Hopper, Dump O/O's & Drivers

Hello all my hopper brothers and possibly sisters?? Anyways.... I've been driving a 9400International with a Wilson Patriot AG series (If i remember right) for a local farmer(His setup) for 2 years now and have been considering becoming and O/O locally. Any advice? Also do you guys haul for private individuals or like co-op's and elevators (if so how does the pay work)?

 

Don't pay any attention to Mrs.Bullhaulerswife,COhauler,she just misses the smell of ''sour'' soybean-meal on her hubby's cloths and helping him get ''caked'' DDG unloaded in hot humid weather?

 

ha ha ha That is funny dairyman. You are not right.

 

Welcome aboard DFB. Dang Wheathauler,see if you can get Mrs.Bullhaulerswife to get us a Walmart ''greeter'' in here tonight for all the new folks,i'm starting to sound like one myself

DFB,i haul for 3 or 4 local feed mills in my area,and grain for some large farmers,but the feed mills are my bread and butter.Grain rates are so ''seasonal'' it's feast or famine usually,at least in my neck of the woods anyways. Check around at some local feedmills and fert.plants,independently owned places,thats where i started.You will find that those places will be a little bit more ''consistant'' with rates,but remember,it's still ''competitive'' and those folks will reward your ''service'' with the rates,and so will the good brokers. whatever you do,don't start out hauling it ''cheap'',they'll remember that too. Good luck to ya,and again,like the ''Walmart'' lady/man says,''Welcome''

 

Thanks for the welcome.....With in 30 miles from my home I have like 8-9 elevators/ethanol plants and there is one fert. distributor(co-op) 7 miles away and another about 25 miles....There are also 2-3 Feed Mills in 5-20 miles So I'm sure I could find work I just need to get all my Ducks in a row and see if it makes sense..... How do yall figure out your cost of operation.... And what are "good" rates and how many miles do you aim for in a day? Also Dairyman what trailer dimensions do you run?? I assume you haul Soymeal and DDG's and stuff like that?

 

Just like DFB, I am also looking at going out on my own running a hopper. Just for my information, what is a good rate to haul grain? Is it by the mile or by the bushel?

 

Sounds like your gona be in a ''very'' rate competitive area there,pard. I'm in an area that is 80-90 miles from the closest elevator with a few local bourbon dist. plants for ddg,and the closest bean-meal/soyhull plants are around 110 miles or more away. I have a lot of ''bounce'' miles,to say the least. I pull a 39x72x96 Wilson,and you are correct,i do haul b-meal and ddg. I can get around 26 to 26.5 T of b-meal on with 1/2 tank of fuel,but i can only ''bridge'' about 25.5T , i run an 'ol day-cab. I run around 3 to 400 miles/day except for harvest time. As far as ''good'' rates, i would go as far to say,my rates are ''fair'' to me and my customer

 

With your kind of ''pull'' on here,i was hoping for some ''cash'',or at least a stool to sit on,my legs are gett'n tired










Hey,a new title under my name,you do have some ''pull''. Hope Wheathauler don't fire me now