Help for a rookie dump trucker!

ya..i will look into that. i haven't filled it up yet...im just going to run about 13 to 14 tons the first yr to get used to it. that keeps it under the heavy weight limit as well (55000#).

im just about done getting everything together, i will put together a list of what i did and what to do to get started.

 

Make sure to cat scale the truck after you put your personal gear in and a full tank of go go juice, then start to memorize what a scoop of whatever weighs, the loader may not pay attention. That tickets yours. Never run hevey unless you are willing to pay the price. "Come kev, your the man, i know you cant 18 in that box... its only 20 miles.." you gonna put it writting that you will pay my fines, tickets, incresed insurance excc? Didnt think so, 2 trips or no trips

 

17 foot bed on a tandem? You're gonna be overweight ALOT. I have a 15 foot bed on a my tandem and I'm overweight alot of the time!

Not sure if 55,000 is your 'perfect world' legal weight if everything axles out perfectly, or if you just want to stay out of the 2290 tax, but remember, I looked it up for you, Texas will only give you 34,000 pounds on the tandem group on the back end.

Maybe you guys are just lucky and work for a bunch of contractors who understand trucking laws matter on what the weight is, not how physically full the dump body is.

 

Load from the front of the box and try to leave the back foot or two by the tailgate with as little as possible or you'll be over weight. We have a tri axle with a 21 foot box and can haul 20 ton without being over weight. Good luck!

 

Go to any commercial DMV they will tell every thing you need to do.Good luck to you.

 

i know this is very late but i figured i would post up some info on how/what i needed to get going. i live in texas so it might not be exactly the same..

after i bought the truck i went and weighed it, then registered. after registration i took it for inspection. next up was registering my business name, which a friend helped me out with so i dont have much info on that! then my usdot # which was free. then called and got my ein (tax id #). then txdot #. last thing i did was insurance i believe. exact order may not be right but its close.

been a few months running and i couldnt be happier making this decision. sure its been a wet winter so far and some choppy work to start off...but it sure beats the hell out of warehouse work! (my previous job)

 

wow, been a while since I posted this! A LOT has changed since then. I ran into HUGE problems with this auction truck. differentials cracking, Hendrickson bushings being shot, driveshaft sliding out, engine in frame, and many more! lost so much money.. but also learned a ton in the process. still have the truck, but now it's shortened with a 13ft bed, at that time I swapped in a Reyco suspension setup. I haul primarily dirt for residential properties. started off doing odd jobs then landed at a pit, which i worked for about 7 years until they went bankrupt last year. snagged a few builder contracts and now I work for myself and I love it. weird way of working itself out.

just thought it would be neat to throw an update on this

 

Its always interesting when people come back with an update. Glad things are working out for you -

 

yup! I lost the log in to this site once, then forgot the website entirely. figured out the login and went back at my old threads (and started a new one today), so I figured I would post an update. I always wonder what happened to someone when they don't post back.......