Dump Truck Owner Ops

Discussion in 'Canadian Truckers Forum' started by JDTeddyB, Sep 28, 2022.

  1. JDTeddyB

    JDTeddyB Bobtail Member

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    Sep 28, 2022
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    Hey,

    I am reletivly new to the industry, been driving class DZ commercial vehicles for about 3 years now. I am looking into owning my own dump truck at some point but I'm finding that those job positions just do not exist the same way you see job postings for AZ owner ops.

    I see a ton of AZ owner operator positions posted online but it doesn't seem to show any dump truck owner operator positions. Is this simply because there isn't such thing in Canada (Ontario specific) as a dump truck owner operator (for whatever reason)? Or am I going about it all wrong and not searching in the right places?

    I understand you can start buying your own trucks and start a business and then get more and more trucks to eventually work towards your own fleet but im not interested in that. Im looking to just own my own one truck and get work hauling material from point A to point B for whatever company, much like an AZ owner op would do.
     
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  3. classicxl

    classicxl Medium Load Member

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    unless you have a friend who has a company with contracts and who’s willing to lease you on ,you either need to find a broker who brokers out loads and hopefully takes care of you and keeps you running every day of the week . You have to do alot of butt kissing with load brokers in the dump truck industry because there’s alot of trucks around the GTA also looking for work so you need to put shine everyone else if you want to work every day of the week . Only other option is start pounding the pavement knocking on doors of the big pits or construction companies getting your own contracts cutting out the middle man ie the broker .Just be aware if you get your own work a lot of companies don’t pay you until 30-90 days later so be prepared for having to put out the expenses while you wait . Me personally knowing what the state the dump truck industry is around the GTA and southern ontario i wouldn’t brother . The sad truth is the indians have taken over and ruined the industry working for peanut’s . Both my self and dad had our own tri axles back in 2021 ,we bought 2 2012 international’s that we bought off of his friend for $85k each interest free loan and we signed on to him since had the contracts with Furmar and ipac .Worse decision we ever made . it’s very hard to make any money hauling asphalt rates are low our trucks only made $78 a hr and out of that we got $71 a hr his friend made $7 off our backs for every hr worked because he gave us the work a yard to park in etc etc . If you work 10 hrs a day that’s only $710 then you have fuel which we put in $140 at a time every signal day and we only got 3/4 to half a tank then we had truck parking at $220 a month , insurance which i think was $700 , then you need to put away money for taxes , repairs,retirement and truck replacement down the road and depending on what you haul if asphalt the down time in the winter months . most guys drive a plow truck during the winter months just to survive.Again my dads friend has a fleet of plow trucks with the city of Mississauga and brampton but my dads friend and his whole family that runs the company only cares about them selfs .There’s very little profit left by the end of the day and that’s if there’s no rain days . Working nights paving highways is worse you only haul 1- 2 loads a night starting at 11pm finishing around 3-5am because the highway needs to be opened up again for traffic.I don’t want to put you down or your dreams but i tried what you are and someone with 8-9 trucks with contracts and it’s just not worth. i lasted 6 months my dad did 2 seasons selling his 2012 the first year and buying a 2014 international off the same friend. he was going all over the place burning half his earnings in day on fuel . My best advice is go work for a good company and keep track of everything then decide if it’s worth it to you
     
    Last edited: Sep 28, 2022
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  4. MartinFromBC

    MartinFromBC Road Train Member

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    Go knock on some doors man.
    Gravel pits, construction companies, excavation companies, road building and maintenance, landscapers.
    While at pits, ask the owner for tips to, some pit owners are good people.
     
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  5. BigHossVolvo

    BigHossVolvo Road Train Member

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    My best friend tried exactly this, as mentioned above, unless you have an inside man to keep you loaded and moving, its not worth it. My buddy is just breaking even, with the cost of fuel and how inconsistently these construction companies use their O/O and Contractors; its rough.

    There is also the constant issue of being overloaded, the excavator operators don't care, they just pile it on and expect you to take it.

    Foreman treat their employees like absolute ####, they are 10X as bad to the contractors O/O's.

    I personally would have liked to get a nice T800/Tri Axle pup and given it a go, but his experience really turned me off.
     
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  6. classicxl

    classicxl Medium Load Member

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    truth is the rates need to come way up with todays times and they’re not there even the guys hauling gravel from the pits or the ones hauling dirt have to haul ### each day every day of the week just to earn a buck because they get paid by the load . the down side is your maintenance and fuel cost increases a lot more vs asphalt where you grab a load and get to the job and sit and wait in line behind every one else. You will as i found out deal with a lot of ######## on construction crews yelling at you for any reason .Fermar was real strict if you backed up on one of their jobs sites without a flag man you got sent home even if it’s your first load . it happened to one of my dads friends new guys he just hired
     
    Last edited: Sep 28, 2022
  7. Phantom Trucker

    Phantom Trucker Medium Load Member

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    Perhaps you could consider some of the Northern and NorthWestern communities of Ontario where the competition isn’t so fierce (Nipigon, Thunder Bay, Dryden, Kenora). There’s various highway construction projects going on up there that might be a little more worthwhile.

    If you’re really drawn to working with dump trucks, maybe you could consider some of the other segments that use them. For example in Ontario, Quebec and the East, a lot of grain and bulk materials gets moved around using end dumps. - However, these are generally tractor trailer equipment that requires an AZ/Class 1 license.
     
    Last edited: Sep 29, 2022
    Reason for edit: Post edit.
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  8. MartinFromBC

    MartinFromBC Road Train Member

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    BC has about half as many dump trucks, as we need the past few years. But you are better off with an actual dump truck and tri axle pup, than an end dump here.
    Money is good, very good though.
    I only wish that I had 700 dump trucks and drivers nowadays.
     
  9. JDTeddyB

    JDTeddyB Bobtail Member

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    How good is the money in BC?
     
  10. MartinFromBC

    MartinFromBC Road Train Member

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    Pm coming shortly.
     
  11. special-k

    special-k Road Train Member

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    Adding your location would help a lot. Ontario is a pretty big province. Most guys with their own dump truck have their own operating authority too. There's some big players in the dump world that would cut you a deal to use their authority and find you loads. They would probably keep around 20 per cent of the gross. You're the only one who can decide if it's worth that to you or not.
     
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