Looking for some honest advice Please!!!

I am thinking of ditching the corporate world in the next few months and buying a dump truck to start working for myself. I have about $50K in savings to start. I also am able to permanently relocate anywhere I choose but I do not want to be out of town working because I have a 3 year old son. My wife is a nurse so she will also have a steady income. I am mechanically inclined (have hotrods) and a good honest business/sales person.

My questions are:

1. I this business worth doing in terms of making a few bucks? I am not planning on getting rich but I do want to make a profit without working myself to death. Is making $75K a year an unreasonable expectation?
2. Can anyone suggest another equipment business with this type of freedom? I considered buying a tree stump grinder.
3. Should I buy 7 to 10 year old reliable used truck or a new one?
4. If you were getting into the business what type/model of truck would you buy?
5. Should the truck have any special features that will make life easier?
6. We like the Carolinas but I do want year round work. Any suggestions on states or town relocations where?

You folks and this board are great. I really appreciate all the shared knoledge and experience.

Chris, I have been in this 10yrs and have always made a decent living until last year. If you have a steady job now stick with it. After the pres. election if you want to invest, make sure you have work and you don't want a lot of payments. this business is pretty much feast or famine.Right now it is famine. Good luck with what ever you decide!

Tammy, thanks for your comment. I sound pretty rough right now from what I have read. I think I will follow your advice for now.

Hey. If you can make a good living doing what you are now, stick with it. Right now everthing is so cut throat it is unbelievable. I have never seen things this bad. Good luck and God bless in what you decide.

Do not buy your own truck. If you make 75 grand do not leave trucking sU3k3s and I don't see it getting any better anytime soon I have 2 trucks and finding work is a fulltime job plus driving. Do you like to work 70 plus hours a week work for someone else first let them pay the bills before you jump in
The work does not stop when you park the truck at the end of the day,you need to fix it clean it and make the payments and if you make to much money UNCLE SAM WANTS HIS you decide and GOOD LUCK with what ever you decide

Thanks Joe, that seems to be the consensus. Someone mentioned I should get a smaller backhoe and a small single axle. They seem to think there is decent money to be made.

Anyone else have any comments on this?

Cris Willis in mukilteo, Washington said: I am thinking of ditching the corporate world in the next few months and buying a dump truck to start working for myself. I have about $50K in savings to start. I also am able to permanently relocate anywhere I choose but I do not want to be out of town working because I have a 3 year old son. My wife is a nurse so she will also have a steady income. I am mechanically inclined (have hotrods) and a good honest business/sales person.

My questions are:

1. I this business worth doing in terms of making a few bucks? I am not planning on getting rich but I do want to make a profit without working myself to death. Is making $75K a year an unreasonable expectation?
2. Can anyone suggest another equipment business with this type of freedom? I considered buying a tree stump grinder.
3. Should I buy 7 to 10 year old reliable used truck or a new one?
4. If you were getting into the business what type/model of truck would you buy?
5. Should the truck have any special features that will make life easier?
6. We like the Carolinas but I do want year round work. Any suggestions on states or town relocations where?

You folks and this board are great. I really appreciate all the shared knoledge and experience.

Wait til the economy picks up. We started in 2006 and made $54ooo. This year a loss of $8000. Not easy. The worst is you pay all your gas and wont get your first check usually for four weeks. Gas can be $250 a day so you do the math. It takes a lot of startup $. Our favorite expression with new drivers is HOW ARE YOUR CREDIT CARDS LOOKING? We did alot of research before starting and in good economic times friends said they quit working in October so they wouldnt be in the next tax bracket!

Jorge at JLC Trucking in Sarasota, Florida said: Wait til the economy picks up. We started in 2006 and made $54ooo. This year a loss of $8000. Not easy. The worst is you pay all your gas and wont get your first check usually for four weeks. Gas can be $250 a day so you do the math. It takes a lot of startup $. Our favorite expression with new drivers is HOW ARE YOUR CREDIT CARDS LOOKING? We did alot of research before starting and in good economic times friends said they quit working in October so they wouldnt be in the next tax bracket!

Sorry started in 2005!

If your making 75000 a year i would stay there. Owning a truck is not all it,s cracked up to be. I've ben at it for 13 years and have never came close to making 75000 not even with three running year round. I also do all repairs my self rebuild engines clutches rears on and on. In other words if you break engine bad it could cost 20,000 or more and it can happen to a newer truck as well as a older one. Fuel alone right now if you run hard will cost betwen 70,000 and 90,000 a year. My area 150,000 made by a truck is realy on the high end of the pay scale for twelve months of running. In short I would realy think long and hard about it.

Do not move to Western Pennsylvania. The Pittsburgh area is so depressed that I think there has been negative job growth for over 30 years. We lost all of our steel mills and a lot of former steel workers have moved into truck driving, landscaping, home improvement, etc...Also avoid Detroit, I here it is really bad for work!!!

I just got my cdl class B and can't get a job so far 'cause I'm required to have experience, nobody was born w/experience as far as I know, what should I do?

Buy a Tractor trailer and good luck!!

Go to a trash company that is what i did the work stinks

dont even think it i iwn tri axle dumps in florida working at the time in i75 proyect i only get efin 5 hours a nigth no way to make living whit the truck any more they are killing us plus brokers are getting really stupid lowering rates to get jobs

yeap you say it alex is really bad, dont buy a dump truck get a tractor and lease to schenaider or swift line you will better any way you gonna be far away from home in order to get work for the dump truck, im 2k milles away from home and i dont even make money to pay my truck this month just stay away

Cris Willis in mukilteo, Washington said: I am thinking of ditching the corporate world in the next few months and buying a dump truck to start working for myself. I have about $50K in savings to start. I also am able to permanently relocate anywhere I choose but I do not want to be out of town working because I have a 3 year old son. My wife is a nurse so she will also have a steady income. I am mechanically inclined (have hotrods) and a good honest business/sales person.

My questions are:

1. I this business worth doing in terms of making a few bucks? I am not planning on getting rich but I do want to make a profit without working myself to death. Is making $75K a year an unreasonable expectation?
2. Can anyone suggest another equipment business with this type of freedom? I considered buying a tree stump grinder.
3. Should I buy 7 to 10 year old reliable used truck or a new one?
4. If you were getting into the business what type/model of truck would you buy?
5. Should the truck have any special features that will make life easier?
6. We like the Carolinas but I do want year round work. Any suggestions on states or town relocations where?

You folks and this board are great. I really appreciate all the shared knoledge and experience.

My husband bought a dump truck in Oct 2007. It was good about the first 2 months. Then Diesel started getting outragious and work was very off and on. You may have a good week and then nothing for 2 weeks. My husband had to find another job and hire a driver for the dump truck. A lot of the companies you haul for pay every 2 weeks so between paying your driver and paying gas, saving money for gas for the next week, the truck payment, and the truck insurance.... there is almost no profit. If we had someone to buy our truck right now it would be gone.

Make sure you have a lot of cushion if you decide to do this. It is more famine than feast right now.

Cris Willis in mukilteo, Washington said: I am thinking of ditching the corporate world in the next few months and buying a dump truck to start working for myself. I have about $50K in savings to start. I also am able to permanently relocate anywhere I choose but I do not want to be out of town working because I have a 3 year old son. My wife is a nurse so she will also have a steady income. I am mechanically inclined (have hotrods) and a good honest business/sales person.

My questions are:

1. I this business worth doing in terms of making a few bucks? I am not planning on getting rich but I do want to make a profit without working myself to death. Is making $75K a year an unreasonable expectation?
2. Can anyone suggest another equipment business with this type of freedom? I considered buying a tree stump grinder.
3. Should I buy 7 to 10 year old reliable used truck or a new one?
4. If you were getting into the business what type/model of truck would you buy?
5. Should the truck have any special features that will make life easier?
6. We like the Carolinas but I do want year round work. Any suggestions on states or town relocations where?

You folks and this board are great. I really appreciate all the shared knoledge and experience.

Cris,
What did you decide? I'm pretty much in the same boat thinking of making a career change. I'm looking to be my own boss with my own business. Please email me Jmeyer8765@bellsouth.net I am very intrested in what you have to say.

oscar said: I just got my cdl class B and can't get a job so far 'cause I'm required to have experience, nobody was born w/experience as far as I know, what should I do?

GET A FRIEND WHO WILL HELP YOU, ITS TOUGH ON YOUR OWN, EVERYONE NEEDS HELP NOW AND THEN, THEY DID TO. GOOD LUCK.

Jerry Meyer in Cumming, Georgia said: Cris,
What did you decide? I'm pretty much in the same boat thinking of making a career change. I'm looking to be my own boss with my own business. Please email me Jmeyer8765@bellsouth.net I am very intrested in what you have to say.

Beaware of the under bidding illegal immigrants trying to make a buck to buy tortilla's... You will be paying insurance while the illegal immigrant says to the consumers 5 dall!

Americans are hiring illegals to do the work for them... They hire them and pay them low wages, and this is why we are in trouble here in America today...

Jerry Meyer in Cumming, Georgia said: Cris,
What did you decide? I'm pretty much in the same boat thinking of making a career change. I'm looking to be my own boss with my own business. Please email me Jmeyer8765@bellsouth.net I am very intrested in what you have to say.

Beaware of the under bidding illegal immigrants trying to make a buck to buy tortilla's... You will be paying insurance while the illegal immigrant says to the consumers 5 dall!

Americans are hiring illegals to do the work for them... They hire them and pay them low wages, and this is why we are in trouble here in America today...

Cris I have been in this business for 5 years. My earnings have gone down every year. The problem is that your operating expenses are so high in this business. You will spend $3000 a year on tires(every Year),your tags and licenses will cost $1200 to $2000yr, fuel will run you $200 to $300 a day. Your insurance will cost you $800 a month. The jobs are paying the same rates they were paying 20 years ago. Fuel has gone up but rates have not. The work has dried up everywhere.I relocated to New Orleans 6 months ago because of this and so has everyone else in the country. There are so many trucks from all 50 states here and only a few jobs operating. So that means that on jobs that you use to get 8-10 loads you now get 4-5 loads a day because you are sitting in long lines all day. Do the smart thing and find another industry to invest in. You may be able to gross $100,000 a year BUT your net will be $20,000-$30,000. This because your operating expenses are so hi. If you hire a driver to run your truck there goes your net now you are working your truck to just pay for it with ZERO profit. If anyone tells you differently they are lying. This is the truth. If you want to drive a big truck. Then drive for someone else you will make more money with less liability and less headache with your money still in the bank.

AMEN! No one should head for New Orleans we has lost our ass there. 3 drivers coming home shortly more broke then when they left, the work is a lie, you are lucky if you get 4-5 loads a day, husband been there since November maybe worked 12 days. Been back from X-mas break since the 1st and has not worked one day, been promised it would pick up anyday!!! Probably heading back on Wed.

What brokers or companies are yall working for because the im hooked up with a broker now and the job rebuliding the leeves are ongoing and plenty of work here in New Orleans

All depends where are you at and if you are wiling to go where the job is, in New Orleans you can make a decent money and working for yourself. If you are able to move sometime for 2 months or more where the projects are it is the best business ever, a lot of fun and you will be your own operator. If you gonna buy Dump Trucks come to Florida here i know a Gringa that has dump trucks for sale and they are in a really good shape.

Never be afraid of business...the economy is getting better. huge projects are comming up.

good luck

FRENCH TRUCKING in Little Rock, Arkansas said: What brokers or companies are yall working for because the im hooked up with a broker now and the job rebuliding the leeves are ongoing and plenty of work here in New Orleans

Who do you work for ? i'm thingking to move to NOLA

thanks

Manuel