# Fuel costs?



## NoPlowMan (Sep 6, 2010)

Hi, I've been reading around the forum for a couple of weeks now and I have one quesiton in particular that I haven't found an answer to.

As a percentage of total costs what does fuel cost you?

I'm wondering what this would be for someone running a single truck just doing residentials. 

If you've got lots of trucks and equipment then just reply with that so I know.

Thanks for the help!


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## Grn Mtn (Sep 21, 2004)

your going to have a hard time pinning that one down. everybody's business has different parameters that will change the outcome. if you have 100 accounts all within 1 mile your fuel will be very different than the guy with 20 accounts in a 20 mile route.

I'm sure you already realize all this, but I don't think your going to get the info your wanting, good luck.


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## Rc2505 (Feb 5, 2007)

You also have to consider the depth of the snow. Deeper snow takes more fuel to plow. It also depends on the price of fuel. A couple years ago, my fuel costs were close to doble what they were last year. Just to give you an idea, I average around 8 miles to the gallon across the board with all my trucks.


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## NoPlowMan (Sep 6, 2010)

I realize there are many variables to this but any sort of idea I could get would help.

Right now I don't know if fuel is 5% or 50% of the total.


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## NoPlowMan (Sep 6, 2010)

Let me take a different approach.

From what I found using Google, a one man operation doing residential accounts, fuel is about 25% of the total costs. 

Does this sound hi or low or right about there?


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## mycirus (Dec 6, 2008)

Figure on 2 tanks for a good storm. Its hard to pin it down to 25 percent of costs because everyones cost is different. Some people have paid off equipment, some dont salt....etc Gas expense isnt much compared to what you are pulling in. A couple of driveways can cover your fuel. Hope this helps. 

Bruce


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## NoPlowMan (Sep 6, 2010)

Thanks Bruce.

Maybe if I narrow it down a bit more.

Is fuel your biggest chung of change?

From what I can tell, insurance is lower and maintenance usually a bit higher. 

I understand if equipment breaks in that particular year then maintenance will be higher but that cost should be averaged over every push.


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## Neige (Jan 29, 2008)

Our Fuel costs run between 4 & 6 %, thats for everything on the road. I find 25% a very high number.


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## theplowmeister (Nov 14, 2006)

I get 4 MPG plowing


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## NoPlowMan (Sep 6, 2010)

4 MPG!!! 

Wow, I was guessing 10mpg for a 7.3L powerstroke, looks like your'e driving a jeep, I'm guessing it's not the 4 cylinder though?

Thanks for the input.


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## NoPlowMan (Sep 6, 2010)

Neige;1070647 said:


> Our Fuel costs run between 4 & 6 %, thats for everything on the road. I find 25% a very high number.


Thanks.

It looks like you have loads of equipment which probably means you also have alot of labor, maintenance, and insurance?


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## buckwheat_la (Oct 11, 2009)

First, wages, that is about 30%, next fuel, 10%. Now these numbers are approximations,


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## Grn Mtn (Sep 21, 2004)

my 2500 hemi ram could get 25 cruising on the hi-way unloaded, 14 around town, 10 loaded and 4 plowing.

the f550's we drive, both gas and diesel seem to be around 7 loaded and plowing, since i don't work with them in the summer i'm not sure what they get when there is not a 9' plow hanging off the front and 2+ yards of salt in the back.


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## Grn Mtn (Sep 21, 2004)

Neige;1070647 said:


> Our Fuel costs run between 4 & 6 %, thats for everything on the road. I find 25% a very high number.


tractors aren't as fuel thirsty as truck i take it.


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## mc1 (Mar 2, 2007)

year round fuel cost two trucks 08 550 and 33k sterling with a 59 cummins 11.4 percent year round exp. i average between 500-900 miles per week


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## NoPlowMan (Sep 6, 2010)

Thanks for the responses, I see that fuel is a bit less than I anticipated.

However I think my circumstances vary a bit.

I will not have loans to pay on and I will try to perform most of my maintenance and repairs as I am a mechanic. However, I'm guessing that if something breaks after I've been plowing for 20 hours straight I'm just going to drive to the shop and say; 'you deal with it.'


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## the new boss 92 (Nov 29, 2008)

i have a better idea, there are way tomany numbers around, so how about you wait for the snow to come and go plow it. at the end of the year take al gas recipts and add them up and figure it out! lol not that hard!


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## Grn Mtn (Sep 21, 2004)

NoPlowMan;1072513 said:


> Thanks for the responses, I see that fuel is a bit less than I anticipated.
> 
> However I think my circumstances vary a bit.
> 
> I will not have loans to pay on ....'


thats where your making a mistake, you need to make enough to replace equipment when the time comes.


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## NoPlowMan (Sep 6, 2010)

Purchasing thousands of dollars of equipment, advertising to find customers, and then plowing an entire season just to figure out what the cost of fuel is, is 'not that hard'?

I suppose I should just assume that's sarcasm.


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## NoPlowMan (Sep 6, 2010)

Grn Mtn;1072565 said:


> thats where your making a mistake, you need to make enough to replace equipment when the time comes.


So I won't make enough to replace my equipment and then I'll end up with loans?

Is the snow plowing business THAT bad?


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## cold_and_tired (Dec 18, 2008)

I do commercial lots and 110 driveways through an HOA. Our typical route time is 12-14 hours. In that time, I will use about 30 gallons of fuel in the truck, which doesn't get worked very hard, and each skid steer will burn a tank and a half.

I would say that if you have a full route (8-10 hrs) that you should plan for using at least one tank of fuel. Fill the truck on your way to the first job then fill it on your way home.

My fuel cost average 6-8% of my total net income from plowing.


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## Grn Mtn (Sep 21, 2004)

NoPlowMan;1072590 said:


> So I won't make enough to replace my equipment and then I'll end up with loans?
> 
> Is the snow plowing business THAT bad?


no, but if your running it as a business then replacement costs need to be factored in. Mick from Maine has posted lots of good info in the business section years past about this kind of stuff.

if your only into this plowing thing for the short term, as a side gig, then don't worry about it and yes there is lots of sarcasm on the board


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## NoPlowMan (Sep 6, 2010)

Grn Mtn;1072601 said:


> no, but if your running it as a business then replacement costs need to be factored in. Mick from Maine has posted lots of good info in the business section years past about this kind of stuff.
> 
> if your only into this plowing thing for the short term, as a side gig, then don't worry about it and yes there is lots of sarcasm on the board


Thanks for the reminder, I've read a few of Mick's posts, I'll have to do a search for them and see what I find.

We'll see how much I like plowing, could be short term but I think I'll enjoy it. I've always enjoyed jobs where I get a severe beating. wesport

I'm getting a truck either way so the plow, my time, and a few other small costs is all that I'm risking, and the plow will still have value when I'm done with it.

I don't expect to get rich, just trying to get by.


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## Grn Mtn (Sep 21, 2004)

NoPlowMan;1072670 said:


> ... and the plow will still have value when I'm done with it.
> 
> I don't expect to get rich, just trying to get by.


I sold my plow 5 years later for $20 less than what I paid for itpayup go Fisher:bluebounc

nothing wrong with just trying to get by, as long as you don't sell yourself short.


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## NoPlowMan (Sep 6, 2010)

Grn Mtn;1072672 said:


> I sold my plow 5 years later for $20 less than what I paid for itpayup go Fisher:bluebounc
> 
> nothing wrong with just trying to get by, as long as you don't sell yourself short.


That's the next thing I need to figure out; what my going rates are around here.

As much as I like hard work, I like to get paid well for it.

I've actually had a hard time finding a place to even get a quote from so maybe that's a good sign. Definately doesn't seem to be alot of competition around but I'm in a small town so it wouldn't take much.


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## the new boss 92 (Nov 29, 2008)

NoPlowMan;1072590 said:


> So I won't make enough to replace my equipment and then I'll end up with loans?
> 
> Is the snow plowing business THAT bad?


my other answer was a smart ass answer, but to be serious there are way to many people out there to compete with right now because everybody that has a pickup thinks they can make a killing when in the end they just take away from people that make a living off of it in the winter. i plow because its a hobby i work for a ligit company and get taxed and all that good ****. i also enjoy doing to for the extra cash and on top of it i have nothing better to do at 3 or 4 in the morning but sleep and i get enough of that trust me!


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## NoPlowMan (Sep 6, 2010)

the new boss 92;1072749 said:


> my other answer was a smart ass answer, but to be serious there are way to many people out there to compete with right now because everybody that has a pickup thinks they can make a killing when in the end they just take away from people that make a living off of it in the winter. i plow because its a hobby i work for a ligit company and get taxed and all that good ****. i also enjoy doing to for the extra cash and on top of it i have nothing better to do at 3 or 4 in the morning but sleep and i get enough of that trust me!


From what I've read it seems like this is kind of a new thing, when the economy took a dive everyone put a plow on their truck and started lowballing. Is that the basic idea?

They probably don't have the right insurance, are working for cash under the table, do not maintain their equipment, aren't setting anything aside for replacement costs, don't do any advertising and they're making it hard for legitimate folks to get paid what is required to be legitimate.

Let's say I had access to free fuel and can perform my own maintenance and repairs. Do I have a fighting chance? I'm not looking to work for peanuts, I can just as easily go get a job that will pay me $20 an hour with benefits.


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## cold_and_tired (Dec 18, 2008)

NoPlowMan;1072841 said:


> I'm not looking to work for peanuts, I can just as easily go get a job that will pay me $20 an hour with benefits.


There are many times throughout the winter when I wish I had one of these.


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## NoPlowMan (Sep 6, 2010)

Yeah but how do you feel at the end of the season, glad you did it?

Or still thinking you'd rather have a job?


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## JDiepstra (Sep 15, 2008)

Hey man. Im near GR, MI. I try to bill out about $100 an hour plowing. You can get more than that if you can get a bunch of houses close together. Diesel is about $3 a gallon and I definitely use less than 2 gallons an hour. So on the high side, $6 an hour in diesel / $100 an hour plowing. So that's 6% ish.


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## NoPlowMan (Sep 6, 2010)

Thanks for the input. 

I hear we're in for a snow beating around here this winter. 

Did you have any trouble picking up customers when you first started plowing?

I don't have lawn customers to tap into but I do know how to advertise.


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## cold_and_tired (Dec 18, 2008)

NoPlowMan;1073161 said:


> Yeah but how do you feel at the end of the season, glad you did it?
> 
> Or still thinking you'd rather have a job?


Don't get me wrong, I love plowing snow. I love running equipment and pushing snow is not the hardest thing to do once you get a little experience.

I guess my feelings come with being a business owner that has to rely on the weather for his paycheck.

Sometimes dealing with employees, payroll, insurance, contracts, lowballers, broken equipment, working holidays, and the long hours gets to me. It's all part of the job though, and I REALLY love this job!


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## JDiepstra (Sep 15, 2008)

NoPlowMan;1073221 said:


> Thanks for the input.
> 
> I hear we're in for a snow beating around here this winter.
> 
> ...


Yeah I guess people are saying the warmer lake temperature is supposed to create more lake affect snow. I'm not a weatherman so whatever hahaha

Picking up customers isn't hard if you know people in the area and get your name out there. Let everyone you know know that you are plowing snow. Instead of giving them one business card, give them 4 and tell them if they get you any customers you will give them a discount on their rate etc. Have a good season!


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## NoPlowMan (Sep 6, 2010)

Thanks, same to you.

After thinking about this quite a bit I'm thinking that plowing isn't what I'm looking for.

This forum has an incredible wealth of knowledge that helped me make an informed decision and avoid the pain and $uffering that come with starting a business.

Perhaps in the future I'll change my mind again but for now I'll look elsewhere. 

Good luck to you all and I hope you have a cash-filled, break-down free season!


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## JDiepstra (Sep 15, 2008)

Haha that's a good one man. I'd love to hear why you made the decision not to plow. I can tell you this, if you take good care of your equipment, you will have little to no problems. Working when most other people are asleep is something I find very relaxing as well.


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## NoPlowMan (Sep 6, 2010)

I'm looking for a business where the fuel is a very high percentage of the costs.

I have access to nearly free fuel. 

Fuel doesn't seem to be that high of a cost in this business. 

I like the idea of plowing but this is a business decision for me.


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## cold_and_tired (Dec 18, 2008)

NoPlowMan;1073842 said:


> I'm looking for a business where the fuel is a very high percentage of the costs.
> 
> I have access to nearly free fuel.
> 
> ...


Get yourself a dump truck. I had a beautiful tandem a few years ago. When fuel hit $5.00 a gallon, I had to give it up.

I was easily spending $300-500 a day on fuel and the pay for a tandem around here is about $65 and hour.


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## NoPlowMan (Sep 6, 2010)

cold_and_tired;1073895 said:


> Get yourself a dump truck. I had a beautiful tandem a few years ago. When fuel hit $5.00 a gallon, I had to give it up.
> 
> I was easily spending $300-500 a day on fuel and the pay for a tandem around here is about $65 and hour.


Thanks for the tip.

Who would my potential customers be?


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## cold_and_tired (Dec 18, 2008)

NoPlowMan;1074082 said:


> Thanks for the tip.
> 
> Who would my potential customers be?


Anyone needing materials delivered by dump truck. Excavating companies, paving companies, construction companies, landscapers, homeowners, etc...

You could probably tie in with a few people on here and haul some snow for them.


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## Pinky Demon (Jan 6, 2010)

You'll never get a conclusive answer on this. 

Depends on vehicle by weight by motor by rear end ratio by equipment used by type of snow pushed by way snow is pushed by operator habits by etc. factors. 

No real way to pin it down. Good luck.


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