Grain - How are they making money ?

Hi markk, welcome aboard. I've ALWAYS wondered that myself. The only thing I can figure, and I know several people that have done this, is it's basically a hobby for them ( I know) My ex-gf's boss, had a long nose, double sleeper 379 that he ( and ONLY he) would take out, and haul a load once a week, or whatever. The other thing, is these guys ( and I'm sure you know this) load the wagon. When I hauled grain (not for long) there were drivers that were grossing 90, 100K, or more, which I refused to do. Usually, they aren't going very far, and you rarely see a grain bucket going over a scale ( but I have seen them around back, after a trooper dragged them over to the scale). Grain is not the best paying freight out there, but like with all aspects of trucking, it does have some advantages. Just try and run it legal, as these guys that haul heavy loads get caught. You just don't see it. Take care.

 

Hey Mark as SR said, welcome, I'm not sure I am qualified to answer your question as I don't haul grain, but I do live in the middle of wheat country, so I guess that is like sleeping at a Holiday Inn?

Here's what I think, some of the really nice trucks you see are owned by guys that hauling grain isn't there only gig, maybe they also farm, or also have a step deck, or bull wagon sitting at home and switch on and off.

I also think you have larger companies like NGS that have a pretty extensive load base, I have seen them haul grain, salt, rock salt for roads, broken glass, products for recycling etc, I think in that case they are loaded quite a bit.

I have a friend the next town over that has about 20 trucks, he does it by running extremely lite trucks and 2 pup trailers, around here he can go to 85,500 legal.

Lately I have seen some real lite weight new small sleeper trucks using ultra lite trailers, so they are packing it on, I also know of one guy using an M2 freightliner with a 24 bunk and lite weight trailer, all in the name of more paying bushels.

But I know you were asking about the really nice fancy rigs, and I also believe they must be a hobby, I see a W900 around here that would take me a week to polish everything, just to go load.

 

I was always told, when you see a nice truck and hopper it's usually a big farmer trying to keep their hands busy. I'm sure that not all of them are farmers. I hauled out of central ks for awhile and saw a ton of nice trucks out of Nebraska. 90% of them said so and so farms, mostly corn farmers keeping busy. I suppose you just have to get in with the right people. I have heard that feed ingredients is where it's at.

 

I haul corn a lot, about 3 days a week. Local (100 miles total for 2 loads). Range anywhere from 35-40 ton depending on which wagon I use. It's still legal as I'm good for 117k lbs. we have 3 trucks dedicated to it, and I fill in the blanks. We also haul other products as well. When I load I only see 1 or two companies that only haul grain. Most haul it one way in order to pick up another load in the area, loaded both ways. It's a hustle no doubt, gotta have the correct equipment. Biggest problem is there tends to be a lot of backup when getting loaded and unloaded. If I do that run all week, 10 loads at average 38 ton each, I don't even have to fuel. Not bad at all

 

A lot of them also haul other things such as bulk fertilizer in the off season.

 

I looked at joining one of my buddies running hopper in my area. He's leased directly to the local mill that also dispatched them. It goes with the various seasons, turn and burn as quick as possible for a few weeks at a time then it starts to slow down. They also run general freight in vans between seasons.

 

I saw a guy in a gravel pit once, hauling a load of limestone chips in a hopper bottom. He said it was a backhaul from his grain load. He had to open the hopper (s), quick run to the cab ( before the pile under the trailer got too big to drive over) and drove around the pile until he was empty. Looked like a PITA to me.

 

Mark, I can make more then that in one day, and be back home in my bed the same night. I believe that you are getting rooked by not knowing what you should be selling your services for. You can not be running a hopper for less then $2.25 per mile all miles hauling grain. $2.75 per mile all miles hauling meals, $3 per mile hauling DDG.

If you do then you will go in the hole. Might want to quit hauling that DDG this time of year, it gets really sticky don't it? Are you liking spending two hours getting it out of the hopper? That's is what the paddle wagons are supposed to be doing.