Getting my own chip truck. what does it pay?

I don't know if there is any profit to be made, I worked for a man who hauled the wood chips to get all the lumber coming out of the mill.
Saying that he only broke even on the chips but made money on the lumber hauling with flatbeds & mulch hauling to landscapers & nurseries with live bottom trailer. He was paid by the ton on the wood chips.

 

Chips are cheap. Usually. The way you described is the way things are around here. The problem is, lumber doesn't pay that well either.

 

I'd imagine asking around where you work would be the best option. If you don't have work lined up and don't know the rates, purchasing a truck nowadays is going to lead to much distress. Talk to other chip truck owners and find out what their expenses are and what you would be up against. My guess is the going rate won't help much towards ownership. I'm sorry this sounds discouraging but, truck owners from every corner of trucking are having a hard time the past 5 years.

 

Negotiate that with your customers.

 

One piece of advice....never drop the rate to get the haul. You'll find it's almost impossible to get the rate back up to where it should be.
You cannot accept a break even rate. Break even is losing money.
Customers, especially if they've been in business for any length of time, will play you like a violin as far as rates are concerned. They won't pay you a dime more than they have to.
There's nothing crooked about that, it's just business.
Figure out what your operating costs will be. Figure them out to the penny. Knowing what it costs to run is essential in figuring out whether a rate is a money maker or not.

 

Chips are generally cheap. I tried to make a go of it leased to a carrier, with a brand new truck, and lost. It's a fun easy job and id love to do it again, only mill direct though for the few more bucks it would take to make it barely sustainable.

Chips are a good example of a "cheeseburgers"
You can make a lot of money selling cheeseburgers. But you need to sell a #### load of them

I'd like to add, if this opportunity has anything AT ALL to do with DCT Chambers, run.

Also, chip rates generally go by the tonne unless you cube out. So you'll have to figure out a tonnage rate (that works well for you) for the fibre mills, based on the various mill locations.

 

The load rate for wood chips can vary based on location, demand, and contracts with mills. Many rates are not listed on public load boards because most wood chip hauling is done through direct contracts with mills or brokers.

To get the right numbers for your expense report, try these steps:

Talk to Other Haulers – Ask owner-operators or trucking companies in your area what they charge.
Contact Mills Directly – Some mills have set rates for haulers. Call and ask if they hire independent truckers and what they pay.
Check with Brokers – Some freight brokers handle wood chip loads. They may have rate info.
Industry Groups – Trucking forums or logging associations may have people who can help.
If you can’t find exact rates, estimate based on fuel, maintenance, insurance, and how many loads you can haul per week. This will help show the bank a realistic plan.

 

Are you leasing on with someone like Chambers, M&M, or Walsh? They seem to be the biggest players around NW Oregon and Washington. Lemmons also has stuff but they haul mainly for PAC Fibre. I know there’s a few trucks leased on with Walsh but it looks like a guy just bought 2 or 3 old Mack’s from them and slapped his name on the door and now hauls trash out to Arlington for them.

 

The first thing I would do if I owned a chip truck would be to find a better paying gig.
Between players like Sierra Pacific, Weyco, Walsh and Bettendorf that lemon is out of juice to squeeze.