Market for end dumps and hopper bottoms.

just had this conversation a couple nights ago. current pulling a pneumatic, but work has me away from wife and kiddos. know I could find sustainable work closer to home. [salt lake city utah area] while i was #####ing about things i was informed by another oo to stay right where i was and that usually he never made anything more than chicken wages bellydumping. for what its worth, I'm still not convinced that i guy couldn't do alright with an older truck with low overhead.

 

dump trucking is very local and you have to know that niche both in terms of truck they can pay different
super 10, end dump, transfer truck, belly dump, and area of the country but it may break down to county then what are you hauling sand and gravel, dirt, demo, asphalt, they don't all pay the same the days can be longer or shorter depending on truck type anything I tell you for my area that I have been working for 33 years is only good for this area and me, go talk to people in your area ask at the parts houses who they recommend and the most important who to stay away from

 

And something else in general you will work with the same people over and over there may only be 5 companies worth working for in your area so you have to work you way up the totem pole and to due that you and your equipment have to be better than the rest of the competition and I don't mean your truck has more HP or shine more than the other guy you have to be dependable always on time and never leave early your truck needs to be dependable and not be a DOT magnet. You can make a good living in the dump business or you can go broke, when the next building slow down happens and that is the fastest way to get up the totem pole always lots of failures when construction slows

 

@Arch Stanton gave you some great advice. I'll add a little to it.

I don't know anything about trucking in Florida but I've been around and involved in rock hauling in my local area for a long time.
It's a very local business with all the players knowing each other. Sure, there are half a dozen of us small companies that compete for jobs but we'll also work together when we need to.
A new guy getting started. or trying to get started, would have a tough time of it. An O/O will be on the bottom of everybody's list, like Arch said. Until you build a good reputation based on solid performance you're going to struggle. You won't know what the different rates are and rock hauling isn't known for being high paying to begin with.
If you work through a broker he'll have his list of favorites and they're favorites because they'll haul for a lower rate in return for steady work.
It's the "good ol' boy" buddy system and I'll bet they have it in Florida just like they do in California.
We run our end dumps and bottom dumps mostly on our own jobs building roads in the woods. When I need extra trucks I have a bunch that I can call. I won't hire a stranger unless he comes well recommended by somebody I already know,

 

what you may be seeing is guys hauling hazmat they haul longer distances or maybe guys hauling farming products they also haul farther and follow the seasons and the harvest completely out of my wheel house

 

I’m based out of Florida, not to say you’re getting bad information so far, but it’s not relevant to what you’re asking, and it’s not correct. There’s a freight base out, and a big one coming back if you know where to look. I’m a company end dump driver, run as far west as Texas so far, and north to Tennessee and the Carolinas. I’m not going to discuss too many particulars because it’s a niche market, you can make a good living with Bruce Oakley though, they’ll do the dispatching. I’d say they’re the largest end dump carrier in the country.

 

Schwend out of dade city uses quite a few O/O’s pulling hoppers in the southeast/Midwest. I’ve always preferred end dump though, quicker unloads and more diverse.