[gcal]

I

[GMAN]

To start with, I suggest if you want to buy a dump truck to get more than 3 month experience. Dumps tend to be seasonal. You can do will when the weather is good, but may do more sitting when the weather turns bad. Insurance will likely be expensive since you essentially have no experience. Most insurers want at least 2 years experience. You will want to do most of your maintenance yourself. Dumps go through a lot of abuse. Thing are always going to break. You need to either be able to do the repairs yourself or have the money to have them done by someone else. The cost of base plates will vary from state to state. My niece and her husband had dumps in Tennessee and I believe that they paid about $800 for each truck. I pay about $200 for an oil change. Mine cost more due to the CAT filters I use. If I had a place to do them myself, I would. I could save a lot of money. How often you do a change will depend on either how many hours your engine runs or the number of miles. I change my oil at around 15M miles. Since dumps are off road much of the time, you will probably want to grease everything more often than a road tractor. Your maintenance costs will depend on how and where you drive. As far as getting business, you will probably want to contact contractors and paving companies in your area. You should have business lined up before spending money on a truck. Prices of dumps can vary according to time of year and location. There are some on this forum who can probably give you more detailed information on prices and maintenance. Again, I suggest getting more experience before you go out and buy a truck. There is more to truck ownership than getting in and turning a key. I am glad to see you asking questions before you jump into the frying pan. Good luck. 8)

[gcal]

Thanks for the response and keep'em coming.

[Nomad_]

GMan, you did not mention how many Air Filters you go through....lol.

My CDL instructor is a Dump Truck O/O. He has been DTing for about 8 years. Says he has the steady cliental (new subdivisions/etc..) He charges by the hour and bases a lot of the costs on fuel.

Make a long story short. At $3.00 a gallon for fuel his rates are $48 per hour. Even with the overhead that does not sound too bad. Said he would go to $50 PH when prices go to $3.50 PG (notice I said WHEN :cry: )

Otherwise he will give his wife the permission to fill the DT with LOAM :lol: :lol:

[icedad]

gcal, I have been running a dump trailer since 75. I alternate between running the road and hauling rocks. You haven't specified what you are going to run. Semi? or 6 wheeler?
There are really only 2 ways to make it in this business starting out new. But since you have a chunk of change to put down, there could be 3. I say this because my first truck cost me 6 grand and my trailer was 4 grand. I was working on this thing every other day for the first year. Every year after-wards, I would upgrade my equipment, until I had good enough equipment where it was no longer necessary.. With gravel, you can do this, because you're never far from home and your toolbox.
First of all, if you drive t/t you will need about 10,000 grand up front for insurance. (you may be able to get on a monthly or semi annual plan here) Next, you may need up to 4 weeks operating expenditure's, depending on how you will get paid. This includes fuel, mortgage, and all the family and homeowners expenses. You may have a breakdown your first few weeks, so you need cash for that
When you haul rocks, you have better be somewhat mechanically inclined. You will need to do on the job repairs to some extent. (Basic stuff) Oil changes every 8-10,000 miles, fuel filters included. Air cleaners, depending on what you do for work once or, twice a year. Tires every 2 years, give or take, brakes every year. Plus all the nickel and dime crap. This is where your mechanical aptitude will come in handy.
Be prepared to work on your truck once a week for a good 6-8 hours in a day. There is always something to fix.
I painted the worst scenario for you because this is the facts. It's not easy by no means easy, but it can be done with a good PM program and the willingness to sacrifice your own time and labor.
Good luck to you, It can be done!

[GMAN]

Originally Posted by Nomad_

GMan, you did not mention how many Air Filters you go through....lol.

My CDL instructor is a Dump Truck O/O. He has been DTing for about 8 years. Says he has the steady clientele (new subdivisions/etc..) He charges by the hour and bases a lot of the costs on fuel.

Make a long story short. At $3.00 a gallon for fuel his rates are $48 per hour. Even with the overhead that does not sound too bad. Said he would go to $50 PH when prices go to $3.50 PG (notice I said WHEN :cry: )

Otherwise he will give his wife the permission to fill the DT with LOAM :lol: :lol:

Fortunately Nomad, I don't go through that many air filters. I do change things as needed. $48/ seems low for fuel being what it it right now. You didn't mention the size of dump he is using. I believe my niece and her husband were getting more than that several years ago before fuel went through the roof. Of course, you may be able to run off road diesel if you are only on a construction site. Then there is the problem if you get on the highway while running off road fuel. :?

And no offense, gcal, but if you don't think you can make a living driving someone else's dump, how do you think you will be able to make it owning the truck? There are times, especially starting out, when you could make less owning than driving for someone. It takes time to build contacts and get your money coming in. I am glad to hear you say that you plan on getting more experience before buying a truck.

[Mackman]

Originally Posted by Nomad_

his rates are $48 per hour

I hope that rate is a single axle dump truck. If it is for a bigger truck a tri axle tell him thanks for keeping the rates nice and low. A tri axle where i lives get 70hr and thats on the cheap end.

[Rawlco]

GMAN said: Of course, you may be able to run off road diesel if you are only on a construction site. Then there is the problem if you get on the highway while running off road fuel

The Maine DOT people get quite annoyed if anyone runs off-road dyed untaxed diesel in an truck that has a fuel sticker, and they like to check randomly.

Mackman: Maine people work cheap. Always have, and probably always will.

gcal: You should check out this thread: http://classadrivers.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=16342 and especially http://www.classadrivers.com/phpBB2/...=133942#133942

Were do I find work

You will have to pound the pavement and find a company that takes dump truck O/O's. Some smaller outfits may have some temp work, but starting out you might want to find a larger company that can keep you busy.

How do I go about buying a truck? How much am I looking at spending on a good truck, not new?

try www.truckpaper.com to get a feel for the market at least. I think Icedad has a good idea with a general use tractor that can haul a dump trailer, or a container trailer, or a refer OTR. Flexibility is a good thing. It does depend on if you can find a company to hire you locally with a dump trailer, since they don't always fit into some neighborhoods.

what should I be expecting as for as plates and insurance

Only an insurance agent can unravel the mystery of the rates. Get a good local agent that you can work with and bother a lot. Progressive is probably the only company that will write a policy on an inexperienced driver, but you have some experience, so who knows.

if I work for someone else 12 hr days 6 days a week I wouldnt be able to pay my bills. Unless they are starting at 20 an hour

$1440 per week before taxes :? Not likely. If $20 per hour driving is what you are looking for I suggest you keep your day job. You might be able to net the same amount in a week as an O/O, but you will be putting in a lot more hours. Evenings doing paperwork, and 1 day a week doing maintenance on the truck. If there was that kind of money in owning a dump truck everyone would be doing it. There will always be someone who will do it for less.

Some of the expenses that you may or may not have considered include, but are not limited to (may not apply to Dump trucking, but they are things to consider if you persue another segment of the trucking industry) :
Truck payment, trailer payment, Collision/cargo/bobtail/health insurance, business liability insurance (seperate from truck), licenses, permits, accounting and legal fees, fuel, tires, preventative maintenance, repair, telephone/internet bills, meals on the road, tolls, fines, cargo claims (are you going to eat it, or make your insurance pay it and increas your rates later?), Scale fees ($8-10 for each load to avoid fines), tarps, straps, chains, workers comp, road taxes, fuel taxes, heavy vehicle use taxes
and last but most important: Drivers wage, Return on investment, and PROFIT.
You can play with the numbers yourself with Ooida's cost per mile spreadsheet at http://www.ooida.com/trucking_tools/...t_per_mile.htm

[gcal]

You guys are great. Keep'em coming and thanks alot for the info.
What I have been looking at is a tri axle with out a trailer for now and doing local work ie haul from quarry to developments or like.

please keep this thread alive and throw your two cents at me.

Thanks agian.

[MACK]

One thing with the dump trailers if you get a frameless trailer you will not be able to haul aspfhalt or at least that is the way it works hear because you will end up on your side.

The tractor if it has a sleeper it will need to be a flat top so you can fit under the silos at the asphalt plant.

To find work try going to a company near you that has a asphalt plant.