Tandem Axle ?

[steven101]

Hey Guys,

Heres the situation, I currently own a landscape co. Its getting to a point were everybody is cutting each others throat My compang is doing well but, I want out!!
I'm so tired of putiing on the face, I just want to be in a truck and just DRIVE.
So here the game plan,I am going to start with 1 tandem axle dump truck
and evantually buy another. My budget is around $50,000 for a used truck.
I narrowed it down to a ford L9000 or 2003-2005 gmc 8500.
Also, If you can please give me a ball park figure of potential earnigs per week.
Thank you for help
Newbie

 

[Ford LT-9000]

Then are you really sure you want to go into the dump truck business :lmao

Seriously thou running a dump truck is borderline profit to no profit depending on your area.

As for a dump truck choice your better off going with a L-9000 you don't want a light tandem like the 8500 GMC.

A good dump would have 18,000lb front axle 46,000lb rear axle and 14 litre power with 400hp.

 

[CascadeScaper]

If you're not happy landscaping and you say your company is doing "well", then trucking probably isn't for you. I don't know ANYONE that ever makes any money trucking unless you have 15+ trucks regardless of where you live. High fuel prices, insurance prices, and other consumables have pushed trucking into a very break even business by itself.

 

[steven101]

Thanks fellas
In all honesty I know my business would survive but I dont think I want to do this anymore. Were I live, I noticed alot of truck drivers are buying new quad axles so, Its gotta be worth it.
About 4 years ago, my uncle was bringing in about $5000-6000
a week with two trucks.
Another thing, do they charge by the mile or hour?
Thank you guys for responding

 

[Squizzy246B]

Thanks fellas
In all honesty I know my business would survive but I dont think I want to do this anymore. Were I live, I noticed alot of truck drivers are buying new quad axles so, Its gotta be worth it.
About 4 years ago, my uncle was bringing in about $5000-6000
a week with two trucks.
Another thing, do they charge by the mile or hour?
Thank you guys for responding

Why not look at a Single Axle and a skid or mini-x??....use your landscaping knowledge but stay with the machines.

 

[dumptrucker]

Making a living with trucking isn't as bad as everyone claims. Your magor three major expenses are , fuel , the truck , and insurance.
The problem I see with a lot of guys is that they are a bunch of whine ..sses.
They whine about the site cond. they whine about getting their truck dirty and they can't seem to drive by a coffee shop without stopping.

If you carry the same ethics that you obviously have with your current business over to the trucking business then you will have no problem.
I have been in it for about 5 years now and it was a little rough in the beginning not being known and trying to get jobs. Now I have 3 contractors that I work for, and they keep me busy 65 hours a week for 6 months out of the year. I work another job in winter and put the truck in the barn , so to speak.

I make about 4,000 a week .
fuel : 700-900 a week
ins : about 80 per week to cover monthly
Truck : paid for
my pay: 1,300 week
That leaves about 1700 a week for the business , for maint, repairs, equipment replacement and of course , the govt.

If you don't have good work ethics you won't make it. If you treat your customers how you would want your contractor to perform on your job. Then you will do just fine.

As with any business there are always pros and cons, and good times and bad.

Good luck and happy truckin!:thumbsup

 

[Ford LT-9000]

These guys under-cutting will get it in the end when they go broke or people get tired of their pizz poor quality of work.

Have the same problem here guys doing rubbish removal far cheaper than I can go right ahead I'am not working for nothing. What I can haul away in 1 trip takes a person with a P/U truck 2-3 trips.

If you own a dump truck you pretty well have to maintain and do 90% of the repairs on the truck and have a shop to work in. If you gotta hire a mechanic to do your repairs that gets expensive.

Dump trucks here are paid by the hour and on a good day you can make up to 640 dollars in a 8 hours. But if you got careless and not paid attention and ruined a drive tire on a sharp rock kiss 500 dollars good bye. The contractor I worked for fired a guy because he ruined too many tires. And no it wasn't me that got fired I was the one that had to do the tire repairs and changes. One of the trucks I just mounted 8 new caps sent the truck out for the day it came back with a ruined tire :cussing

I was mad and I also got sick of the drivers damaging the trucks it was one of the reasons why I quit.

Anyhow if you can find a steady hauling job or working for a paving company hauling asphalt then you will make some money. Or hook up with a developer that may need a truck for hauling to their site.

The only thing in this area that isn't under cut is dump trucking because there is very little profit in it you work for less than 80 dollars per hour your going to go broke.

Good luck with anything you decide on.

 

[Steve Frazier]

Well now that Canada's most knowledgeable businessman has spoken, you should have no further questions.:Banghead

I can add some more optimistic info. A friend of mine started with 2 ten wheelers about 30 years ago and now runs 8 tri-axles. He's always got most of them running. Your success with depend on the contacts you make, your reliability and how hard you are willing to work. Trucks here are paid one of two ways, either by the hour or by the ton of material delivered. Check around your area and see if many trucks are sitting idle, if everyone is working steady there's probably room for one more. See if you can get an idea from the larger contractors in your area if they need hired trucks on a regular basis.

 

[Duke]

Making a living with trucking isn't as bad as everyone claims. Your magor three major expenses are , fuel , the truck , and insurance.
The problem I see with a lot of guys is that they are a bunch of whine ..sses.
They whine about the site cond. they whine about getting their truck dirty and they can't seem to drive by a coffee shop without stopping.

If you carry the same ethics that you obviously have with your current business over to the trucking business then you will have no problem.
I have been in it for about 5 years now and it was a little rough in the beginning not being known and trying to get jobs. Now I have 3 contractors that I work for, and they keep me busy 65 hours a week for 6 months out of the year. I work another job in winter and put the truck in the barn , so to speak.

I make about 4,000 a week .
fuel : 700-900 a week
ins : about 80 per week to cover monthly
Truck : paid for
my pay: 1,300 week
That leaves about 1700 a week for the business , for maint, repairs, equipment replacement and of course , the govt.

If you don't have good work ethics you won't make it. If you treat your customers how you would want your contractor to perform on your job. Then you will do just fine.

As with any business there are always pros and cons, and good times and bad.

Good luck and happy truckin!:thumbsup

I think the big advantage you have is your truck was "paid for". We don't know if the OP's truck is "paid for" or financed. BIG difference in bottom line profits.

My take on trucking is forget about going it alone-keep the landscape biz-find some way to do both. All the newer guys I know who haul live in small homes and have lots of $$ problems. I'm sure there's plenty of guys who've been in the biz for 10-20 years who might have become successful, but it's usually because they're "connected" with someone who can feed them work constantly.

Here's an idea: Why not keep the landscape biz and open a mulch/stone/dirt yard and deliver to customers using a couple dump trucks? That way you can supply your landscape biz with cheaper mulch , dirt & stone and get your need to drive/own bigger trucks taken care of? :beatsme

 

[nedly05]

Anything is possible with a little hard work and perseverance (sp). If you are interested in getting in to trucking, why not make it part of your landscaping biz until the truck is busy enough to run on its own. That way you can use it for your jobs, charge for it etc, and if you have days where it can run, then run it, and eventually if the truck gets busy enough phase out lanscaping. Good Luck!!

 

[dumptrucker]

Yes my current truck is paid for but my first truck was not. I had a 600 a month payment on that truck and in 5 years I was able to put enough money to buy my new truck which cost 42,000. I also have a family of four to support.

I guess everyone that has a truck should go to canada so we can make the big money at 80 dollars an hour.

We get 60 to 65 an hour around here for a tandem. I don't know of many places in the country that are making much more than that for a tandem.
To say that if you don't get 80 dollars an hour your going to go broke is a crock of ....!
At 65 an hour I pay all bills for the truck, taxes , new house , food on the table for a family of 4 and still have enough to enjoy life.

Your not going to get rich at trucking , but you can make a good living!

 

[cat320]

I know in my area I see alot of registered 10 and triaxels just sitting around getting dust on them. I know a guy who has been doing it for years and even he has cut down and selling off equipment. I think alot has to do with the tunneland in Boston rt 3 widening back in those days there was mega work for anyone who had a triaxel now the big stuff is done and unless you made some good contacts it's hard to just be out there for hire I think, you could get on at the asphalt plant and stone yards. as for hire I think they get by hour at the plant it might be by load not to sure .

 

[Ford LT-9000]

When your paying 3.88 dollars a gallon for diesel to start with that cuts into the profits. Truck tires are 450.00 for a recapped bandag and 800-1000 for supersingle steer tires. Parts are not cheap either, one of the dump truck guys a newbie in the bus had to buy a alternator for his truck 450 dollars.

The cheapest thing to fix on a dump truck is the brakes if you are easy on them you can get a year out of them.

When I was looking for a tandem axle dump anything for 30 grand and less was a site truck. I was surprised how much you got to pay now to get a decent truck. A decent truck for Western Canada is 50-60,000 that buys you a high kilometer 3/4s worn out T-800 Kenworth

Most guys now are buying new Sterling 9500s you pay 2300 dollars a month truck payment but you got a brandnew truck. A new Sterling is 140,000 a brandnew T-800 Kenworth is 155,000 a Mack Granite is 140,000 too.

The dump truck rate at 80 dollars per hour is still too low but can't get anymore than that.

If you have a driver on the truck that also cuts into the profits. A drivers wages is 20-25 dollars per hour if the truck is working on a gov't job the employer has to pay gov't rate to the employee which is $23.50 per hour.

As I said you should find a steady contract I know one guy he is top truck with the paving company he easily makes 100 grand a year.

Like the others said try stick with the landscaping. If you do good work and have a good reputation you will eventually stamp out the under cutters. If people are under cutting how is your economy. These people gotta be awfully greedy if they are trying to get all the work.

 

[Duke]

A lot of your success will depend on your local economy. Before you buy a truck, try to see if you can dig up some work. Any numbskull can buy a truck, but not everyone can buy it at the right time and get work for it.

Check around to see if there's any major road improvement jobs, fill hauling, etc. where you can get a start so you have money coming in before the first payment comes due.

 

[Kgmz]

You are looking at buying a tandem axle truck, but then you mention later that everyone around you are buying quad axle trucks.

Which type of truck do you think is going to get the majority of the work?


Around here in the NW with the type of bridge laws we have to follow, you almost have to have a truck and trailer capable of 105,500 gross. Which means a 4 to 5 axle truck and a 3 to 4 axle trailer.

Also around here we are paid hourly for major dirt/rock moves or by the ton for a few loads. Rates here are around $65 a hour for truck only, around $80 a hour for a truck and pup without enough axles, and $95 to $130 a hour for a truck and trailer with 105,500 gross.

As for what types of trucks sell well here, you almost can't give away a 3 axle truck or a 2 axle pup trailer, if fact there are several 2 axles pups for sale for $5000. Our market demands a minimum 4 axle truck (front axle, drop axle, and tandem rears) usually pulling a 4 axle pup, sometime a 3 axle pup but then your gross is down to 101,000 to 102,500 depending on the spread. And the newest combo is a 5 axle truck (front axle, 2 drop axles, and tandem rears) pulling a 3 axle trailer and sometimes a 4 axle pup if your spread is not enough with a 3 axle.

Also around here you will not get much work with a truck only, except for small loads going to homeowners, etc. where a 3 axle truck may be fine, but you would not get much work.

To make money and a living at this that truck needs to be moving 8 hours a day, and the more you can haul in a single trip the better. It doesn't cost that much more in fuel to haul 105,500 over a 80,000 load.

 

[Ford LT-9000]

In B.C. tridrive trucks are becoming more popular because you can have 73,000lb gvw straight truck but there is a drawback. A tridrive truck eats drive tires fast usually ever 3-4 months the truck needs tires around 6 grand.

Tandems are still number 1 choice the extra savings in not buying 4 extra drive tires saves big money. Pull a quad transfer behind a tandem the truck is good for 132,000lbs you can carry 15 tons in the truck and 20 or so tons in the trailer.

Hauling that kind of weight kills the roads and kills the truck. You ever get behind a tandem axle dump pulling a quad axle transfer they are climbing the hills pretty slow. Even a truck pulling a ordinary tandem axle pup trailer is hard on the truck you got 15 tons in the truck and 10 tons in the trailer.

You definatly don't want to be pulling a pup trailer with a truck with L-10 or M-11 power or anything smaller than a N-14 or a 3406 and 400hp.

I explored the different options when I was looking at going as a owner operator dump. When you live on coastal bc with gravel mines that ship material out by barge loads we were going to import material to my famillies property. After you crunched the numbers the handling the material was too expensive. The mines will sell you a barge load of 3000 tons at a time but after handling and barge fees the profit was couple dollars a ton.

 

[RuskEnt]

Almost seems like it would make more sense to buy the truck, use it for your landscape company and then use it to truck for others when you do not need it.

I own a landscape company and do large projects. I see alot of other companies who do projects the size of the ones i do buying tandems to truck there own material. I ran the numbers and it seemed to make the most sense to keep on hiring out the trucking. The only way it made sense was long term. I figured i would not put many miles on the truck, so it would last 20+ years.

 

[Bob Horrell]

The trucking business alone is a tough business. If you combine it with something else (like your landscaping) it can be a moneymaker. I have a grading business where I do work for landscapers, contractors and homeowners. I also dig pools for one company. A little over a year ago I purchased a used single axle (35K GVW) dump to see how it would work out. My estimates from looking at the idea for a year was that it would pay. I paid for the truck in less than a year, and upgraded to a tri-axle. The way things are going, it also will be paid for in less than a year. Now, I looked for 6 months for the single axle, and 7 months for the tri-axle waiting for a good deal. I ended up selling the single axle for more than I paid for it, including tax and license. I also got a good deal on the tri-axle.
Things are getting slow around here and there are a lot of dump trucks for sale and just sitting around. I generate my own dump truck work and therefore keep it pretty busy. You could do the same with your landscape business. Sometimes the truck finds me grading jobs. Recently, while fueling up a woman approached me and asked me about hauling a bunch of horse manure from her ranch to her boyfriends ranch. In the end, I ended up getting a grading job at the boyfriends ranch.
When I dig a pool with really good dirt, I stockpile it and sell it to landscapers needing topsoil. I worked out a deal with a local recycling plant to take their mulch when they end up with more than they can sell and need the space. Their goal is to not send any wood product to the dump, so I get it free. I use it for dust control on some grading jobs, sell it to landscapers, use it to make a 50/50 mix, etc. The list goes on and there are endless possibilities if you work at it and are creative.
I have a friend with 6 transfers and a very loyal clientele, and it is still a struggle to constantly do well. He is very smart and creative and does OK but it is not easy.
Do some thinking and figure out an angle or niche with your landscaping where you can combine the two and offer something unique or better than others. When things slow down, the more you can do the better you will weather the slow times.
Good luck. It never hurts to have some luck. Sometimes luck brings more rewards than being good. When I was young and stupid, I rode rodeo bulls and an older (to me anyway) rodeo clown said something I never forgot. He was talking to a cowboy that was down on his luck and complaining about it. He said, "son, luck is preparation meeting opportunity - if you aren't prepared it won't do you a damn bit of good". I have always remembered LIPMO.

 

[Ford LT-9000]

If you got a good supply of topsoil there is good money there or get into a landscape supply. If you got experience in landscaping and you know what your area requires.

 

[steven101]

Thank you all for your replies:notworthy
you all made some valid points.. Currently I have been getting phone calls by 2 brokers who want to buy me out. So that is why I want to go a differant route. So lets say I buy a $50000 used truck, It isnt going to brake the bank..

That is why I want to get into the trucking. Test the waters and see how much work is out their for a tandem.
If it goes well, upgrade to quad or, if it fails, sell the truck and move on.

It doesnt hurt to try. I also know that it will take time to get your name out, but that is one thing on my side( I'm 28).

Again thank you gentlemen for all your input.:usa