Hello,
I'm looking at starting a dump truck business here in Va. I am in the beginning stages right now of collecting information to see if it is going to be a worth wild venture or not. Any advice in this industry would be appreciated.
Thanks.
Adam

I'm in Central VA myself. C-Ville area is decent and growing. See a lot of owner operators running still but they are traveling all over to make money. I see guys that usually hang out towards the 29 corridor now running up North into Northern VA and East towards Fredericksburg. You should look to tie into more than just the quarries, your going to be doing some sitting if not. Make friends with construction companies that don't already have dump trucks and normally hire trucks like you.

Quarries want the big trucks, 20 tons and up to haul. DUMB in my book! You need trucks that have tight turning radius' but can still haul 16/18 tons. C-Ville is an old town with narrow streets, any dirt work in there, the trucks that have tight turning can get in there and be hired more often. Same in Fredericksburg. My company just did a job in Fred, our truck hauls up to 12 tons but can turn on a dime with a nickel change! They had me doing the gravel runs because the quarry trucks could not come close to getting in there.

In the winter things slow down big time, try to tie the trucks into VDOT for snow removal.

An FYI, do you already own any trucks? Figure on going thru tires like they are hotcakes, especially on the pony axles. Those in particular take a severe beating.

Do you have any specific questions?

Thanks for the reply Mr Ford. I'm trying to learn the business right now. What is the best way to reach out to construction companies in the beginning. Just go to them and let them know I'm new to the industry and that I am looking to contract work with them. As far as the quarries go, how do you get hook up to run with them. And how does it work working for them. Does a cust call them to make and order and then they call you to deliver it ?? Like I said. I'm learning. So thank you for the information.

You need to know what your operating costs are going to be and have it broken down day to day for what you need to make minimum before going to construction companies and putting your name out there as being a hauler. Unfortunately I do not run my own trucks so I'm not very helpful there at all. You need to find some dump truck companies and see if the owner or owners are willing to talk with you about this venture in person. Hopefully they are very open and not just telling you BS. You have to know and understand what your bottom line needs to be after all expenses are paid to figure out what your rates for hauling need to be. This means insurance for the truck(s), fuel, maintenance, driver pay, business licenses and DOT items just to name a few. The other reason I say this, construction companies will try to take advantage of you by lowballing what they are paying you and you won't know any better until your broke and in major debt. I know of some haulers that say they won't run for anything less than $100 per ton on moving dirt. If you have to run dirt, sometimes it has to be taken to the landfill because nobody needs any fill dirt, someone has to pay what they call a "tipping fee" more than likely you could get stuck paying that bill without reimbursement. The one time my company hired me out, they were getting $60 a ton plus the tipping fee reimbursement.

As for the quarries, you go to whichever you want to run out of. Walk into the scale house and tell them you have a truck or trucks and want to haul for them. They will have someone who deals strictly with setting you up. They will want to see your truck before you can start hauling for them. They already have set rates for each load hauled. Your truck goes into the quarry daily in the morning and sits and waits until a haul is needed. The scale house will call on a CB(you MUST get a CB for any truck you get) to tell you what you need to haul. Upon loading, you then get your destination as you cross the scale to leave. Once you dump, you head back to the quarry to wait for the next run. Over the last 8 years, quarry haulers have been doing a LOT of sitting and waiting depending on where you are. Some quarry companies are now sending trucks from other quarries they own to where they are needed for help delivering.

There is a LOT here to learn, you might be better off if you are friends with someone who is already into this as an owner where you can watch and learn before jumping in. I'd hate for you to jump in at this time whole hog and end up in the poor house just 2 months in. I wish I could help you there too, the guy I knew who was doing it as an owner operator, he got out a few years back and runs the Orange County Airport now.

Does anyone have any experience, how much money can be made on a dump truck?