# dumpster fees



## AustinDB (Sep 11, 2006)

I'm fortunate enough to have a dump trailer for my tearoff's and always account for fuel/time/dump fee in my materials end of pricing (in lieu of renting a dumpster). When doing a job by the labor (customer purchased materials)-do you typically have customer also pay for roll off?


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## AskForTheSale (Apr 3, 2008)

Use a dumpster and forget the dump trailer.

By the time you account for wear and tear on your towing truck, tires, bearing, breaks on the dump trailer, time unloading, flats at the dump from rolling over nails etc., how much do you really save compared to simply making a phone call to have a dumpster dropped and the second phone call to have it picked up?

How much is your time worth?

Would your crew love you more for not having to go to the dump?

How many dollars do you really save?


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## Mike Finley (Apr 28, 2004)

AskForTheSale said:


> Use a dumpster and forget the dump trailer.
> 
> By the time you account for wear and tear on your towing truck, tires, bearing, breaks on the dump trailer, time unloading, flats at the dump from rolling over nails etc., how much do you really save compared to simply making a phone call to have a dumpster dropped and the second phone call to have it picked up?
> 
> ...


Very true. If you run the numbers rarely will they tell you that on any job that is big enough to fill a large dumpster will it be more cost effective to do the hauling yourself.

The exception is usually the smaller jobs. Those jobs are the ones that benefit from an alternative method.


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## Snow Man (Aug 18, 2008)

We keep a 30 yd. container at the yard as a transfer site which keeps dumpsters off job sites .

We pay $78.00 @ ton disposal fee.


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## AustinDB (Sep 11, 2006)

I've got an account with the state dump site for $42/ton, with normal charges of $65/ton. The dump trailer is very versatile-from delivery of materials to hauling tractors/bobcat. the last full roof job the dump fee was around $90. What's it cost for a roll-off these days?


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## copusbuilder (Nov 8, 2005)

Our roll off cost us $686.00 for 40 yards 

Disposal recycling $ 141.65
Basic service $ 347.93
Total fuel/ environmental recovery fee $ 126.02
Total city tax. $ 12.31
City franchise fee. $ 18.46
Total state tax $ 38.49

Keep it at one of my guys lots $ 50.00 per month

I honestly didn't know we were paying this much and happened to ask my wife/bookeeper. I just love the charges form our freaking government.:no:


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## dougger222 (Jan 29, 2004)

I used to rent dumpsters when I first got into tear offs. Bought a old dump trailer a few years ago for $900 used it on about 20 jobs and sold it for $400. In late 03 bought a 14 yard dump trailer for $6K brand new and the other day bought the exact same trailer as the 03 but instead payed $7,600 for a 09 14 yard. The new one is a lot nicer than the older one.

The savings with the dump trailer are very nice. Last year I made 55 trips to the dump and paid $2,700 in dump fee's. Now figure the average dumpster costs $300 to rent per job by 55 jobs, $16,500. Now add for my time figure 1.5 hours per load there and back and at the dump, 82.5 hours or two weeks of work. Figure each dump load runs half a tank of fuel which is on the high side, 660 gallons, or about $2,000 in fuel. The dump trailer is right now getting the original brakes worked on and the trailer is still running it's original tires. Last year didn't buy tires for the dually, ordered the backs yesterday.

Now figure direct cost versus dumpster rental.
$16,500 for renting a dumpster, at the end of the year it's a nice big write off, that's it.
$2,700 for dump fee's ($5-6 a yard)
$2,000 for fuel ($3 per gallon 07)
$4,700 in direct cost out of pocket
$11,800 saved.
82.5 hours worked to save $11,800 would be $143 an hour for my time.

I make a lot more than that per hour on the roof but at the end of the year I get the tax write off plus I still got an asset, the trailer. What I usually do is plan to meet with adjusters and home owners the same day as going to the dump. Also have a 20ft flat bed which works well with log chains which I use but usually rent out which brings in extra money.

Back to the original posters questions. I charge the insurance companies $48-51 a square for tearing off and hauling away. If charged seperate the dumpster fee would range from $300-450.

The last dumpster I rented sat in front of a millionairs lakes homes three garage stalls for three weeks. The driver got pulled over by the DOT on the way in due to road restrictions. The home owner called them and said if they don't get it off his land in 24 hours he would through it in the ditch with his front end loader. If I would have hauled in the dump trailer none of that mess would have ever happened. It's nice when you leave the drive way is swept clean and no nails are left. The storm chasers seem to know how to do it best. Rarely ever see them with dumpsters on site.


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## wellbuilthome (Feb 5, 2008)

*love my dump trailer.*

I save tons of $$ with my trailer . The dumpster guys here charge around 650 a can with a 9000lb load. I save 250 per 30 yards . But the dumpsters run lite most of the time so i can save 400 per 30 yards. Then they want me to pay 25 dollers a day to have a can on the job ,Or i have to have a trash heep on the HO lawn (no thanks ) I can haul 36 yards of trash in my truck and trailer and i dump it for under 300 buck all the time plus i can move the trailer around the house with a skidsteer or EX so we could just drop the stuff in .( No need for trash cans) Roofing gos for 50 a sq for 2 layers


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## Snow Man (Aug 18, 2008)

The regular profit on a 30 yd container (5 ton max) is approx. $200.00 round here . 

Then the overhead will lighten you up from there .:sad:.


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## dougger222 (Jan 29, 2004)

Have dumped some pretty massive loads at the dump since they got a scale. Although I get charged by how much I tell them I have in my trailer from time to time they let me check my weight on the scale.

Last year the biggest load with my wifes SUV came across the scales at 25,520 lbs. The biggest with the dually last year was 27,400 lbs but so far this year had one weight in at 28,600 lbs. The dually and SUV both weight about 13,000 lbs with the empty dump trailer. Have had bigger loads with the SRW but couldn't weigh back then.

For the operator to pull the load off the flat bed they charge a $5 fee. About 35% of the trailers at the dump use chains.


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## RooferJim (Mar 6, 2006)

$90. per ton with our dump trucks.


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## Mike Finley (Apr 28, 2004)

72chevy4x4 said:


> I've got an account with the state dump site for $42/ton, with normal charges of $65/ton. The dump trailer is very versatile-from delivery of materials to hauling tractors/bobcat. the last full roof job the dump fee was around $90. What's it cost for a roll-off these days?


Around here it's about $400. How much would it cost to buy and depreciate a dump trailer, insurance, maintenance, drive to and fro, gas time, tickets, flat tires....

Around here it would be at least a 4 -5 hr job to pick up a dump trailer, drive it to the dump, dump it and take it to the next job.

Don't see it being very good move if you keep sharp accounting methods with the ability to really job cost it. I think 90% of us have no real idea what is profitable and isn't because most don't have the ability to drill down and do analysis.

Dumpsters get's charged to the customer anyways.


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## Patrick (Apr 12, 2006)

Anyone own their own dumpsters? Two roofing companies in my area own their own dumpsters and roll off trucks


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## RooferJim (Mar 6, 2006)

Your own dumptruck is the best way. Works out way cheaper that a dumpster. Custumers dont like an unsightly dumpster on there property in most cases or run the risk of leaking hydrolic fluid or cracking the driveway or other dumpster pittfalls. Yes we did the accounting :jester:.


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## dougger222 (Jan 29, 2004)

Dumptrucks are nice but then you have the added weight which could harm the driveway. 

Roll offs are nice but then you are dragging steel across the driveway which again could harm the driveway.

Dump trailers are nice because you have a box for air compressors ladders, tools, tarps, etc.


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## SES Constructio (Mar 1, 2008)

We have an older F350 dually with a 14x8 box 5 ft tall that dumps. It can hold about 25 squares. Works really nice for what we use it for and what we paid for it. I think the last trip to the dump was 85 bucks for a one layer 23 square tear off. Dumpster would have been around 500 bucks. Takes about an hour to run to the dump and back and we'll just say 15 dollars in fuel on the high side. Insurance and maintenance is fairly cheap. So we save around 350 dollars per trip to the dump. I was looking into dump trailers this year and will probably get one next year. Bought a cube van to put all the tools into.


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## MJW (Jan 27, 2006)

We have a F550 with (5) 8x12 roll off boxes. We pay by the yard at the landfill, so weight isn't an issue. We charge $300 for a box, and roughly break a profit after fuel. We mostly use them for our own jobs.

As for putting it on the driveway......Sometimes we do, and if it's a problem, a few 2x6's under the rollers does the trick.

I can see where a trailer can be a benefit sometimes, but the benefits of the truck outweighs it in my mind. The problem is, most guys don't want to shell out $65,000 for a truck and some dumpsters. It's cheaper to have a pickup that you already probably have and buy a dump trailer. The truck is more versatile in tight areas and at the landfill. The mexican crews often have an old one ton or van and have a dump trailer. They always pay cash at the landfill and have multiple trailers. They just switch the license plate to the trailer they are taking on the road that day. I know a guy who works at the landfill. He watches these guys every day and knows their 'spot' for changing out the license plates. Just like a POS, they break the law every chance they get.

Having your own dumpster may have a benefit, but with the economy right now, I would say pay for them as you use them. That is unless you have a bunch of jobs already lined up.


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## dougger222 (Jan 29, 2004)

I know a legal Mexican who runs a roofing sub business. The operator at the dump says he dumps 5 loads a day. My guess is he's got a ton of illegals under him and even at $75 a square on and off he's making a killing. Most of his trailers are flatbeds with OSB walls.


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## MrRoofer (Sep 21, 2008)

To answer the question, it's always more profitable to have the customer pay for stuff, so yes.

We have a one ton dumper that gets regularily used and abused, but for the most part we hire out dumpsters (subs figure it isn't full until it's dead). Being a contractor subbing most things out it isn't profitable for me myself and I to be delivering and picking up materials, bending metal, estimating, supervising and garbage truck driving . Dumpsters are easy...1 phone call. However they certainly have their cons also. Today for example on a large condo re-roof site we have two bin companies, both lagging badly behind due to demand in other areas of the city, thus we had 5 crews chomping at the bit waiting for a fresh bin to full most of the day. Not very productive for anyone, but at least it isn't mostly my headache, but I do remember those days waiting for a dumpster and not being able to finish the job or maintain production...boourns. Most bin guys here make you sign a waiver with regard to damages to the driveway, so I'm constantly driving around dropping plywood in advance of the bins. You also can be hard pressed to move one when it is dropped in the wrong driveway. It's also bad to let our subs be in charge of the bins for the simple fact that grass/trees/flowers are very expensive...a lot more than paying guys to ground drop.

We are taking a serious look at trailers though, for us it would be really easy to transport them, they can be towed with any of our vehicles, or the subs vehicles OR the HO in extreme cases. Less cost, more portability and versatility in terms of placement seems to me the way to go. They don't leak either.

I miss the good ol days with my beefed up leaf spring 3/4 ton dodge...as a small crew that truck was a $100 bonus everyday. A hundred bucks is a hundred bucks.


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## Snow Man (Aug 18, 2008)

RooferJim said:


> Your own dumptruck is the best way. Works out way cheaper that a dumpster. Custumers dont like an unsightly dumpster on there property in most cases or run the risk of leaking hydrolic fluid or cracking the driveway or other dumpster pittfalls. Yes we did the accounting :jester:.


Ok , but who drives the dump to the dump . 

Not much cheaper.


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## dougger222 (Jan 29, 2004)

The other day I stopped into another place that takes shingle debris and they are just over double what I pay. This place is the only other place to dump in my area. 

In my area I see more and more duallys with dump trailers and less dumpsters.


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## MJW (Jan 27, 2006)

Is that because of the storms (ie. new wannabe roofers)?

I think our price to dump 10 yards is about $78. I believe Dougger gets a little better deal. Take that, $40 for fuel, subtract that from $3-400 for a dumpster. There is your small profit. 
Having your own can save some time, but dumpster guys will tell you....they are not getting rich off of them. A company would need a few trucks and about 80-100 dumpsters to actually make it. With the price of steel, they are getting expensive.

I am seeing a few HO's and small contractors have the trailers. Some put their skiddy in them....cheaper than a dump truck, plus they can just drive their regular 3/4 or one ton.


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## Edsollen (Oct 30, 2006)

Sort of off topic but has anyone used on of these self propelled dump trailers?
Seem kind of cool but a bit pricey.
http://www.equipter.com/
Joel


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## MALCO.New.York (Feb 27, 2008)

Edsollen said:


> Sort of off topic but has anyone used on of these self propelled dump trailers?
> Seem kind of cool but a bit pricey.
> http://www.equipter.com/
> Joel




Nice! Very Nice. But a bit small.

I want to KILL that GD talking AVATAR on the site.


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## MJW (Jan 27, 2006)

Interesting little doohickey. I like that it is self propelled. That is very nice, but at $31,000.........WOW!


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## dougger222 (Jan 29, 2004)

Even at half the price I would pass.


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## AustinDB (Sep 11, 2006)

it looks nice and convenient, but the cost is a bit steep. I spoke w/ a guy who uses one-seems like it holds about 10SQ-that's a pretty small job, guess it would take two trips to the dump for most of the houses I do. 

the job in question for this post is done-found a recyling place (a rock quarry) which takes shingles for $19/ton. They plan to recycle them for asphalt-didn't look like they had begun the process but were just collecting shingles. Only stipulation is the debris had to be 'clean', no wood, plastic or non roofing material mixed in.


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## builderr (Nov 16, 2003)

I have worked in a few areas, Maine and NH 
where the asphalt paving companies are taking 
the clean asphalt shingles for a lot less than
municipal land fills and transfer stations. 
They pulverize it, magnet out the nails
and re-use it in asphalt paving material. 

anywhere else have this option?


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