WAKE COUNTY, NORTH CAROLINA Can anyone please tell me what the going rate for hauling in water by the load, per 325 gal. One guy I know said he charges 125.00 per 300 gal that he hauls to the jobsite. What other prices are out there. I have proposed to a contractor XX.00 per load/trip, new construction that’s two loads/trips per job = XXX.00 for two loads of water. The average load will cost FUEL (DIESEL GOLD), TRAVEL TIME 1.5 – 2.5 HRS ROUND TRIP, MYSELF AND 1 EMPLOYEE @ 10.00 HR.

To do the house, garage floor, porch, patio, sidewalks, driveway its gonna take two loads. I had to argue the point of not charging by the partial load with him. A tank and a quarter will still involve two trips.

What is a good fair rate. The guy in charge of invoicing thinks this is way to much. He understood at the meeting, but now says they can’t pay this on top of the price for doing the job. I am not charging for the water, I am just trying to cover the cost involved with the transportation. If this was a temp situation, I would not even charge, But this drought is gonna last a few months I think. I need some opinions please.

Jaime, is this not something you can do with reuse water to shorten your trip time or possibly run 2 rigs just to save windshield time?

Celeste

PS - Call me 336-261-3051 I might have another alternative for all that driving.

Carolina ProWash

Re-use water is out. To much red tape and run off, time is still involved. I have considered bumping to a 500 gal tank (I have to check my weight limit) to help. Thought about saying OK... I'll give you one trip per job in exchange, no concrete cleaning house and garage only. That would allow me to clean all with one tank. Next issue, they say they want three houses in one subdivision cleaned on a given day. Thats three trips hauling water or atleast 4 hours travel plus fuel and wages. I can't eat that much. I will call you...Thanks.

This the way I figure it:

Travel Time, two employees at $10 an hour, with Benefits, etc. 2.5 hours ~$75
Truck expense 1.5 hours @ 30 MPH ave. 45 miles, minimum ~$22.50
Lost Revenue @ $45 an hour, since if you were not doing this you would
be doing somethig else making money ~$67.50

Total cost for one tank of water (per trip) ~$165

That being said, if ti si new construction, there should be some water somewhere for you to tap into. Every new construction that I have seen has had at least one house in the vicinity tha had the water turned on, and usually they all do. If the SUperintendent doesn't want you to use the water, he is just being a jerk.
You need to remember that the AP guy ( I assume that is the guy in charge of invoicing) has one job, and that is to make the contractor money. Just like the Super has one job, to make the contractor money. If you want to think about it, you have one job, too. That is to make YOU money.
All that being said, you made a mistake. In this kind of situation you never list out what the charges are going to be for transporting water versus the actual cleaning of the property. That just gives the customer leverage to negotiate. You need to just give them a bottom line price. They do not need to know what your costs are when cleaning something. It is none of their business. If they insist on knowing, it is only so that htey can hammer you on your pricing. Most do not want to cost you money, but they sure do not want you to make a bundle off of them.

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Water on new construction? In North Carolina? Not happening here Scott....we're in a drought! Builders can't even test the water lines in the houses unless they reclaim what comes out!

Carolina ProWash

Good post. I say don't sweat one job and move on to the next PAYING customer.

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We are all having to make new adjustments and concessions around here to keep business. Most of us with established contractors have pricing in place - this hauling water stuff is new to a LOT of people.

Those of you without these problems just consider yourself lucky at this time.

Carolina ProWash

Thanks for your input, but as caroliprowash said, you cant hook up to the city system without getting a thousand dollar fine or ticket. Contractors will not go for a tank of water costing as much as some of the houses. Also, with a purchase order system, your prices are entered into the system and spec'ed out for each job, so they do know your prices. You know what you will be paid before the houses are built at the time the permit to build is obtained and a PO is issued to you. So taking the total cost of the job and saying 165.00 more per house on top of that, its not gonna happen. You will price yourself out of business and you are in business to keep business.

FCPWLLC you said, "move on to the next PAYING customer". Well you just dont do that when "that paying customer" alone is putting 40 grand in your pocket a year. He is more than "just another paying customer" to me.

What about well water from a smaller town? Are the wells dry also? Might be able to work somthing out with a private farmer or whatever.. Tom

HotttBlasters@yahoo.com

Finding a water source is not the problem - there is water that can be obtained. The issue (topic of thread) is the cost of transporting the water. We are all making adjustments during the drought conditions here ..... which means added expense to an already very slow market.

The additional cost factor in this thread is the time & gas required to refill a tank to complete a job.

Carolina ProWash