Reliable Carriers, Inc. - Canton, Mi.?

how does he like waggoners? i was thinking of giving them a call. good hometime?

 

My hubby is a carhauler and I will ask him if he has heard anything good/bad about Reliable, IF he has I will post it here saturday morning.....

 

luvmyhubby, are you folks owner operators? i heard owner operators hauling cars make good money. friend of mine says he pulls 200k per yr take home. Dose this sound right?

 

Luv's hubby pulls for PMTG, and is a company driver. Reliable is, as far as I know, an Owner-Op company (hence the rolling apartments).

200K per year GROSS sounds more realistic, if he is bringing home 200K, then that would be freakin' amazing!

 

thanks wallbanger, what should i expect on hauling cars per yr net?

 

Sorry bud, I have not driven a parking lot, so my numbers are second hand. I have a friend, who used to drive for Cassens, and was always bragging about bringing home around $100k/yr. I think that number was a little high, probably more like 80-90k, because he has been with the company for five years, before which he was hauling cars for an additional 10 years.
With the other companies (PMTG,DAS for example) I would expect that you can make $60-70k/yr.

 

thanks, thats what i'm looking for.

 

There are a hundred rumors about Reliable, that in no small part adds to the mystique. Here are a few facts for you just to clear the air.
1. Reliable has Owner Operators, a few company drivers, and Lease drivers (not lease purchase just lease) There are normal and big trucks in each class.
2. The average income is in a state of flux due to the economy but K clear at one time would have been a very low baseline to start from. Todays numbers range wildly depending on the driver, type of trailer, and right place right time.
3. The big trucks are just one part of the mystique, it is a common error that we don't have much weight. My truck and trailer are 58,000 lbs empty creating a constant gross weight problem, but it's worth the trouble.
4. Reliable doesn't recruit drivers, ever. There is a file three feet thick with applications of people hoping to get signed on.
A. Most new hires are teams
B. Step one is finding out who you need to talk to and what names you need to drop, thus giving the impression of being "screened" by a current driver.
C. Being financially solvent. If you don't have $15-20,000 laying around for startup costs your usually out of luck. (Truck paint, PTO, operating capital, etc.)
D. Being patient yet assertive in following up on your application, should you get that far. It only took me four years to get on with experience in specialized automotive transportation. ie: enclosed high end

There is no easy road to riches anymore and you will work past the point of normal human limits. An enclosed auto transport is 4-5 times the work of an open rack or curtain side. The cars are usually FAR more expensive if not irreplaceable and the customers can be a bit, let's say, eccentric. You have to be willing to stay out 3-9 months depending on the volume of business, put your entire life aside, Reliable isn't a job it's a lifestyle. Further you have to be willing to work in temps from -0 to over 160 degrees inside the trailer in the Canadian North and the desert with no air moving and heavy exhaust fumes building within the trailer. You need to be an expert on essentially every car made for a turn of the century fist build to the latest Lambo. The customer gets nervous if you don't know how to operate the car, and some can be VERY tricky. Just starting some cars if you don't know the tricks of that model and year can be a challenge, then your pushing if you can't get her going, that sucks. Oh and be willing to run like a team in a solo truck, or just pull off the impossible if you are a team ie: 8-10,000 miles a week and you load, unload, and tie in everything.

I've loved my years with Reliable and the Friends I've made along the way. It's an awesome company, but it's not for most people. The experience, accidents, MVR's ect don't even need to be mentioned. Reliable is the elite club of the industry's very best operators and we take the greatest pride in that. It takes a while even after getting signed on to prove yourself to the driver's in the fleet. The office is easy, the other drivers you work with everyday are the ones you have to impress.

I hope this helps, I'm not trying to stop anyone from coming aboard. I just want the truth to be known and hope that if it's not the right fit for someone reading this they can save themselves a lot of time and trouble. The prevalent attitude with reliable driver is often misunderstood to be arrogance. That is not the case with most. The attitude is pride and dedication. The Reliable driver has almost nothing in common with a truck driver aside from using as truck to preform the task. It's all about the customers and the cars, the trucks are the easy part.

Best of Luck