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Most campers, travel trailers, and fifth-wheels are produced in Indiana in the various factories for the different RV manufacturers. Because campers are used throughout United States and Canada, and people want to buy campers locally, the manufacturers use a combination of semi-trucks, hot shot truckers, and contract RV transport toters to deliver new campers to the RV dealers all across the country.
The manufacturers require commercial insurance (compared to using your personal auto insurance). How much your commercial auto insurance costs for RV transport depends on many factors including:
- Drivers age
- Drivers violation history (in the last three to five years anyway).
- Value of vehicle insurance, known in the commercial insurance world as physical damage (think comp and collision).
- Amount, if any, of cargo coverage.
- Distance in your radius (how far you go from your home base.
Because you’re not re-inventing the wheel with your RV transport / Camper toter business, you can gain a lot of insight if you’re new by watching videos by those that are already making a living driving. Therefore, I’ve included a couple of videos that don’t discuss insurance directly, albeit are of value, or at least I hope are valuable for you.
The best way to learn about something is by the actual people doing whatever it is you want to know about. So I scanned the world of YouTube to find videos (out of many) that I believe will be of great value for someone getting ready or considering to begin transporting campers from the manufacturer to the dealer.
This video includes a RV transport camper toter who describes why he’s leasing his truck instead of buying one. Granted, he’s using back-of-the-envelope math, however if nothing else, it should get you thinking.
Backhauls, from what drivers have to say, the worst part (or one of the downsides) is driving back home without a load to help pay for the gas, much less put some cash in your pocket. There’s a reason they call driving empty “deadheading” and it’s all about the money.
Manny explains several strategies for finding backhauls so you can make more money as a RV transporter. Because your commercial auto insurance isn’t based on how much income you have, and rather is time based, every minute you’re driving with a load, instead of driving without a load, is icing on the cake.
As I’ve stated in my article in regards to Hot Shot Trucking, your insurance premium is a big cost component to your driving business experience. What many don’t realize, is your agent is probably a bigger influence to your success than you can imagine.
I know, I know, I know it sounds self-serving to sell commercial auto insurance, and it is, I fully agree to a certain degree, albeit it doesn’t make it any less true. I discuss all the reasons why in my Hot Shot Trucking article.
What I can tell you is that if you are, or looking into hauling campers and RVs, give me a call and let’s talk. If you don’t have an insurance agent that’s adding value beyond insurance, than you should call for sure. Or not, and miss out on what you could have…
Robert Weinstein is a husband, dad, stock market junkie, real estate broker, and of course…Insurance agent. Interests include my family, economics, marketing, technology, real estate, finance/investing, history, and Asia.
Robert’s insurance expertise includes having the designation of Certified in Long-Term Care (CLTC) and assist in asset protection for families with members entering retirement.
Robert is also an accomplished syndicated writer whose work can be found in TheStreet, MainStreet, CNBC, Forbes, Yahoo Finance, Seeking Alpha, MSN Money, The Money Show, Stock Saints, Motley Fool, Fidelity, Minyanville, RealMoney Pro, and many national and international newspapers.
