Truck Driving Jobs

floored · Joined: 03 Nov 2006 Posts: 272 Location: Sacramento, CA

I'm back, somehow my user account was deleted on here (arrgh).. anyway started working again this week with the Transfer Truck and let me tell you this work is cake! I don't think I'll ever go OTR again, lol. Anyway some misc. thoughts/ramblings/info for ya'll.

The truck: 2000 Freightliner, former fuel truck with a 236 wheelbase when purchased. Price $24k + tax and licensing (another 2k). Had frame shortened and axles moved to a 225 wheelbase, installed transfer hitch and PTO, cost $5800., boxes are leased through my company and they paid for install and wiring, so cost to build this truck was about 30k. About 1/2 the cost of purchasing one that was already build (they run 65k out here for same year without boxes).

Fuel: My OTR truck would need filled up every day (200 gallon tank), this truck used 50 gallons over 4 days of work. Huge savings for me, couldn't be happier.

Pay to the Truck: My truck earns $80 a hr. Today I worked 8.25 hrs, for a total of $660 to the truck. My OTR truck when running with MCT would get $562 for an average day with a full 11 hours of driving. This transfer truck should walk all over what my OTR truck would make in the summer, winter is another story depending on the weather here and if I can run or not whereas a OTR truck can run pretty much year round with no setbacks.

Some Costs: I pay 12% of my gross to lease the boxes, and 5% for a broker fee. Insurance runs me about $500 a month (much higer than the OTR truck!), fuel is much less, my maintance is the same.

Verdict: This job is sooo freakin easy. Takes about 10 mins to do a transfer, no more fighting with 5th wheels, tandems, no long waits to get loaded, ect. I'll be working for a couple of more months until I'm too big to drive (I have a baby on the way) and will purchase a 2nd truck to run down the road when I am ready to go back to work.

I'm new to this and by no means an expert but I'm happy to answer any questions you may have if your looking to get started in this business.

Some history on me: Licensed 1 year, 1 mo. Purchased first truck 10mos into my license, sold 3 mos later and purchased this transfer truck to run local. Haven't lost my ass yet, been running smart and making a good living and most of all I LOVE MY JOB!

:D

GMAN · Joined: 13 Feb 2005 Posts: 9365 Location: Tennessee

Congratulations, Floored. I am glad that you are up and running again, and doing something you enjoy.

LOAD IT · Joined: 02 Sep 2006 Posts: 614

Thats a good looking rig and I'm glad its making money and keeping you happy. Thats also a hot looking streetrod, its just that theres a woman blocking the view. Also congrats on the baby!!!

mike3fan · Joined: 04 Aug 2006 Posts: 1661 Location: michigan

why do the west coasters stretch out the pup trailers like that?

Dejanh · Posted: Sat Nov 04, 2006 9:46 pm Post subject:

Dont know you but hearing these happy stories about our O/O makes me happy as well...god bless and take..

PS
that 80$ in Sacramento its like 40$ in N.C. though..?

Paul McGraw · Joined: 05 Nov 2006 Posts: 94 Location: Georgia

floored wrote: Pay to the Truck: My truck earns $80 a hr. Today I worked 8.25 hrs, for a total of $660 to the truck. My OTR truck when running with MCT would get $562 for an average day with a full 11 hours of driving. This transfer truck should walk all over what my OTR truck would make in the summer, winter is another story depending on the weather here and if I can run or not whereas a OTR truck can run pretty much year round with no setbacks.

Some Costs: I pay 12% of my gross to lease the boxes, and 5% for a broker fee. Insurance runs me about $500 a month (much higer than the OTR truck!), fuel is much less, my maintance is the same.

Verdict: This job is sooo freakin easy. Takes about 10 mins to do a transfer, no more fighting with 5th wheels, tandems, no long waits to get loaded, ect. I'll be working for a couple of more months until I'm too big to drive (I have a baby on the way) and will purchase a 2nd truck to run down the road when I am ready to go back to work.

I'm new to this and by no means an expert but I'm happy to answer any questions you may have if your looking to get started in this business.

Some history on me: Licensed 1 year, 1 mo. Purchased first truck 10mos into my license, sold 3 mos later and purchased this transfer truck to run local. Haven't lost my ass yet, been running smart and making a good living and most of all I LOVE MY JOB!

:D

Wow, this sounds like a great opportunity. What are you hauling in the boxes? I would love to find something like this in the metro Atlanta area.

Maniac · Joined: 15 Sep 2004 Posts: 626 Location: Northeast

Quote: Wow, this sounds like a great opportunity.

Not to me it doesn't

Lets see........$660.00 for 8 1/2 hrs work MINUS 17% broker and rental fees comes out to..$547.80, compared to $562.00, with LESS cost in insurance for the OTR truck.

Maintenance the same, and you can tell this after only what? 2 months, you will be UNpleasantly surprised when your maintanance bill goes way HIGHER than an OTR truck.

The stress and strain of the weight and all the twisting and turning will wear the tires AND the suspension componenets like no OTR truck ever will. Your truck will need to be serviced by the hours it works, NOT by mileage, expect replacing the air cleaners quite regularly, like every other month.

Of course getting home EVERY night has its benifits, which you can't put a price on. Otherwise is see NO reason that this is a better oppertunity.

I ran dump trucks for 5 years locallly, BUT went back to OTR and regional, WHY? because as soon as I saw the botom line, it didn't make any sense to keep doing it, maintenance was too high, AND I had a newer truck than you are using.

NascarFan · Joined: 18 Sep 2006 Posts: 307

How much do you haul with that setup?

floored · Joined: 03 Nov 2006 Posts: 272 Location: Sacramento, CA

Truck hauls up to 80,000lbs. It hauls sand, gravel and asphault. Can't tell you what rates are around the US, I'm thinking CA is some of the highest paid rates in the country due to cost of living here and the building boom we have going.

Maniac - Maintance will be less, I won't be having as much routine service done on the truck as my OTR truck needed (that is what I am refering to in costs in my first post), and I have a good running soild truck and don't expect to have anything major for some time, and if I did I have money in the bank to cover that just as I did with the OTR truck. I don't run on the same terrain as you likely did, most my work does not involve going off the road. But hey if you know it all thats cool. I know what it costed me to run my OTR truck vs this one, and I've talked with MANY other transfer owners and what they pay out a year on their trucks and what they make in return, its very good money. As for tires, according to the 10 or so other owners I have talked with (that run with my company) they use 1 set a year. My fuel bill for last week was $197, my fuel bill for a week with the OTR truck was well over a grand. The fuel savings alone make up for broker and trailer fees. The reality check you are offering is appriciated but not needed.

If you have your own authority sure you can make more running OTR, but for me coming off being leased to a carrier that paid your average "advertised" per mile rate, this is much better. So for someone in this area that wants to be home each night AND who runs their business smart this would be something to consider. As with anything, to each their own. I will continue to update as time goes on with the costs and income I experience with this line of work. Be nice if more OTR guys shared that info as well for the others on here so they know what is realistic ;)

SteveBooth · Joined: 18 May 2005 Posts: 3501

Thanks for being upfront with the data you provided here and in the "Is $1.26 per mile OK?" thread.

GMAN · Joined: 13 Feb 2005 Posts: 9365 Location: Tennessee

Thanks for sharing your numbers, Floored. When anyone looks at any numbers you really need to look at longer term to get an accurate picture. While the numbers you presented are a good snapshot, it will be good to look at them for the first year.

Mackman · Joined: 14 Sep 2005 Posts: 2293 Location: Concordville PA

floored wrote: Truck hauls up to 80,000lbs. It hauls sand, gravel and asphault. Can't tell you what rates are around the US, I'm thinking CA is some of the highest paid rates in the country due to cost of living here and the building boom we have going.

Maniac - Maintance will be less, I won't be having as much routine service done on the truck as my OTR truck needed (that is what I am refering to in costs in my first post), and I have a good running soild truck and don't expect to have anything major for some time, and if I did I have money in the bank to cover that just as I did with the OTR truck. I don't run on the same terrain as you likely did, most my work does not involve going off the road. But hey if you know it all thats cool. I know what it costed me to run my OTR truck vs this one, and I've talked with MANY other transfer owners and what they pay out a year on their trucks and what they make in return, its very good money. As for tires, according to the 10 or so other owners I have talked with (that run with my company) they use 1 set a year. My fuel bill for last week was $197, my fuel bill for a week with the OTR truck was well over a grand. The fuel savings alone make up for broker and trailer fees. The reality check you are offering is appriciated but not needed.

If you have your own authority sure you can make more running OTR, but for me coming off being leased to a carrier that paid your average "advertised" per mile rate, this is much better. So for someone in this area that wants to be home each night AND who runs their business smart this would be something to consider. As with anything, to each their own. I will continue to update as time goes on with the costs and income I experience with this line of work. Be nice if more OTR guys shared that info as well for the others on here so they know what is realistic ;)

Maniac your right. I been around dump trucks along time there is alot of maintance just wait and see floored. I dont want to sound like a know it all am not . that was a tractor converted into a dump that is trouble right there. More wear on tires brakes the motor up shifting down shifting all day. you will see 8)

floored · Joined: 03 Nov 2006 Posts: 272 Location: Sacramento, CA

I was asked how much we haul in a earlier post and I got to thinking and thought maybe the question was asking how much weight my truck carries in the box and trailer, not the gross. The truck and trailer carry 25 tons.

Anyway...

For those who think they know better, I'll keep updating as I go along, good or bad. And if I'm wrong and don't know what the heck I'm really doing I'll be the first to admit it. But unless your here in Sacramento, CA where I am running your past can't relate. Just like I have no idea how it is to run one of these trucks in MD.

I was thinking about all the haters in the trucking business today and came up with this, "those who fail say it can't be done". Don't take that the wrong way but really think about what I said. Think about all the guys sitting at the truck stop diners telling ya its a bad time to be a O/O, and then you ask them how they know and they say they did it and went broke and they now run a company truck. That right there is a prime example.

Those who know me know I am outspoken and don't really care what others think of me. I have done a lot in my first year and I haven't failed yet. I run my business SMART. I give a lot of my time to go back to my trucking school to talk with the students and tell them they can make it in this industry if they run smart. I am by no means a brainiac, but I've probably come up a lot faster that most the guys out there, as a prime example my first job out of school I was running at $.35cpm with a 2006 Columbia as my rig. Believe me Ive paid my dues, and being a female in a mans world has given me my tolls - but if I can do it pretty much anyone can if they think about what they are doing and make a good game plan and stick to it.

I post on here because I want to help others. I do not like shutting people down, killing hope, ect. I don't hate one people if they choose to drive OTR, local, or as a company driver for their entire career. I believe everyone deserves a shot to make something of their selves. If I fail I won't be the guy (or gal in my case) sitting there telling everyone else they will fail too. I will let those who ask know why I feel I failed (I wont blame the president, believe me, I will blame myself if that happens) and maybe it will help them run smarter. When I'm making money I want others to know what I am making, how I am doing it so it can help them in some way.

Take it or leave it, its up to you. I'm not here to impress people with my "super trucker" skills, I'm just sharing some real world experience as I earn it.

LOAD IT · Joined: 02 Sep 2006 Posts: 614

IF YOU STARTED IN A 2006 COLUMBIA THAT WAS BUILT IN 2005, YOU HAVE NOT PAID ANY DUES. You have enough experience to be dangerous. I wish you luck, but if you had run constantly since the day your first truck can off the assembly line, you are still a rookie, so please refrain from comments like I have paid my dues. Your dues are still being calculated. Congrats on your current success!

TiredOut · Joined: 31 Oct 2006 Posts: 16 Location: New England

I started in a B-61 with a quad box, worked my way up into a DM 600, thinking I had "arrived"...(1978.) On to a big, long hooded DM 800, also with a set of crowbars. A few years in a screamin' 2 stroke-joke powered Road Boss, which I pulled a 24' dumptrailer with, that was a former Amoco Gasoline tractor. It had 38 rears, "Velvet Ride" (who named it that?) suspension which self destructed after a couple of years of "gently" taking it off road to load and dump, etc. Then it was a total blur after that, with so many trucks, trailers, jobs, miles, oil leaks, brakejobs, motor jobs in the driveway, electrical problems that I screwed with half the night to get lights enough to run till the sun came up, rear end jobs, again, all-nighters to get running with that load that was still hooked to the downed horse, and on and on and on and on....
I never drove a Columbia, so I still have some dues to pay, but I will say this, and it's in as gentle a spirit as I can possibly convey to you, as a newcomer to this industry...
Don't get too excited just yet about your new venture. It's OK to be proud of what you're doing, but I've been at it for almost 30 years in the arena, and a few prior to that behind the scenes, so I kind of have a clue myself.
No matter how good, gentle,or easy you are on your truck, it's difficult to take a single framed, class 8 road tractor and turn it into a dump truck that carries the majority of the payload ON IT'S BACK, and not have some repercussions. Even though you think it's working out good, just keep in mind that without a rail-liner inside that Freightshaker frame at least up to the bellhousing mount, it's going to be a game of Russian Roulette as far as longevity of the chassis components.
Dump trucks are built to specs for that application, with heavier-than-average thickness framerails. The steel temper is also a factor. light axle housings are another issue. Normally, with off-road drivelines, they use 1810 series u-joints and yokes. Your Fruitliner "probably, not definitely," has 1710 series, the next size smaller driveline parts.
Add this all up and then some, and throw in the extra maintanence cost associated with being off the road, as Maniac mentioned. You'd better be changing your air filters more often now in that dustbowl environment, and they are about 50 bucks a piece for my Pete, X2, you'll be doing service intervals about every 250 HOURS instead of 10K miles, because you're idling more and PTO time, etc., and now, if I'm getting it straight, you've got a set of trailer tires and brakes to play with now.
The big picture also shows a slow period in the winter for you guys/gals out there? I'm not sure... Here in New England, it gets colder than a welldiggers' ankles by December, so we set our dumptrucks up to yank the bodies off and bolt the 5th wheel on, and haul something else till the frost is out around April. You have to average that revenue interruption out as well, compared to other forms of trucking.
Again, I mean no harm, I'm just sharing some boots-in-the-field experience, and I've had a lot of luck, but it's mainly all been bad. There's got to be a LOT of money IN the truckin' business still, 'cause I've never gotten any OUT of it yet...

They say the BEST way to make a million dollars in the truckin' business...is to start out with TWO million... :lol:

Good luck, I hope you do well and have no bad days at it.

TiredOut

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