Dealer charge for transport
- Thread starter dustinfox
- Start date
- Views: 4758
OP
dustinfox
Gold Member
I think it is the same formula as for a car or truck. It goes by the value of the vehicle. They have something called agricultural plates but it doesn't save a whole lot of money. Also, my insurance agent said if I don't register the tractor it will be covered under my home owner's insurance policy. If I register it than I would need separate insurance.
Turbys_1700
Elite Member
Glad I am in NC...
dodge man
Super Star Member
The way I look at it, it probably takes me at least a half hour, probably more, to hook up my trailer, load the tractor and strap it down. It takes less time to unload it. At the very least your talking an hour total for the one way trip, figure in the cost of the truck and trailer and probably $200 isn't out of line for a two way trip.
Gary Fowler
Super Star Member
- Joined
- Jun 23, 2008
- Messages
- 11,917
- Location
- Bismarck Arkansas
- Tractor
- 2009 Kubota RTV 900, 2009 Kubota B26 TLB & 2010 model LS P7010
I bought my trailer when I bought my B26 which was over 300 miles from me so I knew it was not practical to have someone deliver it @ $2 per mile. So far it has almost paid for itself by not having trip charges on 2each 70 mile one way trips to the LS dealer and 2 each trips to the Kubota dealer 25 miles away. I don't know what each dealer would charge as I have always hauled them myself.
My LS dealer delivered it free even though the tractor was located at another dealer which was over 70 miles from his shop. He had to go get it, service it and then bring it to me @ another 70 miles each way.
My LS dealer delivered it free even though the tractor was located at another dealer which was over 70 miles from his shop. He had to go get it, service it and then bring it to me @ another 70 miles each way.
DavesTractor
Elite Member
Dealers do not get reimbursed by the manufacturer for pickup and delivery on warranty. So if that service is offered by the dealer, he has adjusted his pricing to allow the margin to cover that. Not a bad idea, as long as folks don't beat him up with the "better" pricing from a neighboring dealer that does not pack this into the retail price.
Hauling is a losing deal for almost all dealers. We just try to get back most of what it costs us. We too have to tie down the load, untie at the other end, etc. There is no half hour hauling job. Generally it's an hour to go get a local tractor and get it back to the shop. Then an hour to return it later. You have your labor, fuel, insurance, wear and tear on tires/brakes, etc. At $100 to do a local pickup or delivery the dealer might break even if everything goes well. And you can't just put some kid in the truck and pay him minimum wage. Our drivers are CDL drivers, trained and paid well. They are the face of our dealership to many customers, and they are also one of our biggest liability risks as they are out on the road and the potential for an accident is always present. And if you have bought a new 3500 and/or a new commercial grade trailer recently, you know that it is easy to tie up well over $50k in a delivery truck package.
But back to the topic, the guy that got charged $255 for 3 miles, that is ridiculous! Our super local customers generally get free hauling as a "good neighbor" deal, as long as we can pick them up at our convenience.
One suggestion, if you are not in a hurry, you can ask your dealer to try to combine your pickup/delivery with another load or another drop when he is in your area. We like to do this and will always give a hauling discount if we can make this work.
Buy a trailer if you have a pickup to haul it. It'll save you money many times over.
Hauling is a losing deal for almost all dealers. We just try to get back most of what it costs us. We too have to tie down the load, untie at the other end, etc. There is no half hour hauling job. Generally it's an hour to go get a local tractor and get it back to the shop. Then an hour to return it later. You have your labor, fuel, insurance, wear and tear on tires/brakes, etc. At $100 to do a local pickup or delivery the dealer might break even if everything goes well. And you can't just put some kid in the truck and pay him minimum wage. Our drivers are CDL drivers, trained and paid well. They are the face of our dealership to many customers, and they are also one of our biggest liability risks as they are out on the road and the potential for an accident is always present. And if you have bought a new 3500 and/or a new commercial grade trailer recently, you know that it is easy to tie up well over $50k in a delivery truck package.
But back to the topic, the guy that got charged $255 for 3 miles, that is ridiculous! Our super local customers generally get free hauling as a "good neighbor" deal, as long as we can pick them up at our convenience.
One suggestion, if you are not in a hurry, you can ask your dealer to try to combine your pickup/delivery with another load or another drop when he is in your area. We like to do this and will always give a hauling discount if we can make this work.
Buy a trailer if you have a pickup to haul it. It'll save you money many times over.
flusher
Super Member
- Joined
- Jun 4, 2005
- Messages
- 7,555
- Location
- Sacramento
- Tractor
- Getting old. Sold the ranch. Sold the tractors. Moved back to the city.
For repairs: $90 round trip within the county
When I had the dealer install an SSQA I bought from him on my 2008 Mahindra 5525, transport fee was halved.
Copperhead
Veteran Member
Interesting that dealers will haul for $2-$2.50 a mile and claim that it just covers their cost, yet a commercial semi truck can haul for that amount and make a decent profit. Having $112K tied up in a semi truck and another $28K in a trailer, one is going to have a difficult time convincing me that a $50K pickup and a $10K trailer is just breaking even at $2-$2.50. Even on a fuel basis. I average just under 8 mpg with the semi, and any diesel pickup is going to do better than that unless it is having mechanical problems. Again, not buying the argument that $2-$2.50 a mile only covers costs.
Kinda like the electrician that came out with a cherry picker to replace a couple of high security lights on my property. When I got the bill, they wanted $50 fuel surcharge for a 12 mile each way trip out there on top of the cost for the trip and work. I paid them $8.40 in fuel surcharge. They pitched a fit, but I stated that is the fuel surcharge rate on a commercial truck for 24 miles at the DOT average fuel price at the time this work was done. Deal with it or let's go to small claims and you can explain how your little class 6 truck with a boom burns more fuel than my 70 foot Class 8 semi truck weighing 80,000 lb loaded up. They didn't argue further.
All of these folks play on consumer ignorance.
Kinda like the electrician that came out with a cherry picker to replace a couple of high security lights on my property. When I got the bill, they wanted $50 fuel surcharge for a 12 mile each way trip out there on top of the cost for the trip and work. I paid them $8.40 in fuel surcharge. They pitched a fit, but I stated that is the fuel surcharge rate on a commercial truck for 24 miles at the DOT average fuel price at the time this work was done. Deal with it or let's go to small claims and you can explain how your little class 6 truck with a boom burns more fuel than my 70 foot Class 8 semi truck weighing 80,000 lb loaded up. They didn't argue further.
All of these folks play on consumer ignorance.
DavesTractor
Elite Member
Yes Copperhead, ignorance can be an issue.
It is the short hauls that kill us. No problem making money a $2.00-2.50 per mile if we can do 200 mile minimums and get paid to return. I'll take that gravy job. Also keep in mind that we are not talking about bunks of lumber that you can throw a few wrappers over or a van where you stack and close the doors. It's 4 chains plus the implements per tractor. It's a fuel leak dripping everywhere. It's a tractor that won't start or has stuck brakes. It's a customer that is lonely and needs to talk. It's a dirt road with no turn around.
We load real trucks all day. We have one dealer 90 miles away. No way would you run a 48' flat or step to him for $180. To load, get paperwork, drive, unload would take 5 hours if you were first in the dock. Yet many of our deliveries are under 50 miles. Driving miles and driving time is the smaller part of the job.
Lastly, we rarely get paid both directions. Playing on consumer ignorance? Perhaps you have not considered the differences? Your thoughts?
dodge man
Super Star Member
I agree, there is no way you can compare a big rig that is driving 300,000 miles a year to picking up a tractor that is a few miles away. By that logic, if the trip was 10 miles, they would only get $25 at $2.50 a mile, which is losing money big time.
