Hopper, Dump O/O's & Drivers

All right time to jump in here with both feet....

First off a little advice for Pharma in the event that he at some point decides to get into End Dumps:

I pulled an East Genesis 2 trailer with an 05 Pete, good match, but kinda heavy, about 32500lbs with 1/2 tank of fuel.

It was a frameless witch are notoriously unstable, everything you have heard about being level, its the truth! I came close to flipping it a couple times!

The Genesis was a nice trailer because it was a heavy duty trailer with 1/4 steel/ aluminum composite mix which was nice for hauling pig iron, and steel loads into the Mills.

And this post has gotten long enough so in the next one I will ask y'all about jumping into the world of hopper bottoms......

 

Alright and now onto me and what I am looking for:

I have been driving OTR Dump for the last 5 years, and am looking to latch on to a company that pulls hoppers and or walking floor trailers.

I spent one year hauling Wet grain Distillers out of Renew Energy in Jefferson WI, and loved EVERY Minute of it, well then they went bankrupt and I went back to hauling in the pits around the Metroplex.

Some of the bigger companies around here are Plainfield trucking out of Plainfield WI, and Jerry Arneson out of Janesville. There are also quite a few farmers that have 3-5 truck fleets but they all have drivers.

So I guess the question I have is this:

What is the best way to find out who is hiring in the hopper bottom world?

Talk to people in the elevators?

Do some fishing on the Interwebz?

Good old fashioned Cold Calling?

Move to Nebraska, Iowa, or Kansas? (Not entirely out of the question By the way, at least i would get to keep more of the money I earn!)

South Eastern Wisconsin had a roaring Farm Economy up until about the 90's and that has all become subdivisions now!

So its not like I can just go and knock on a farmers door......

Any help or Guidance would be great!

Thanks in advance!

 

SNIPPED

Late model EatonFuller's call for 75-90w synthetic can run 80-140 for local or heavy haul but OTR will kill milage with that weight.

http://www.roadranger.com/Roadranger/productssolutions/copyright/index.htm

 

Welcom to the forum Michael, hope you like this place as much as I do.

I can't help much, I just run a hopper locally here in west central IL. I'd say do exactly what you just mentioned, talk to elevators, use the internet, talk to other truckers, farmers, etc. Maybe type up a resume to hand out, you got a decent start on it in your 2nd post. I know elevators everywhere hire part time help every fall, more for dumping trucks, weighing and grunt work, but it can't hurt to have your resume out to a few places. People quit, get sick, whatever all the time. I know if I had many trucks, I'd want some spare drivers lined up all the time. You never know, a job may not be what you want immediately, but it could lead to something better.

Good luck with your search.

 

I have tried doing the internet search thing and for the life of me I cannot figure out a search term to use.

I use Agriculture haulers, hopper bottom jobs, and just about any other term I can think of and all I get are results that lead to grain elevators and such.

Can you guys think of any search terms to use?

I just thought of this too....The whole reason i got into trucking, was to go out and see the big cities and such. I've been there and done that.

Now i want to return to my roots, and stay in the country as far from the cities and suburbs as I can.

Ironic isn't?

 

Welcome Micheal. Fall is near and harvest is coming. Most places you can find farmers looking for drivers. It won't pay great prolly but you'll meet the elevator folks and a lot of the independents and hear of openings. I drive for 3 different farms and I like it. I'd approach the elevator guys and let them know you're available. I got my job at a large farm (5800 acres-600K bushel storage) because the guy they had hired quit 1 week into harvest. Said it wasn't his cup of tea and left them in a bind. Our out hauls are 40-110 miles 1 way. Makes for a nice day. Good luck.

 

Try "harvesting". A regular search for drivers will turn some up too. You just have to sift through them manually.

 

I like that idea!

Thanks!

 

If only google was able to do the sorting for me.....

But harvesting seems like it would be a good one to use! And Obvious one too!

Why didn't I think of that?

Thanks!