Towing company

At this point, just chicken scratches on napkin paper backside, nothing solid.
But, if I were to start a car towing company, I would imagine diesel be a must, but am somewhat confused on how much payload/towing capacity would be necessary without running out and buying a second vehicle the very next week?
Ford/RAM/Chevy, suggestions? @ColoradoTJ

 

https://youtu.be/wYdkEZfiDQI?si=JY6W7qL0rpNfXKlq
Whatever truck you go with, the sneaky lifts are cool.

 

lol, not doing repo, but yea, those are nice.

 

You planning close to home or full on cross country? Enclosed trailer or open haul anything?
Nothing less than a full on 3-5 ton truck. Anything smaller just ain’t gonna last or haul the load. Ram 3500 Cummins would be bare minimum.

 

Ram 3500 is only a 1 ton tho

 

Ah, sorry about that. More so just Houston and the surrounding areas, might go over to Austin/SA/Dallas if need be, but most will be local.
Houston has a very diverse Asian population, while most younger generation would not hesitate to call a tow company for roadside assistance, older generation would think three times before even considering that route, opting to call "someone they know" Trying to do the math to see if any of this would make sense. The market is there for sure, but at what cost and if the business model is sustainable at all.
Cost of vehicle, fuel, insurance, other operational cost..... I expect to lose for a year or two before actually making any money, but just not sure if it is even possible, given how expensive vehicles are these days....

 

But that would have to be based on something right? F600 chassis cab type?

 

Got it, so my head was in the wrong airspace..... back to the napkin then....

 

Something along a bare chassis F650+ build out for towing and possible flat bed, but apparently I was way out of my league, since the weight wouldn't support it at all.

 

Hmm.... interesting, something like this for local runs, I mean, Houston is big enough and flat enough by itself....
A diesel might be good just for the extra torque....

 

That might have a 15BT Toyota in it. Awesome Turbo Diesel.

 

This totally reminded me that one time I ALMOST crashed a Hino reefer truck......

 

Yea, F550/5500 is almost basic, go up from there....

 

Nah, was not used to driving that Hino and the roads were shit (it was east side of town where container trucks run around) and I may have or have not hit a pot hole big enough to sway the whole truck to the side of the road, missing the pole by 2 feet, but enough to stop me dead for 5 mins.

 

OP,

How much money do you have to invest in this first truck?

Will this be a side-hustle or will you do it full bore?

I suspect you'd have to list your biz in some app because people have no idea how to actually call and talk with people on the phone these days. Me, I have zero apps and zero desire to ever have an app.

 

Class A is for trailers. A straight truck is a Class B.

 

Currently the idea has been shelved, but it was intended to be an idea to explore, which the above has proven it was a little more out of my league to begin with.
Not completely out of reach, just not right now.

 

Nope. Under 26K is no CDL. Over requires one, but a Class B is all that is needed for a straight truck.

 

An A makes sense for versatility. That's why I have mine. I was just providing the info that a roll deck or tow truck doesn't require it. It's not "google university" it's personal experience with the DOT regs and licenses.