In traditional trucking you make money by the mile. For instance, if a load is 100 miles and the load pays $300, the mileage rate is $3 per mile.
In the dump truck business, everything is based on an hourly rate and the time it takes to complete a load. For example, if a load takes 1 hour round trip and the pay per load is $90, the expectation is the truck will make $90 per load. We’d expect a truck on a job like this to do 8-10 loads.
Ways to get paid
Hourly
Truck clocks in the job in the morning, and clocks out of the job site in the evening. Pay is based on a pre set dollar per hour.
Per load
Most companies will give you a price per load price. This rate is generally calculated by a per hour rate. To calculate take the time it takes to travel, divide that time by 60 minutes and multiply by the hourly rate. Another example would be a 2 hour round trip. Divide 120 minutes (2 hours) by 60 minutes, then multiply by the hourly rate (lets use $90). That will give you $180. Per load
Per ton
Trucks generally carry between 18 and 22 tons. Some jobs will pay based on the amount of material placed in your truck. The calculation works similar to the per load price, there’s just one additional step. In the example above we arrived at $180 per load. If we were to divide this figure by 20 (the tons we think our truck will carry), we arrive at a $9 per ton.
Anywhere between $700 and $1,200 daily. Several factors can influence this rate, and the higher grossing jobs don’t always net you the most. Fuel costs are rising!
Insurance costs will vary wildly depending on several factors, but will generally be cheaper than comparable OTR insurance for several reasons:
Fuel and maintenance are also a major saving. Mechanics that have built strong relationships with their customers typically charge less than mechanics with a single job from the same customer. If your truck only operates locally, it allows you to build a better relationship with a trusted mechanic.
Fuel costs are also negligible compared to OTR. Its not uncommon for a truck to run less than 200 miles daily, with half of those miles running empt
Days typically start at the job site between 6am and 8am. Jobs will run until 3 or 4pm. On any given job you can expect to deliver between 3 and 10 loads daily, depending on distance you’d need to travel and traffic patterns.
Getting loaded generally takes less than 5 minutes, and dumping the load takes less time. Majority of jobs will require you to serve the construction industry, and the material will either be dirt hauled out or stone hauled in.
The dump truck industry isn’t right for everyone, to find out if you’re dump curious, take this survey
Dump drivers drive day cabs. So they are home every night.
Even if you’re not getting out of the over the road industry, the dump truck industry has protections that the OTR industry doesn’t. Diversifying your income could be helpful for preserving cashflow in a downturn.
Our trucks generally don’t drive farther than 50 miles in any given direction before you will have to dump or get loaded again. This change of pace is perfect for those ready for a change.
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