DUMP TRUCK'N

Yup. tons of great guys here sharing...def my favorite site

Im rooting for ya man!!!!

Im talking and meeting o/o's now who are running thier dumps on the mining contract im on hauling copper concentrate, Once i get some numbers/info, I'll share it
Has to be a good paying gig!! Running from mine to smelter..im doing 2 loads a night..tons of O/O/s with the super 16's and end dumps..Im new, and makin friends quick, its only a matter of time and I'll land a o/o to talk to, find out how the hell to get a mining gig

 

You know, with the truck..Ive been in them all...Ive been in good and bad of every maker

I recommend you spend more time lookin for the mechanic who will thourougly thouroughly check a truck for you

Realistically, I cant point you to a specific truck..I liked the 2007 Intl I had cause it was dam comfortable...I felt like i was driving a suburban down the road , not a dumptruck...Had a good amount of emissions problems
The old W900? Never an emission problem, but my back hurt non stop...LOL, and its very much a dump truck

Post a pic once you get one!! I wanna see

This guy I know, has a w900 super 16, real nice and clean, he runs for an asphalt company all day long dumpin into pavers...
He's got train horns, police sirens, upgraded insane headlights, LED's everywhere, everything cool inside, i hate him
I said to him the other day "good to see ya workin"
he says "why?"
I said i like seeing O/o's busy and wheels turning!!
He said " I dont give a crap, my trucks paid for"
hate em

 

Hi Dumper, do you have any friends in the business. If they're good friends, they should be more help than a business consultant. You're on the right track to gather all your cost of operation. Be prepared for a little extra for hidden expenses. If you enjoy what you do and have a sticktoitiveness attitude you'll make it. Do your research and don't sell yourself short or you'll join the come and go crowd. Do a good job, be reliable and responsible. Most of all, collect your money, and keep your customers on a short leash. Creat your own work. Topsoil, mulch, compost, for nurseries and landscapers. Look for land developers with excess materials that you can market to mason yards, concrete or asphalt plants. There are a multitude of things you can do with a straight job. Watch what the big guys do and do it on a smaller more personal scale. Good luck, give it hell.

 

You need to understand one thing going in. Unless you have one of the very few jobs that are steady year round, the dump truck industry is a feast or famine type business. And when the feast comes around, to many people jump in and then get into trouble and start cutting rates which eventually runs everyone out who isn't financially secure. It is an easy business to get into, but difficult to stay in over the long haul unless you manage your money, learn to do as much for yourself as possible, be willing to put in 80 hrs a week between driving and repairing, and then have just a little luck. I wouldn't advise anyone to go into it right now, particularly if you have to ask the questions you asked and if you need a consultant to help finance it. Realistic first month if you find a lot to haul. Before you get your first check. $5000 fuel $2000 insurance depending on what you finance, Lets say another $2,000 payment, figure 3 to 4 cents a mile for tires, but if you ruin one tire thats $300 - $500. Something for repairs, somewhere between say $200 for a wheel seal to $15,000 if you loose an engine. And then you have DOT fines that will happen at some point, Federal use Tax of $580, registration $800 plus, and after you pay all of that and get your very first check, the weather or economy might keep you from having anything to haul for the next two months. This business can eat you up if you're not prepared for it, or just have a little bad luck. On top of that the federal paperwork any more is killer and more of that is coming. I would advise you to get with your consultant, and figure out a different business, because I don't like the future of this one for the small operator, and I've been in it for 40 yrs.

 

You make the call. For a new trailer is the difference between $40,000 and $60,000 worth the ton or ton and a half of weight you save? I just pulled those numbers out of the air but they aren't far off. The difference in some trailers might be as much as 3 tons, but is you have 3 to 5 inch rock to haul, most people don't like hauling that in an aluminum trailer. There are just so many variables without knowing what you're doing that there is no good answer. FYI If you're planning on buying a used trailer which I assume you're talking about, be sure to get someone who know what they are doing to check it out, because you can pay $10K for a trailer and it be virtually unusable. There is a shortage of end dump trailers and good used ones are bringing a premium right now. You are in a really bad place right now, because you don't know what you are going to be hauling, and don't know what kind of equipment your going to be hauling it with. If you are certain this is what you want to do, you would be well served to find you a consultant in the business who will just let you hang out and see what its all about. People think you don't have to be to sharp to haul dirt and rocks around, but it's really more complicated than over the road trucking in that you have to learn so many little things about materials, dump sites, your equipment etc. And again the government regs are going to become cumbersome..

 

Everything TDD's posted in this thread and the other one recent on here is priceless advice. I've heard quite a bit of it from old hands I've worked around in my 6 or 7 years, and found out some of the stuff he's posted the hard way on my own.

Like he and others said I'll endorse it, if you need a business consultant to help you get a dirt trucking company going, and you don't know all that you need to know and he doesn't either, you're probably barking up the wrong tree.

Knowing people is huge, back scratching happens commonly, and some people like the 'knee pad' method.

Repairs? Yep, all the time. Religious maintenance can cut down on repairs but at the end of the day, it's still a dump truck going in and out of rough jobs so stuff's gonna break. It's gonna break more if you're the type of guy to horse stuff around. That being said sometimes you've got to horse stuff around to get the job done.

Paperwork? Yep it's a pain, but you need to keep everything up to snuff or the g man will give you heck, after all once you aren't perfectly legal, your just another dangerous illegal trucker out to kill minivans full of babies.
I remember one IFTA quarterly report for 2 trucks at the time, took me 2 hours to get everything fixed and straightened out to find out I owed about $1.50.

And with you wanting to get into a end dump trailer set up, get ready for going to those jobs where 'Oh you can get in here no problem', showing up and it's a job that could barely fit a tandem dump truck in. What does a guy do then?

Not trying to dog you here, but don't want to see a guy loose his ### either.

 

Hey dumpr826 I drive dump truck in northeastern pa for my family business....its just two trucks my father and I. Hes been trucking for over 30 years mostly driving cost to cost in a tractor trailer but about 10 years ago he decided to get a triaxle and start his own business which has been pretty successful. Anyway I see this is a kind of an old post so before I type along a long story with the things ive learned from him about the dumptrucking business I was just wondering if you were still looking for input on the tricks of the trade or if you already have made your decisions?. Let me know and if your still looking for advice I will gladly share what ive learned from him watching him build our company from the ground up.

 

I been dump trucking for 10 yrs now..I love it but it's like every job in the world. .has its good and bad. .I don't drive my trucks hard and neither are my drivers..here is prefer a steel bed can haul anything aluminum is good for stock hauling. .but for broken concret class a rip rap holes everywhere. ..as someone stated above the extra 1 2 tons are not worth it at the end of the day..I do mostly hrly work both my trucks are tri axles I had a 3 but sold it ..here 70 a hr..I use to buy new recaps for 190 found a local guy that sells new virgin tire for 220 so I buy new now..all comes down to dollars and cents if it don't make money I don't work. .unless it's a job I have been working making money gotta take good with bad sometimes. .but new work not making much not me..

 

Like another poster said its "feast or famine" here in the dump world. With an emphasis on the famine part currently.