Any owner-operator excavators/truckers out there in U.S.?

[Deadeye]

This is likely a bit of a stretch, but I'm gonna throw it out there. I live in rural Pennsylvania in the U.S. I'm currently looking at buying my father and myself a used tri-axle dump truck. He is willing to drive it a few days a week while I'm at work. We have a good friend who's willing to aid in the maintenance in turn for borrowing it to use on his farm once in a while. The only thing I lack is finding work for it to keep it making money.

If any of you guys here are owner-operators in the trucking and construction industry, how did you go about finding work inititally? I've read to ask around to the other contractors and companies around to see if they want an extra truck to haul along with their trucks. This is absolutely doable, however, There isn't quite as much big, commercial construction up here as there is in the southern part of my state. Most of the companies here are fairly small, maybe a dozen or so trucks. Any input will be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

[Bryan83]

I will admit I don't know much about material hauling, but in the freight industry, the best thing you can do when you buy your first truck is to lease on with a larger company to kind of get your feet under you.this also provides you a chance to see if you can really make it work. I've been on the job for 15 years and that's what I know about it. One of the biggest mistakes I see new O/O's make is buying the wrong truck. They either get something too new and expensive and can't keep up the payments, or they go too cheap, get a truck with 1-1.5 million miles and it costs too much to repair every week. Before you buy any truck, find a good truck mechanic in your area and like any vehicle purchase, have it inspected before you buy. Especially if you haven't been around trucks much before, as you may not know some things to look for or what brands/component manufacturers are prone to what problems. I'll be happy to help you any way I can, just message me.

[Deadeye]

I will admit I don't know much about material hauling, but in the freight industry, the best thing you can do when you buy your first truck is to lease on with a larger company to kind of get your feet under you.this also provides you a chance to see if you can really make it work. I've been on the job for 15 years and that's what I know about it. One of the biggest mistakes I see new O/O's make is buying the wrong truck. They either get something too new and expensive and can't keep up the payments, or they go too cheap, get a truck with 1-1.5 million miles and it costs too much to repair every week. Before you buy any truck, find a good truck mechanic in your area and like any vehicle purchase, have it inspected before you buy. Especially if you haven't been around trucks much before, as you may not know some things to look for or what brands/component manufacturers are prone to what problems. I'll be happy to help you any way I can, just message me.

Thanks a bunch! Really appreciate the input. Do you think talking to a small-mid sized excavating/construction company be a feasible option for work? Possibly hiring the truck out to them? We don't have any large companies with a bunch of trucks in the fleet around here. Mostly small time guys and family owned businesses that run a few trucks. We have a company about 20 minutes away that has their own gravel pit and I regularly see their trucks hauling with a couple other smaller outfits.

[Bryan83]

Any work that pays expenses+profit=good work. One thing to remember about dump trucking is that a big chunk of it is seasonal work, but if there's an outfit out there that can work you regular, I'd say give it an honest shot. Just make sure all the terms are clear before you get going though. Can be a pretty bad surprise if you were expecting something like a 15% FSC and end up with 7%. Just do your best to find something consistent, particularly if you have a truck payment to take care of.

Now if you're going to do this for hire (reportable compensation) have you done the ground work to be legal in your state with all the required permits and such?

[Deadeye]

Any work that pays expenses+profit=good work. One thing to remember about dump trucking is that a big chunk of it is seasonal work, but if there's an outfit out there that can work you regular, I'd say give it an honest shot. Just make sure all the terms are clear before you get going though. Can be a pretty bad surprise if you were expecting something like a 15% FSC and end up with 7%. Just do your best to find something consistent, particularly if you have a truck payment to take care of.

Now if you're going to do this for hire (reportable compensation) have you done the ground work to be legal in your state with all the required permits and such?

I have yet to go quite that far with it. I came home from work tonight and immediately began looking at insurance costs. I figured that could potentially be a deal-breaker from the beginning for me, as I am not even 20 (will be at the end of this month). Much to my surprise, it's not going to be as bad as I thought. I've got some potential leads on work with quarries. Another option is potentially hauling grain or coal/cinders in the fall/winter months. This is all still in the planning stages at the moment. I went to tech school straight out of high school for Heavy Equipment Operation and to get my Class A CDL. Running equipment and driving truck is a passion of mine. I currently work for my state's DOT driving truck and running equipment (Most of my seat time in a truck is plowing snow). Being an owner-operator of a small excavating/construction business and running it with my father is a dream of mine. Fortunately though, I've got a father who is supportive, but also not afraid to say "That's a dumb idea!"

Like I said, we're still hashing out the details, and there's still a fair possibility this idea gets axed (for now), but I'm doing as much research as I can. The permits you mention haven't been looked into yet, but if I find out that there is a high likelihood I can make this work, that will be the next step. As said before, I appreciate the insight, and I hope I'm not too much of a thorn in your side.

[Bryan83]

Not at all. Most of us in the trucking community don't mind helping. When looking into permits, you need to determine if you're going to stay local, or if there's any chance you might be crossing state lines, because that will determine what you need. If you get hung up in the process, or if there's something you have a question, just feel free to ask.

[Mwal]

Look for private work would be my suggestion, government jobs will require bonding. You should also ask around some of the company’s and see if there is any truck brokers in your area they will take a cut of your earnings but they will find you work. It’s a good way to get a start. I would also highly recommend getting a job for a construction company and learning the ropes. I was once in your shoes now I have worked in construction for fifteen years. There is so much that you will only ever learn in construction by doing it and it’s beneficial to learn and make the mistakes required to get good at this trade on someone else’s dollar and time rather than possibly make a mistake that ruins your reputation before your business even gets off the ground. Besides all this it takes several years to really master a piece of equipment to the point where I personally feel the quality of work and the speed at which it’s done is good enough to to be efficient and safe, and at a level that could tackle a more difficult project alone.

[Deadeye]

Look for private work would be my suggestion, government jobs will require bonding. You should also ask around some of the company’s and see if there is any truck brokers in your area they will take a cut of your earnings but they will find you work. It’s a good way to get a start. I would also highly recommend getting a job for a construction company and learning the ropes. I was once in your shoes now I have worked in construction for fifteen years. There is so much that you will only ever learn in construction by doing it and it’s beneficial to learn and make the mistakes required to get good at this trade on someone else’s dollar and time rather than possibly make a mistake that ruins your reputation before your business even gets off the ground. Besides all this it takes several years to really master a piece of equipment to the point where I personally feel the quality of work and the speed at which it’s done is good enough to to be efficient and safe, and at a level that could tackle a more difficult project alone.

I have some experience driving truck and running equipment. I've been working as I've been looking into this actually. I was unclear and eluded that I was totally new to this industry. I am not. This will most likely be a "side hustle" for now. I've actually entertained the idea of getting a smaller truck with a larger mini excavator and doing some odd jobs. Anywho, this Covid nonsense has everything(including my job) on hold.

[Bryan83]

I was working (grocery supply) until I got isolated. I think it's just a cold, but my company told me to sit out anyway. So nothing in trucking is ever guaranteed. But getting a mini excavator and doing odd jobs like that can be good work. The only thing I'd recommend is to first see how much competition there is in your area. If the market is already flooded with established excavation contractors, it might be hard to break in the business.

[Mwal]

Look for private work would be my suggestion, government jobs will require bonding. You should also ask around some of the company’s and see if there is any truck brokers in your area they will take a cut of your earnings but they will find you work. It’s a good way to get a start. I would also highly recommend getting a job for a construction company and learning the ropes. I was once in your shoes now I have worked in construction for fifteen years. There is so much that you will only ever learn in construction by doing it and it’s beneficial to learn and make the mistakes required to get good at this trade on someone else’s dollar and time rather than possibly make a mistake that ruins your reputation before your business even gets off the ground. Besides all this it takes several years to really master a piece of equipment to the point where I personally feel the quality of work and the speed at which it’s done is good enough to to be efficient and safe, and at a level that could tackle a more difficult project alone.

I have some experience driving truck and running equipment. I've been working as I've been looking into this actually. I was unclear and eluded that I was totally new to this industry. I am not. This will most likely be a "side hustle" for now. I've actually entertained the idea of getting a smaller truck with a larger mini excavator and doing some odd jobs. Anywho, this Covid nonsense has everything(including my job) on hold.

I personally would recommend like a 315-320, small enough to dig at a decent depth for side pipe, septics, or reach across a ditch to clean it but still small enough to pull behind a dump truck or a semi without all kinds of permits (320 might depending track width). Good luck though, after all this is over and if ya think you can do a better job than what’s currently out there I wouldn’t worry about competition, if your cheap, quick, and have a high quality of work you will find work. Let us know how it goes I’m interested now.

[Deadeye]

Look for private work would be my suggestion, government jobs will require bonding. You should also ask around some of the company’s and see if there is any truck brokers in your area they will take a cut of your earnings but they will find you work. It’s a good way to get a start. I would also highly recommend getting a job for a construction company and learning the ropes. I was once in your shoes now I have worked in construction for fifteen years. There is so much that you will only ever learn in construction by doing it and it’s beneficial to learn and make the mistakes required to get good at this trade on someone else’s dollar and time rather than possibly make a mistake that ruins your reputation before your business even gets off the ground. Besides all this it takes several years to really master a piece of equipment to the point where I personally feel the quality of work and the speed at which it’s done is good enough to to be efficient and safe, and at a level that could tackle a more difficult project alone.

I have some experience driving truck and running equipment. I've been working as I've been looking into this actually. I was unclear and eluded that I was totally new to this industry. I am not. This will most likely be a "side hustle" for now. I've actually entertained the idea of getting a smaller truck with a larger mini excavator and doing some odd jobs. Anywho, this Covid nonsense has everything(including my job) on hold.

I personally would recommend like a 315-320, small enough to dig at a decent depth for side pipe, septics, or reach across a ditch to clean it but still small enough to pull behind a dump truck or a semi without all kinds of permits (320 might depending track width). Good luck though, after all this is over and if ya think you can do a better job than what’s currently out there I wouldn’t worry about competition, if your cheap, quick, and have a high quality of work you will find work. Let us know how it goes I’m interested now.

I'll keep ya guys posted. At the moment it's all on hold. I'm not sure exactly what I'd get for a hoe. As far as trucks go, it'd probably be a Mack. I run mostly Macks where I work, and I've always loved the looks, sound and performance of them. I plowed snow with a 2018 Granite tandem most of the winter. I was very satisfied with the way it handled and it was a joy to run. That said, any truck I would be in the market for would likely be 10-20 or more years old. Anyway, we'll see what happens. For now, We've gotta get through this Corona mess.

[Mwal]

I have some experience driving truck and running equipment. I've been working as I've been looking into this actually. I was unclear and eluded that I was totally new to this industry. I am not. This will most likely be a "side hustle" for now. I've actually entertained the idea of getting a smaller truck with a larger mini excavator and doing some odd jobs. Anywho, this Covid nonsense has everything(including my job) on hold.

I personally would recommend like a 315-320, small enough to dig at a decent depth for side pipe, septics, or reach across a ditch to clean it but still small enough to pull behind a dump truck or a semi without all kinds of permits (320 might depending track width). Good luck though, after all this is over and if ya think you can do a better job than what’s currently out there I wouldn’t worry about competition, if your cheap, quick, and have a high quality of work you will find work. Let us know how it goes I’m interested now.

I'll keep ya guys posted. At the moment it's all on hold. I'm not sure exactly what I'd get for a hoe. As far as trucks go, it'd probably be a Mack. I run mostly Macks where I work, and I've always loved the looks, sound and performance of them. I plowed snow with a 2018 Granite tandem most of the winter. I was very satisfied with the way it handled and it was a joy to run. That said, any truck I would be in the market for would likely be 10-20 or more years old. Anyway, we'll see what happens. For now, We've gotta get through this Corona mess.

Spot on with Mack what we run as dump trucks as well. In that age range I would also think about a sterling, not as fancy as a Mack but still a solid truck. As far as an excavator is concerned I would try for a D series or newer Cat, and in John Deere I would stay away from a D series or newer. I have been told over and over Komatsu is supposed to make a nice machine but I have never been impressed. Outside of those three I have run a link belt, case, dooson, and kabelco and none have stood out for being great for any reason. If you settle on a specific machine I would be more than happy to give ya my ten cents on on anything I know about that machine. Most of what I have ended up running in my career is Cat or John Deere and I have been running mostly excavator for fourteen of my fifteen years.

[Deadeye]

More than likely, the hoe we get is going to be a Takeuchi. Solid Machine, most of them have the Yanmar engines that John Deere uses in a lot of their stuff and we love. I've run Komatsu machines a little, and I liked them. I've only ever ran a CAT 953C track loader, and never touched a piece of Deere construction equipment. CAT is a solid machine in my experience and with what I've read, but they usually come with a hefty price tag.

Anywho, I'll keep ya posted.

[Mwal]

They are expensive but their dozers and excavators are currently ahead of anything I have ever ran in quality and productivity. Keep in mind as well construction work tends to be planned several years in advance so if there is a slow down in work do to covid 19 it will probably actually show in a couple years. That’s what happened after the recession in 08-09