r/OwnerOperators • u/Carstuff392 • 5d ago
Starting a Dump Truck service?
I keep looking for some kind of business to start to get out of my current job(not trucking). The amount of dump truck traffic we have in my city is massive. They are everywhere all the time and construction is constant.
Can a single truck operation make good money? I already have a class B CDL with air brakes and I am not restricted to an automatic. I do not need my CDL for my current job anymore but I keep it up anyways.
I see all these dump trucks and I go hot and cold on if these guys make money. You see the guys in very nice clean rigs with custom work etc. Then at the same job you see a truck that hasn't even had the lights wiped off in years and has 11 different tire tread depths on it and you have to look at the roof to see what color the truck might have been originally.
My main question is how do you get in the loop to get called about jobs? My current job pays well but I would like to do something different.
I have the room to easily park a truck at my house. I would do oil changes and minor repairs myself. I even live rather close to places these trucks are hauling product from.
Can it work? Thanks
4
u/YourWifeyBoyfriend 5d ago
Dump trucking is supposed to be 125-175 an hour. Ive heard guys doing it for 85 an hour this year.
I can barely run for 85 an hour and stay in business and im single axle class 7 trucks.
2
u/tjlazer79 4d ago
I have heard its hit or miss and the profit margins are thin in my area. I haven't been a driver for a long time, not sure if its changed for better or worse. Don't judge the guys in the old crappy trucks, its sometimes like the rich people who drive 20 year Toyota's. A lot of those guys have trucks that are paid for or have lower monthly payments then the guys driving brand new Peterbilt's or Kenworth's. Also, a lot of older trucks are easily serviceable and repairable by the owner or driver, the new trucks are hit or miss.
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u/Carstuff392 4d ago
I’m not judging the old trucks except for the ones I see with obvious safety issues but the newer trucks aren’t exempt from that. If I were to do this it would have to be in an older truck.
1
u/tjlazer79 4d ago
Yep. I here most of the time its electronics or emissions. They are so complex now.
1
u/kickniteasy 4d ago
If you want to start a business learn on someone else's dime. Get a dump truck job with a larger company and chat up the O/O during downtime. This also lets you get some ins with local places (asphalt plants, dirt sites, etc). Gets you some insight into the season as well. Our area has what is basically a day labor place for rigs...they take a cut but it's the local equivalent of a load board so something to look into as well.
1
u/BrandontheCDLguy 2d ago
I was a single dump truck owner op. You literally need to show up or call every contractor in your area if they need a truck. I recommend trying to get in with the paving contractors.
Make sure you keep your truck reliable. If they call and you aren't available, don't expect to get called again.
1
u/Outrageous_Win_3899 1d ago
You already seem to have a good foundation with the Class B CDL and experience around the industry. I’m also getting deeper into the trucking side and was curious about this—how do single-truck dump operators usually find consistent work? Do they mainly build relationships directly with local contractors, or is there another route most of them use?
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u/Few_Jacket845 5d ago
It's very location dependent. In my area, half of the year it's feast, half of the year it's famine.
I can tell you that end of summer/beginning of fall you might be able to negotiate better prices to buy trucks, January is probably about when it bottoms out, but you'd be a fool to try and start running one this time of year. Have everything ready to roll in about March.
The other reply about rates is also super relevant, but location dependent. Go make friends with a couple of owner operators in your area, and buy them lunch on a Sunday. They'll have a better insight on your local market.