Starting a Pet Transport Company: What You Need to Know

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Pets are an integral part of many families across the United States. According to a survey, around 85 million families or 67% of U.S. households own a pet. Another survey conducted on travelers showed that 53% of participants prefer to travel with their pets. So, with the growing number of people preferring to travel with their pets, the pet travel market is flourishing. In the current scenario, starting a pet transport company can be a profitable business.

If you are looking forward to starting a pet transport service, this guide might help you. Here are a few things to do before you start a pet transport company.

Understand the Industry

Before beginning, it’s important to understand every aspect of the industry you are trying to venture into. Pet transportation is a part of the pet grooming and boarding industry. Without a doubt, the industry has been catering to the needs of pet owners. From pet grooming to pet sitting, the industry extends luxury pet services aligning with the growing demands and changing attitudes of people.

Talking solely about the pet transportation services, as the name says, the company is responsible for transporting pets from one place to another. The transportation could be within the country or any other country via land, air, or sea.

So, to understand the operations, study the existing companies. In addition, scrutinize how they export pets to other countries and how they are imported to your country.

Decide What You Want

Determine whether you want to start a transport company from scratch or invest in a franchise. Building from scratch is better because finding a franchise of a pet transportation service can be difficult.

Fortunately, starting a pet transport company is easy. It does not require a lot of groundwork. Also, all you need is to establish a standard office in a booming business district and get the necessary license and permits. Also, buy your vehicles and implement potent marketing tools to market your company, both online and offline.

Obtain Legal Documents

At this time, you can’t run a transport company in the U.S. without having the necessary legal documents in place. So, here is the list of documents that you need to run a business:

Business License (USDA)
Certificate of Incorporation
Tax Identification Number/ Tax Payer’s ID
Commercial Vehicle Operator’s Registration
Driver’s License (Commercial driver’s license)
Non-Disclosure Agreement
Proof of ownership, identification, and vehicle license
Assistant’s Licenses
Operating Agreement for LLCs
Employee Agreement (offer letter)
Employee Handbook
Online Privacy Policy Documents
Online Terms of Use
Company Bylaws
Building License
Memorandum of Understanding (MoU)
Insurance Policy
Business Plan
Franchise or Trademark License (optional)

Buy an Insurance Policy

Along with legal documents, to run a transport company in the U.S. you will also need some basic insurance policies needed by the industry you are operating from. So, reach out to an agent and discuss the best policy coverage for your pet transportation business. Listed below are some insurance covers you can purchase:

General Insurance
Liability Insurance
Health Insurance
Transit Insurance
Pet Insurance
Workers Compensation
Comprehensive Motor Vehicle Insurance
Business Owner’s Policy Group Insurance
Overhead Expense Disability Insurance

Set aside a budget for your insurance policy.

The Bottom Line

In conclusion, starting a pet transport company is a profitable prospect. However, there are some challenges that come with this business. It’s known there are established companies that already operate in the industry. So, it may be challenging for you to carve a niche for yourself. The economic downturn and hostile government policies can also exacerbate the situation for pet transport companies. However, if you keep working with perseverance, you can run a successful pet transport company.