School me on "U-Ship" dot com please!!

Has anyone here done the USHIP thing?? Do you have to own a semi tractor trailer to haul loads, or can you use your own pickup & trailer??
Is there a age limit on the vehicle??
I been on their website and cannot find this information. Is there a special kind of insurance that you need, like commercial transport insurance??
Been thinking about changing professions and/or just walking away from my current job, but I'd have to get something set up either before, or right away after I quit!!

Any comments about it are appreciated!!

I hauled over the road on and off for 3 years. I didn't use uship I used central dispatch and did very well... You'll need commercial insurance with a minimum of 750k in liability. You can use a pickup and trailer don't need a CDL unless your gcwr is over 26000 lbs. You have to apply for a usdot # and if you are going to cross state lines you will need to get an MC # ( motor carrier).

Thanks Bosskk1786.
Did you use your own pickup and trailer??

Yes sir I did... I had a 2001 crew cab powerstroke dually 4x4 and a Kaufman 36 foot 2 car trailer

If I read the federal CDL regs correctly, you would need a Class A CDL if your are using your pickup and trailer if the trailer is over 10,000 gvw and you are hauling commercially. And a Class B if the trailer is under 10,001 gvw.
I Have looked into it briefly to see if I could use what I have to make some Hot Rod parts money,

Class A CDL
A Class A commercial driver's license is required to operate any combination of vehicles with a gross combination weight rating (GCWR) of 26,001 lbs. or more, to include a towed vehicle that is HEAVIER than 10,000 lbs.

While your towing allowances will depend on which endorsements you obtain, a few of the vehicles you MAY be able to drive with a Class A CDL (with proper endorsements) include:

Tractor-trailers.
Truck and trailer combinations.
Double and triple trailers.
Tractor-trailer buses.
Tanker vehicles.
Livestock carriers.
Flatbeds.

Class B CDL
A Class B commercial driver license is required to operate:

A single vehicle with a GVWR of 26,001 lbs. or heavier.
AND/OR
Any vehicle as described above that is towing another vehicle weighing UP TO 10,000 lbs.
As with Class A licenses, you may be required to possess specific endorsements to operate some vehicles with a Class B license. Some of the vehicles you may be allowed to operate (with the right endorsement) include:

Straight trucks.
Large buses, including:
City buses.
Tourist buses.
School buses.
Segmented buses.
Box trucks, such as:
Delivery drivers.
Couriers.
Furniture delivery.
Dump trucks with small trailers.

While everyone quotes you the reg's, I'll give you m y thoughts on uship itself.
I did it for a while and, at least for me, it's not a profitable venture. If you win the bid, it means that you took the job at a lower price than anyone else would do it for. After several months of keeping records, I did the math and confirmed what I had been thinking all along. THIS WASN'T EVEN PAYING FOR MY FUEL, LET ALONE THE WEAR AND TEAR ON MY TRUCK AND TRAILER. The only way I will bid for a job now, is if I am going from Phoenix to ???? anyway for whatever reason, so that my delivery will pay part of my fuel bill. It makes driving cross country a little less expensive.

AZFairlane wrote:While everyone quotes you the reg's, I'll give you m y thoughts on uship itself.
I did it for a while and, at least for me, it's not a profitable venture.  If you win the bid, it means that you took the job at a lower price than anyone else would do it for.  After several months of keeping records, I did the math and confirmed what I had been thinking all along.  THIS WASN'T EVEN PAYING FOR MY FUEL, LET ALONE THE WEAR AND TEAR ON MY TRUCK AND TRAILER.  The only way I will bid for a job now, is if I am going from Phoenix to ???? anyway for whatever reason, so that my delivery will pay part of my fuel bill.  It makes driving cross country a little less expensive.

This is a great point! A friend of mine is an Owner/Operator and said the same thing about the bid boards. There were truckers wining jobs where the bid could not cover their truck costs, let alone their time. Bottom line is a guy needs to know what his cost per mile is and what his time is worth to come up with a bid. Then you get it or you don't. Personally I'd rather stay home then to win a job that I am going to, at best, cover my fuel.

If you factor in all your costs, and add in your time, YOU'RE NOT GOING TO WIN MANY BIDS ON USHIP, if any.

You do not need a CDL unless your gcwr is over 26000 lbs... Uship is a joke it's just a bunch of people shooting themselves in the foot lowering the price.. I hauled cars through central dispatch. All the prices were set and you just called to pick your loads. My best month on the road I cleared 13k grossed just a little over 20 was between NY and the Rockies. Most good trips we're from here to Texas or Colorado.... There is great money to be made if you are ready to hustle. It was a lot of time away from home also

So its probably not worth it. I have the CDL, with all endorsements including HAZMAT and even govt./military explosives hauling.
But if you're just out there running around and barely covering all your own expenses, its better to just get a driving job with a name brand carrier company!!