New "Big Rig"

Sodbuster · #1 (**permalink**) 07-12-2005, 06:14 PM

Got my new dump yesterday. Awesome machine... this thing was born a dump truck. Detroit diesel, all the heavy axle, tranny, frame options. This thing is huge.

Sodbuster · #2 (**permalink**) 07-12-2005, 06:18 PM

GLAN · #3 (**permalink**) 07-12-2005, 08:27 PM

Wow.....very nice.

Best of luck with it.....

Stonehenge · #4 (**permalink**) 07-12-2005, 10:12 PM

Looks like a beast of a truck.

I'm curious, because there are a couple competitors around my neck of the woods that run similar rigs - how much are you coming out ahead, running your own truck with your own manpower versus having large quantities of bulk materials delivered by suppliers?

Sodbuster · #5 (**permalink**) 07-12-2005, 11:41 PM

Ya get to the point you can no longer be dependent on large dump truck operators. When your're spending a grand a day for the big rigs it's past time to own.

Along with being a horticulturist, I'm a CPA and would not purchase a $125,000 truck if the numbers are not favorable. With hourly and by-the-load rate, plus curb time and the scheduling hassle... it pays to own. I have 3 smaller dumps and it was time to go big.

Stone, where is Wisc. are ya operating?

Stonehenge · #6 (**permalink**) 07-13-2005, 08:18 AM

They call it northeast, but we're about a 1/2 hour south of Green Bay.

Bill Schwab · #7 (**permalink**) 07-13-2005, 10:44 AM

Ditto what Sodbuster says. Nice truck Sodbuster, what do you have for an engine/tranny combo?

Sodbuster · #8 (**permalink**) 07-13-2005, 10:32 PM

Stoner... Ice fished Shawno Lake for walleye. I really like that area. Man, we drove our 4x4's on the lake and fished all night. I don't remember the name, but it was a fishing derby and it snowed like heck.

Hey Bill... Detroit Diesel 60 series, Eaton/Fuller tranney, loaded with all the heavy duty goodies. Dual stacks, twin breathers, air cab and a ton of other extras. Incredible feeling when your fire up that big diesel.

Paul · #9 (**permalink**) 07-13-2005, 10:46 PM

Maybe it's just the Midwest but it's hard to really make the numbers work here to own a rig like that. Any day of the week I can call and have semi's lined up to haul dirt, bring in gravel, run to the dump or haul out concrete. Average $$ to haul out dirt is $210 a load including dump fees, gravel is even cheaper if you factor in the time. If I want a truck lots of guys are at $75 per hour, I couldn't put a labor on the site for that!

Sodbuster · #10 (**permalink**) 07-13-2005, 11:54 PM

With soil your making revenue on both ends of the deal. Paid to haul off and paid to dump on fill sites. Dump truck biz is a racket...they are on the horn all day long wheelin and dealin on dirt haul off and dirt dump sites.

It's big business down here where some of the biggest growth in human existance is occuring.

When doing excavating work you can't always pile up your soil and haul off later. Many times the site has space restrictions and the haul off has to be done as removed. It can get extremely expensive when you get delays and excuses from dump truck operators.

The big dump trucks can haul heavy excavators to and from job sites, which really makes things easier. Man a loaded pickup truck cost 50K these days and can haul very little payload.

It may seem weird but you get to the point a big dumper doesn't cost, but pays.

Paul · #11 (**permalink**) 07-14-2005, 12:49 AM

Here it's not that much of a problem. Trucking is still too cheap to own unless you have at least the need for 4 or more heavy trucks.

Sodbuster · #12 (**permalink**) 07-15-2005, 12:03 AM

You must be out of your mind. Get out in the world and get your eyes opened up.

Here is a 4.38 acre commercial site we are going to provide hauling for large scale demolition. Adding second story and building 3 spas and 2 olympic size pools inside.

PSUscaper · #13 (**permalink**) 07-15-2005, 10:58 AM

What kind of insurance rate is on that? What kind of registration fees?? I've been scared of big trucks like that because the cost of just owning it (just having it on the road) seemed to cost so much.

Western Stars are really taking off around here. A lot of guys are getting sick of the new problematic Mack's and are switching over. Nice looking truck.

Just for curiousity, I really would like to know what a truck like that has to produce each day to stay profitable. Trucking seems like a tough business, and like paul said, unless you have a whole fleet, it seems like a losing proposition.

Bill Schwab · #14 (**permalink**) 07-15-2005, 02:49 PM

We use big owned rigs for our convienience. They added $10,000.00 a year to our vehicular liability policy, and $230K to our asset liability. And, we recover for that in our hourly rate. Where they save us, is in convenience, we get loads when we want them, not when a trucking company can get us in, and, we also have boxes we place on others jobsites and charge to haul them to the dump. I had several years in the disposal industry that enlightened me about trucking/routing.

If we did not put the trucks out to haul for others, (which is generating between $3,100 to $3,600.00 a day in gross sales between both trucks.

I'm with Paul all the way, the numbers would not calculate to our benefit unless we put these trucks out to work elsewhere, and though we are in a very affluent area, people do have limits as to what they will pay for something.....

Paul · #15 (**permalink**) 07-15-2005, 09:43 PM

Let me give some insight to my post. Here a truck driver is making $29 per hour plus benefits add in SS and Medicare and your talking closer to $50 per hour. Now we have Fuel, insurance, maintainer, inspections, license plates, ICC rules and regs, ect........ So that truck ends up costing you about $85 to $95 per hour. If I can hire a Semi truck which handles more weight and larger loads for $75 to $80 per hour or runs me a flat fee of $210 per load( which includes dump fees) for that 2 hour run ( not uncommon around here) I think it's pretty cheap.

You mentioned that you use this truck to haul a trailer and heavy equipment Not thats a different story but I still think that a tractor trailer would be a better investment over the longer run.
My reasons are that a tractor trailer(called a Semi here) can handle larger equipment and we all know that as you get bigger that more equipment and more moves are needed. Plus a dump trailer would allow you to haul more material with a better turn radius than a straight truck. Here a Six wheeler like you have is limited to 8 tons per axle or 48,000 lbs while a Semi is allowed 73,000 lbs. We get an extra 12,000 lbs on that with a cost that runs close to what a your straight truck is going to run you.

I never had a hard time getting trucks to haul for me even with as little as 2 hours notice. I built a very fine relationship with a few trucking companies that would drop everything to get me trucks as I needed them.