Hi Everyone!
New member here, excited to be here.
I was wondering what folks are paying out there to move logs.
My brother started a flatbed company, bought a few log friendly trucks (flatbed I believe) and I said I'd help with his business. I am new to the industry and learning the industry (any patience with me is greatly appreciated). I have zero intention on soliciting this community, just merely doing some research.
Are there good resources to see what folks are paying out there to haul logs? What would be some good internal lingo to learn so I don't sound like an idiot.
Thanks.
to much
Where are you located? Location will have a big impact on costs. Please provide more details. Also what equipment do you have to load and unload logs? That will restrict some customers if you can't unload. The logger may be able to load but how are you going to unload?
Without your general location no one will venture a good guess, I don't even know what country you are in. Not being harsh, most of us made the same mistake. :D
Added: I see Howard typed faster than me as he should, he's younger.
How serious are you about this? If you are doing it for hire then a whole bunch of DOT rules apply and a for hire flatbed with logs strapped down to it is a Christmas present to a DOT officer.
@Southside (https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php?action=profile;u=24297) He's pretty serious about this.
@gspren (https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php?action=profile;u=17800) Massachusetts.
@WV Sawmiller (https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php?action=profile;u=28064) Still working on the minutia, but for now just trying to get a holistic view of the market. That will dictate funding, etc. As mentioned I kind of got thrown into this side project so from what I know is he has trucks and the appropriate "tie down" gear. Do people typically hire extra staff to unload?
Thanks everyone!
Call a couple of local companies and see what they quote for similar loads. They can give you a per mile quote and what their minimum is.
Don't want to sound like a downer, especially for someone with the drive to start out in an expensive business, but these guys that are chiming in know more than a 'bit' about the log hauling business. You need to be sure these are log trailers he's hauling. It's not just th tie down stuff, it's the bunks, weight ratings, and a lot of other stuff. Rates are the last of all the questions. Just sayin' it out loud is all.
Make forever more sure y'all have all the DOT boxes checked off first, then you can jump in. Drivers and trucks are usually in demand, but they have to be pros, know the drill, and be able to roll with the punches. It's a tough life, but the money is there for the smart ones that work really hard, like any other business.
But it's a tough racket. @BargeMonkey (https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php?action=profile;u=24634) does it all and when it's tight he hauls his own wood too after a long day of work, sleeping in the truck (mostly when he wasn't driving ;D). trucks can be few and far in between, so It's a decent gig, just get the DOT stuff squared away for sure. Nobody wants their logs hauled by somebody who might get his rig impounded.
Best of luck, working folks are getting rarer every day. Start ups are even more rare.
Thanks ya'll.
This is all super helpful and some good feedback that I can bring back.
Cheers.
So you've got a couple 2 axle flatbeds with 12/40 spec trucks and planning to back haul wood or ? Planning to haul for someone up to Maine? I'm not 100% on Mass specs, my 3 axle log trailer came from Mass. Your staying local or the NE ? Typically your just going to sub for a mill, get paid so much, chasing an odd load of wood here or there from Joe Blow on some back road with a trailer is a recipe for fun. Almost everything here or north is sitting on 6-7 axles now, I would starve to death if I tried to truck to Finch or IP on 5 axles / 80k. The creeper clowns are only getting worse, I would do my homework before you jump in head first.
A trailer takes a lot of room to get into a log yard. Meaning where the logging is going on.
Around here logs are rarely moved on flat deck trailers. Log trailers weigh less and thus will allow more net tonnage of logs.
I've loaded a lot of flatbeds that were set up for hauling wood. But they weren't usable as flatbeds when set up like that, they had log bunks added and bolted on.
All the flatbeds I've been around were pretty light trailers fwiw.
Listen to Barge. Not saying you can't or shouldn't try to break into the log hauling business, but with out someone that knows the hardwood industry well its going to be tough. Most logs are hauled from landings to the mills are by tri axles with loaders on them around here. Flat trailers with bunks move more logs between mills. To haul logs from landings its necessary to be able to identify log species. And not just by species. Some mills have the truckers sorting out blocking logs from grade right on the landing. Many mills sort quite a bit on the landing. That's smart, truck once pay once. Theres more to it than you see at first.
Just like being a logger is much more than being able to drop a tree.
Here it's the popular thing for them out of Quebec, haul a load of building material down, load of wood back. 5500? Ish ft on a 2 axle, almost 10k on a 3-4 axle, depending on time of the year. Yeah the flat beds with stakes do it but it ain't right for day in day out beatings, fold a stake over. I've still got a 04? 45' 3 axle Manac flatbed with steel drop in stakes, was set up to haul 3 tiers of red pine to Angelica, tows like a PIG... again all depends what your permitted for, where you plan to haul, what type of trailer / truck weights your going for.
I did a lot of work for loggers that also had a trucking operation and a sawmill. They did have flatbeds to start. They had movable bunks they used for logs. Those bunks were chained down to the floor and they fit down on pockets on the sides of the truck. They also used those trucks to move other material. They started out hauling steel and concrete barriers. The steel market is pretty well gone.
They did move to log trailers. These also had moveable bunks. They didn't have a floor, which may limit a back haul. They could put an entire load of lumber on the truck, then back haul logs. They also had tarps for hauling kiln dried lumber. They eventually got rid of the floored flat bed trailers. I have seen mainly a log trailer on the highways.
They also had walking floor trailers for hauling split wood, sawdust, and bark. They're expensive, but the loggers had really expanded their markets to the more metropolitan areas.
I drove flatbed for years, no matter what you haul you'll need to know your weights inside and out. What your truck weighs, how much can you legally haul, especially if your paid by the ton. Also you need to know what weights all your axles can scale out to. If I was going to get into owning a truck, I'd invest in onboard scales to check the weights while loading. You'll need to know all the major truck routes and weight limits for the region you'll haul in.
Also I'd look into buying a few other types of trailers for other freight. Gives you more options to haul year round, and find what freight pays best.