Dump Truck recommendations as an Owner Operator.

Around these parts in the dump truck game the only ones that buy new equipment are bigger companies. Most o/o’s will buy something old and used and give it another life as a rock bucket. There are a lot of guys that are running second hand Old Dominion or H-E-B Grocery tractors. Some are reconfigured as straights and others are TT’s. I know of one small company that buys the oil field trade in’s from Rush or French Ellison dealers and of another one that gets all the used light blue Petes that pulled tanks from Reynolds Nationwide.

 

Most oos or small companies around here (central il) are running old trucks for straight dump trucks and slightly newer for semi dump trailers.
As far as most construction jobs, they don’t care what it looks like or how old it is if it’s there on time and runs hard till they say you’re done for the day. I run a 72 ford tandem dump and a 95 ford semi pulling various trailers. I’m still working on an 85 kw dump truck. I feel that for $1000-2000 you can go through the simple things like belts and hoses on the old mechanical trucks and have a really good chance of being able to work all day or at least deal with a problem to finish out the day or dump your load of asphalt where as the new stuff, if it decides you’re done, you’re fed.

 

Volvos can put in work too!!!

 

I don't think you will need to worry about getting your authority for dump truck work, at least if it is in-state. There may be intrastate regulations that you will need.

My advice is to purchase a purpose built vocational truck, and not a converted otr truck. Heavy front axle, suspension with a lot of travel, lockers, 46k rears, heavy or double frame, and lower gears. Tall tires is a plus. Smaller diameter fuel tanks also. You will end up over legal on weight, and be in rough situations off-road.

A converted aero 2xx rear end otr fuel mileage truck will not last long. A lot of purpose built dump trucks come with auto trans. I have never driven one, but they may be a good choice.

 

Alot of all purpose built trucks come with sticks.

No one wants an auto. And autos have no business being in the business.

Long haul maybe. Local. They're a pos.

 

The big Allison….ht Series actually works pretty dang good in a dump truck
I’d probably still rather a 8ll 13 or 15 but just saying

 

Every new company dump truck is an Allison around here……

most would say your better with a dump trailer than a dump truck. Cause you can drop the dump trailer and do whatever. Forget a steel trailer too.

 

I'm sure they all work pretty dang good. When they work.

But getting them started rolling and keeping them rolling is another story.

Mine likes to drink a few cups of coffee before it thinks about take off. Forget about beating traffic when you're trying to leave an intersection of any kind.

It also comes to stop if the path has too much resistance. And it has its moments when it literally just sits there. On smooth asphalt.

They won't shift gears in a turn so you have to hit the button to upshift. They won't shift gears if you're on any kind of incline at a stoplight.

And forget rocking yourself to get unstuck.

And lastly. They wrap out the motor in whatever gear it starts out in. 2 or 3. Then coasts for 5 seconds before grabbing the next gear. Which only goes up 200 rpm before coasting again to grab the next gear.

Mine was definitely not built for the indy 500.