# BS Hourly Rates



## NICHOLS LANDSCA (Sep 15, 2007)

I read about all these guys charging $100-$1,000/hr for a truck. I guess MN is poor if you can get $65/hr you are doing REALLY well, there are guys and large companies charging $40-$45/hr. I just don't get it. My buddy just found out he didn't get a job he's been doing for 8 years. He was at $60 for a truck $75 for a skid and $140 for his loader. Winning bid was $40 truck $45 skid and $80 loader. It's fn crazy


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## ducatirider944 (Feb 25, 2008)

NICHOLS LANDSCA;613630 said:


> I read about all these guys charging $100-$1,000/hr for a truck. I guess MN is poor if you can get $65/hr you are doing REALLY well, there are guys and large companies charging $40-$45/hr. I just don't get it. My buddy just found out he didn't get a job he's been doing for 8 years. He was at $60 for a truck $75 for a skid and $140 for his loader. Winning bid was $40 truck $45 skid and $80 loader. It's fn crazy


Yeah, Part of it is where your at. $100-125 per hour are places that don't snow much, I would guess. $1,000 pr hour, look at the source and go read some of his other posts, you will soon find out the truth there. I would guess where you are the prices might be driven down a little buy the fact that there are 100's of joe 6-packs doing it for peanuts, because your plowing every other night. $40 per hour for my truck and $45 per hour for my skidloader, they can sit in a warm toasty garage and stay clean and less used!


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## NICHOLS LANDSCA (Sep 15, 2007)

We've only averaged 15 events per year for the last 5 years.


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## bribrius (May 5, 2007)

you get over a hundred a hour here by plowing driveways and little lots. picking and choosing carefully. And then how many hours can you fill before you run out of drives or get your route too long? 
as far as making a grand a hour, if i could make that i would dump the chevy and put a snoway on a awd porsche.


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## kcplowmata (Sep 15, 2007)

quit bidding by the hour. bid by the job. contract or sub contract. here we 55 dollars min for a drive it takes 15 mins tops. so if you do it by the hour it wouldnt be worth it. same goes for commerical. i got one lot that pays 100 dollars and we are out in 20 mins.


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## ducatirider944 (Feb 25, 2008)

bribrius;613705 said:


> you get over a hundred a hour here by plowing driveways and little lots. picking and choosing carefully. And then how many hours can you fill before you run out of drives or get your route too long?
> as far as making a grand a hour, if i could make that i would dump the chevy and put a snoway on a awd porsche.


You told me you had one on order bri


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## big acres (Nov 8, 2007)

NICHOLS LANDSCA;613630 said:


> I read about all these guys charging $100-$1,000/hr for a truck. I guess MN is poor if you can get $65/hr you are doing REALLY well, there are guys and large companies charging $40-$45/hr. I just don't get it. My buddy just found out he didn't get a job he's been doing for 8 years. He was at $60 for a truck $75 for a skid and $140 for his loader. Winning bid was $40 truck $45 skid and $80 loader. It's fn crazy


Nichols... I have a file drawer full of big competitors contracts. Some of them actually hide the aditional charge of the OPERATOR for this truck as a seperate line item at the bottom. But yes, these hourly rates are complete BS. This year, people will be paying closer attention, and with technology.... personally, I would check security tapes of the lot if I were a manager.

"So I see your truck arrived at midnight and left at 2am, and you billed me for 5 hours?... I'll send you the $80 immediately... please be more accurate as you lose money for the rest of this season"

Nice fleet btw. We should talk.


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## bribrius (May 5, 2007)

kcplowmata;613732 said:


> quit bidding by the hour. bid by the job. contract or sub contract. here we 55 dollars min for a drive it takes 15 mins tops. so if you do it by the hour it wouldnt be worth it. same goes for commerical. i got one lot that pays 100 dollars and we are out in 20 mins.


was this meant for me?
i dont bid by the hour.
I do try to make a note of what the truck is running a hour.
just going by the job doesnt figure in travel time (such as one job to another) or other expenses.
just how i think of things because im more into quick money than getting lots of hours and it helps me make sure im running at least at a profit. from when i leave to when i get back. the truck made x, minus expenses e, divided by y amount of hours, so it ran approx. m, per hour. If the solution to that gets too low then i know Im better off just staying home.
lol.


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## hydro_37 (Sep 10, 2006)

We bid everything by the job. The customer usually has no idea how long it takes anyway.


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## terrapro (Oct 21, 2006)

hourly, hmmm.

i bid my jobs by hourly i guess. my charge is $135 per hr. if the job will take 30 minutes to do i will charge around $72-75 per visit. if im not making at least that i feel im loosing money.


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## big acres (Nov 8, 2007)

terrapro;614185 said:


> hourly, hmmm.
> 
> i bid my jobs by hourly i guess. my charge is $135 per hr. if the job will take 30 minutes to do i will charge around $72-75 per visit. if im not making at least that i feel im loosing money.


You should definetly be making that, BUT, as you gain experience and famialiarity with the site that increases your production rate... you make less money. Why not bid the job at $80 and know you will beat it by a little and hit your target of $135 per hour anyways. Hope you are covering travel too.

In our market, if we print anything over 80-90 per hour... it is way out of line, but bidding by the job we can print lower rates and make much more.


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## NICHOLS LANDSCA (Sep 15, 2007)

I prefer bidding by the job but if they want it by the hour I give it to them. I have 9 lots per time and 4 by the hour. I get all of them done in 6hrs for a 1-3". I don't like to overextend myself, makes me look good and keeps everyone happy.xysport


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## Ropinghorns (Oct 16, 2008)

Here in Oklahoma every snow is different. Some times it is frozen and sometimes it is slush [easy]. We like the hourly rate for that reason. Sometimes it takes longer. Sometimes we just sand it.


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## redman6565 (Jul 14, 2008)

the problem with that, at least in my area, is that managers of bug lots want fixed costs. the economy is doing so bad that every is watching every penny, so we have to seasonally quote plowing/salting/sidewalk maintenance.


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## MIDTOWNPC (Feb 17, 2007)

The thing I hate about hourly is how do you compare 

a skid steer with a bucket to a skid steer with an 86-11 blizzard.
mr person who signs the cheque doesnt know the difference. 

If I have been doing a lot 8 years I know I can do it faster then someone new can.
Im saving the company money... but you dont get points for that.

I refused to upgrade my skid steer this one year because I was getting no more money and I just used the bucket. I wasn't going to go buy a pusher, or blade, they wouldnt pay me $18 a hour more, you cant explain it to them they dont get it.

So what if I use 3 trucks on one place and they work togeather vs 1 truck who works alone.

When they ask about hourly I question about how long it will take. Is hourly the best option for them? I mean is the understanding that more snow = more hours? or do they think 2 hours per push no matter how much snow.


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