Tri-axle dump truck, how do you charge your customers?

I got charged per ton as it was on his way home he cut me a break on mileage. We had people prove it both ways. I need about 20 to 30 more ton of stone to finish my drive.

 

I charge hourly for everything, If I'm both the contractor and trucker on the job, I can give them a bid if they want, but hourly will 10 times out of 9 wind up cheaper than my bid.

Some longer transports I will bid, but those are rare, maybe 5 tops per year.

 

I charge by the load hauling for residential home owners. Most customers want to know the total cost before agreeing to the load. Second reason is you can make more money hauling by the load. Hourly work is just like hauling for mileage pay otr. You're automatically limiting how much you can make in a day. Hauling for private homeowners is always a pain so you need to charge accordingly. Hauling for them the same hourly rate you do for contractors is foolish IMO.

 

Yep, I have a harry homeowner rate and a rate for commercial customers who keep me busy all the time. Usually my homeowner deliveries I 'bid' for the fact you stated they want to know how much it will cost them.

 

that comment about hourly triaxle haulers compared to otr truckers getting paid by mile.That all depends on where you live buddy. Depending on where you live, theres tons of guaranteed sign on work. My truck is hourly and makes average $3750 a 40 hour week. Ill leave that up to the reader what the hourly rate is. Plus we charge half hour travel one way. Could be an hour travel if you have to drive 45 minutes to the job. During the warmer time of the year you work 50 hours. Lets see mileage haulers make that kind of loot. If you don't live an high traffic triaxle truck area of the state, then, yeah you are stuck trying to find work. But if you do live in one of these areas, its a gold mine. Tonnage pay does not make absolutely any money in certain areas. Tonnage makes no money in this neck of the woods

 

In some instances I think a tonnage gig could pay, but for regular dump truck work with all of the waiting at jobs and things that happen there's no way it would work out for anyone. The truckers would go broke then the dirt guys wouldn't have anyone to haul their material.

 

I really wasn't meaning to insult anyone working by the hour. I can see how it would work out in your favor in the northeast where you're in a lot of traffic. Out west depending on how efficient the contractor is you can rack up a lot of miles in a day. What I really meant is lots of guys around here get stuck in the hourly mentality, and base their prices for private loads off of what they make by the hour for contractors. There is room for a lot better margins selling material by the load. I often average double the going hourly rate on short distance loads. For that reason I don't feel like "I do everything by the hour" is the best advice because it can lead to guys selling themselves short.

 

We charge both hourly or tonage. Depending on whether it’s site to site work or if the truck is loading at a pit. You have to factor in all variables when coming up with your prices. Mileage and fuel falls under truck and maintenance. How long will the truck be out? How much is the driver worth a day?

I want each of my trucks making 800-1000$ a day gross. And I have a fleet of 15 7 axle supeedumps and 7 transfer dumps. Every job pays different

Typical asphalt day for my super18 8 hrs.
Driver worth: 200$
Fuel/maintenance: average 200$ a day
Insurance/taxes/benefits: 10% of remaining gross. EST...60$ Per day
Misc expenses: 5% of remaining gross. Est... 25$ per day
Truck makes 300$-400$ daily with our hourly rate. Remember you go into business to make you money. What someone doesn’t wanna pay. Someone else will. I send trucks from here in Vegas to Arizona, Utah, California. Some we charge gate to gate.

Basically take your overal mileage per load and divide it by time it takes. That’s how you make your hourly rate. No ones gonna set a mileage rate for aggregate cause no job site is the same.