Shipping a bus from CA to TX

[Pixelhead]

Does anyone know of the best places to get quotes from to ship a bus from Victorville, CA (NE of L.A.) to Ft. Worth, TX?

The dimensions of he rig are 34' 3" Long X 8' Wide (plus mirrors?) X 10' Tall. It's a 1963 Flxible Starliner. Here's a pic of my rig:



I know that it needs to be transported via a drop bed trailer, but I've only found a few resources for getting quotes and am wondering if there are good web sites or brokers that people have had success working with.

Any advice you can provide would be greatly appreciated.

[Busted Knuckle]

You should be able to get any trucking company that runs "drop deck" trailers to bring it back to DFW for a reasonable price for you.
Might try Uship.com ! I used it an found a guy to bring me one of my Setra's from Idaho to TN for $3000.

Good luck!
 BK  

[Timkar]

Might try posting it on Uship.com . No cost to register and quite often truckers that are deadheading
look there for loads. I have never moved anything that size, but have moved truck cabs, etc that way.
HTH....Tim  

I guess BK was posting at the same time.......

[TomC]

Since the bus is low and short, it should fit on a low boy trailer without over width or over height problems.  You should be able to move it around $2.00/mile.  Good Luck, TomC

[artvonne]

Since the bus is low and short, it should fit on a low boy trailer without over width or over height problems.  You should be able to move it around $2.00/mile.  Good Luck, TomC

  Sounds like trucking is more reasonable than wrecker service? Maybe its the difference between "emergency" vs not being in a big all fire hurry.

[Van]

Try  http://www.greatwesttruckcenter.com/#25929

[luvrbus]

There is a guy in Mesa with a Landall that does hauling I forgot his name but if you contact Boomer on this board he has the number he hauled a GM from AZ for Mark at a good price and without your's in the running mode it will take a little help loading a Landall type is going to be your best bet  

good luck

[belfert]

For long distances a truck is almost always going to be less money if your bus will fit on a trailer.  A tow truck will generally have to make a trip home empty.  Truckers often go all over the country and they can often find another load so they aren't heading back home empty.  With a truck you won't have to pull your drive shaft or axles and you won't have to worry about tires on your bus.

I had to have my trailer with no axles towed in Elko, NV.  Flatbed was $135 an hour and the Lowboy was $160 an hour.  I didn't ask about a heavy duty wrecker.  I was going to have the trailer hauled on the Lowboy, but it was booked for the day by the time I called them back.  The flatbed worked, but it was more work to get it loaded.  Obviously, a flatbed would not work for a bus.

[Busted Knuckle]

  Sounds like trucking is more reasonable than wrecker service? Maybe its the difference between "emergency" vs not being in a big all fire hurry.

Wrecker are a specialized piece of equipment that may or may not get used on a daily basis. (kinda like a bus)

Where as trucks are made to roll, roll, roll down the highway day after day.

And also much like a bus liability insurance is a bitch too!                  
 BK  ;

[buswarrior]

If there's a way to get it onto a drop deck trailer, that would be cheapest.

Ramp to reach the deck someplace at/near where it is now?

Otherwise, the equipment haulers with the landoll style trailers with a winch, which will cost a little more, specialized equipment again.

Yes, use the load boards, and be patient, you should get lots of hits in that corridor.

Give your potential transporter a chance to put together another load to build a round trip. They will settle for a cheaper rate, if the transporter knows there is money both ways.

If you want the best price, you should be naming your price, and see if they'll take it, and be prepared to negotiate a little. Call me a mean $%^%! , I'd be starting down at $1987.50 gross for the trip and  then see what you get for a counter offer. A ruthless, and godless, $%^$# would offer $1325 to start.... do your own math and quote gross numbers for the trip, don't talk miles per, that's their job, don't be helping their profit-loss or truck stop bragging calculations, confirm insurance coverage with their provider. A fax or e-mail to forward the documents is normal.

happy coaching!
buswarrior

[happycamperbrat]

Just curious, Victorville is about 100 miles from me..... does the bus run? Can it be driven to Texas?

[Dreamscape]

That is a gorgeous coach! It belongs in the Great State of Texas! 

Safe travels!

[Pixelhead]

I tried Uship.com and only got one response which was a canned one about how people should spend more $$ for quality shipping and he didn't even quote an amount. I responded saying that the only reason I was on the site was to find out how much $$ it would cost. He came back with $3180 as a quote that expired on the 11th. I was hoping for more like $2500.

happycamperbr: The bus does not run. I wish I could drive it to TX, but that's not possible.

[buswarrior]

Don't be discouraged by the rhetoric. That's a negotiating tactic.

Although he's right, there's a lot of crappy paying freight out there.

He's up at $2.40 a mile, not so outrageous. What kind of trailer was involved?

Keep going, every interaction gives you an idea of where the market is.

happy coaching!
buswarrior

[Barn Owl]

For what it is going to cost you to ship it can you get it runnable?