Might be a dumb question..

Discussion in 'Ask An Owner Operator' started by 389Trucker, Dec 4, 2019.

  1. 389Trucker

    389Trucker Light Load Member

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    I was curious and thinking about this the other day. So, I would like to ask the community here. Specifically, in a O/O section, as this might be something I am interested in pursuing one day, as a O/O. So, are their specific load boards and/or brokers that you can pick loads from in the agricultural commodities industry. In other words, the folks who own grain hopper trailers that go to the farms. Are they the owners of the actual farms? Or is the transfer of these commodities (corn, wheat, etc.) from location to location put on load boards that a O/O can book? Sorry if just confused you. Thank you for the responses..!
     
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  3. 201

    201 Road Train Member

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    It's been my experience, there's very few independent O/O's that haul grain. It doesn't pay much and most of those trucks are the farmers truck(s). Brokers are usually for freight that's too cheap for even the megas to hassle with today. I had my truck leased to a guy, "power only", and he paid a lot of the costs. You'd be nuts to go on your own totally today, except under unusual circumstances, and in 40 years, I haven't found it ( although, honestly, quit looking 10 years ago)
     
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  4. 062

    062 Road Train Member

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  5. x1Heavy

    x1Heavy Road Train Member

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    We are surrounded by farms.

    Its literally old iron parked at these farms until it's time for farmer to find broken down drivers like myself on a farm to market move for whatever crops they have. Seasonal once a year usually. Big push. Otherwise let em rust until next harvest.

    Half the farms are going to be gone the way things are going at some point. Some will be converted to subdivisions.

    Kinda like the farmer buying a 5 million dollar space man capable harvester but it sits 10 months every year idle.
     
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  6. wore out

    wore out Numbered Classic

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    Yes their are load boards....no very few truck owners own the farm or commodity. Their are so many other products that a hopper can and does haul that they actually haul very little grain if they are over the road.


    They are referred to as welfare wagons for a reason. The load boards and brokers are easy to find with a very simple Google search so happy hinting
     
  7. jamespmack

    jamespmack Road Train Member

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    Wore summed it up well. I normally dont do farm loads. Takes to long, some farmers pay slow. Normally I dont do brokers with hoppers. Now I will say sometimes you can find direct shippers on load boards. Hit or miss if it's worth a darn. I only pull hopper part of the year.
     
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  8. 201

    201 Road Train Member

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    Well, in Wisconsin, just about every seed farmer had a cheap OTR truck and a hopper, for their own stuff. The trucking was usually such a loss, it was better to couple it in with the everyday loss of the farm.
     
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  9. 389Trucker

    389Trucker Light Load Member

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    Thanks for the feedback. I am going to say this industry sector is undesirable based on the above responses. But I have to ask, @wore out , "Their are so many other products that a hopper can and does haul that they actually haul very little grain if they are over the road." Can you elaborate more on this? What can we haul year-round with a grain hopper? Thank you.
     
  10. Long FLD

    Long FLD Road Train Member

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    Bulkloads.com has a load board for hoppers.
     
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  11. 201

    201 Road Train Member

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    I suppose as the price changes, one could haul from elevator to elevator, again, I can't imagine it would pay anything. These guys always loaded the wagon because it paid so poorly. Coming from Wisconsin, there were very few trucking companies, that I remember, that had a fleet of hopper bottoms. They might have one "in the back" for that once in a while harvest rush, but just about all the trucks I saw at grain elevators were farmer owned, and "John Boy" was a drivin' it. They made good truck drivers.
     
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  12. olddog_newtricks

    olddog_newtricks Medium Load Member

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    A grain wagon is a tuff way to make a living. It doesn't pay good, you spend a lot of time sitting in line waiting. And if you don't get paid it's a waste of time filing on their bond because it's agricultural .
     
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