Any Owner Operators of dump trucks on here

I have been contemplating for a few years now of buying an older tandem axel dump and hauling during the summers ( I am a teacher by trade) Anyone have any insight on start up of this or any pointers. I know for every 5 people that say don't do it there will be 5 that say do it. I already have a dozer so might be able to do some other work as well. The oil field industry is huge around here now and from my understanding there is a shortage on trucks. Would love to here some insight from some experienced folks... I wouldn't be opposed to quit teaching if it took off good....

Around here guys are operating a 150 thousand dollar investment (dump truck) for a day that after fuel and driver are paid they have about 300 hundred dollars left. That is just not a lot to pay for insurance, up keep and return on investment. Many went broke during the fall of the housing industry but several still holding on and I do not see how. Your real key would be how sharp you are on buying your used truck. You could get a truck that would not dollar you to death but then you could get one that just is a money pit.

I know a lot more broke dumptruck owners than broke teachers, and teachers have a retirement plan.

WGWKy2,

You sound like my dad lol...

Ah well i am and EX coal bucket owner operator from the GOOD old days and would i EVER go back to it NOPE not today way tomuch B/S plus the fact when you own drive anything with a bed that goes up and down you will become good friends with the portable scales . and unless you have a job that pays by the hour and hardly any miles driven each day you will go broke . IMHOP the best trucking i ever did was hauling oversized loads over the road . But even that has changed .

I would think twice about that. My neighbor had a dump truck for years but couldn't make it with the insurance and road fees, etc. Finally sold it and went back to driving a log truck.

These guys are full of it, a trucker can make VERY, VERY GOOD money haulin with a tandem axle, especially if you are:

Honest
Trustworthy
On Time
And Easy To Deal With

The only problem is, you'll spend it all paying bills before you will buy a loaf of bread.... Bryce

I'm not an owner op of dump trucks but my Dad had equipment and trucks. He said the only time the trucks ever made him a cent was when he had a job trucking 200 loads of dirt 2 blocks. The trucks were a necessary evil. He had to have them for his excavating business.
I can't remember the last tandem axle dump I've seen around here other than some state highway department trucks. I bet it's been close to 30 years. They're too big for most residential work (of which there is none around here anyway), and they're not cost effective for most commercial work.
I think a better plan would be to get a CDL then see if you can hire on as a driver for someone else. Or maybe get your own semi dump and hire you and your rig out during the summer. Definitely talk to the people you'd be working for before taking the plunge.
I've been around construction my whole life. Everyone that I know that has made any money trucking or excavating has done so with new equipment. The people you'd be working for will not be very understanding when you can't be hauling for them because your old truck is broke down.

The first thing you need to do is talk to your insurance agent, your accountant, and a lawyer. Don't even think of doing trucking or dozer work on someone else's property without proper liability insurance.
If you do start your own full or part time business be prepared to spend a lot of time dealing with insurance, licensing, accounting and billing, maintenance, and a thousand other things.

Many teachers don't realize how good they have it. Their pay is guaranteed, they get a month of vacation during the school year and 2 1/2 months off in the summer so they can get a summer job, they have a pension,and health insurance.
I know, I know, administrators are idiots, the kids are unruly, and the pay sucks. We've got a couple of teachers in the family so I've heard all the problems.

I also understand the desire to do your own thing.
Good luck.

I don't know how many hours you want to work a day, but to make any money you have to work that truck a lot of loads to make it. Also I think you would need a tri-axle as to get enough tons to make it. Also a lot of companies don't pay the same for a tandem as a tri-axle. Good Luck with what ever you decide.

Well I will weigh in on this one to If you buy a use truck then 1 you better be good at turning wrenches. Why do you think they are used. I have driven trucks for around 48 years Owned my own, got it payed for transmission went out didnt have enough to replace it It has been parked for 10 years and you know what I dont miss it But I still drive for someone else make a lot more money aat that when the bosseas truck brakes down I take the lunch box and either go home or get in another truck. Dale

It is possible to start from scratch and buy a dump truck and make it. Timing is everything. I started hauling salt water, fracking water, acid, and etc. in the oil field in 1979. Did real well till 1985. 3 trucks. Price of oil went to single digits. Managed to sell out and quit. Everything was paid for and had money in bank. I never quit my day job! Then in 2003 quit my day job. Had the $ to pay cash. Bought a IHC semi and dump trailer. Ended up with a grain hopper. Also pulled dry bulk tankers. Be flexible, go where the money is for you. Have a neighbor who has a smaller tandem, a backhoe can dump into. He is the first called and the last to leave road jobs. You can't hire a sullen chain smoking green haired, sandal wearing person and expect to work for John Q Public. Equipment doesn't have to be new. Just useable. Insulated bed. Asphalt pays by the hr. around here. Electric tarp. auto trans, air tail gate. A semi has more options, but a tandem might work during the summer to haul Asphalt. Might lease onto a larger outfit. Make it fun, if it's not fun for you, run, do something else. Vic

making money with one is possible, i made good money for many years, part time and full time i estimate 25 years, with half of that in my personal rig, up until the economy went south. about the same time, business at the pit i hauled out of went down hill,the main town in the area was built out to its limits, in 2000 when i arived at the pit at 7'am, there were from 5 to 12 trucks lined up waiting on a load, this year they are lucky to see one truck in a week, there just isnt anywhere to go now, i sold my truck as the insurance is a killer, mantenence is as expensive as a otr rig if not more so, tires on a dump truck dont make it as long, usually its something like a piece of rebar run through it, my break even point was running 4 days a week and thats at least 8 to 10 hours a day, more than that was a profit, work varies by region,and depending on the local economy, and how much development is happening in your area [ here "your area" is a 100 mile radious] and me, being you, i would do some scouting before you buy a truck, talk to people, make real sure you will have work for it if you do buy one. nothing worse than paying 650.oo a month for insurance, 1500.00 a week for fuel, only to see your truck sitting in the drive doing nothing, if you find work, and this means regular work thats going to last at least long enough to recover the cost of the truck, do it, if theres any question dont, unless you have the money to support a money pit thats doing nothing
prepare to drive all day, then fix the truck all night, so you can work it the next day, half the time thats how things are,if you commit your truck to a large scale job if your supposed to be on the job at a certain time, that truck better be there, no matter what, if you loose your place on the haul due to break down, a few times nobody big will hire the truck, your'll be doing 1 and 2 load private jobs and you cant pay for the operation of the truck like that

A shortage of dump trucks for the oilfield? I didn't think the oilfield used a lot of dump trucks. Do you have a lot of contacts in the excavating business? If not it might be hard getting enough work. I know a guy who did over the road trucking pulling someone else's trailer between 2 cities everyday. His insurance was over $1200/month. There's a lot of upkeep on a big truck too. Oil and filter changes are a couple hundred bucks or more. How much do you want to spend on a truck? You can't expect a budget truck to keep your costs down. If it breaks down could be very costly. Do a lot of research before you jump in feet first. Also remember an older truck might not have the best seat. I know a few truck drivers with back problems from driving trucks for a long time.

dump trucks in eastern ohio for the oilfield work are indeed in a big demand right now.just one site for those horizontal drilling rigs is around fifty thousand ton to make a five acre site for the very large drilling rig.i work on a asphalt plant in columbus ohio i load dump trucks everyday with asphalt through a computer controlled silo.i have seen alot of owner operators come and go.you have to be very motivated to make it.like getting there early to be first truck in line.working in the oilfield means going off road to a drill site if you have any weak links in your truck they are going to arise pretty quickly.so be very carefull buying a used dump truck.
RICK

I would be pretty leery of taking advice from a kid that doesn't have his drivers license yet.

(quoted from post at 08:27:54 04/06/14) I would be pretty leery of taking advice from a kid that doesn't have his drivers license yet.

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Yeah, I was thinking the same thing. Good kid, but then, I knew EVERYTHING when I was 17 too...

Yeah, I was thinking the same thing. Good kid, but then, I knew EVERYTHING when I was 17 too...

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I thought he was 15, but that's along the lines of what I thought when reading his topic about plowing over buried power lines.

(quoted from post at 16:15:57 04/07/14)

Yeah, I was thinking the same thing. Good kid, but then, I knew EVERYTHING when I was 17 too...

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I thought he was 15, but that's along the lines of what I thought when reading his topic about plowing over buried power lines.

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Yeah, I just saw another post of his where he said he was 15. My bad. Like I said, great kid, I'd love to have him for a neighbor, but he's got a long life of learning ahead of him.