Hopper Bottum Hauling

You did read the part about me making 20,000 last year right?

 

yup im not saying don't do it im just saying take your time to try to find a decent gig rather than just jumping on the first thing that comes your way.

 

10/4

 

I don't believe 'hopper' and 'not run that hard, be home more often' belong in the same post together. At least that wasn't the case in my experience.

There's money to be had, but you've gotta hustle for it. It's a full time job just keeping that wagon cleaned out so you don't get rejected at the next loadout. Hopefully y'all see a rate increase. I know I wouldn't want to do it on a ELD.

 

I'm not so concerned about running hard as to being properly compensated for it. I guess it's all about the numbers at the end of the day. I'm making 600- 800 a week running 3 days and I can pay the bills and live decently off of that (when we have the work). why is that such an impossibility running your own truck? seems like you should do that and better easily running your own rig..

 

its not so much that its harder to live off the same amount of money its more being able to survive the up and down swings. a big repair can kill any profit for a while. or depending on your contracts ect sometimes you have to wait a while to get paid and you still have to keep the wheels turning in the mean time. its easier once you have been doing it a while and you have a pretty good nest egg biult up to handle the +/- cash flow swings. but just starting out it can be rough. may mean not paying yourself for a while at times to keep the wheels turning. its harder and will take longer and your need more luck to get yourself established running low margin work. to work your own truck and only make what a company driver makes when you have twice as much on the line is just not worth it.

for someone just starting out without a lot of startup capital leasing to a carrier that supply's a fuel card pays weekly or twice a week ect can certainly make it easyer on a new guy starting out. of course these deals are typically lower pay.

mabye even get in a hopper gig as a company driver first get your feet wet learn what its all about and you may even find out about some better company's to lease onto once your out there, and your talking to the guys unloading next to you. will also help you familiarize yourself with what a good and bad rate is hopper rates are not quoted in per mile is normally per bushel or cwt. what loads may be a pia to clean out from places that are known for long wait times. so if they say iv got a load of xyz from blank to blank for 1.12 per bushel or a load of wxy from blank to blank for $2.00 cwt on the surface the second load may seam like the better load but really the first is the gravy.

getting good hopper work can have a lot to do with who you know.

 

Good stuff. you've said and others said seems like getting through those first couple months and pretty much putting everything into savings for break downs and slow times etc until you fill comfortable is the way to go. I'm thinking this pretty much sums up why some O/O's make it and others don't is one blows and goes and the others save..

I have worked for a custom harvesting crew running there Hoppers but didn't think to ask other drivers about what there making and who there working for. Actually I probably did just don't remember, it was awhile back. I could probably call the guy I worked for who owned the hole operation and he could probably give me some good ideas, just don't want to much because the guys a jack a__.

Good and bad rates well there's a mouth full. Top secret information there. Here's were the newbs get taken advantage of I'm sure. I wish there was some way of looking up what there getting paid, that would be nice. Seems the brokers have the advantage here. And if there greedy which I'm sure most of them are they'll screw you if you don't know what's going on that is, as you said already.

I would imagine it would take some time to get familiar with all the different grain bins..

Dang I'm gaining much respect for O/O's after studying up on all that it in takes.. You got to have some big balls to get out there in your own truck.. Or burned the bridges with all the big company's some how or another which is not really hard to do these days.

Of course everyone's situation is different. If you have 3 kids and a wife were all your money goes verses a single guy with a big savings account wouldn't require as much grit I guess lol.. For me the guy with little savings and 3 kids and a wife (gigantic balls) to do this.

I've studied and studied and studied and still feel there's ton's more to learn.. I guess eventually you just got to get out there and do it and let the cards fall were they may..

 

You and @Cottonmouth85 are from the same region. It wouldn't hurt to pick his brain he is a hustler, I have seen that first hand. Just from what I have seen leasing on to almost any hopper outfit lands you pulling freight that they stepped on the rate and are charging you 20% or whatever. I don't talk money in line but I have all but gotten sick to hear what some owner operators leased on are making on the same load as independents. That said I am sure there are exceptions to that rule. No way would I pull forced dispatch with any trailer but for dang sure not with a hopper. Anything to pet food places is a pain in the ###, lots of washouts find out who pays for them going in. I'm not telling you there isn't money pulling a hopper, like @Ezrider_48501 said be cautious.

 

Are you saying that the independents (non authority) are making as much or more then those with there own authority?

 

I belive what he means by stepped on is that the lease hands are getting screwed.