Hopper, Dump O/O's & Drivers

Just curios Wheathauler, what kind of rates do you get out there during harvest. I used to haul for a large farmer here in eastern MO. Until some part time farmer/trucker undercut me by half. I got $.18 p/ bu to go 26 miles loaded. Made good money for a couple months.

 

dairy man I take it that you have not flown on a airplane lately. Now that makes you feel like a real criminal . shoes off, belt off, loose articles in tray, then you walk through the metal detector hope like heck it does not go off ,No it did not but carry on got a extra look and we got to go the other room and some of my daily meds got swabbed for explosives not once but 2 times . good thing that I had not been around any fertilizer I probably still been there trying to explain that one . .Love to fly just hate to have to put up with all the BS . But come to think of it trucking is the same way. Love just hate the BS that goes with it .

 

They have already started, look in the truck paper. I seen five late model high sided hoppers for sale that were parked together south of me about 70 miles this week the owner was getting out of the business, he had trucks for sale also. A friend of mine just bought a 2011 Timpte short side hopper for $29k the guy bought it new for $36k and pulled it 10k miles and got out.

I haul with some guys that can't even afford to buy a tire or repair their truck when it breaks. I feel sorry for them because I know there having a tuff time but then again when mommas driving a new car and they show up driving a late model pickup I really don't feel sorry anymore. The sad thing is one guy goes out and two new guys show up.

Drivers not saving for the slow times then they get in a bind use their fuel money to pay the bills or pay for a tag then they can't pay for fuel to go haul. I see it locally and one guy is leasing on to someone else that furnishes a fuel card and a tag because he spent all of his money and can't operate his business anymore so he gives up his authority. I also see guys that will haul for two days then turn in an invoice for those loads so they can get fuel money. I am just glad I don't operate like that.

 

I remember when elevators would pay for out of state trucks to come here to haul during harvest and I would see trucks from TX, AR, IA, MO, KS, LA, NE and so on and that was back when wheat was the only crop around here. Rates were good and usually a good group of drivers. Their were a lot more trucks back then hauling then there is know. The only truck stop in town was full of trucks at night and the same with the motels. Harvest was a good time but like everything else nothing good last for ever.

 

Hope everyone made it through the storms out there in kansas and nothwest mo. last night. We have tornado watches here in northeast missouri until about 10pm. Gotta leave early in the morning and head to oakland Ne. to deliver this load of fertilizer, and then head to minnesota to pick up organic corn going to arkansas.

 

Please keep all the joplin tornado victims in your thoughts and prayers. We had two tractor trailers with major damage.One driver pulled over got on the floor of the sleeper, it sucked the windows out he was holding onto the passenger bottom of the seat, it sucked bedding and all his stuff out. Luckily he was loaded. The other driver was empty and it put the trailer rite on the cab and sleeper of the truck like a 100mph jacknife. Both guys escaped with cuts and bruises but they walked away.Some of the pictures and footage is mind blowing. Crop Jocky

 

Anyone ever haul Conalo? Is this stuff lightweight? I had a farmer call me today and wanted a quote on a load of this stuff going to Goodland, KS. A Friend of mine gave him my number but I am not legal yet to run that way and I don't think I could get enough on my short sided trailer. He also told me he was having a hard time finding a hopper that wanted to go to Western Kansas.

 

Thats one commodity i havnt hauled yet, where in w. ks. is he wanting to go with it?