Charging by the yard? Explanation - Truckers' Trucking Forum

Disturbed Canuck · **^ Top** #1 07.04.2009

If there's one thing I've learned recently after purchasing a gravel tailer, it's that some companies pay by the yard and that most drivers who haul aggregates, earth or other bulk don't know what exactly it means to be paid by the yard. Lemme be clear that I'm not disparaging anyone here because quite frankly, from what I understand, figuring out how to charge by the yard isn't necessarily an exact science and kinda weird if you ask me.

None the less, some companies do charge by the yard and I'm facing a situation where I'm going to have to tell som eone how much I'm charging per yard for hauling some dirt around.

Can anyone explain to me how being paid by the yard works for some one with an end dump trailer? Not the the end dump matters but if it does help, I've got a 2004 32' midland end dump trailer.

Cheers

112racing · **^ Top** #2 07.04.2009

most aggregates are usually paid by the ton because if you filled your trailer all the way up with most products you would be very overweight the exceptions being wood chips , mulch, or trash or farm products but your trailer if it's 96" wide and has 60" high sides would be 47.4 cubic yards

32 feet long x 8 feet (96") wide x 5 feet (60") high would be 1280 cubic feet divided by 27 (cubic feet in a square yard) = 47.40 cubic yards

some times they go by how many buckets it takes for you to be legal if no scale is available if it's a 1 1/2 or 2 yard bucket etc. they also make scales for the loaders that work off the hydraulics

Disturbed Canuck · **^ Top** #3 07.04.2009

Thanks 112racing. Now lemme get this straight because I have to be missing something. I was recently offered $0.30/yard for hauling gravel. If your calculation works with my trailer (it does) then we can round down to 47 cubic yards. At $0.30/yard, that would only be $14 per load. I have even heard recently of a company underbidding for some rural municipality work at $0.22/yard which would be even more ridiculous.

Am I missing something or would this be accurate? I can't imagine hauling anything more than a quarter mile or something for such terrible pay and that's even an overestimation as I would be overweight if the trailer were topped up to super full.

Cheers

112racing · **^ Top** #4 07.04.2009

i don't see how that could be right if you put 47 yards of stone in your trailer you would be up around 115,00-120,000 lbs gross better find somebody else that does this and get the scoop i know back when i used to drive 10 wheelers with 18 yard body's if you filled them up with stone it would be around 50,000 lbs of product

Allow Me. · **^ Top** #5 07.04.2009

I did aggregates in Ca for 7 years as a company driver, bottom dumps, dirt, asphalt, gravel, base and never heard of charging by the yard. It was sold by the ton at the pit and then charged to the customer by the ton. Sometimes, the contractor bought direct from the pit and we just did the transportation. On dirt, we charged by the load or by the hour. The bossman came up with an agreement with the contractor on how to price our services. You cannot max out the trailer yardage wise, and be legal on your weight carrying aggregates.

Disturbed Canuck · **^ Top** #6 07.04.2009

Quote:

Originally Posted by 112racing

i don't see how that could be right if you put 47 yards of stone in your trailer you would be up around 115,00-120,000 lbs gross better find somebody else that does this and get the scoop i know back when i used to drive 10 wheelers with 18 yard body's if you filled them up with stone it would be around 50,000 lbs of product

AH! ok...I got that wrong. Way wrong hahahaha. This is what's so frustrating for me regarding yardage. There are a few people out here in Saskatchewan that do their figurin' in yardage and I just can't wrap my head around the numbers.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Allow Me.

I did aggregates in Ca for 7 years as a company driver, bottom dumps, dirt, asphalt, gravel, base and never heard of charging by the yard. It was sold by the ton at the pit and then charged to the customer by the ton. Sometimes, the contractor bought direct from the pit and we just did the transportation. On dirt, we charged by the load or by the hour. The bossman came up with an agreement with the contractor on how to price our services. You cannot max out the trailer yardage wise, and be legal on your weight carrying aggregates.

It sounds like yardage is a way to convolute pricing and make it harder for haulers to figure out what they're hauling and how to charge for it? I dunno...it just seems so odd to me.

Cheers

Allow Me. · **^ Top** #7 07.05.2009

forgot to mention, I also hauled wood shavings years ago to horse breeders. We did sell by the yard, because we could max out the trailers (28' ers, doubles = 154 yds) and still be legal on weight. Besides, how do you measure a yard of material and convince the buyer he is getting a yard or 20 yards? I never had a customer measure the trailer, and lots of times, he got shorted by more than a few yards.

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