Posted by Billy NY on August 25, 2007 at 11:41:52 from (64.12.117.74):
In Reply to: OT Dump Truck ??? posted by Logan in S.E. Texas on August 25, 2007 at 04:04:01:
That is or can be a real tough racket, to start you need a reliable truck in good working condition and you need to be able to maintain it with minimal down time at all costs no matter what may happen, flat tires to serious repairs. You'll also need some start up capital to cover all the direct/indirect costs of this kind of business and be able to float awhile for whatever is needed. Marketing - you need steady work that pays.
The work you go after, hauling contracts, has to be profitable, you need to determine this before agreeing to any hauling work, and it varies by virtue of what kind of work you do. Construction sites, heavy and highway work is tough on a truck, demanding of a driver and changes like the weather. I know of some sucessful people in the business,(link below) someone I know who started in the early to mid 90's he's probably up to a dozen tri-axles and twice as many trailers going now but he does specialized hauling too, started by doing some work with large construction companies, not sure how they made it successful, just know it's not easy, especially in the beginning, you need consistent work that pays on time, someone who needs the work done but does not want the headache of trucks and drivers, a lot of the large construction companies have their own fleets, but require more trucks at peak times on jobs, to keep material flowing. You also have to be diversified to cater to other markets as if construction dries up what else can you do to keep working.
I drove for several years and operated heavy equipment, earlier in my career, spent a lot of time in tri-axles hauling heavy materials like asphalt, crushed stone, gravel, fill as well as moving large excavation equipment to jobs, you need to be an good driver attentive to the road and the vehicle you run, you will deal with tires, brakes, scheduled maintenance and most likely serious repairs at some point along the way. Some of those repairs will be needed at the most inopportune times, so the truck is back on the road.
Don't forget law enforcement, insurances, regulations and lots of other similar things.
I have seen power dividers and drivelines break, a tire that blew the battery box cover and fender well out, dumpbodies fall off, seen one too many truck inspections, weight check points, been stuck more times than I can remember, even saw a lady running a nice freightliner tri-axle on the same job, catch a nice piece of rock onto the oilpan while backing in to dump off, tearing it off like a sardine can lid, she left it running too long, spun the bearings on the 425 cat engine, several thousand dollars later she was back on site, large pipeline job hauling backfill from the pit, truck did not belong off road, not enough clearance, this was miles of off road hauling, haul roads were the worst I've ever seen, log mats, bumps galore, granny low for miles till you get to the dump area. Also know someone who's family has a long established businesss, he ran his own truck for a good many years, and kept busy, although he turned over once, loaded, on top of an occupied car, never asked him about it, just knew he went back to the family business after that one.
Not to discourage anyone, can be done, but it's a serious commitment, beyond what most are willing to do.
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