Short haul equipment hauling - Fair hourly rate

[Peat]

Have a 3/4 ton pick up and 18' tilt bed trailer. Helped neighbor out a few times hauling tractors from a local auction.
Never charged him as we help eachother. Now his neighbors and friends calling me to transport their equipment.
All local so $ per mile would not work. What is a fair hourly rate to provide this service?
I would charge from the time I leave home until the time I got back.

 

[Jim.ME]

Better give more details GVWR of the truck and GVRW of the trailer. Is the truck registered as personal, farm, or commercial? Do you have a CDL?

 

[john in la]

A personal or farm tag might not be the best option leaving a commercial tag with commercial insurance your only option.
While your state may or may not crack down on you for not having commercial tags and insurance because you are staying local your insurance sure will in the case of an accident.
Cross just one state line with a 3/4 ton and you open a whole new can of worms.

 

[Peat]

Have a 3/4 ton pick up and 18' tilt bed trailer. Helped neighbor out a few times hauling tractors from a local auction.
Never charged him as we help eachother. Now his neighbors and friends calling me to transport their equipment.
All local so $ per mile would not work. What is a fair hourly rate to provide this service?
I would charge from the time I leave home until the time I got back.

GVW - Pick up 9,900 lbs. Trailer 10,000 pounds
Registered - Personal
CDL - A w/ HazMat, Tank, doubles, triples endorsements

Note - Documentation on board stating transporter is legal owner of said transported equipment.

 

[JOCCO]

You might run afoul of commercial vehicles laws but I will not get into that. What they do around me is a flat fee. Like move said equipment to next job $250 If your not at $75-$125 per hour you would be losing money. Take a closer look at your insurance too!

 

[john in la]

GVW - Pick up 9,900 lbs. Trailer 10,000 pounds
Registered - Personal
CDL - A w/ HazMat, Tank, doubles, triples endorsements

Note - Documentation on board stating transporter is legal owner of said transported equipment.

Note - Documentation on board stating transporter is legal owner of said transported equipment.

That might get you through a road side inspection even though we both know it is a lie but does little when an accident happens and your insurance refuses to pay the claim.
I for sure would not want to chance loosing my equipment to an unlicensed contractor.

But do as you will. No skin off my back.

 

[Peat]

You might run afoul of commercial vehicles laws but I will not get into that. What they do around me is a flat fee. Like move said equipment to next job $250 If your not at $75-$125 per hour you would be losing money. Take a closer look at your insurance too!

Thank You
Thats what I was looking for. Understand DOT, insurance, liability ramifications and being honest. Frankly at that hourly rate range may choose to decline on these hauling requests.

 

[RCP]

Recently I hauled a non-running 5000# tractor that I winched onto my trailer, it was about 300 miles round trip, it took about 6 hours total. Loading and unloading the tractor took about an hour. The truck is a 3/4 ton and the trailer is a 10K gooseneck equipment trailer with a winch. He paid $400 and I netted about $300 after fuel cost, I was happy and he was happy.

For years my Grandfather would haul for other people by buying the cargo and selling it back plus the hauling fee. I realize it was a way to skirt regulations, but it worked for him. In his case the truck was an old dually with a flatbed on it.

 

[JOCCO]

Thank You
Thats what I was looking for. Understand DOT, insurance, liability ramifications and being honest. Frankly at that hourly rate range may choose to decline on these hauling requests.

That was a rough (very rough idea) your area may be less or could be more.

 

[BarnyardEngineering]

Thank You
Thats what I was looking for. Understand DOT, insurance, liability ramifications and being honest. Frankly at that hourly rate range may choose to decline on these hauling requests.

You'll probably run most of 'em off simply by asking for money. Since you do it for the one neighbor for free, they're expecting you to do it for them for free too. How dare you expect to be paid for your time, fuel, and wear and tear on your equipment?

Threads like this never come to a satisfactory conclusion, with a number. How much to charge? Nobody really knows. It's like asking what color is blue, or how many stars are in the sky...

 

[JOCCO]

I will add you as a "private person" sideline gig, will get lots of people wanting stuff done for a "cut rate" I used to get lots of this "you have trailer and truck I need XXXX moved" I declined most of it on grounds it was an unprofitable nuisance Let alone insurance and regulations. I gave one guy a price and he said I can hire ABC towing for that amount! Just food for thought.

 

[farmersamm]

You'll probably run most of 'em off simply by asking for money. Since you do it for the one neighbor for free, they're expecting you to do it for them for free too. How dare you expect to be paid for your time, fuel, and wear and tear on your equipment?

Threads like this never come to a satisfactory conclusion, with a number. How much to charge? Nobody really knows. It's like asking what color is blue, or how many stars are in the sky...

Absolutely!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I build a lot of sh&t, some of it is seen by others. Bale wrapper for example. They want one. I tell them a decent retail price, and they crap all over themselves. But if the same item is sitting a parking lot of an ag supply somewhere, with a price tag on it........THEY HAPPILY PAY THE PRICE. The greatest problem is the association with the fabricator.................because you're standing there, they can't stomach paying you a fair price. At arms length, with a retail middleman,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,no problem. Same with drayage........they'll pay XYZ Trucking company a show up charge, plus hourly, or mileage...........but God Forbid you ask a fair price.

This is WAY OFF TOPIC.......................but I feel this is the reason there's so much hatred for unions. Some non union guy sees what a union dood, doing the same thing, makes................he's pizzed. "He ain't worth that kinda money, nor is the job worth that kinda pay". What they should be asking themselves is.................why am I being underpaid. The union guy is working for a company making a profit while PAYING UNION WAGES. So.............how big is the profit the non union company is making???? THAT'S the question you should be asking. The money not going in your pocket, is going into someone else's pocket. Ultimately.........I feel the hatred is based on jealousy. And, sadly, it's based on desperation.......... If you have a family to feed, you gotta take what you can get.

I'll get off my soap box

I know it's a broad brush concept/argument, with some nuances left out.......but it's my feeling on the subject, based on what I've seen in almost 70yrs of life.

 

[farmersamm]

I will add you as a "private person" sideline gig, will get lots of people wanting stuff done for a "cut rate" I used to get lots of this "you have trailer and truck I need XXXX moved" I declined most of it on grounds it was an unprofitable nuisance Let alone insurance and regulations. I gave one guy a price and he said I can hire ABC towing for that amount! Just food for thought.

Yeah dood................if you can hire ABC.........be my guest. Quit bothering me.

I totally agree.

 

[john in la]

The union guy is working for a company making a profit while PAYING UNION WAGES.

I can provide you with phone numbers of guys that use to work for Roadway Yellow Jones Carolina and the list goes on and on. Maybe you can call them and tell them about their great job with the union company.

As a side note.
I can remember a time where if you hauled something you didn’t have authority to haul your neighbor would call the law on you because you were taking work away from them.

And that is why union companies did so well back in the day.

 

[G1000VISTA]

Say no to cheap freight! I wont start my Pick up for anything under 2.75 A mile! If they can find it cheaper I tell them go right ahead. I won't go broke trucking for nothing.

 

[caterpillar guy]

2.75 per mile for a 50 mile haul will still leave you broke for the time invested in it. The reason most were talking a per hour rate for those short hauls like that. Not saying to haul cheap just some runs need more $ to off set the time invested to do them. Loading and unloading takes about the same time for a 50 mile haul as it does for a 1000 mile run. Loading/unloading is usually not paid for as a set rate. It usually comes under Detention time for being longer than a certain time like after 2-4 hours per load all depending on the circumstances to the load. Some loads go pretty quick and some3 just flat need more time to load. Dead tractors don't load as fast as running ones do. I'd still not go into it unless you are going to get into the commercial insurance and all the rest just not worth what the fines are now days. Besides the worst cops to deal with are MI and IA. I never had issues with any of the rest over the years/ And the farther west you went the better they were to deal with except I never went into Califonria so no experience there.

 

[Texgasser1]

$3 a loaded mile.

 

[300jk]

2.75 per mile for a 50 mile haul will still leave you broke for the time invested in it. The reason most were talking a per hour rate for those short hauls like that. Not saying to haul cheap just some runs need more $ to off set the time invested to do them. Loading and unloading takes about the same time for a 50 mile haul as it does for a 1000 mile run. Loading/unloading is usually not paid for as a set rate. It usually comes under Detention time for being longer than a certain time like after 2-4 hours per load all depending on the circumstances to the load. Some loads go pretty quick and some3 just flat need more time to load. Dead tractors don't load as fast as running ones do. I'd still not go into it unless you are going to get into the commercial insurance and all the rest just not worth what the fines are now days. Besides the worst cops to deal with are MI and IA. I never had issues with any of the rest over the years/ And the farther west you went the better they were to deal with except I never went into Califonria so no experience there.

I agree. We have a Cat 307 excavator at the farm. Too heavy for our truck trailer setup. Friend owns a construction company with his yard 1/2 mile from the farm. I’ve had it moved to my place before roughly 10 miles away by my friend. He sends an employee who loads, chains down and delivers the machine. Then back to their shop. Maybe 22 miles at most. Say 11 loaded. So at 3 dollars a loaded mile he would get 33 bucks. Using his truck, trailer, paying his employee, and burning his fuel. That would obviously never work. He has a reasonable price for the move and we are both happy . I don’t expect it for nothing and he doesn’t rake me over the coals. 3 or 4 years ago 300 covered the move to here and back to the farm. Usually does it when convenient for his schedule which works for both of us.

 

[Ray,IN]

Recently I hauled a non-running 5000# tractor that I winched onto my trailer, it was about 300 miles round trip, it took about 6 hours total. Loading and unloading the tractor took about an hour. The truck is a 3/4 ton and the trailer is a 10K gooseneck equipment trailer with a winch. He paid $400 and I netted about $300 after fuel cost, I was happy and he was happy.

For years my Grandfather would haul for other people by buying the cargo and selling it back plus the hauling fee. I realize it was a way to skirt regulations, but it worked for him. In his case the truck was an old dually with a flatbed on it.

That's $50/hr. for you and wear N tear on equipment, that was a cheap haul IMO. Have 1 tire failure and you're in the hole.

 

[RCP]

That's $50/hr. for you and wear N tear on equipment, that was a cheap haul IMO. Have 1 tire failure and you're in the hole.

I was happy with that rate.