Owner ops who are also farmers

As long as he's not running under there tags or authority he can do what he wants.

 

Would it be easier to buy or lease a hopper to go with it and put it on with broker until harvest. We gave up farming years ago no irrigation. But there are several in my area that have really nice trucks and hoppers. Keep the drivers year around but just run broker freight till harvest. It is a way for the trucks to pay for themselves and not sit in the shed all year. I'm thinking swapping the license and registration on the truck will be more headache to the carrier he will lease to then they want

 

We do this now, hopper freight is slow, Have 5 brokers that we run for, that are alright I guess, they pay, may not be what it is worth, like going to a lovely chicken feed mill and sitting for 4-8+ hours for free.
But we also haul fertilizers such as potash, dap, ammonia sulfate, ammonium nitrate, and some new stuff poly-sulfate and a ton of other fertilizers, which basically pay general freight prices, while hauling grain price is cut to the bone. Used to corn paid by the hundred weight, beans, corn, milo, etc paid by the bushel, now they're moving about everything into the hundred weight.
Hauled some beans the other day for $0.46/hundred but it only went 93 miles and it was in and out but it got me back to a good load that took me to the house and paid the truck 550$ and went the 125 miles and unloaded in the city I live. It's all a gamble now.

 

If you're the driver for both the freight and the grain and if the elevators are only 5-20 miles away, who's going to know?

 

Yes hopper freight is slow, every thing is slow is the thing. Grain prices fell and every farmer that has storage isn't selling unless he has to to pay his crop loan. Thing is they are fixing to plant another and something is gonna have to be done with it one way or another cause every body don't have the finances to build another set if bins. My way of thinking it makes sense for a farmer to have a hopper cause he can use it. Dealing with brokers are a pain in the neck even leased to a big carrier he has that trouble. I'm sure it will turn around sooner or later, or we all gonna have to start living a lot cheaper lol

 

An accident or inspection report will be a give away.

 

Y
Yep. No doubt.

 

It all depends on the contract he has with Mercer and what they would need to use the truck to haul a personal trailer. It would be wise to discuss this with Mercer right at the start so there is no misunderstandings.