Super Heavy Haul Costs

Even if he does have a lengthy resume. One man ain’t doing everything.

 

Absolutely, but that one man with a lengthy resume can direct much less knowledgeable help on what to do next and how to do it the right way.

 

I know nothing about all this. I would think a good engineer is probably just as, if not more important than the driver.

 

The engineer is vital and will get it close. Might even work exactly the way he/she has it figured out but at the end of the day when it doesn't quite work the way their calculator and slide rule say it should, that experienced operator on the crane or driver of the truck may have the missing piece of the puzzle that's worth it weight in gold.

If you have "just a driver" or "just an operator" or "just a wrench man" all those guys might be left sitting for how many hours/days while the engineers try and figure out why.

The most successful people in any line surround themselves with the most knowledgeable and intelligent people they can find.

The OP wants to be successful at moving 19 axle loads, he needs those knowledgeable and intelligent people at every level surrounding him otherwise he's going to be out in the weeds with a bunch of expensive equipment and people on the clock looking at him waiting for a solution instead of offering him a solution.

 

How much does a crane operator make operating a crane with a large enough capacity for those big lifts?

 

I agree with you, why can’t he get them?

 

That’s a loaded question because it varies by region. In my area $37ish an hour plus long boom pay over 150 feet. Cleveland which is a different district in my area makes a buck or so more, I’d have to look at the book. They do get “complimentary rate” in our local but I’m not sure of other locals on that. Of course that’s union scale but in cranes you’d be hard pressed to find many people non union making over scale.

This is one of those big myths that crane operators make mega money. A ew years ago we had a 21000 Manitwoc which is a 1000 ton crawler and an IC80 Broderson which is a 9 ton working in a power plant. The 21000 operator was making a $1.50 an hour more only because of boom length. Their base was the same. They were discussing the disparity of responsibility between the two. Now this is my local I can’t speak for every one but generally a crane operator and an excavator operator make close to the same.

 

He can absolutely get them, anyone can. It's a matter of finding the right people and offering what the market requires to get them.

I get the feeling he's trying to find "money saving" ways of doing it because of the whole 1099 topic. That, I'm afraid will hinder his desire to make this a successful endeavor. I know there are some successful people that work 1099 and maybe there are some in this particular line that he's looking at but IMO he's going to need a pretty strong pay/benefits package to attract the best. If he's wanting to keep his current customer and attract more he's going to want the best. 1099 drivers are fine for hauling toilet paper in a box but not so sure about specialized super-load people. Maybe they're out there, I just haven't heard of it in that line.

 

Doesn't a crane operator takes some years of apprenticeship and time to actually get in the operator's seat?

Reason I'm asking, my ex's son is working on becoming a journeyman plumber which requires all this. A schoolmate of his, one of those lazy, loser, dope smoking types went to some "crane school" for a few months and at 19 is supposedly running a tower crane in Seattle.

 

His original question was should we hire an experienced driver “or”a 1099, the “or” was important to me. He was asking a question. To me he seems more educated about and receptive to information than the typical “I’m going to buy an 8 axle and make a million dollars” guys we get. He said he’s familiar with the problems that can be incurred and that’s he involved in the process more so than a broker would be. If you had the money it could be done, it’s actually my dream job. Pull 19 axle loads when they’re ready then chase 7/8 axle freight in the meantime. Come to Ohio I’ll be your huckleberry.