I am looking into getting into cattle hauling.

What part of the country do you live in? A lot depends on where you live.

 

Depending on who you get hooked up with and how often you want to go home it's pretty easy to stay busy. Just have to follow the movement of cattle and work when it's there. This time of year calves are starting to come off wheat down south, then the cattle will start moving out of CA back to the Midwest, then you have about 6-8 weeks of cattle out of FL, then you could get in on the fall run out of MT. If you want to pull a 3 deck so you can haul pigs or a 4 deck to haul sheep and goats that opens up more opportunities.

If you plan on hustling your own loads you'll need about 3 months of fuel money to run on. Seems like a lot of guys are 30-90 days on paying. There are a lot of shady characters out there, which is why you can't factor livestock loads. If you're going to pull for someone try and get a fuel card so at least you're not out all your fuel money if they decide not to pay you.

 

I would get some for sure work lined out first before I bought a trailer. It can be hard to get loaded when your new to it. What you may try is to find a buyer that owns trailers but hires O/O to pull them. I know several that got started that way, gives you an in without having to buy a trailer right off. Finding a good used one can be tricky being new to the deal. I'm sure you have already looked and know new ones are high as a cats back

 

I would suggest you go to work on a farm or a sales barn to get used to livestock. By the sounds of things that is where you need to learn the most. I think FL is a big cow calf state.

 

Any down side to multiple decks? Weight I supose?

 

Yeah basically. If you're using them a lot, like hauling pigs west and cows back east, then it's worth it. But there's not really any sense in packing them around just in case. I pulled a 48ft 4 deck Merritt and I was 33400 with all the decks. I pulled the top deck out cuz I would probably never need it but kept the belly deck for pigs and it dropped me to 32600. By comparison pulling my 52ft spread axle straight cattle trailer I'm right around 32000, been as light as 31,600 before.

 

I would agree with this 100% if you have no experience handling cattle. Plus you'll learn how to spot sick or weak cattle, etc.

 

Yeah, the last thing the OP needs is to get trampled to death by a heard of sheep. And the wool itches.