Hey everyone. New member here. Ill start out by saying that I'm 31 with no driving experience and live in Missouri. My dad has drove various setups (flatbed, cattle, dump truck) when I was growing up, so I have rode along for thousands of miles, but that doesn't do me much good experience wise. He hasn't drove for almost 10 years, so I cant exactly ask him questions regarding information in today's times. EDIT : I want to add that I do NOT have my class A yet, but depending on financing options, if this even goes through.
Being that I have no experience as a driver, it can be a little difficult to find a company that will take someone on with no experience. I have been looking into buying a truck and trailer and starting out for myself. I have looked (online) at a few different trucks and trailers, and they come out to be around $100,000. I'm sure I could find some cheaper equipment to start out with, but I also don't want to get a cheaper truck that has more potential to break down. What are thoughts on higher upfront costs vs. cheaper trucks.
As far as the trailer, I have been looking into slightly older, cheaper trailers. I may be completely wrong here, but I don't feel there is as much to go wrong with the trailer as there is the truck. I understand that hydraulics, electrical, brakes and all that can still be bad on the trailer, but still looking at cheaper trailers. Would this be recommended, or look into newer trailers for about double the price?
Also being new to this, and my dad only driving for companies and never owning his own truck, how difficult can it be for the first year or two? I know that this questions is difficult to answer due to location, weather, and other factors, but just as a general idea. As far as finding loads, do I just contact local quarries and such? When my dad was driving the dump truck, he would haul from quarries, concrete plants, or pick up sand at rivers. Do I just call those companies directly to see if they need stuff hauled, or try to find the customers that are actually wanting the stuff delivered? How long do you normally have to wait for payment from these types of places? Do they typically pay once a month, once a week?
Lastly, I think, if someone was in my shoes and wanting to get into the trucking business, would you start with end dump? I have chose end dump due to wanting to maximize home time but still make money. I have done some research as far as a "national yearly average" of pay for end dump owner operators, and while I honestly don't know if that is before or after all expenses (truck payments, insurance, etc.), I feel like it would be a decent amount of money and still have home time. Having 3 kids and the girlfriend at home, I would like to be home every night as much as possible. Is this just a dream, or can it be a reality?
I have also thought about potentially looking into a second truck and trailer, should my dad want to drive again. For someone just starting out, is it advisable to purchase two trucks and trailers up front, or try it out with one and potentially buy a second one later on?
I apologize for the long post, and thank you in advance for any and all information anyone can help me with here. I do appreciate it.
Thinking about getting into End Dump
Discussion in 'Tanker, Bulk and Dump Trucking Forum' started by Jfrye, May 23, 2020.
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your insurance will be super expensive. theres no way i would spend a $100,000 on a truck and trailer with zero experience
Sumtinlidat and Rubber duck kw Thank this. -
Thank you for the reply. That's why I came here. I wanted to get some insight from people who have been doing this for a living. I would like to ask why you would not spend that much on a combo with no experience? I do get that it is pricey, but from my perspective, why would I want to buy cheaper equipment that has more potential to break down?
The truck I've had the most interest in is a lower mileage truck. It had the engine overhauled around 30k miles ago, and has had other work done to it. I have not personally talked to the other yet to get all of the specifics for the work done, but with the overhaul, and the specs on the truck, I feel like it would be a good starting point. As of right now, with the information I have on the truck, I see it as being more of a higher upfront cost with less down the road cost leading to more downtime. I do realize that anything can happen, and that in no way is anything guaranteed. I'm a mechanic now, so I know how quickly things can change.
As I mentioned in my first post, I have been looking into older trailers. My figure of $100,000 includes a newer trailer and the higher price tag. With looking into the slightly older trailers, it would put it in the ballpark of $75-80,000. Is this still more than someone with no experience should be looking at to start out?truckdriver31 Thanks this. -
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That I can do. As I mentioned, I am still only looking into all of this, so I have yet to contact the seller of the truck, so I have no VIN or anything on it. I am just trying to figure out some more of the basic information before trying to jump into this head first. While the rig dig report is not something I had found out about yet, I do appreciate the reply, but could you possibly give a little more insight to your first reply? I am curious to your reasoning. Anything helps me learn here to make the best decision I can.
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You're talking chucking 100k out right off the bat, you haven't paid for insurance, all the paperwork headaches, or driven a single mile yet, you could easily be 120 or 130k down before you get that first paycheck, and believe me you will lose sleep over that one.
On top of all that right now is less than ideal time to jump in the owner op pool to say the least.
I say all this as someone who did pretty well what you're talking, only i bought an older truck and brand new trailer. Would I do it again, in a heart beat, but I'd do it a little differently.Jfrye Thanks this. -
I'd get my license then get a dump truck driving job first , you might hate it
tommymonza, SL3406, ChevyCam and 1 other person Thank this. -
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Don't kid yourself. That truck is just as used as anything else with 1 million on the clock. The fact it has 430k miles and a wet kit tells me that it was probably running local all its life vs 65 down the highway all day. Miles aren't really a good indicator of use when you compare an OTR truck against a locally run one.
Itsbrokeagain and Cat sdp Thank this.
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