How much should I charge to haul grain locally?

Well all be, another farmer getting into the trucking business. Here in Oklahoma we look for farm trucks hauling for others and getting paid using farm tags it is against the law here. It is great you want to help your buddy but helping a neighbor is he comes and plants your crops and then in return you haul his crop to town not charge him for it, that is not helping a neighbor. As independent truckers hauling grain we can not compete with farmers that run farm tags plus your insurance is a lot cheaper then ours. You don't have to run a log book, go threw DOT audits and inspections, pay highway use tax and I would bet the farm most use farm fuel. When was the last time you seen a farm truck get weighed by the DOT and fined for overweight. Things might be different in Nebraska then here in Oklahoma and don't get me wrong I due have respect for the farmer because if it wasn't for the farmer we wouldn't have nothing to haul but if a farmer is going to haul commercial then he needs to do it with proper tags, insurance, permits etc...........

 

I bet you burn dyed fuel in those trucks, too?

 

insurance on farm trucks only covers you if you are hauling your grain from your farm.

hauling your neighbors grain = no insurance coverage

 

How is the insurance company going to know who's grain it is. The farmer turns it in has his grain and pays his neighbor.

 

On the back of a sleeper of a grain hauler.

 

Big John, farm trucks still need a DOT number, get audited, etc. No logs. The farm plates and insurance is cheaper. In IL they set-up scales all the time and it is the farmers that are over and get fined.

The only way you can do this and be legal is if the corn you are hualing you have an ownership percentage. The farmers in IL that do this for friends have the split set-up at the elevator and then transfer that back to the farmer at the end of the day.

 

thats a risk i wouldnt want to take, if its a bad accident there could be some investigations the route and neighbors might get questioned

 

giddyup306,you sound like a nice feller to me friend,but what you are talking about doing is illegal in Ky.,now i don't know about Nebraska ,but i'm purty sure you can only haul ''your grain'' with ''your farm plated'' truck and trailer.A lot of farmers here in Ky. do exactly what you are talking about and get by with it,i compete with them on a daily basis and i have my own operating authority and am fully liscened to haul for hire,so i know. Here is something i'd like for ya to think about so you can better understand my situation,and why we as independent o/o's ''frown'' on what you are planning on doing. Ok,say you have a bumper crop of corn next year in your neck of the woods and you make your living custom harvesting grain and Nebraska has a law in place that makes ALL custom harvestors apply for a business lisc.,pay extra taxes on the fuel they burn,pay for extra insurance etc.,and you have done all that the law has required to be legal and you are ready to make your big run at harvest(this is when you'll make the majority of your years profit),and then you here that ''John Smith'',the biggest farmer in your area finished his harvest 3 weeks ahead of time and is looking to keep his help busy all fall so he starts harvesting in your area and he is charging a cheaper rate than you since he does'nt have to pay for the extra lisc. and taxes that you do, so everyone makes a deal with him to harvest their crop with him instead of you, even though he is not properly lisc. and insured with the state of Nebraska to use his combines on anything but his own property,what i would like to know is, Would you think this was Fair?

Giddyup306,i hope you the best in whatever you decide,i would encourage you to check with your state to make sure it is legal first though. I'm not trying to be a butt-head here,i just wanted to share my ''perspective'' as someone who is trying to make a living hauling grain ''for-hire''. Oh, by the way,welcome to the forum

 

Welcome to my world. I am a custom pesticide applicator and as such, I have to carry insurance to protect against something happens that roasts a customers crop or drift that roasts the neighbours crop (that insurance costs $5000 per year) and I have to be licensed (Licensed to kill) which is a PITA (and costly) to get and a bigger pain to maintain. With all the focus on the "environment you can imagine whats involved in getting licensed to spray pesticides. Farmers will routinely hire their unlicensed, uninsured neighbour and the neighbour charges THE SAME RATE!!!!. Figure THAT one out. It's one thing to risk a load of grain by hiring someone hauling it illegally but these guys risk their WHOLE CROP. Yup, some people would rather hire someone that's just looking to make some beer money rather than supporting someone trying to earn a living. Go figure.