How much do you make.

[yenkoboy]

I plan on getting into the trucking business specifically dump trucking and was wondering what some of you fellow dump truck drivers and other drivers bring in yearly after all overhead cost. How much do you pocket? I live in florida and a fellow dump truck driver and close friend to the family said he brought in 80,000 dollars with one truck a couple years ago when business was alot better then it is now. So Im just curious what others are bringing in. This business that I will eventually start is more of an investment then anything else im not relying on the truck to keep my bills going. But Im hoping to learn everything I can and get the business that I need to maybe become a broker one day. Discuss.

[Dispatch101]

I love these types of post. No one ever responds. I suggest "acting". Find a load board online and act as if you have your own authority and try to get the rates for loads in the lanes you would want to travel. Never take the word of other truckdrivers especially when it comes to how much they make. I've heard many trucking stories. I love the ones claiming to make insane amounts of money. No one wants to admit they take cheap freight. I watch loadboards all day for a living and watch cheap freight move one after another. It's sad but true. So, I suggest doing your own research, what works for one carrier may not work for another. Everyone has different variables such as equipment, overhead, etc that makes them profitable.

[jakobrmc]

Real estate is an investment, The trucking buiness is work your either in it on it or under it .

[Dispatch101]

Well said jacko. lol

[merrick4]

You know I don't mean to be rude or anything, but this reminds me of a couple of years ago when I was selling my condo. This was in the frenzy of S.E. Florida real estate. Some guy was buying it for cash. At the time he was offering the highest price gotten for a condo in that development.

Anyway during the inspection I got to talking with the guy, keep in mind at this point the condo was already under contract with him. So we get to talking and he asks me what the rents are going for in that place as he planned on renting it out. I was taken a little aback. I mean I don't think that was the time to be wondering what kind of ROI he would be looking on getting.

So in the same vein, and again I don't mean this to be rude, but your question is basically how much am I going to make? That's a simplistic way in my opinion to be doing your research on a business you plan on investing in

[furbis]

the ?? is to vague. will you do your own maintanance, tires? will you buy a new truck or pay cash for a good used one. do you have work lined up with several outfits and if so what are they paying how much work do they have for you? how much money did your friend net out of the $80,000 I don't really give a rats rearend what someone grosses a year its what is left after ALL expenses that matters. why did your friend get out of the dumptruck business?

[Crash935]

When you buy a truck, the only thing you've done is bought yourself a job!

[heavyhaulerss]

trucking business.. hmmmm expect to go from feast to famine & back & forth....

[armadillo]

I Just bought a Transfer and here in California where business was supposed to be slammen ITS NOT!!! ITS JUNE TOO!!!!!!
No one -hardly even the Brokers are out. If your town is large enough and you are great in "sales" (because you will have to be if you want to be a broker), Youll do fine but only if there is work. We make $88to 95 hrly here but THERE IS NO WORK!!!!
Im sitting on $3k a month just for truck and Insurance.
Brokering takes a long time to get into and its a big pain. No life and plan on your phone ringing constantly and be able to tell people "no" ALOT.
Dont forget the houseing market is a huge part of this business; RIGHT NOW ITS DOWN.
So your friends $80K looked good a couple years ago but could be $25K this year. Is there an abundance of trucks there? Have you called the quarries? and do they need extra trucks or you to go out for them? Big landscape yards , will they work you? Does your wife have a fulltime job? Can she cover your fuel bill, if your Tranny goes? Do you have $10k in the bank? Whats your buddy saying now about work? Is he running full tilt? Does he need more trucks? Who have you talked to? all these questions matter.
The guys are right too, your either in it or under it and if you broker-plan on never sleeping.

Its a tuff business right now...please remember that fact.

ok had to edit reread the part where you said an investment. Which confuses me now but ok...Lease one- dont buy one that way everything is a write off and are you going to drive it? if so get a transfer, might as well if your going to get a dump truck, they are better than just 10 wheelen. they work more often. A

[BigDiesel]

More than some.... and Less than others....

[armadillo]

Yes your right...If anyone purchases a dump truck...make sue you can haul everything in it. Everything includes cobbles and asphalt!

[floored]

I run a transfer here in Sacramento, it also does a lot of ten wheel work. I DO NOT OWN MY BOXES. This is good & bad. The good is, because my broker owns the set so I get to work more often than those who own their own set. The bad is I pay 25% gross as a transfer and 15% gross as a ten wheel to my broker vs. 5% those who own their boxes will pay for a broker fee. Believe me I hate paying that much to my broker, heck its a trailer payment each month, but unlike Armadillo my truck is running (sorry girl).

Here is a straight up no lies on what I am making & spending here in CA. Its ugly lately because I have a driver in my truck right now while I raise my son. I have not given myself a paycheck since August when I got out of OTR work. I'm hoping that maybe just maybe I can give myself something this next payday (25th of each month). I made a bad choice in the first broker I delt with, I sat more than working and I ate up all of my savings. I am trying to get it built back up, its scary but I think I can get there. I am not including all my expenses, if I did it may just make me go cry.. lol

Okay money..

Jan 2007 (with old broker at 22.5% broker fees), I had a whoping 1.75 hrs for the entire month. And those aholes wonder why I quit.
Gross Income $140.00
Net Income $10850
Fuel $0.00 (had a fuel tank from before Christmas)
Insurance $488.47

----

Feb 2007 (with new broker, paying 25% of my gross for fees), I worked 4 days at the end of the month with them for a total of 31.4hrs.
Gross $2513.90
Net $1992.67
Fuel $0 - still running off that Dec tank, lol!
Insurance $328.94

----

March 2007 total of 98 hours
Gross $7819.68
Net $5902.00
Fuel $1240.00!! (had my brother driving for me, he ran up a $1000 fuel bill in just one week, leadfooting it, he no longer drives for me, see what my fuel costs are after this month and after he left)
Insurance $458.17

---

April 2007 total of 120hrs
Gross $9308.50
Net $7459.60
Fuel $892.98
Insurance $332.17



Don't have my May figures yet as far as income goes, but my insurance went up to $695.00 with my new driver and a 10k increase on the value of the trailer. I also paid out a $1700 deposit to workers comp, plus wages to my driver and taxes. My check from the broker should run about the same as the one from April. I also had $700 in unexpected repairs on the truck (brakes, fan clutch and wheel bearing).

Soo theres the god honest truth. Its great when its good, my truck can make $700-$1000 in a day, but right now the season is just not allowing daily work with 10 hr days so I'm not seeing the 10k-20k a month paychecks that I was told about from my friends who worked last Summer. My friends all gross about 140k a year doing this, the top puller at my broker grossed 160k last year. I run this truck every day & night if I can, its a lot of work, and as some said all I've done is bought myself a job. Would I do it all over again? Maybe. But I'd put a lot more research into what I pull next time around.

BOL to you, let me know if you have any questions.

[floored]

I would rther be a ten wheeler than a transfer. At least at my broker they seem to work the same, yet the ten wheeler I make MORE per hour than with the transfer even though the rate is less.

Ten wheel pays $75/hr - 15% broker fee = $63.75 hr
Transfer pays $82/hr - 25% broker fee = 61.50 hr

Ten wheel is less to insure and you get better mpg, my truck does 6mpg all day long as a transfer, but as a ten wheel swear to god its close to 9mpg.


LOL - I went to work today myself, oh my god transfer work is hard work! I can not believe I did that in my 9th month of pregnancy, because today it whooped my butt big time. When I go back to work I want to ditch the trailer and just run a box.

[brian]

whenever your ready I can probably get you a killer deal on a rock box (door lifts over the box with hydraulics so they dont bend the pins on a hanging door or rip it off outright)

or a regular box if you prefer.

[jakobrmc]

Do they run any end dumps down there. One of the main reason I pull a end dump is because when its slow you can unhook and do something eles.

[armadillo]

Ya I CAN NOT!! Believe FLOORED ran up to the 9th month of pregnancy. WILD! Im overweight and I get winded just jumping out of the truck to transfer...!! A


You go girl!!!

[BanditsCousin]

(myth)

I'm on o/o so I make all the money. Thats the key- be an owner operator and you'll make wayyy more than anyone. 89cpm or $2/mi you'll make way more than a company driver.


(reality)

the opposite of what is above

[armadillo]

Ya- what is that saying?? Oh yea; GOIN' FOR BROKE.

[Kranky]

How to make a million dollars in trucking:
.
.
.
.
.
.Start with 2 million.

[floored]

Do they run any end dumps down there. One of the main reason I pull a end dump is because when its slow you can unhook and do something eles.

Amen to that! I wish I had paid attention more when I sold my Pete, it could have done end dump work or other local work. I just wasn't thinking right at the time I suppose, so I jumped into the transfer without much research or thought.