Side Dump Rates

I know that this is something that's very region specific but thought that I'd throw it out there anyway. I currently run a side-dump trailer. With my truck/trailer setup, I'm legal for about 28 tons, so you can all do the math from there. I've operated one for many, many years but just now getting out there on my own. Rates have been all over the place and I'm just curious what they are for everyone else.

I'm here in Nebraska and things are pretty all over the map. I've worked for a guy paying about $125 per hour doing cattle manure. I'm currently in a verbal agreement to do cattle manure for a client for $135/hour this spring. I've recently pulled for an outfit doing chicken manure for $110/hour, but if I had high side extensions on my trailer I would be making $155/hour. I've also worked for a cattle feedlot paying $8/ton for manure and I've seen opportunities from places like Archer Daniel's Midlands to haul reject feed to places for as high as $12/ton. I don't know what regular feed hauling goes for but if the reject stuff goes for $12/ton, then I would imagine that the good stuff must be better than that! I talked to a guy that claimed that he was making $0.37 per ton/per mile on ag lime not that long ago... Naturally, he wouldn't tell me who is paying that price but after I did some math, I didn't think that was bad money at all!

But, just today, I was working a bid with a guy and he claims that all of his haulers run for $5.50/ton. I call complete crap on that one. After doing some math in regards to the mileage, hours, and tons I can accommodate for, it came to be less than $90 per hour. Initially I told him I'd do the 1,400 ton job for $8.50/ton thinking he'd negotiate me down to $8.00 or even $7.50 per ton. It's about a 14 mile round trip for each load. I wasn't willing to go any lower than $7.25... but $5.50??

It got me to thinking though... if anyone else has been in my shoes and what did they do? I've cruised around quite a bit on this forum and it seems that side dump work is kind of a niche market. From all the entrepreneurship classes that I've taken over the years before starting out on my own, all the people claimed to "find a niche, scratch an itch". I know I'm by no means the only one offering the service I provide in my area but at the same time, people call because they don't have the equipment I own and they don't want to pay the price to buy what they need to do a one-off job, regardless of how many people like me are out there. I wouldn't think that warrants eating #### for over 30% less of what is expected as a fair market price...or at least what I think is a fair market price... I've also have been given advice that I need to take the bad paying jobs to open the doors to better paying ones... but still.....

What say you who are in this market? Would you take the job?

 

I talked to a few people I trust in the area and they all say the same thing about this particular guy. He's apparently got a reputation for that in the area and it sounds like he has burnt a few bridges. Now, while I was talking to him, he did mention two other guys that would haul for the low-ball price and I know both of those guys too. I've thought about calling one of them just to see if they're really doing jobs for that much or not. At the same time, I don't want to get a reputation for stirring the pot, either. I'll probably just let sleeping dogs lay and keep moving forward with my other opportunities. I'm too honest of a guys to walk off a job to go do another one that pays better. Best if I just don't put myself in that position to begin with.

 

I've seen pictures of those but never seen one in person. I've never checked for sure by fairly certain pulling triples isn't allowed here in Nebraska. I see them in South Dakota on the rare occasion that I'm up that way, though.

Genuine question: What are the advantages to pulling a setup like that versus just a triple or quad axle side dump?