Dump Trucks

[BoFuller]

A lot of good advice on here. I just bought a dump truck for my ranch, but the only way I could afford it was to go with farm plates. Low insurance, low registration. I won't be hauling for anybody else.
I hauled a few loads of 'chat' for my drive ( I need at least 20 more loads) and even with cheap farm use insurance, I'm pretty sure I could have it hauled by someone else cheaper. But I wanted a dump truck, so I bought one. It's no fun watching someone else bring it.
Having said that, I wouldn't give up if I were you. It looks like you have done some research. If you really want to do it, then go for it. Market yourself - maybe as the little guy that will get what you want when you want it. It may take awhile, but you could build up a reputation of getting the job done, especially the jobs that don't mean a lot to the big guys.
Here's my rig, a 1980 F8000, 27,100 lbs, 15,900 empty, 16 ft bed. I paid 3900 for it but spent almost 1600 for 4 new back tires! The ones on it were bald (1/32 and less) and I wanted something meaty, as 90% of my driving is off-pavement.
Have fun! :thumbsup:

 

[gregsons]

A little more information I see others have brought up insurance, If you plan to do this you will find insurance price can vary quite a bit. I found the price to change $5000 per year depending on what company and who was the vehicle registered under. I owned the truck but had it registered under my father with me as the driver and it was several K less a year for ins.
Also you made a comment that you would need to make atleast 12 loads of Clay a month, i think at least around here you need to do more then that to make it worth it. I did about 16 - 20 loads a week Between April 1et till mid to late Oct. when I took the truck off the road for the season. That was in a good year the last few were a little less. I bought out of pocket never got a loan so i never of in over my head. I was making money but not enought to quit my day job. The dump truck was taking up alot of my spare time in the summer. I just weight it out and said it was not worth it for me at this point. BUt if you are retired and can put in 5 hours a day 6 days a week it may be a good option for you.

PS those price you gave were low for my area. never halled clay but topsoil is over $20 per yard and the cheepest stone was over 417 per ton.

 

[Builder]

You guys might not believe this, but I get full & complete coverage on my dumptruck for $900/yr.
All that said, even if BigBri was to get insurance for $100/yr, I still wouldn't advise him to do it. The upkeep, repairs, storage, oh and did I mention the price of diesel fuel??? :confused2:

You're better off subbing-out your hauling to someone else. Let them have the headaches.

Bri, the reason you can't get good service in your area is because the pay to own/haul for a living is so low, nobody wants to do it anymore.

Here's my advice: If you like playing in the dirt like a lot of us do, build your business with tractors & attachments, then add the dump truck & trailetr when you get to the point where you MUST have one (you can't wait for the local guy anymore to deliver your equipment or stone). That happened to me 22 years ago and I've owned 1-3 dumptrucks since. Bad part is once you buy something nice, you'll want to build a pole barn to store it in. Then it gets real freaky expensive.....lol

Heck my buddy does septic systems and all he owns is a NH backhoe and a little 4WD CUT for grading & cleanup. He has a local guy move his equipment around and deliver stone/haul dirt for him. He swears it's cheaper than owning a dump.

 

[Big Bri]

Man you know how to scare a man. I tell you i've gone from excited about this adventure to down right nervous. Heck i feel like i've already lost money and i haven't even bought a truck yet.

I really do appreciate all the advice you and everyone has given me. I'm still going to look in it but will put a hole lot more thought into it.

As much as i like playing on my tractor, i don't think i'm skilled enough to make a go with it for a business. For one my tractor is kinda small so large field or lots are out of the questions (most of the guys use batwing mowers here) and the smaller lots just don't pay much because it seems right now everyone with a tractor is a weekend warrior and they cut CHEEP.
Can regrade driveways but again so many people have tractors. Thought about doing lot cleanup but think i really need a skid steer to avoid the flats.

Guess i just need to spend some more time thinking about what other options i'll have.

Again Thanks for all the advice!
Brian

You guys might not believe this, but I get full & complete coverage on my dumptruck for $900/yr.
All that said, even if BigBri was to get insurance for $100/yr, I still wouldn't advise him to do it. The upkeep, repairs, storage, oh and did I mention the price of diesel fuel??? :confused2:

You're better off subbing-out your hauling to someone else. Let them have the headaches.

Bri, the reason you can't get good service in your area is because the pay to own/haul for a living is so low, nobody wants to do it anymore.

Here's my advice: If you like playing in the dirt like a lot of us do, build your business with tractors & attachments, then add the dump truck & trailetr when you get to the point where you MUST have one (you can't wait for the local guy anymore to deliver your equipment or stone). That happened to me 22 years ago and I've owned 1-3 dumptrucks since. Bad part is once you buy something nice, you'll want to build a pole barn to store it in. Then it gets real freaky expensive.....lol

Heck my buddy does septic systems and all he owns is a NH backhoe and a little 4WD CUT for grading & cleanup. He has a local guy move his equipment around and deliver stone/haul dirt for him. He swears it's cheaper than owning a dump.

 

[Builder]

Try to find a niche business that you like.
I am one of only a few that build, do large prop maintenance and plow snow.
Don't try to compete in a saturated market full of competition.

 

[gregsons]

you know a good small business, Power washing. all you need is a pickup truck , good power washer not a homeowners version, industrial soaps ,brushes and a few odds and ends. My brother in law did this and I help on a few larger jobs, good easy money.
you can start out with homes and decks then work your way up and get contracts at marinas in the fall and trucking , bus business. 3k and your in business with new equipment.:thumbsup:

 

[tlbuser]

Heck my buddy does septic systems and all he owns is a NH backhoe and a little 4WD CUT for grading & cleanup. He has a local guy move his equipment around and deliver stone/haul dirt for him. He swears it's cheaper than owning a dump.

That's exactly what we do. Let someone else do the hauling. There business is hauling stuff, ours is making something useful for the lot owner. For us, it seems to be a more profitable way of doing business. Don't rule out a roll-off business either. They can haul material and equipment too.

 

[Builder]

One thing overlooked by many who don't own/operate a dump is convenience.
I have a lot of jobs stacked-up where a dumptruck is needed. Soon as I get a break off another job, I'll grab the dump and start running modified, wood chips, whatever my customer or my own jobsite needs on pretty short notice.

That's the only thing a for-hire guy usually can't do for you: is be there on a very short notice. If you're doing septic systems, it's probably easy to shcedule ahead to have equipment moved to next customer. My business has a lot of short notice dump truck needs. That's why I own one or 2 dumps.

 

[bcp]

Another possibility would be to aim for even smaller jobs, with less equipment expense. Use something like a 1-ton flatbed dump and a dump trailer.

Bruce

 

[SLHawkins]

Big Bri,
Here's my two cents for consideration. If this is what you want to do go for it. Just be persistent and be patient (and, of course, smart about how you go about it). The work is out there, you just gotta find it. Rarely will it find you. The more versatile you are, the greater your opportunities. It would serve you well to get a loader to complement the truck. I started with a F350 pickup, a little yanmar 2210D, and a dump trailer doing small jobs on the weekend and holidays. Now, I have a JD5403, tandem axle dump, and Case 450 loader. And, it is all side work. As I read the posts, I see that quite a few of the folks said that they parked or got rid of their dumptrucks and paid someone else to haul. Well, be the guy that does the hauling! After awhile, I hooked up with a guy who did tree work. He brought them down and I hauled away the brush and logs. When I moved to Northern, VA I started all over again. Small jobs on the weekend and holidays. Then I linked up with a landscaper pushing snow with my tractor and a buddy in the rollback business. He has a single axle rollback. I actually get charged less for my tandem axle dump than he does for his boxes. So, if he has a lot of heavy debris, I will haul it to the dump. Unless, you are going to haul strictly sand gravel and dirt, I would get an F750 (or equivalent for you non-Ford types) with a landscape body rather than a construction body. Gives you more versatility. Brush,mulch, and general debris doesn't weigh much but it fill you up quickly. And, you will come across a lot of brush and debris jobs in between sand, gravel, and dirt loads. Otherwise, I wouldn't recommend anything larger more than a tandem or tri-axle dump. In addition to the dump trailer I pull behind my pickup, I have a '74 Diamond Reo with a 14' bed. I would prefer a 16' bed, but it was a good price. My mistake, I was over anxious and it was in lot worse shape than I originally thought. It runs and operates great, but there are a lot of little things nickle and diming me to get it right. There is no way to get around fuel. Insurance and how you tag it will be a big factor. I pay $275 a month with Progressive. And, I have non-apportioned tags. So, I can't run out of the state of VA with the dump truck. If you are nowhere near the state line, then it shouldn't be an issue for you. Again, network, be versatile, be persistent, and have a little patience! And, I think you will find that you can make it.
Hawk