Contract trucking availabilty

[Frickman]

I truck some  of my logs to the mill with my equipment, and contract some, depending on the job. I cut a little job a few miles from home over two weeks ago, and need a load or load and a half hauled home. The trucks I hire are usually self-loading triaxle log trucks. They're a dime a dozen in my area, but I still have a difficult time getting the guys to haul for me. It isn't price, I pay at or above the market rate. Are any of you in this same dilema? I can ship a load of hay or lumber five hundred miles with just a phone call, but it might take weeks to have something hauled five or ten miles.

[thecfarm]

It was easier to find truckers to haul my wood about 15 years ago.Some was small trucks,2 axles and some was the triaxles.The guy that was doing all of my trucker sold his rig and brought a truck to haul a trailer to haul hot top.That left me without a trucker.I started calling the few truckers he told me about.Most was too busy.I mostly only get a load a month,when I am working in the woods for money.I did find one guy,but I did have to wait for him.He was real busy too.At first he did not want to take me on until I told him once a month.The guy I had was real good,he could get to me within a few days.I really miss him.

[Sawyerfortyish]

We had the same problem years ago thats when we built our own truck. I understand why it may take you a couple weeks to get a load hauled now. My truck is not for hire I went through this and to be honest It was more of a pain to shut down the mill or stop cutting timber or just stop doing what I was doing to go haul a load or half load even for whatever the going rate was. Think about this if I came to your job pulled in and a sharp snag poped a front tire not only would it cost me about 600.00 for the tire but I would lose the rest of the day getting it fixed then how much could I charge you. I would lose. There are guys that all they do is haul logs. But most guys with a tri axle have there own skidder and have there own jobs to do. Break downs are expensive if something breaks doing your own work thats one thing but if something breaks when your hauling some one elses logs for a couple hundred bucks thats another thing. If you had a triaxle you would soon understand what i'm saying. I hope I haven't offended you Just trying to help you see why it so hard to get anyone to hual logs. Been there done that.

[Frickman]

Well, I got the logs hauled late yesterday. A friend who has a tandem brought in two and a half loads. You're not offending me sawyerfortyish, I know a little about trucking myself. Well alot. Like I said, I haul some myself, contract out some, depending on the job and what equipment is needed. I have a flatbed with log bunks I haul with, but it requires a machine on the job to load it. That's why I hire self-loader trucks on alot of small jobs, it doesn't pay me to move a machine in for five or ten thousand feet. Sometimes there isn't even room on the job for another machine. This job was both, only sixteen trees, real nice ones too, and no extra room. On big jobs with lots of volume I move in a knuckleboom or a high lift to load my truck.

The trucks I hire are not usually part of a larger operation. My friend's is, he logs, hauls his own logs, and just bought a bandmill. We help each other out from time to time. Most of the trucks I hire are owner-operators or small, local trucking companies, trucking is their only business. What gets me is they say they're backed up, but every time I pass their house or shop their truck or trucks are parked. I sometimes think that if they can make the bank note and buy some beer they're happy, and quit until next month.

As far as breakdowns and maintenance, that's their problem, not mine,  and should be built into the price. They won't get a jillpoke in a tire or radiator on my jobs, and I don't make them haul when it's wet, so they can't say they damaged their equipment on my job. All I ask them to do is tell me if they will or won't haul for me, and then show up on time. Most say they'll haul for you, but never get back to you.

[Skip]

They are probably commited to a full time logger or mill and take your load as a gap filler (when they are between loads) You cant expect them to let a full time customer set while they haul your once in a while load. But they should also tell you that it will be when they can. And give you a ballpark time frame. Best to try to get a regular and get used to each other (instead of jumping around ) and get a working relantionship.

[Frickman]

Skip,

That's the problem, setting up a working relationship. It's a problem on their end, not mine. They tell you they'll haul a certain day, and then they're too hung over to drive. I don't necessarily jump around, but I do hire out alot of different trucks. During any one week I might hire out flatbeds, log trucks, box trailers, dumps, and cattle trailers. Throw a lowboy in too. I ship in and out alot of stuff, logs, lumber, firewood, sawdust, hay, straw, grain, cattle, stone, equipment, you name it. This isn't just a load once a month. Some weeks I'll have dozens of loads coming in and out. I cut timber, saw lumber, and farm for a living, not as a sideline.

I haul so many different things that it doesn't make fiscal sense to own a bunch of different equipment, plus you can't find drivers. I've kept one single axle truck for some local stuff, and that's all. I'm in the farming and lumber business, not the trucking business, so I hire it out as much as possible.

Like I said in my first post, I can ship a load of something five hundred miles with one phone call, but can't haul the same load ten miles. I hear truckers complain about being away from home, but then they won't take the local loads.

[Fla._Deadheader]

  Sounds to me like you need to get with Reed Crosby, and buy one of his booms and mount it on your truck ???

[Rick Alger]

I agree that it's not always easy to get a long-term commitment from a trucker. But when they do haul they charge less than what I figure it would cost me to haul for myself.

Anyone out there do a cost comparison?

[palogger]

I can get my wood hauled cheaper than if I owned my own truck.  The problem is getting these guys to show up when they say they will.  If they say they'll be there Monday for example, I sometimes don't see them until Wednesday.  So am I really saving by hiring out my trucking when I'm at their mercy?  That is what I'm wrestling with right now. 

[leweee]

 :D FAST, CHEAP,GOOD pick any two(you won't get all three) :D

[Corley5]

I deal with an excellent trucking firm.  Everingham Enterprises in Afton, Mi.  My logs are usually gone within 4 days at the most of calling Mark.  I just tell him I've got X# of loads give or take and when he can get me on the schedule I need them hauled.  I'm fairly close and the mill I normally sell to isn't far from his shop.  He'll have a truck stop on the way to the shop at the end of the day for a load to drop off early in the morning or if the mechanic isn't busy he'll come out in the spare truck for a load.  I talked to him at the tractor show the other day and told him I still had the lead load of hardwood sawbolts that needed trucking.  I was going to get back there and cut enough to fill a pup too but got involved with hay instead    I told him they were still there and when he had a chance to come get them.  That was on a Sunday and by Wed evening they were gone 8) 8)  I don't expect him to haul anything for me on Fridays as everybody expects their logs hauled that day  ;)   

[Frickman]

Fla Deadheader,

Reid's looking. I'm seriously looking at the Blue Ox loaders too.

[adirondack harvester]

I have had problems in the past to get reliable haulers.  But I have a great working relationship now with my hauler.  The key for me was to leave it open ended to get the loads taken at the beginning and that worked for me.  Now I can call and get a load in the next day or two.  For example, I called for load of poles to be taken this past Sunday evening and he was pulling in that Tuesday to take it away.  And then he took the other load of poles the very next day!  Also, it never hurts to throw a little extra bonus $$ every now and then.