Welcome to our boat transportation guide! If you never transported a water vessel before, the basics below will help you get started. If you’re an experienced boat transporter who is just new to CitizenShipper, you can skip through the beginner’s guide chapter and move on to the fifth lesson of this guide. We would however sincerely appreciate your comments in case you feel we should include additional information and resources in our first chapter below. 

• Lesson 1: Things to know before you start
• Lesson 2: Preparation
• Lesson 3: Challenges
• Lesson 4: Equipment
• Lesson 5: Finding boat shipments on CitizenShipper
• Lesson 6: Pro tips

And after you complete all the lessons, you may also find additional resources that can further assist you in becoming successful on CitizenShipper.

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Things to know before you start

The first lesson in our boat transportation guide is primarily focused on steps that you should take before you start doing boat transports. When looking to dip your toes into this market, you should first know who it is you’ll be catering to. There are four main reasons why a customer will want you to transport their boat:

1. Weather – Bad weather can harm a boat, and good weather makes you want to go sailing. Bad or good, boat-owners will need a driver like you.
2. Moving – Homeowners employ drivers to bring their possessions from one house to the next. And that includes their precious powerboat or dinghy.
3. Maintenance – During winter, some boat-owners take advantage of the ‘break’ time to prepare their ‘water houses’ for the coming season. More work for boat transporters!
4. Selling – This is probably the most common reason to transport a boat. Either it’s being taken to a dealership or second-hand boat seller, or to its new owner.

Additionally, to be able to complete transports in this category, before you start placing any bids, you will need to learn more about Licensing and endorsements that are required by state and federal agencies.

Licensing and endorsements

Once you start getting hired for jobs, you might begin to look into the state and federal requirements for shipping boats. We will include some information the two most basic ones, but we do advise you to stay updated and seek further guidance on FMCSA's website.

• CDL requirements

Any combination of vehicles with a gross combined weight rating (GCWR) of 26,001 or more pounds, providing the gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of the vehicle being towed is in excess of 10,000 pounds.

You can use a non-commercial class license along with the state permit to trailer boats in your state.

1. Non-Commercial Class A License: This permits you to trailer other vehicles (including boats) not exceeding 10,000 lbs on a truck that weighs 4,000 lbs or more.
2. Non-Commercial Class B License: This permits you to haul other vehicles (including boats) not exceeding 9,000 lbs on a truck that weighs 4,000 lbs or more.

• USDOT number requirements

In general, a USDOT Number is required if the gross combined weight rating (GVWR, GCWR, GVW or GCW) is over 10,000 lbs.  The gross combined weight can be found by adding the gross vehicle weight (GVW) with the gross trailer weight (GTW)/loaded trailer weight. It is important to remember that the gross vehicle weight is the base curb weight of the vehicle (weight of the vehicle including a full tank of fuel and all standard equipment, not passengers) plus the cargo weight (all weight added to the base curb weight including cargo, optional equipment, and trailer tongue weight) plus the passenger weight.

The gross trailer weight is the weight of the empty trailer combined with the weight of anything you put on or inside of the trailer. Below is a visual illustration from Ford’s Towing Guide.

IMPORTANT:

You can find out if your vehicle has the right capacity for each job by referring to the info from the manufacturer:

• Towing capacity: a tow vehicle must meet the gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of the trailer being towed.
• Hitch: a hitch assembly must also meet the GVWR of the trailer being towed.
• Tow ball size: a tow ball must match the coupler/actuator requirement based on trailer capacity.
• Tow ball height: 18” to 21” from the ball centerline to the ground.
• Trailer electrical connection: a 4- or 5-pin flat pigtail connector is needed if no surge brake is equipped, and a 7-pin round is needed without.

If your registered weight is more than 10,000 lbs, you’ll need a United States Department of Transportation (USDOT) number. You’ll only need to apply as a “registrant,” not a commercial carrier, if you are an individual. The Department of Transport number is free and used only to purchase some states’ permits. On some routes you may not need a DOT number at all. If you plan to transport boats only once in a while, you may also qualify for an exemption under 49 U.S.C. § 13506(b)(2).

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Check out our next 3 lessons where we will explain to you how to ensure proper boat preparation, challenges that might present themselves along the journey and finally the type of equipment you can use as well as more information on your potential earnings in lesson 5.

For any questions on the topics above, please use the comments section below.

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