Estimating truck yardage to placed yardage
Estimating truck yardage to placed yardage
(OP)
I am currently putting together a proposal for an owner that is specifying payment of un-screened topsoil 8" thick by truck loads.The material will be hauled in 30 ton off-road trucks(I am allowing 20 CY per load estimated),dumped in a pile,spread, and walked in by a dozer.The areas to be covered are dry sand slopes averaging a 3:1 slope.Given the fill material and the base over which it will be spread,am I safe assuming 30% loss due to shrinkage or compaction?





RE: Estimating truck yardage to placed yardage
RE: Estimating truck yardage to placed yardage
RE: Estimating truck yardage to placed yardage
RE: Estimating truck yardage to placed yardage
Weigh the material. Pay the hauling on a ton basis or a ton/mile. Your material is going to change, and your fluff factors will not be accurate. The truck will not ever haul an accurate quantity (ie 25 yards). some loads will be greater, some loads will be less, depending on who is loading. If the hauler is loading, the loads will surely be a little less. I have years of analysis and statistics to back up my assertions and also have been able to save considerable dollars using my contracts specifying weight versus measured truck box (with fluff, shrinkage or any other factor that can be applied). It is absolutely fair to all parties because a ton, is a ton, is a ton. It will never change, never shrink, never get fluffy. Call me and I can email you some suggested wording and verification clauses.
KRS Services
www.krs-services.com
RE: Estimating truck yardage to placed yardage
you need a scale to weigh the trucks. you also need to tare each truck before loading. unless it is a large job, do you want to pay for the scale and operator/inspector to record the weights of each truck?
If it rains, you will be paying a lot of money to haul water. make sure the soil has dried out prior to importing
RE: Estimating truck yardage to placed yardage
Firstly regarding the scale. For the past 10 years now, or so, many scale devices have been incorporated onto the loaders themselves, particularly loaders involved in crushing or gravel operations. What I used to do for hauling contracts was specify the loader scale, calibration and weight of the soil/ton or yard (or m3). Then the successful hauler would verify and agree to the number. The verification process took into account the truck tare and and scale calibration. It usually took three to five truck loads to be verified at a highway scale or certified scale to come up with an averaged unit. From then onward, the loader scale was used and calibrated from time to tim with big contracts - hauling 300,000 ton or more.
The best thing was that the contractor was in agreement eith the process, as usually it was his loader scale. And since it was calibrated, there were usually not any issues. For the issue of susceptibility to moisture...simply re calibrate to determine changes. ALso, I incorped some clauses challenge clauses wherein if the calibration was out....there were significant penalties...so it kept the contractor honest.
KRS Services
www.krs-services.com
RE: Estimating truck yardage to placed yardage
Also, a tonne isn't a ton(long) isn't a ton(short)....
Mabn
RE: Estimating truck yardage to placed yardage
RE: Estimating truck yardage to placed yardage
The point you raised is precisely the principal as to why I had to go to weights. Consider this, I managed over 100,000 yards of (road crush, cold mix, and 1" crush) aggregates every year, and the haulers were paid by the load. Our loader bucket capacity was 5.5 yards/bucket.
To load a 20 yard wagon took 2.75 to 3 buckets. From the weight tickets, 2.5 loads was a little under 20 yards, 2.75 was about 20 yards and 3 was well over the allowed yardage in the wagon (heaping). By that math, the haulers were making good money because they were only hauling about 15 to 17 (fluffed) yards and getting paid for 20. The major headache was reconciling the initial volume of the spoilpile and the volume hauled...the fluff factor always changed and since the new system was adopted the numbers reconcile and balance.
When I introduced the loader scale, they were then paid by the load and no...even after a good rain soaking, the weight of the material by volume did not change noticably.
KRS Services
www.krs-services.com
RE: Estimating truck yardage to placed yardage
I can understand your reasons for going to scales since you are dealing in such large quantities and if I was in your situation I would probably do the same.
Since Dooley is the loader, hauler, and spreader and since he is not paying for the material itself wouldn't the bucket method be close enough to calculate a cost to charge the owner?
RE: Estimating truck yardage to placed yardage
RE: Estimating truck yardage to placed yardage
Since you accounted for shrinkage, even estimated and the contract signed, unless there is a clause indicating the owner can specify the payment (as an SF from the bid unit, which included compaction) the owner may not have much recourse to demand another methodology of payment.
If the measurement and payment clauses are specific, that is how you are to be paid.
Good luck to you. I would be interested in hearing as to how it shakes out.
KRS Services
www.krs-services.com