Hopper, Dump O/O's & Drivers

Some of you guys that load in the field might be interested in this if you haven't already heard about it. Sad, sad deal.

http://www.thetruckersreport.com/tr.../229882-5-yr-old-killed-farming-accident.html

 

Silage is basically a chopped roughage. A lot of it is corn, but it can be any type of high-yielding hybrid sorghum, or even other grasses. It's high-moisture and really bulky - you won't be hauling any silage in a hopper.

There's a lot of grain going into Houston for export, but it's normally been pretty cheap. I haven't done any of that in years, so I can't tell you any current information, but I would expect that it has only gotten worse.

A lot of milo and some corn and other ingredients coming into the poultry complexes north of Houston - Nacogdoches, Center, etc. You can stay really busy during milo harvest running from Central Texas back to Tyson or Pilgrims Pride there.

A lot of fertilizer comes into East Texas cattle country north of Houston - Buffalo, Crockett, etc. Nitrate from Yazoo, potash from Carlsbad. Those loads often have a decent seasonal rate.

If you want to load fertilizer back out, there used to be phosphorus coming out of Houston - La Porte, actually. I think it was Occidental Chemical. Not sure if they still load out of there, or not.

There are a lot of rice by-products coming out of ARI at Freeport to get you back out, too. A high-side trailer makes it easier to get a load of the really bulky stuff like rice mill feed or hulls, but you can get by with 78-80" sides if that's what you have.

You'll just have to shake it down and walk it down to get close to a full load and throw a 2" strap over your tarp at the front and back. Really bulky, kinda like hauling midds - a real PITA. But, a lot of it goes to the feedlots in West Texas or New Mexico and sets you up good for loading potash back.

It's always been pretty cutthroat around Houston as far as the straight grain hauling goes. Hauling some fertilizer or feed ingredients will give you an edge for survival with a hopper.