Hay Delivery fee for 2023

[Loosehandle]

With the high prices of gasoline, what is the current delivery rate for a pickup and 16 foot trailer?
I have been operating a hay delivery business sine 2009. I have a 1500 gmc pickup with a 16 foot trailer. I offer small load hay deliveries, and I do travel. 4 rounds or upto 105 coastal squares or wheatstraw. My delivery price has gone up over the years and currently 1.75 per mile coming and going. If you get there, you gotta make it back.

How do you guys feel about this price? I have a pretty good business, but price ads up over 47 miles 1 way.

This post was edited by Barnyard Hay Delivery on 08/24/2023 at 05:12 pm.

Do you load the sm. squares yourself?

 

[Mike(NEOhio)]

I pretty much gave up delivery but when I did I added $1 per bale but I never had long trips and up to what I could get on a pickup. I started charging high in order to discourage deliveries. Probably cheap now but I usually tell people I don't deliver. Per bale charge makes sense because of the handling, not mileage.

 

[Tony in SD]

With all due respect,
Business 101; sell for more than your costs or you will soon be out of business. Therefore, if this is a business that you are making your livelihood with rather than just a hobby, you need to know ALL your costs.

Fuel is the easy one. Oil & filter changes/grease, tires, are a little harder to calculate. But what is even harder and often times forgot; insurance, taxes, repairs, licenses, depreciation (that is a big one), interest, law suits (sooner or later you will hire a lawyer) and sometimes your labor & down time waiting at the destination for someone to show up. There may be more cost in your particular situation but this should get you pointed in the right direction.

After you have ALL your costs computed, then add what your profit margi, that would be my going rate. Now you know how much you will make or lose compared to "the current delivery rate".

 

[Barnyard Hay Delivery]

I have a few people I deliver for and charge by the hour. A couple of them like round bales but have no way to get them off the trailer. I drop off a tractor, fetch the hay, unload, then bring tractor home. Their small tractors will move the bales to the pasture. $50/hr. Delivery cost is usually $100 - $250.

After trial and error, I bought some dollies and modified to my need. They work great. I can push with 1 hand

 

[VicS]

Back when I was running my Semi. I charged by the fuel I used on a run. 1/3 for Fuel. 1/3 to the truck. And 1/3 for me. In other words if the job took $100 of fuel I charged $300 . And I never went broke.

 

[cjunrau]

With the high prices of gasoline, what is the current delivery rate for a pickup and 16 foot trailer?
I have been operating a hay delivery business sine 2009. I have a 1500 gmc pickup with a 16 foot trailer. I offer small load hay deliveries, and I do travel. 4 rounds or upto 105 coastal squares or wheatstraw. My delivery price has gone up over the years and currently 1.75 per mile coming and going. If you get there, you gotta make it back.

How do you guys feel about this price? I have a pretty good business, but price ads up over 47 miles 1 way.

This post was edited by Barnyard Hay Delivery on 08/24/2023 at 05:12 pm.

I haul with a semi. $130 an hour.
I have had guys take 2 hours to load and 2 to unload. No money by mile like that so it’s by the hour.
If you never sit and wait much you are not over charging in my books.