moving cars. (as long as you don't do it for money.
2. The short answer is yes. If you are a transportation company you have to operate under an authority. However, it doesn't have to be your own... you can be what is called an "owner operator" which means you own and operate your own vehicle but under someone elses authority. Below is some information on being an owner operator. Running as an owner operator in the auto transport industry is a pretty good way to make some money. In some cases (as you likely know) you don't even need a CDL to transport vehicles! Most two and sometimes 3 car haulers actually stay under the 26,000 pound weight requirements that require a CDL. Some states very this number though so make sure to check things out on all the states you are going to run. With that said your questions is about THE BEST WAY TO GET STARTED. Well, the best way to get started is to call some broker/carriers or just carriers and see what it takes to operate under their authority. Broker/Carriers are going to be best because they have slightly higher margins. You also have a little more security against the possibility of them "hanging you out to dry". So step one is call some broker/carriers. Where do you find broker/carriers? Try www.transportreviews.com. On the left side there is a link for "Broker/Carrier". Click that link and the middle information changes and shows companies that are broker/carriers. I'd say just ignore the rankings, ratings and reviews for the most part. They are for auto transport customers. But you can use that report and click on the company name. In most cases you will then find the company's location and contact information. I would recommend calling the companies and asking them if you can talk to whoever is in charge of hiring owner operators. There you go. They will take care of the rest. It looks like that page gives you 11 broker/carriers and another 4 carrier only's. So hopefully out of those 15 companies you can find someone looking for an owner operator. If not you may need to try the carrier types that are "Not Specified by Company" report and start calling them. I hope this helps you get started. Good luck in the vehicle transport industry.