[strawberryrhubarbpie]

I wanted to get some advice to make sure I'm on the right track. My husband and I own a dump truck but we are not making the money we would like to be making. We hope to be more successful as O/O's. Here's the plan: we both go to the 9 week 320 hour school (it starts August 22nd) and graduate with our class A cdl's. Then I get hired on by a company and get the crappy pay for 6 months to a year, but get the experience. He stays at home driving the dump truck. After my 6 months or so of experience, we buy our own tractor, start driving together and I teach him the ropes. We don't really want to drive as a "team", as we don't think we can sleep while the other is driving, but we would be on the road together to help each other out and keep each other company, but only driving a total of 14-16 hours a day. And hopefully be making a lot more money then the dump truck.

An addendum question: The dump truck is making us about $1,100 in a good week if we work 5 days. This is after broker fee and diesel, but before maintenance/tires etc. Any O/O's out there making more then this? What should we expect to make?

Thanks!

[flood]

1st i run team with my wife and we are making that in a BAD week most of the time it 2x-3x that

2nd this is a bad plan, if YOU only have 6 months driving you will never make it

[strawberryrhubarbpie]

Originally Posted by flood

2nd this is a bad plan, if YOU only have 6 months driving you will never make it

Why do you say that? Won't I be able to teach my husband all I've learned?

[GMAN]

Originally Posted by strawberryrhubarbpie

I wanted to get some advice to make sure I'm on the right track. My husband and I own a dump truck but we are not making the money we would like to be making. We hope to be more successful as O/O's. Here's the plan: we both go to the 9 week 320 hour school (it starts August 22nd) and graduate with our class A cdl's. Then I get hired on by a company and get the crappy pay for 6 months to a year, but get the experience. He stays at home driving the dump truck. After my 6 months or so of experience, we buy our own tractor, start driving together and I teach him the ropes. We don't really want to drive as a "team", as we don't think we can sleep while the other is driving, but we would be on the road together to help each other out and keep each other company, but only driving a total of 14-16 hours a day. And hopefully be making a lot more money then the dump truck.

An addendum question: The dump truck is making us about $1,100 in a good week if we work 5 days. This is after broker fee and diesel, but before maintenance/tires etc. Any O/O's out there making more then this? What should we expect to make?

Thanks!

Your husband will probably need to get some driving experience before a carrier will lease you on with your own truck. You could get your own authority, but until you both get more experience it is not a good idea. It will also cost much more to get your authority with the added insurance, etc., than it would leasing to another carrier.

[strawberryrhubarbpie]

Thanks Gman, I was hoping you would respond. That makes sense. We might just leave it as me driving the truck while he stays with the dump truck. Still in the planning stages we aren't sure what we are going to do yet.

[Orangetxguy]

Originally Posted by strawberryrhubarbpie

I wanted to get some advice to make sure I'm on the right track. My husband and I own a dump truck but we are not making the money we would like to be making. We hope to be more successful as O/O's. Here's the plan: we both go to the 9 week 320 hour school (it starts August 22nd) and graduate with our class A cdl's. Then I get hired on by a company and get the crappy pay for 6 months to a year, but get the experience. He stays at home driving the dump truck. After my 6 months or so of experience, we buy our own tractor, start driving together and I teach him the ropes. We don't really want to drive as a "team", as we don't think we can sleep while the other is driving, but we would be on the road together to help each other out and keep each other company, but only driving a total of 14-16 hours a day. And hopefully be making a lot more money then the dump truck.

An addendum question: The dump truck is making us about $1,100 in a good week if we work 5 days. This is after broker fee and diesel, but before maintenance/tires etc. Any O/O's out there making more then this? What should we expect to make?

Thanks!

You don't specify what size dump truck you are operating. If it is a regular, three axle configuration......I would think you are not making anywhere near what that size truck should make. BUT.....I am a tanker yanker. Mackman and a couple others are much better suited to advise on dump truck rates. All in all...it still seems like $1,100 a week is awfully low income for a dump, even in Florida.

[strawberryrhubarbpie]

Yes it's a tri-axle, we can haul around 20-21 tons. And yes that is very low, but it doesn't get any better here in Florida. Right now we are working at night on I-75 off of exits 191-195, they are finishing off the expansion from 2 lane to 3 lane and only have a couple of bridges to complete. Anyway, we get $50/hour for that (they call it site work) but then the broker gets his 10% so we only get $45/hour. Most nights we do not get 8 hours, it's usually only 7.5 or less. Pretty crappy pay for a piece of heavy equipment in my opinion. We ventured on up to Alabama to look at a couple of projects, and we also went to take a look around New Orleans where there is still a lot of work on the levees, but the projects in Alabama didn't pay THAT much more to warrant us moving all the way up there, and it rains too much in New Orleans (they said that in June they only worked 10 days the whole month). Thus our decision to go into the truck driving biz, which we kinda figured we would have to do a while ago.

[Orangetxguy]

Originally Posted by strawberryrhubarbpie

Yes it's a tri-axle, we can haul around 20-21 tons. And yes that is very low, but it doesn't get any better here in Florida. Right now we are working at night on I-75 off of exits 191-195, they are finishing off the expansion from 2 lane to 3 lane and only have a couple of bridges to complete. Anyway, we get $50/hour for that (they call it site work) but then the broker gets his 10% so we only get $45/hour. Most nights we do not get 8 hours, it's usually only 7.5 or less. Pretty crappy pay for a piece of heavy equipment in my opinion. We ventured on up to Alabama to look at a couple of projects, and we also went to take a look around New Orleans where there is still a lot of work on the levees, but the projects in Alabama didn't pay THAT much more to warrant us moving all the way up there, and it rains too much in New Orleans (they said that in June they only worked 10 days the whole month). Thus our decision to go into the truck driving biz, which we kinda figured we would have to do a while ago.

I don't know enough about how to get work for dumps....but MZ S.........It seems like you should not be working through a broker. Seem's to me, that you should be working directly for the Contractor. But I could be wrong. Dumps working on I-10 here in Orange are getting $85 an hour for site work, plus "So much a yard" according to a friend that has 2 trucks working out there. BUT....I don't see his checks....so....who knows. LOL....I know he lives better than I do. Rayl say's he works directly for the Contractor.

[Mackman]

Originally Posted by strawberryrhubarbpie

Yes it's a tri-axle, we can haul around 20-21 tons. And yes that is very low, but it doesn't get any better here in Florida. Right now we are working at night on I-75 off of exits 191-195, they are finishing off the expansion from 2 lane to 3 lane and only have a couple of bridges to complete. Anyway, we get $50/hour for that (they call it site work) but then the broker gets his 10% so we only get $45/hour. Most nights we do not get 8 hours, it's usually only 7.5 or less. Pretty crappy pay for a piece of heavy equipment in my opinion. We ventured on up to Alabama to look at a couple of projects, and we also went to take a look around New Orleans where there is still a lot of work on the levees, but the projects in Alabama didn't pay THAT much more to warrant us moving all the way up there, and it rains too much in New Orleans (they said that in June they only worked 10 days the whole month). Thus our decision to go into the truck driving biz, which we kinda figured we would have to do a while ago.

Im sorry to hear this. New Orleans is a joke. Dont even think about it. I run a 2006 mack tri/axle dump truck and avg. about 3-4k a week. Here is a link to a thread with my paystub posted and what not. http://www.classadrivers.com/forum/o...tml#post498472

Dumps are hard to make a living with. I was lucky my oldman had a dump for over 35 years. Im the 4th gen. driver in my family and we all came from dumps. So we have the hook-ups. We always work for the contractor. Brokers are a joke. We try to work for the contractors as much as we can. But on days where we dont have work then he haul out of the local quarry to fill in the gaps.

I just got a phone call to work on the PA Turnpike at night hauling hot rock. I might do it im not sure yet. The rate is only 75/hr with no travel time. I always try to get 80/hr with a 1/2hr travel. The black-top plant we would haul out of is only 7 miles from my house so the travel time aint that big a deal.

If thats all the money you are making i would sell that dump fast. You are losing money with every load you haul. Come on up to PA i can hook you up with work and you can give me 10% lol.

[GMAN]

Originally Posted by strawberryrhubarbpie

Thanks Gman, I was hoping you would respond. That makes sense. We might just leave it as me driving the truck while he stays with the dump truck. Still in the planning stages we aren't sure what we are going to do yet.

It sounds like you are in a tough spot. I know a couple who have worked out a similar situation. They have a brokerage and he stays home. She owns an 18 wheeler and brokers and drives the truck. She has it leased to a carrier and does well with it. I am not sure how much freight they actually broker these days. His health is not very good. All in all they seem to make it work. You are not making that much with the dump, but at least you are making something until you can get something else going. If you could borrow a trailer, your husband might be able to test out to get his class A license. I believe all they require is that it is a combination vehicle with air brakes. If he did decide to go after an otr job, it would give him a little bit of a heads up since he already has his class a license. He would probably still need to go through a training period, but it could speed up the process.