The pay isn't that good, but the turnaround is quick. Back when I was pulling grain hoppers, the rates were around $15 a ton for 200-300 mile trips (this was back around 2000 - 2001). That comes out to about $1.30 a mile for a 26 ton load (which was pretty easy to get). The plus side was that we could run 2 trips per day (if we were lucky).
It's very dirty work though, because a lot of what those grain wagons are hauling isn't grain at all - it's feed and fertilizer. Some feeds unload better than others, but I've had loads that have taken upwards of 10 hours to get off the trailer. Feed and fertilizer pays a lot better than grain. The work is pretty steady, though - if you have the right connections. The cows always have to eat, so there is work year round.
It's very much regional work, although there are a few outfits that go beyond that. If I were to get into grain hauling again, it wouldn't be through leasing onto a company - they generally pay crappy rates. But, again, you have to get a customer base lined up, which can be difficult to do. A lot of the stuff gets brokered through a few large firms, and they frown upon carriers eliminating them as middlemen.
Hope this helps.
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