# hauling charge



## hog987

I was just woundering what different guys charge for hauling hay? I have a 30 foot flat deck trailer that i put 17 4x5 bales on. Is it better to charge by the mile or hour?


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## gradyjohn

By the bale within a specified distance ... then so much a mile.


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## haybaler101

I charge $3.25/loaded mile for semi and $2.25/loaded mile for gooseneck. $100 and $50 minimum respectively. Take it or leave it, I don't intend to be a trucking company.


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## NewBerlinBaler

Here in central Pennsylvania, everyone who delivers hay charges by the loaded mile. I haven't taken any loads to auction since the winter of 2011/2012. The going rate then was $2.00 per loaded mile. $2.25, as haybaler101 says, seems reasonable today.


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## T & R Hay Farms

haybaler101 said:


> I charge $3.25/loaded mile for semi and $2.25/loaded mile for gooseneck. $100 and $50 minimum respectively. Take it or leave it, I don't intend to be a trucking company.


Are you kidding me?! 3.25$/loaded mile for a semi and 2.25$/loaded mile for a goose neck?

How does that pay? a semi, on a good day will hopefully average 5-6 (depending on the year of truck it may be slightly greater or slightly less) miles per gallon on a good day. And the last time I checked, diesel fuel was roughly 4$ a gallon.

*Scenario:* 200 mile trip (100 loaded miles).

Semi: 3.25$ loaded mile; *3.25*100 = 325$* , now the total trip is 200 miles. Average we will say 5.5 mpg. that means the total trip consumed 36.4 gallons of fuel. *36.4Gal*4$/Gal = 145$*. Now 200 miles equals roughly 3.5 hrs of driving on the road time if the speed limit is 55mph. We all do not work for free so you have to calculate yourself with your hourly rate. I will average this out to *15$ an hr. 3.5hr*15$/hr = 52.5$*. Now we will consider the time it takes to strap/unstrap a semi-load and also the unload time when you arrive at the customer. I will say it takes about an 1 hr to strap a loaded 53'drop deck properly and to put singage and other warning signals on. To unstrap and unload I will say takes roughly another 1 hr. So another *2hr*15$/hr = 30$*. Now adding all the expenses up, we get: *145+52.5+30 = 227.5$ *

*Now! *
Income-Expenses: *325-227.5 = 97.5$ *dollars left. Now wait, we still have the expenses of wear and tear on the semi-tractor and semi-trailer. We used the it for 5.5 hrs (97.5$/5.5hr = 17.7$) and with the remaining money we made a wopping* 17.70$* an hr for a semi-tractor and trailer....If someone can make money on that, please tell me how. You stated you do not want to become a trucking company, and with these rates you look to be a pretty good candidate for one to me.

This is just my 2 cents.

My dad and I charge 4.50$/loaded mile for the semi and 3.50$/loaded mile for our 40ft gooseneck and pickup. (We still feel we are too cheap with these prices) Since strapping on a load properly can be quite a big job sometimes in the wind.


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## somedevildawg

I'm sure that haybaler, like myself, charges a fee for the unloaded miles as well. We charge 3.35 a loaded mile and 2.00 an unloaded mile, still not making hourly deposits or anything but I thought everyone that delivered hay charged for the unloaded miles, no?


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## T & R Hay Farms

somedevildawg said:


> I'm sure that haybaler, like myself, charges a fee for the unloaded miles as well. We charge 3.35 a loaded mile and 2.00 an unloaded mile, still not making hourly deposits or anything but I thought everyone that delivered hay charged for the unloaded miles, no?


.

You guys charge for the unloaded miles back to the yard? Why don't you just charge 5.35$/loaded mile then? I am assuming he hauls the bales from his yard to the customer, and then drives back to his farm. We do not charge for the miles back to the farm. Hence why we are at 4.50$/loaded mile. (Let stated before, my dad and I still believe that is too cheap for the cost of fuel and time put into strapping and then the wear and tear on the truck as well)


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## swmnhay

somedevildawg said:


> I'm sure that haybaler, like myself, charges a fee for the unloaded miles as well. We charge 3.35 a loaded mile and 2.00 an unloaded mile, still not making hourly deposits or anything but I thought everyone that delivered hay charged for the unloaded miles, no?


I;ve never heard of anyone charging for returned miles.I typically have delivery priced into price of hay.Most all hay is delivered within 30 miles.

If they want to haul it I will go to elevator and get a check from them when they wiegh.I'm not going to keep looking in mail box wondering if the check is comeing.


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## somedevildawg

Can't speak for him but we damn sure do, for the above stated reasons, trucking companies may price it out per mile to destination only, but I don't want to be confused with a trucking company, we can't get return loads as we are "farm use" here in Georgia. I suppose you could price it anyway you want, as long as it works out at the end of the trip. When shipping long distance, over 150 miles, we always use a trucking company, they charge for loaded mile, I really don't want to deliver, unless drop trailers, it's a service for my customers, but they are welcome to send their own trucks or hired trucks, we charge .25 per bale to load.....if we can get it


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## haybaler101

T & R Hay Farms said:


> Are you kidding me?! 3.25$/loaded mile for a semi and 2.25$/loaded mile for a goose neck?
> 
> How does that pay? a semi, on a good day will hopefully average 5-6 (depending on the year of truck it may be slightly greater or slightly less) miles per gallon on a good day. And the last time I checked, diesel fuel was roughly 4$ a gallon.
> 
> *Scenario:* 200 mile trip (100 loaded miles).
> 
> Semi: 3.25$ loaded mile; *3.25*100 = 325$* , now the total trip is 200 miles. Average we will say 5.5 mpg. that means the total trip consumed 36.4 gallons of fuel. *36.4Gal*4$/Gal = 145$*. Now 200 miles equals roughly 3.5 hrs of driving on the road time if the speed limit is 55mph. We all do not work for free so you have to calculate yourself with your hourly rate. I will average this out to *15$ an hr. 3.5hr*15$/hr = 52.5$*. Now we will consider the time it takes to strap/unstrap a semi-load and also the unload time when you arrive at the customer. I will say it takes about an 1 hr to strap a loaded 53'drop deck properly and to put singage and other warning signals on. To unstrap and unload I will say takes roughly another 1 hr. So another *2hr*15$/hr = 30$*. Now adding all the expenses up, we get: *145+52.5+30 = 227.5$ *
> 
> *Now! *
> Income-Expenses: *325-227.5 = 97.5$ *dollars left. Now wait, we still have the expenses of wear and tear on the semi-tractor and semi-trailer. We used the it for 5.5 hrs (97.5$/5.5hr = 17.7$) and with the remaining money we made a wopping* 17.70$* an hr for a semi-tractor and trailer....If someone can make money on that, please tell me how. You stated you do not want to become a trucking company, and with these rates you look to be a pretty good candidate for one to me.
> 
> This is just my 2 cents.
> 
> My dad and I charge 4.50$/loaded mile for the semi and 3.50$/loaded mile for our 40ft gooseneck and pickup. (We still feel we are too cheap with these prices) Since strapping on a load properly can be quite a big job sometimes in the wind.


Efficiency helps. First of all, it takes me 15 minutes tops to strap down a load of hay on the 53ft dropdeck. That is DOT legal as well. Do not need any signs or placards. Second, It takes 5 minutes to unstrap and most of my clients can unload in less than 30 minutes. I am talking about 3x3x8 squares though. My clients all unload 2 or 3 at a time. So I have already trimmed 1.25 hours off of your 5.5 hr estimate at $15/hr is another $18.75. Next, we can not charge for the truck during strapping and unloading, it is parked and not running and if it wasn't hauling hay would still be parked. So the truck runs for 3.5 hours and we have $116.25 left over which is $33.20/hour and at 55 mph that is $0.60/mile for truck, insurance, repairs, tires. Over the life of a truck (500,000 miles) that is $300,000. I think that will work. I set my price off of the local trucking company that runs about 150 trucks. I have called them to move hay and they want $3.00 mile so I figure I am worth little more or I don't have to do it. I might accidently tack a little more into the price of hay as well since I set the price on it as well. I also know my clients, their unloading abilities, and speed and price hay accordingly as well. Finally, If I am hauling round bales, I charge at least $4.00/mile because they are 10 ft wide, take longer to strap, and I would rather take a beating as to haul them anyway.


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## ANewman

I just loaded a load of 38 round bales this evening. Local trucking co. is charging $450 from here to Western KY. It's 200 miles there. I don't see how he is making any money.

Last month same trucking co quoted me $1250 to carry a load 600 mi.


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## T & R Hay Farms

haybaler101 said:


> Efficiency helps. First of all, it takes me 15 minutes tops to strap down a load of hay on the 53ft dropdeck. That is DOT legal as well. Do not need any signs or placards. Second, It takes 5 minutes to unstrap and most of my clients can unload in less than 30 minutes. I am talking about 3x3x8 squares though. My clients all unload 2 or 3 at a time. So I have already trimmed 1.25 hours off of your 5.5 hr estimate at $15/hr is another $18.75. Next, we can not charge for the truck during strapping and unloading, it is parked and not running and if it wasn't hauling hay would still be parked. So the truck runs for 3.5 hours and we have $116.25 left over which is $33.20/hour and at 55 mph that is $0.60/mile for truck, insurance, repairs, tires. Over the life of a truck (500,000 miles) that is $300,000. I think that will work. I set my price off of the local trucking company that runs about 150 trucks. I have called them to move hay and they want $3.00 mile so I figure I am worth little more or I don't have to do it. I might accidently tack a little more into the price of hay as well since I set the price on it as well. I also know my clients, their unloading abilities, and speed and price hay accordingly as well. Finally, If I am hauling round bales, I charge at least $4.00/mile because they are 10 ft wide, take longer to strap, and I would rather take a beating as to haul them anyway.


Alright, yea I am talking about hauling only round bales and the hassle and legality of the load. But I can only imagine the ease of hauling large squares.

My thought is, if the people want the hay they can either line the trucking up, or pay me to haul it there. Also, since we bale 5X6 round bales, they are over-width and the DOT up here in MN can be quite nit picky.


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## swmnhay

There is not going to be much difference in time loading and strapping lg sqrs 3x3 and 5x6 rds.If you are equiped to do it.Alot of guys unload 2 rd bales at a time here.34 bales on 52' ft trailer is 17 sets.3x3's-54 bales= 19 sets of bales???


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## mlappin

I charge $3.00 a loaded mile, but I also get a premium for all most all of my hay. I won't waste my time hauling junk. I haven't delivered any this year. With the demand for hay, if they want it they'll find a way to come and get it.


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## cmd

I can't imagine not charging by the hour, port to port. What if the guy's loader tractor breaks or is just slow, or you get some really time comsuming farm to get into. It's not my problem and I'd want paid for my time. Miles on the long-haul stuff is fine but 30 miles, hell no.


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## Hayking

i have a 135 dollar min on my 32 ft gooesneck can haul 15 bales of alfalfa or 18 bales of grass hay. we have a group of a guys that haul for us with there semis and on short hauls they will haul by the ton or the bale and on long hauls they charge 4 bucks a mile trucking companies will always be cheaper in hopes of getting another load close to where they unload idk how anyone can base prices off of them there typically gonna be at 2-2.50 with a semi.


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