Question about Hauling Hay with Percentage Pay

30% is great for a company driver. My late hubby and I pulled for % in 2005, until he hurt his back, and we got paid 26% going west, 28% coming back.

Going west we did LTL flatbed, 5-7 drops, back we generally got things from the harbor, one pick one drop.

Going out the loads paid upwards of 5000, so we made at least 1300, coming back we got normally 1.45 a mile, so you do the math. We had loads that paid us almost a buck a mile going out, as company drivers, coming back not so great.

If things worked out we got 2 trips in for one pay check.

You have to find out their revenue per mile, or trip, ask to see it in writing, because it won't be worth it if they haul freight for peanuts.

Good luck to you.

 

dekok25 they dont grow too much hay in Jersey or Long Island, thus the higher price. That same hay will sell for $12-$18 a bale in Florida during the winter in a dry year. BTW good horse hay is about 11-16% protein.

 

I am a farmer and know all about hay. If I were going to truck hay it would be from the North to the South.
Small squares........500 to 600 in a 53' van (not drop deck). 350-400 on a flat bed. IF they are stacked right on a flat you should not have to tarp them to hold them on. You may WANT to tarp them but you don't have to. Plenty of straps needed.
Large sqaures and the rounds were well covered above and again, you don't HAVE to tarp them.
Now, for me, if I were running my own truck and wanted to maximize profit, I would find a barn full of quality GREEN hay in the north and buy a load with my own $. You could get buy small sqaures for $3.00 all day long in the quantities were are talking about. Haul it to the south and find a co-op where you could drop the trailer and let them sell right off the trailer. You charge them $7-$8 a bale and they charge $10 a bale.
If you could find a load coming north and another trailer this could be great.

 

I guess I have never looked at the hay market over that area. So I suppose with hay having to be brought in could drive the price higher. The hay I get for my dairy cows is usally between 18-20% protein.

 

hey thats good stuff !! yeah it will bring more where you cant grow it or where there has been a drought. In Ocala, Fl during the HITS show, Jan-Mar. the hunter jumper people flock in and they wont feed bermuda hay to a horse they only feed timothy,orchard etc. you can get $12-18 a bale then. go figure

 

Ya the prices can be all over the map depending on the time of year or the drought conditions. Hunter Jumper people will bring the highest $.
Either way, if it was me hauling the hay I would buy it myslef and then sell it myself. HUGE profits in this if you can afford to buy a load at a time and truck it south.

 

I know I hotshotter in AL that would watch hay markets across the country then take a load to an area where hay prices were low . He'd buy a load and take it home and sell it .

 

I know we have loaded 53 foot dry vans at our farm headed for the south before. We sold the bales for $3 a piece and thought we were in heaven. The driver told us that he was headed to a co-op near atlanta (we are in mich) and they were selling the bales for $15 a piece. 500 bales on that truck.....do the math.