Retired and looking to get into a part time gig. Not knowing much about it but giving this some thought. Any of you guys own or tribe a dump truck that might let me know a few things to look for when buying a truck?
Thinking about an older truck that I can pay cash for and or trade into. Would an old 79 c60 be HD enough?
Getting a bit bored and don’t want to go back into IT world again. Construction in booming in my area.

Maybe if you were a landscaper and was using it for very limited use.


I would not use a C60 for any kind of construction work.

We have a 92 f350 super duty with a 5 ton dump. We use it just for our own use. I know all my friends have wanted to use it through out the years. Ours is too small to make any money but if you buy a decent sized one and find a good gravel yard, you could make decent money

Have you thought of all the regs that go with what you are proposing? Health card, daily inspections etc.

Just entertaining the idea. Health card, that’s not doable. Wanting to stay as far away as possible from that.

Thanks...was thinking it might be a little small.

I don't know what NC's regs are, but the guys in this game have trucks built to best maximize capacity, longevity, efficiency and maneuverability within legal limits. Talk to guys in your region who own trucks. Talk to salesmen at truck dealers. They'll know how trucks are spec'ed in your region and why.

That said. I wouldn't want to be buying a truck in this market.

You can buy a used 3 axle, 10 yard truck, quite cheaply, maybe as cheap as a 5 yard 2 axle.....don't fool around with medium duty, you'll regret it. Scissor ram hoist is a lot less prone to hydraulic leaks. Avoid a driveshaft pto, get a married pto. Avoid alloy frame, thick flange steel or double steel. Inspect the crossmember and motor mount flanges on the frame. Pad and beam suspension, don't get me wrong, springs get around better in mud, but they can be high maintenance and are a bit less stable when dumping on unlevel ground. Inspect the bed/liner, the last 4 feet toward the tailgate can be worn paper thin...give her a good whack with a pointy hammer. Avoid wedge brakes, go S cam all around. Try to go with a Fuller trans, don't get too high a ratio rearends, you won't save beans on fuel unless you are doing a lot of highway. If you don't savvy this stuff, just get as close as you can to your potential competitors. Don't know your skills but you might just hire out and drive somebody else's truck for a season.

In order to stay away from the commercial drivers lic and all the BS that goes with it, you will have to use a two axle truck with hydraulic brakes. To even break even operating that truck you would need to have a really sweet deal somewhere. A really sweet deal.

Go see Eric McCombs at Carolina Brick and Materials (Indian Trail/Monroe area). They will give you good advice.

then change your plan. every "commercial" driver, will need a medical card. CDL or non CDL

Out west a lot of guys buy a water truck. Not only construction but fire control as well.

If you get a small dump truck,

Also gotta have a .38 special snub nose.....

In case you run into trouble at the redlights.

.

The Dump Truck College is beside Chainsaw University


😃

38Souper...

On da seat, mofo…

As small of a truck as you're looking at - you can't charge enough to cover your expenses and most jobs aren't going to hire you.

I've only run Macks with camel back suspensions, but this was for lots of site work.

Again, conditions and regulations are everything.

Somebody needs to bump that thread. LOL

Classic Campfire drama.

Guy around here makes a bunch of money delivering for a landscape supply yard. He has a Ford F350...No medical card requirements. Small residential deliveries. Not many headaches... but good extra money

1979 dump truck

Sounds like DOT inspector’s wet dream 😃

How fast can you say "out of service"

G32 tree pippty seben baby with and extra 20, no problem.

Point well taken.

I considered a single axle truck & ask questions compared to a guy that was currently hauling in my area & about to retire.

I was told that get to know all the builders that might need a small load & be available when they need you, "not a part time gig". Run it like a full time business of 40 plus hours, establish dependability, & ya might get accepted & called on.

Not available on more than a couple occasions would get ya blackballed, word gets around & you're done. A small town..

That's just here. The thought sounds good though.

Buy a BIC lighter instead and burn a handful of C-notes every day for a few months- - - - -you'll come out money ahead in the end. I got my Class A chaeuffeur's license (now called a CDL) in 1976. I gave up trying to keep up with all the "Homeland Security" and medical exam requirements a couple of years ago. Because of blood pressure issues and two stents in my heart, I was having to take a DOT physical every year, and do a treadmill stress test every two years!

Around here, darn near every man I see driving a dump truck weighs 400-500 lbs.

Might see a skinny one at 300

Too fat to tie boot laces so they wear Wellington style slip on boots. 😃


What health certificate? ???

Every drove any big rock n roll bands aroun?

DOT medical card- - - -gotta have one to drive anything commercial over 25K pound gross weight.

What does it mean when you check the arrest blotter and (its always a mexican) but when it says “chauffeur license offense”

does that mean their carpet laying murder van had too many beaners in it?

Nope, but I did hang out backstage at the Opry frequently when it was at the Ryman auditorium. My aunt was the only pianist with a regular spot there for 30+ years.

There’s a young guy around here that seems to stay busy and make enough to get by. He has a small truck, I think it’s an F550 older 7.3 truck. And a skid steer now but he started with a tractor and box blade. He does driveway jobs or did to start with, now he does all kinds of stuff with the skid. But he’s young and a hustling dude. And he may or may not just have a farm tag so he can bypass all the DOT BS, until he gets caught anyway.

17k in Ohio. Not sure about other states but PA is 26k

Need somebody adept @ finding classic threads. I looked briefly.

26,000. Keep my 3 dump trucks registered at 25,900lb.

If I was considering something like you’re describing, I’d be more apt to get into hotshot hauling. Big money in transportation/shipping right now. Grab a Ram 3500-5500 with a steel flat bed/gooseneck and a trailer and go see the country.
Either that or a small (9yd) dumpster set up and rent to contractors and homeowners.
Being that you’ve worked IT jobs apparently, you’ll probably be shocked when you realize driving a truck isn’t exactly gravy.

Just an fyi, and I'd bet you know this but I know guys that do that too, but it won't help you if you are in an accident.... State troopers go by how the truck was built, not how it is registered and according to them you have to be licensed to drive it the way it was built.... If the plate in the door jamb says 32k, you better be licensed to drive a 32k truck.

The dumpster idea is smart. I rent one about every 5 years or so, getting one this spring.

Those old Chevy trucks are fairly simple to work on but the problem is parts are getting very obsolete for them. Several years ago when scrap metal prices went so high a lot of them trucks went to the scrap yard so it’s hard as hell to find parts trucks to rob them from. Spare yourself the grief and buy something newer and easier to keep maintained unless you hate retirement that much and like working on junk. I have a c/50 and a 60 and contemplated rolling both of them off a cliff and one point or another. And that was just keeping them running good enough to use to cut corn silage…

GMC 6500
Chevrolet 4500
International 4700 x 2

I’m good on GVWR ratings. Hauled way more than 26,000 on all of them.
If I could find a couple free weeks I’d have my CDL class A’s.

Drove a '64 Chevy C 60 dump for 15 years ('71 to '86). 348 V8, 5/2 set up. Hydra Vac brakes. Builder/Developer I worked for, bought it new. Pulled a 10 ton tag along behind it to move our JD 450D track loader and backhoe. Licensed for an 8 ton payload, bed was big enough could fetch 10 tons of stone with no problem, if I never got caught? Truck was still going strong when he retired in'86. All I ever had done to it, was a valve job/timing chain around '84.

Had a PA Class III license, then went to a Class A CDL when they came about. Also drove dumps with air brakes now and then, after getting the CDL.

Mostly hauled fill (shale), topsoil and limestone from the quarry, in the C 60 for small jobs. Bigger quantities of stone, we just ordered it hauled in with tri axles..A few small contractors here still use single axle dumps in the 26,000 GVW class..

Might be some specialty jobs in some areas for smaller dumps, but they're few and far between around here.Most I see on the roads are landscapers and tree people. My experience with them is limited. Most can't haul much and the used ones are usually junk. Buddy has an old Ford F550 diesel with an 8' bed. I've used that old clunker and it can max out at about four tons.

You wanta make a living with a dump truck, that usually means getting a tri axle.

You got all kind of stuff confused.
CDL regs are anything over 26k.

A medical card is needed for commercial work.
Buddy got pinched driving a non CDL poop truck.
Still needed a med card.


OP if you don't know exactly what work you are going to do,
If you can't buy a solid truck, if you can't work on it,
If you have to come here for advice on trucking,
you will likely get an expensive lesson.


I've seen a lot of guys who bought trucks (newer and old)
who knew the business and could work on them,
lose their ass.


Was given some solid advice when I was thinking about buying a semi.
"You need $10k in cash, free to help you over whatever pops up"


I'll add my advice from watching others.
"Always, always, always pay the IRS first. Never, ever, hold back a quarterly
if money is short!)

If it don't work, if you lose your shirt, you can give a truck back.
You can file bankruptcy, but the one debt that will follow you to the grave,
with interest rates that make credit cards look like a freebie, is the IRS!

And don’t choke on yo breakfast burrito

I applaud the idea of still hustling...

Maybe a box truck for moving would be easier... Facebook and Craigslist ads like this.

"Moving truck and driver for hire $250 per day (First 20 miles free, $1 per mile over 20 miles). Loading is on you... I only drive."

Charge them $50-$100 per day that the truck stays full (i.e. rolling mini-storage).

Be careful of bums and ghettos.

A lawn mowing service would pay more

https://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbt...185627/got-road-raged-today#Post12185627

Not looking to make a killing guys, just bored and want to work and make some extra cash and keep busy.
Thanks for the great ideas, advice and comments.

i’ve been around this type of trucking for 25 years…. i can say with all honesty, if you weren’t raised around it or directly involved with trucking just stay away. The only money to be made is in the “grey” areas …if you don’t know the regs front to back, where to get deals on maintenance, how to get around certain requirements, etc. you are just going to hemorrhage money.

if i were to suggest something, maybe find yourself a nice dually pick up and get set up with the RV dealers, horse trailer dealers, etc. They are always looking for someone to move a fifth wheel or horse trailer to another dealer or deliver to a customer, etc. Still have some regs to follow and insurance but way less cutthroat than construction.

Some states, like Idaho, do not require a medical card with a CDL for intra-state work. No medical card needed unless interstate over 10K lbs gross.

If you need to get a CDL, starting in February, the Feds will now make you take a 200 hr plus driving course at an accredited school. Which, if you hadn't guessed it, ain't exactly cheap.

Would be a lot easier to just give your money away, why work at it?

Phil

It's my understanding name have give up or decided to delay or whatever the 200 hour deal. As far as interstate and intrastate driving a medical cards there's so much confusion on all that. A person just needs to get a medical card and file it as interstate and it covers everything.

Around here a few guys have small trucks for their own use. But mostly real trucks Peterbilt ,Mack, Kenworth, Volvo and such . 60,000 is really light load a full 80,000 is pretty normal 100,000 with some trucks is pretty common.
Small dump trucks have a place in private business for landscaping maybe small asphalt stuff like driveways and what have you.

What about landscaping or mowing lawns? Got any messicans where you live?

never underestimate the power of the 24hcf to crush a mans dreams into a pasty pulp. lol

lol. Shoulda bought a Leupold

I know a guy with an f350 and a gooseneck that does nothing but deliver farm equipment for a local dealer. He does well. Usually never gone more than one night.

The rule implementation was delayed from February 7, 2020 to February 7 2022.

There's nothing confusing about the rules regarding medical cards. Either you need one, or you don't. I don't when driving intra-state. When the new vision rules go into effect, I'll get mine, but until then, I'm a intra state driver in full compliance with the law.

Pickup truck and a large dump trailer. Make good money and the overhead is minimal.

If you live near a city, and don't mind working some, this might
be better than one would think. Always get 1/2 your money after loading.
Cash only, never buy your gas on paper.

Never buy your gas on paper???

Fuel is a huge line every year in my world.

Link with landscape crews. Pick up a couple yards of bark drop of and collect. Maybe real estate offices. They know who is moving, and can pass business cards to clients.

You working a job, or putting around enhancing retirement?

I'd much rather forget deductions, itemized taxes, business insurance...
And pay my dam bills, while keeping the cash.

If cash jobs are the norm, then don't establish questionable spending on
paper. Someone will likely come sniffing around, don't leave tracks.

I hate to argue but to be clear on what I'm saying, you need a CDL to drive anything over 26k. If you are driving a commercial vehicle less than 26k you don't need a CDL but you need a med card. IN SOME STATES you need a medical card for anything over 10k however it is up to the state to adopt this. States can vary on med card requirements. Last time I checked Ohio set theirs at 17k.

Considering the state of our current construction industry, you will keep a truck busy every day the weather allows. You can sub out to a number of grading contractors. It would actually be easier to go to work for one of those guys on a part time basis. You wouldn’t have any truck maintenance to worry about.

This advice is golden!

I report the income, deduct expenses and pay the taxes.

You ain't arguing, you are right.




Kingston, that's what I figured.

You are a "Business".

I get the impression the OP wants something to occupy some time,
while making(instead of burning) money.

What I suggest isn't right.
But if it's a side job, brings in a few hundy a week clear, keep it
in the underware drawer and use it for fun. Always as cash.
Consider it an entitlement refund for the money they have taken
from him for decades and given to Welfare Rats.

I believe a medical card is needed in all states when driving a combination of vehicles weighing more than 26,001 pounds, a single vehicle weighing more than 26,001 pounds, or when pulling a trailer weighing more than 10,001 pounds with just a few exceptions, even Intrastate. Under those weights there are more exceptions but in most circumstances, it is still required. But also, not all medical conditions will keep you from getting a restricted or limited medical card or even in some cases a full medical card.

Phil

Only way in Missouri not to have a medical card is to be grandfathered into CDL from an old chauffeurs license and never leave the state

what excepted Intrastate commerce does landscaping fall under. the onlyw ay he is exempt from a medical card is if his GVWR of his pickup is less than 17000 pounds

I don't want to discourage you but............

DON"T DO IT.

Especially a 1979 anything. It'll be a bigger money pit than you'll ever be able to climb out of. I'd sell every one of my trucks if I could. The cops will have a hay day with you and put you out of service faster than you can say "Junk".

You are wrong. Many states have exempted intra state status.

Many states have exceptions for agriculture with varying conditions. There are also Fed DOT exceptions for personal use.

The ag exemptions are typically CDL exemptions, not just medical card.

Which One's?

Phil

Fail a dot inspection and you might find it impossible to get insurance.

Bb

i stopped a tanker driver a few weeks ago hauling water with no "N" endorsement. he couldn't figure out why he wasnt allowed to continue driving the tank vehicle as long as it was empty. He was one of those guys that just kept digging a deeper hole every time he spoke. lLke his reason for having the 10 inch diameter rock on the floorboard in front of his throttle pedal