Hi Hammer, it was over £400 with vat included and best bit is another 6wheeler went infront with 5tons of hogging ballast 
I left quarry at 7.05 and got there at 10.30, off site 10.35. Had break at Corfe Mullen and got to Southampton docks just after 1pm. Got back to Ducklington at 15.30 and never broke a single speed limit 
Just under 500kms and I only put in 130odd litres back in diesel tank. We charge “part loads” like premix do so although customer bought 5tonnes, he paid for a 15ton delivery TWICE as he didn’y want it “split loaded” incase the load got contaminated. Our lot wont worry as 30ton of flint came back for bagging plant which will see the price per ton jump a fair price.
Regarding our 10mm; smithsbletchington.co.uk/ind … Itemid=182
I gather it’s regarded as “Cotswold” which adds to the appeal…
That is a good price Muckaway. Amazing what peope will pay for. I figured you’d charge the punter a full load price, I always charge a full load rate regardless of what goes on the truck (unless I’m on daywork of course). There is plenty of profit on that I reckon.
Supplying material is something I’ve always shied away from a bit, chasing money all the time etc. Theres no doubt that it beats hauling for the quarries but theres a lot more risk with it and the volume is unpredictable at best.
hammer:
That is a good price Muckaway. Amazing what peope will pay for. I figured you’d charge the punter a full load price, I always charge a full load rate regardless of what goes on the truck (unless I’m on daywork of course). There is plenty of profit on that I reckon.Supplying material is something I’ve always shied away from a bit, chasing money all the time etc. Theres no doubt that it beats hauling for the quarries but theres a lot more risk with it and the volume is unpredictable at best.
We don’t do much “haulage only” as there’s less profit in it, and much of that is for a local skip/recycling firm as we do a lot of their loose compost-soil loads as we can carry more than their 8w hook loaders. We do a bit of daywork, I used to love road planing; plenty of tea breaks 
I was talking to one of the subbies we use and one muck job we’re doing pays £65/load for an 8wheeler; You can do 5/6 loads per day depending whether the site labourers want to wash your tyres or not. Anyhow, after doing a few calculations I reckon on a 6wheeler, doing 5 per day (my total, no extra bonus for doing 6) taking into account my wages and trucks’ diesel useage, I estimated a profit of about £20-30 per day; No wonder there are getting less 6wheelers about as I reckon 8wheelers would make around £80-100 per day. Hammers’ opinion would be appreciated…
Muckaway:
I was talking to one of the subbies we use and one muck job we’re doing pays £65/load for an 8wheeler; You can do 5/6 loads per day depending whether the site labourers want to wash your tyres or not. Anyhow, after doing a few calculations I reckon on a 6wheeler, doing 5 per day (my total, no extra bonus for doing 6) taking into account my wages and trucks’ diesel useage, I estimated a profit of about £20-30 per day; No wonder there are getting less 6wheelers about as I reckon 8wheelers would make around £80-100 per day. Hammers’ opinion would be appreciated…
If the rate is £65 on an 8x4, I would imagine that will only pay £50-55 on a 6x4? If you did 5 you’d be getting £250-275 for the day. That’s about the bare minimum you’d want for a full days work on a 6. Depends on how far each load is going. I’d guess at about 15miles? That makes about 150miles for the day, a fuel spend of about £90, driver wants about the same (£90) and it will cost you about £30 in insurance etc. There is something in it but not a lot. 
For whatever reason, the quarries don’t want 6x4’s. Not sure why, maybe because 20 is a nice round number and 16 isn’t (and I’m not kidding)? The 6’s round here are all owner-drivers, no firm runs 6’s on quarry work as it just doesn’t pay to put a driver on it. There are a couple of 6’s on muckaway work but only 2 or 3. I guess for similar fuel consumption and wages, you take the extra payload of an 8 and ignore the jobs with limited access?
hammer:
What I can’t understand is how its profitable. 300miles at 9MPG at 140ppl = 176GBP (I knocked off the VAT), add in your wages, NI, Tax etc, wear and tear and standing costs. Wagons got to be earning well in excess of 300quid.Whats so special about your 10mm that they can’t find supplied in Dorset anyway?
Similar question for the tipper men on here. I regularly see a couple of Ross Hillman’s four-wheelers running empty down to Pembrokeshire; no idea where they go but it’s at least twice a week. Given what my neighbour (a tipper o/d) tells me about rates etc, what would they be fetching that’s so special?
gnasty gnome:
Similar question for the tipper men on here. I regularly see a couple of Ross Hillman’s four-wheelers running empty down to Pembrokeshire; no idea where they go but it’s at least twice a week. Given what my neighbour (a tipper o/d) tells me about rates etc, what would they be fetching that’s so special?
Bloody hell, thats over 130miles from their yard!
My guess would be that (looking at the map and with no local knowledge at all) he’s had a load out of his own area, maybe a load of tar somewhere like Cardiff and then he’s gone to backload something ‘special’ that only Pembrokeshire produces (e.g. some kind of special decorative gravel / rubber for horse trotting rings).
Alternatively, there is something ‘special’ that he gets out of his local area and has delivered it deep into Wales and is now backloading something to make the trip more worth his while.
About three years ago I went to a job near Chester, there was a lad with an old 4-wheeler carrying BLUE tarmac. He’d come up from somewhere near Southampton ( ) with 6 tonnes and was going back empty ( )! Apparently, there are only two places in the UK that do blue tar. Said the rates were ‘alright’ which is owner-driver speak for ‘bloody good’ Said he ran all over the UK. Specialist work always pays better.
I’ve heard that Earthline dont run 6ws anymore, dont know if it’s true but I’ve not seen any for ages. They do run a number of 8w grab tippers and a few 4ws so maybe with standard 8ws, 8w grabs and 4ws then maybe 6ws are redundant?
I run a the only 6w in our place and even though its in the colours I need to have my own work.
An easy day from our quarry would be 4 to Worcester,an 8w would be about £17 per load better off,and I know theres a couple of extra tyres and they wont be so good on fuel but it just doesnt make economic sense to have a 6 any longer.
The TM told me they can manage without them so it always makes me smile when there a 6w max job on and they struggle to find extra trucks
It all goes round in circles really. When I was working (9 years ago now) nearly all the tarmac went on 6’s, unless it was a 20 tonne load, and the tarmac gangs requested 6 wheelers for most jobs. Now I believe that there are only a handfull of 6 wheelers in the local quarries, mainly eights and ‘benders’, but I guess when they reinvent the wheel again 6’s will come back into fashion.
Carting stone on a six though wasn’t the best of things, sand and gravel were hardly worth loading either, but the rate for coated should make them worthwhile especially if they still get paid for 17 tonnes regardless of what they carry like they used to.
Pete.
I know of a local subbie who keeps his Hanson 6w busy due to barrow jobs on asphalt, and reckons that makes as much as his 8s on normal work. Hes got a couple in Hanson colours and a couple that were franchised but now on general hire.
Muckaway:
I know of a local subbie who keeps his Hanson 6w busy due to barrow jobs on asphalt, and reckons that makes as much as his 8s on normal work.
This is true, you’re burning no fuel and get paid from the time on site (rather than giving them an hour for NOTHING on a machine job). Problem is getting them and at our place they do like to give the smaller loads to the 8’s as they have to keep them happy first. 
Currently on break at South Mimms M25 having just taken 6tonnes of path gravel to East Bergholt, near Ipswich. Ive rung the office to be told "nothing available, head for home (Ducklington, Oxon). How the hell can 6tonnes all that way and home empty make a profit?
euromat:
a lot of the quarries i used to load from wouldnt let you leave unsheeted, and its better for fuel economy having it sheeted
It makes very little/no difference with our sheets; Front to back up and over and a fine net sheet. Always wondered where we’d stand if something blew off as Ive done all I can to keep load on ie damped it down, tapped brakes to level the load and sheeted it.
Muckaway:
Currently on break at South Mimms M25 having just taken 6tonnes of path gravel to East Bergholt, near Ipswich. Ive rung the office to be told "nothing available, head for home (Ducklington, Oxon). How the hell can 6tonnes all that way and home empty make a profit?
It will make a profit because (most likely) the customer will have bought the gravel through Smiths, at an inflated price, and paid 16 tonnes haulage for the priviledge. Also it could be that , being a company truck, they are there to provide a service and profit is of secondary concern (as it was with TILCON).
One of our old O/D’s once took 2 tons of gravel from Castle Donnington to Torquay on a six wheeler, a good rate and little fuel used as it was like running empty.
Pete.
Muckaway I am dead jelouse. spelling ? you have spoiled my weekend
windrush:
It will make a profit because (most likely) the customer will have bought the gravel through Smiths, at an inflated price, and paid 16 tonnes haulage for the priviledge. Also it could be that , being a company truck, they are there to provide a service and profit is of secondary concern (as it was with TILCON).
One of our old O/D’s once took 2 tons of gravel from Castle Donnington to Torquay on a six wheeler, a good rate and little fuel used as it was like running empty.Pete.
Done a a load of stone from Ardley to out near Waddesdon afterwards just got back to Ducklington, loaded for Monday and a grand total of 562km. There wasnt much 40mph running I must admit.
Your well in there Nathan, wish I could get locals on a friday. 
altitude:
Your well in there Nathan, wish I could get locals on a friday.
If we take work much further away they’ll need sleepers. I can sleep very easily in my cab but overnighting might attract attention…
Here’s a tipper drivers’ gripe. It’s 07:08 on a Sunday morning my 8month old’s decided to have a conversation in his room with his teddy and RAF Brize Norton have decided to play with their Hercules… 