Dump truck vs dump trailer: need advice

Hi y'all! Recently I moved back to Southern California after spent some time and worked in Charlotte,NC. I know this not usually people do, but it is what it is. I sold my truck over there and bought another triaxle in here.( LA county ). Truck currently doesn't have a dump body on it, in process to get one. Lately seen a lot of trucks in here haul end dump/side dump trailers. My question is it make sense to install 5th wheel and go with trailer? My truck is double framed with PTO and stuff on it. In this case I could haul any type of trailer when season is slow. Or just make completed dump truck? Would be great if anyone can help to find a strong contact in dump truck business. Thanks

 

Definitely, go with a 5th wheel. It opens up to a lot more options, and resale.

 

I agree with @201 I’d go for the trailer setup for sure. I’d be careful tho with a side dump if that’s what you’re thinking about. Someone once said after a few years the truck frame is almost completely roached from the twisting it endures. Idk if that’s true or not, or just driver talk, but may be worth looking into. Best of luck!

 

This may be a regional thing, but I've operated all three, so can give my $0.02!

Side dumps aren't as versatile. The vast majority of customers set things up for, and expect, end dumping boxes in most scenarios.

End dump trailers can be a little risky if used on soft or uneven terrain. They also aren't suited to some residential work when you'd really just want a box on a straight truck to back into some dudes narrow driveway.

The most versatile setup used here is a dump box on body for residential and on-site work, followed by that truck pulling around a pony trailer for larger jobs that can accommodate them, and then followed by that truck pulling around a transfer for the biggest/furthest hauls.

So you'd really need to know what type of work you're expecting to get, or want, there. Another thing to consider is this, and this is probably regional also: I bill my truck out by the hour, and at the end of the day I net the most just running a truck with a dump box. The rates aren't linear with weight hauled. I never did net more money by pulling around my pony. All it guaranteed was getting potential work, instead of sitting home, but I didn't care about that and sold it. Eight less tires to care about, four less brakes, and one less thing to have inspected, not to mention huge fuel savings. The increased trailer rate barely covered the extra fuel usage.

Here's the thing I've found... The more weight you haul, and the more trailer you pull, equates to the customer running you harder, all day long. On hourly rates, I find a dump box on body is the best moneymaker. You see those straight dump trucks sitting around on a paving job, or when there's sewer or whatever other infrastructure work being done? Those are the jobs you want. Those trucks are all billing an hourly rate to just sit there. Those are the jobs you want. It doesn't happen often, but I've had jobs that I've billed 12 hours to the truck, while running it for literally an hour that day. Those moneymakers are typically always reserved for a straight truck with dump body.

 

This was helpful. Thank for advice. I had a quadaxle dump truck few months back but different state-different rules and equipment. I heard straight truck most popular but always have “something” in my mind. That truck what I bought was a transfer truck. So, for now I’ll install the bed on it ( it’s came without it) and start rolling

 

I would say in this particular segment of the industry, it's often best to stick with what's simple, and most cost effective for you. Unless you have guaranteed stable work lined up for anything but, a dump body on a standard dump truck frame is the most cost effective way to get into the game in an unfamiliar region.

I've been through a similar move. Just get a box of $10 VistaPrint business cards made up, and throw them around like confetti. You'll eventually make some contacts in the industry...

 

This is the truth, however, with one mistake, newbies will NEVER get on a paving job or ANY hourly rate job. Those jobs, as said, are bid way ahead of time, and generally, those jobs "stay in the family". I worked for a non-union segment of a union paving company, and was chastised for it, and there were 2nd and 3rd generations hauling schluck, and trailers are becoming more common, just because they haul more. Unless very specialized, dump work is almost always %, and I'd never do that again. With a 5th wheel, you could have a van or a flatbed in the back yard, and still haul the mail, especially in winter when dump work falls off. That van load of diapers to Miami in January might be nice. Diversity is the key today. What is the truck? Big motor, I hope, and a sleeper, or room for one, better yet.

 

Here in new hampshire all the paving companies use an app to hire the extra trucks they need, cant remember the name of it but they were getting somewhere around $90-100/hour for a lift axle straight truck, end up sitting on the clock atleast half the time. There were a couple landscaping companies that used their trucks during the day to deliver mulch, soil, etc during the day and hired a night driver to use the truck for paving jobs at night.

 

Unless you are hauling your own product, or creating your own work, go with a trailer, for reasons mentioned, sometimes even diversity in whoever you are hauling for, a flat or step can be a handy thing to have for a construction company

 

Hello all,

I am new to the End dump game and had a few questions. I'm looking at either an international prostar or freightliner cascadia day cab. I'm located in NC and was wondering if can I haul a 36foot 6 axle end dump, and if so, do I need a permit to haul heavy? What Horsepower should I be looking into, and do the day cab need to be a tri axle for the job? Will a 10-speed manual with 450+hp work or gotta be a 13-speed?