Hopper, Dump O/O's & Drivers

I've always thought it was weird how if its bright daylight outside, you can't see in your mirrors to back inside a building worth anything. You're right wheathauler, pulling a hopper you don't get much practice backing into a 90*. On the rare occasion I'm out at a big truck stop and have to back in, I always feel like a rook! Remember GOAL, Get Out and Look.

Its funny how most elevators are old enough to have not been designed with semis in mind. I remember one, I think in Missler, KS, that semi's can't pull through to dump because the next bin is too close to the door on the other side. A straight truck even with a pup can pull through, but semis had to make a big u-turn off the scales and back in.

 

I've been to every other elevator in Hutch except the long one. Stopped to take a picture of it one day, but I still can't say I've been to the longest one in the US. Does Hutch still have about 15 stoplights going through it from the west?

 

Yous should go into the Philly Mint. Wheels back on a 53, blind side underground built for horse and wagons. Columns, bizillion reflections and lots of surely guys with guns.

 

Oh, I bet a bypass is beautiful compared to going all the way through on 4th st! After a while you learned the timing of the stoplights, it wasn't quite as bad. Was the Big M on the south side of town? I think I stopped at that one a couple times. It wasn't too great if I'm remembering the right one.

 

Been reading all of these pages this evening and alot of great info on here. I pulled hoppers starting back in 89' till 96' when I went to flats for more money. My last hopper job I pulled a tall sided hopper that had 86" sides or something close to that, did alot of wheat mids. The worst load I ever hauled was calcium, that stuff would get like cement.

I have been investigating the hopper buisness again since my work is so slow that I spend more time at home then I do working. My average per mile is still good but not many miles or work so I am doing my research.

I have talked to a few company's and the rates they thru at me are pretty low like some of you have said on here. $1.20 to $1.25 a mile to the truck when I furnish everything and a trailer, that is tough I think and that is what I have been hearing from a few hopper outfits. Are the rates getting any better?

I have been talking to Oakley out of Little Rock and they are paying $1.18 this week to the truck on all computer miles and pay the tag and no trailer rental. I just have never worked for a mileage rate only percentage, I guess it all works out in the end.

I live in Enid, OK and this is one of the worst harvest I have ever seen. The local guys were parked most of the time because the rates were cheap. A friend of mine called and they were paying .10 cents on a 65 haul, your figuring around .86 cpm on a round trip. He told them that was cheap that he needed more money, they told him that they had enough outside trucks around that would haul it for that rate. He went fishing.

I have talked to Atlantic Carriers -Atlantic, IA but no trailers available and talked to Autumn Transport - Minnesota and same thing plus their force dispatch which that means you run Canada. Does anyone know anything about Skyview, Gothenburg, NE or H & M in Omaha?

Truckin is just a tough way to make a livin and you have to love it to stay in it. lol