Some numbers for new O/O

If you don't mind my asking, what made you get out of it?

The guy that is going to haul for my friend says that he was going to charge $8.53 a ton and he was going to try and negotiate him to under $8. According to all my estimated numbers, that was super tight. I personally probably wouldn't go below $8, much less $9. But again, I'm only working on theory at the moment. Maybe $8.53 (or thereabouts) is the going rate... Or maybe this guy is just trying to keep drivers busy, too. Hard to speculate what someone's situation is.

I figure that having the option to haul machinery would give me an edge to go where the money is....but that means more money in the equipment cost column...

 

They are called welfare wagons for a reason

 

Speaking of which.......we eeeked out about $12K in March before taxes. Bout 26 days.

 

How far is he hauling it and what kind of load/unload time.
I can tell you around west central Illinois the big farmers have pretty much destroyed the hopper business. They’re currently working on the dump trailer and lowboy side of things…the dump trailer’s seems to be causing them trouble as they haven’t mastered staying upright when they dump. The lowboy situation is getting pretty bad. 150 bucks to move and 40-50000 lb excavator 15 miles…no thanks it’s not even worth starting the truck. I typically won’t move anything for less than 200 and that’s unlikely unless I am already out. Used to be able to profit 800-1200 a day about 3 months out of the year and never get more than 100 miles from home but I’m finding myself making more 2-300 mile trips bringing stuff to and from the area because the farmers know there gonna be ####ed if they get caught. Currently looks like they’re experimenting with tandem dump trucks.
Just to be clear I have no problem with them doing this stuff but I would appreciate if they would even half ### play by the rules and then not act all pissy when I don’t have time to help them haul there stuff around for the same disastrously low rates they will work for

 

I should have be clearer that I am intended to do side dump like what you're doing. I don't have any intension to get involved with hopper bottoms or grain hauling. The big (and medium size) farmers are the same way over here too. That is part of why I'm a little leery about this endeavor yet, because a large portion of my customer base would likely be farmers. Having dealt with them in my current line of work, I know how they are so I feel your pain. Half the time, when you won't do what the want for nothing, they'll just go buy the equipment and do it themselves anyway, spending dollars to save dimes. They don't have to do even half of the compliance stuff a legit guy does. I have a lot of friends and family in farming but let's not beat around the bush...they basically get to do whatever they want when they want.

I do have contacts outside of agriculture that could be better opportunities. There are several construction outfits in and around town that always need a hand. I do know that as a third party hauler, I'll be their last resort. Got to start somewhere, though.

 

The market sux so bad right now im having serious doubts about school at this point . Another company just folded had like 800-1000 tractors

 

I was offered more for my trailer than I paid for it a year earlier because it was right when equipment was getting hard to find so I sold it. I made a pile of money with that trailer when they lifted the hours of service for livestock feed.

 

My gripe isn’t as much about them doing whatever they want for themselves, it’s when they start doing it for other entities.
Construction is where it’s at at this point because for the most part the farmers haven’t gotten into that…probably because of the risk of getting busted…
If you take care of your construction customers they will take care of you even if they have some of their own trucks…..most don’t want to be in the trucking business and would rather hire it out, or at least that’s been my experience

 

Yea, I get what you're saying. Still frustrating either way, I suppose. There's a million things I could whine about but that's all it really is coming from me...whining. Probably just jealous when it's boiled down.

Anyway, I think you're right about the construction guys, though. Their hair is usually on fire when they have a project and it's usually an "all hands on deck" situation for them, or at least around here.

 

your not going to get 6 out of a dump truck, 4 is going to be about it, maybe 5 if you are loaded down hill, but when you only do 180 miles in a day, it doesn’t really matter

dump trucking is without a doubt the most cut throat, spiteful, and miserable part of the trucking industry, which it shares very little with other then being a class 8 truck, that’s why i usually say unless you have a big ### pile of dirt to move and an excavator to go with the dump truck, you are better off elsewhere

oh and yes, what you did earn, well our customer pays us in 30 days, then from there we have to put the check in a 90 day CD to make interest off everyone’s money before we pay you, then we have to wait for the first spaghetti day after the full moon of the month from there so we’ll just call it 150 days and we’ll pay you, take it or leave it

And sometimes even when you do have those things, you decide to say #### it and go elsewhere in the industry any way…