Hopper Bottum Hauling

Most people charge around 1200 month on a hopper rental, so on a 20 day ave it comes to about 60.00 a day on 20 days. 3k in 5 days is a little low even at .40 cents a bushel based on 80K.
Miles on a pay week run like this for me would only be around 2000k a week.
Can get into some places quick, some you sleep at.
I parked my hopper at 1.35 running mile in July.
With Elogs and the south truckers of wall it is going to be hard with hopper, friggin Hansen and the like keep rates down because people will haul it.

 

i haul some grain/ fertilizer 3k weeks wont cut it esp if that's before they take 21 percent off the top. that would be like a 3 day work week. or running way to cheap. i run up north on 7 axles as well as cross border loads. there is not a lot of money in it. pretty much need to run 600+ miles per day to make it worth while witch can be hard sometimes with load and unload times. im kinda hoping that e logs might bump rates up a little for grain haulers cause they wont be able to just re write there log book to get there miles in, but i kinda doubt it.

a lot of deadhead miles too almost 50% most of the time. every now and then you get a good round trip with a close re load and drops almost right where you need to be back to. of course that means sweeping blowing cleaning out your trailer every load as well. but if i could run 80-90% loaded miles id be making really good money.

i would ask around some of your local elevators and when you get a chance to talk to hopper bottom drivers you see around your area ask who is good to run for.

 

Company I’m at here in Canada charges 10% plus 2% if you use their fuel card plus 15% for their trailers (super-b trains). The highest I grossed in a month was $38,000 . But in the last few years $22-$27,000 gross has been more common.
Use to be in the high 80% loaded range, now closer to 55%.

 

iv done a 40k dollar month during the peek of fertilizer season certainly not typical 25 is about what i see on a off peak month on average.

 

Stay where your at, you don't run your truck bills still need paying. Hopper unless you get local work you will be out for a week, maybe two but is better time off then reef or dry.

 

main reason why i went hopper was to stay some what close to home i live in bismarck, nd i run nd sd mt mb and sk for the most part the broker i do my hopper work threw has some customers that drop very close to home a few within 20 miles and 1 that is literally about 3 blocks from my house. of course that load is normally about a 13 hour turn ill dump at 6 am head up get loaded in canada come back pull in about 7-7:30 park the truck right there at the front of where the line will be in the morning 5 min walk home. get up at 4:45 am leave the house at 5:15 there by 5:20 pre trip the truck fire it up first one to dump at 6am. for the most part ill be out all week though then get a load that drops close to home for the weekend.

nd is a pretty dead hole for outgoing freight other than hopper loads if i were to haul general freight id have to stay out longer to make it work. and by friday-sat every week im ready to get the f- out of the truck for a day.

if its not going to be profitable though don't do it. while you have guaranteed money in your pocket every week take your time and try to find something good that will turn a decent profit. its hard getting started even harder if your running for rates that produce very little profit.

 

the difference is as a employee you go to work you are guaranteed to come home at the end of the day with more money in your pocket than when you left for work that day, that is not there as a owner op. so making 1000 bucks this week still wont be better if you have to put a extra 2k into a repair next week now your 2 week net is 0