# Bucket truck rate per hour



## jwjrw (Jan 14, 2010)

I know some of you guys own bucket trucks. How much more above your regular rate do you charge if any? I was looking around as I get a few calls a month for parking lot light maintenance. I was considering leasing a bucket truck until I saw this....We get more than that just showing up in a van. I know ballasts and other repairs cost additional but it seems the labor will always be 89.95 an hour.......



Bucket Truck Services
Providing Service throughout the Greensboro, Charlotte & Wilmington Areas
Changing Pole Lights is a Snap for
S******* Electric. And Just $89.95 Per Hour.


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## nitro71 (Sep 17, 2009)

Seems that guy is seriously under charging for his bucket truck. From what I understand they need to be certified and maintained(at least any I use). I'd recommend not competing with him at the same level. I think if you have customers neededing bucket work that you might be able to schedule them on the same day or days and rent equipment more economicaly. That's my gut feeling unlesss you can really keep that truck rolling.


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## brian john (Mar 11, 2007)

.



Bucket Truck Services
Providing Service throughout the Greensboro, Charlotte & Wilmington Areas
Changing Pole Lights is a Snap for
S******* Electric. And Just $89.95 Per Hour.[/QUOTE]

Plus milage, minimum 4 hours, tool rental, manpower charge, fuel surcharge, 1000% markup on material, air fee?

He is making it up somewhere.


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## jwjrw (Jan 14, 2010)

brian john said:


> .
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Plus milage, minimum 4 hours, tool rental, manpower charge, fuel surcharge, 1000% markup on material, air fee?

He is making it up somewhere.[/QUOTE]


You are probably correct about the minimum. I think a phone call is in order.


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## Foestauf (Jan 5, 2011)

jwjrw said:


> I know some of you guys own bucket trucks. How much more above your regular rate do you charge if any? I was looking around as I get a few calls a month for parking lot light maintenance. I was considering leasing a bucket truck until I saw this....We get more than that just showing up in a van. I know ballasts and other repairs cost additional but it seems the labor will always be 89.95 an hour.......
> 
> Bucket Truck Services
> Providing Service throughout the Greensboro, Charlotte & Wilmington Areas
> ...


If you don't know then don't start doing lighting. All we need is another idiot thinking he knows how to pull a circuit so surely he can do lighting now.


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## Mr Rewire (Jan 15, 2011)

jwjrw said:


> Plus milage, minimum 4 hours, tool rental, manpower charge, fuel surcharge, 1000% markup on material, air fee?
> 
> He is making it up somewhere.


 
You are probably correct about the minimum. I think a phone call is in order.[/quote]
I think you worry to much what others are charging.


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## B4T (Feb 10, 2009)

Mr Rewire said:


> You are probably correct about the minimum. I think a phone call is in order.


 I think you worry to much what others are charging.[/QUOTE]

He is being smart to check prices before signing a lease for a bucket truck..

I see nothing wrong with doing your homework before signing the dotted line..


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## B4T (Feb 10, 2009)

My quote button is having problems or it just doesn't like who it quotes.. :laughing:


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## Mr Rewire (Jan 15, 2011)

B4T said:


> I think you worry to much what others are charging.


He is being smart to check prices before signing a lease for a bucket truck..

I see nothing wrong with doing your homework before signing the dotted line..[/quote]
So you let lowballers influence your decisions? I wouldn't worry about what others were charging I would be more interested in looking at the "need" for a servce.


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## MDShunk (Jan 7, 2007)

Don't buy a bucket truck. They're a money pit, in my opinion. I figured it up, and you need to keep one busy at least 9 days a month to at least break even. I'm at 150/hr for the truck, plus the normal hourly rate for the man. Granted, it's used mostly on fixed price work, so the price per hour for anything doesn't really come into play. Parking lot light work is very often fixed price work.


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## jwjrw (Jan 14, 2010)

Mr Rewire said:


> You are probably correct about the minimum. I think a phone call is in order.


 I think you worry to much what others are charging.[/QUOTE]





:laughing::laughing::laughing::laughing:


I could care less what you or anyone else charges. We are a high end contractor and don't compete with anyone. I want to know what the "going rate" is to see if it is worth the investment. Unlike you I run a very profitable electrical contracting company. I think before I do anything that involves spending money. I may be an idiot but I've grown our business every year since I took over. Even in a recession.


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## Phil DeBlanc (May 29, 2010)

When you call ask him to FAX over his insurance certificate. Might as well ask if he can trim a few trees, restring the flagpole and paint it too.


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## MDShunk (Jan 7, 2007)

Bid the work and hire the 89 dollar guy to do it. :laughing:


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## robnj772 (Jan 15, 2008)

jwjrw said:


> I think you worry to much what others are charging.


 



:laughing::laughing::laughing::laughing:


I could care less what you or anyone else charges. We are a high end contractor and don't compete with anyone. I want to know what the "going rate" is to see if it is worth the investment. Unlike you I run a very profitable electrical contracting company. I think before I do anything that involves spending money. I may be an idiot but I've grown our business every year since I took over. Even in a recession.[/quote]

Nicely put!!!!!! :thumbsup:

Now will the response be a photo of deposit slips or the handful of 20's :lol:


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## Mr Rewire (Jan 15, 2011)

jwjrw said:


> I think you worry to much what others are charging.


 



:laughing::laughing::laughing::laughing:


I could care less what you or anyone else charges. We are a high end contractor and don't compete with anyone. I want to know what the "going rate" is to see if it is worth the investment. Unlike you I run a very profitable electrical contracting company. I think before I do anything that involves spending money. I may be an idiot but I've grown our business every year since I took over. Even in a recession.[/quote]
Sorry but this is your second post complaining about what someone else charges if you are so high end then you should be able to just roll in the cash when you get a truck:whistling2:


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## jwjrw (Jan 14, 2010)

MDShunk said:


> Don't buy a bucket truck. They're a money pit, in my opinion. I figured it up, and you need to keep one busy at least 9 days a month to at least break even. I'm at 150/hr for the truck, plus the normal hourly rate for the man. Granted, it's used mostly on fixed price work, so the price per hour for anything doesn't really come into play. Parking lot light work is very often fixed price work.



I was considering a lease. I have several large hotels and churches we already service. I'm almost to the point where I could keep one busy 9 days a month. Some months I rent a lift 3 times. Still making money but the 3 rentals is more than a truck lease. Have to wait for delivery etc. I was assuming the cost would be about what you said. That's why I was sorta shocked to see that web site. I know what it takes an hour for us to operate without a bucket truck. I'm going to call and feel them out. If it is indeed that cheap I might have to hire them as subs....:laughing:


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## MDShunk (Jan 7, 2007)

Buy a junky 5 or 6 thousand dollar 30 foot telescopic to test the waters if you think this is something you seriously want to get into. FWIW, I bought my small one here: www.buckettrucksusa.com They give them a "DuPont overhaul", if you know what I mean.


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## nitro71 (Sep 17, 2009)

You might compare the cost of a bucket truck to operating a van. Does it make more financial sense to send the the truck out on some non-bucket needed service calls to keep it moving? Probably the truck you would get would be pretty large to be able to set poles. Might not work well for normal service call work. But you could also use it for doing aerial work. Overhead services and what not. If you have or have thought about buying other equipment a large bucket truck could probably transport that equipment. Back hoes, bob cats, scissor lifts. Also could swing by the rental place with your large trailer and pick up other rented equipment. Not sure if it's worth paying a guy and buying a trailer to avoid delivery costs.


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## jwjrw (Jan 14, 2010)

Mr Rewire said:


> :laughing::laughing::laughing::laughing:
> 
> 
> I could care less what you or anyone else charges. We are a high end contractor and don't compete with anyone. I want to know what the "going rate" is to see if it is worth the investment. Unlike you I run a very profitable electrical contracting company. I think before I do anything that involves spending money. I may be an idiot but I've grown our business every year since I took over. Even in a recession.


 Sorry but this is your second post complaining about what someone else charges if you are so high end then you should be able to just roll in the cash when you get a truck:whistling2:[/QUOTE]




First I complained about an unlicensed company advertising for electrical installs. That was the issue. I don't care what they charge. I don't roll my cash up....I throw it at loose women......


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## nitro71 (Sep 17, 2009)

jwjrw said:


> . I don't roll my cash up....I throw it at loose women......


:thumbsup: I think you just fish for ideas on here sometimes. A lot of the guys on ET think that because a guy posts a question he doesn't have a clue. Most of us already have a very good idea of what we are doing and are just "fishing" for more ideas or verifying something we think we know.


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## Phil DeBlanc (May 29, 2010)

Before buying a bucket I recommend getting a firm quote on what the cost of insuring the rig will be.

You also might want to think on what it will cost to train a man to operate the bucket.


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## user4818 (Jan 15, 2009)

MDShunk said:


> Buy a junky 5 or 6 thousand dollar 30 foot telescopic to test the waters if you think this is something you seriously want to get into. FWIW, I bought my small one here: www.buckettrucksusa.com They give them a "DuPont overhaul", if you know what I mean.



Quick coat of paint? :whistling2:


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## 220/221 (Sep 25, 2007)

I avoid hourly bucket truck rates but they are only $10 more than standard $89 rates...which I also avoid.

A bucket truck has been a good part of our business since the second year. We started with a used utility bed telco truck for about $7000.
I took it straight to Earl Schieb ( _I'll paint any car for $29.95_ in the 70's) 

Within a couple years went to the box van style to carry inventory. There are a LOT of different lamps and ballasts and they add more every year.

Owning a specialty tool of any type give you an advantage. The trick is to go out and hustle up some work to keep it busy. I only run one bucket truck but it is busy every day. If I wasn't old and tired of this crap, I'd go out and hustle some more accounts.


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## jwjrw (Jan 14, 2010)

nitro71 said:


> :thumbsup: I think you just fish for ideas on here sometimes. A lot of the guys on ET think that because a guy posts a question he doesn't have a clue. Most of us already have a very good idea of what we are doing and are just "fishing" for more ideas or verifying something we think we know.





I am always thinking of new ways to increase our companies profit. I could care less what Mr Wish He Had Something To Wire thinks. I'm smart enough to ask questions and get all the information I can before I make a business decision.


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## Phil DeBlanc (May 29, 2010)

Buckets followed ladder trucks as the fashion statement of the 60s, every shop had to have one to prove they were big time. When the PoCo sold the first Holans off everybody bought one and had it painted. Within a year everybody had a parked bucket for sale.

The number of available customers is fairly fixed, at least when you limit it to customers who pay their bills. The number of men who can be trusted to operate a bucket without getting into trouble is also limited, especially when your company name is on the side. 

The economy at present is such that customers are deferring service work or trying to do it in house with a towable bucket. I can drive to 3 school districts here in under 20 minutes who all bought their own towable bucket. They tell me they are saving money, and I believe them. Their comp and liability policies cover the work. If they bring a contractor bucket in they have to pay the cost of the truck plus the cost of the contractor's insurance plus labor and travel. I can drive 20 minutes in another direction and see 20 buckets up to 120 feet belonging to a painting contractor who bought them all used to minimize the number of people who could bid against him. He also does tree work and lighting and will rent out a bucket with an operator. If I go another direction I can find a 65' bucket belonging to an electrical contractor who does a lot of work for other electrical contractors. There's even a rig running around called Bucket for hire.

There's no way I can justify owning a bucket, not even the 60 foot knuckle that was offered to me for $6000-.


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## Mr Rewire (Jan 15, 2011)

jwjrw said:


> I am always thinking of new ways to increase our companies profit. I could care less what Mr Wish He Had Something To Wire thinks. I'm smart enough to ask questions and get all the information I can before I make a business decision.


 Why the name calling? Did I refer to you as Daddys boy electric? I was giving an observation and you went hostile. Me thinks thou dost protest to much.


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## jwjrw (Jan 14, 2010)

Mr Rewire said:


> Why the name calling? Did I refer to you as Daddys boy electric? I was giving an observation and you went hostile. Me thinks thou dost protest to much.




I apologize for call you names. You give lots of advice yet we see very little of your actual work. And daddys boys electric was a one man shop until I came around. Dads reputation for being honest and doing quality work is a big part of why we are doing well. We aren't a large shop but we stay covered up.


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## AFOREMA1 (Nov 23, 2009)

Foestauf said:


> If you don't know then don't start doing lighting. All we need is another idiot thinking he knows how to pull a circuit so surely he can do lighting now.


Just because he is not sure of how to price a truck for the work doesn't mean he is an idiot or has no clue how to do the work.:no:


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## jwjrw (Jan 14, 2010)

Foestauf said:


> If you don't know then don't start doing lighting. All we need is another idiot thinking he knows how to pull a circuit so surely he can do lighting now.




:laughing:


Had you bothered to read my posts you would know we already do parking lot light repair and installation. Lots of pictures of what we do on our web site and fb. Have you posted any?


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## zwodubber (Feb 24, 2011)

My company has 2 buckets, the "baby bucket" (40ft) and the large dual bucket (70ft). I'm not sure what the boss charges but I will find out this week for you.

Big bucket












In action


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## MDShunk (Jan 7, 2007)

zwodubber said:


> My company has 2 buckets, the "baby bucket" (40ft) and the large dual bucket (70ft). I'm not sure what the boss charges but I will find out this week for you.
> 
> Big bucket
> 
> ...


Both look like maybe they're surplused PECO trucks. Is that right?


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## jwjrw (Jan 14, 2010)

So I call the company this morning. The lady tells me for the 40 ft truck it is 89.00 an hour. No mileage. 1 hour minimum. Time starts when dispatched. Usually within a hour away. So for the sake of argument they charge 89.00 to come out. Then 89.00 an hour plus materials once on site. We are already doing this work at more $ per hour. I think I will just keep renting a lift. I really should check into buying a lift since we always seem to be in need of one.


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## MDShunk (Jan 7, 2007)

jwjrw said:


> I think I will just keep renting a lift. I really should check into buying a lift since we always seem to be in need of one.


I just bought a 2006 JLG E300AJP for 18 grand. The annual PM and required annual inspection is estimated to run about 750 bucks a year, parts not included. Just thought I'd pass that along, in case it helps you.


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## user4818 (Jan 15, 2009)

MDShunk said:


> I just bought a 2006 JLG E300AJP for 18 grand. The annual PM and required annual inspection is estimated to run about 750 bucks a year, parts not included. Just thought I'd pass that along, in case it helps you.



Off the top of my head, that doesn't seem cost effective to own unless you use it constantly. You also have to factor in the truck and trailer and transportation costs.


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## MDShunk (Jan 7, 2007)

Peter D said:


> Off the top of my head, that doesn't seem cost effective to own unless you use it constantly. You also have to factor in the truck and trailer and transportation costs.


It will be paid for in one particular job, which is the reason for buying it. The thing is heavy as hell. I think it's 15,000 pounds, and just shy of 20 feet long when collapsed. I intend to call a towing company to bring a rollback to make the equipment moves. Most small tow companies do that sort of thing for fill in work. 75 bucks and you can get the thing moved pretty much anywhere reasonable.


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## Tapeman (Feb 24, 2009)

I'm guessing the job is done.


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## Cow (Jan 16, 2008)

MDShunk said:


> I just bought a 2006 JLG E300AJP for 18 grand. The annual PM and required annual inspection is estimated to run about 750 bucks a year, parts not included. Just thought I'd pass that along, in case it helps you.


We rented one of those a few months ago, I was VERY surprised how heavy it was when I pulled it down the road. It's size is very deceiving, it must have one heck of a counterweight in there!

I pull lifts fairly regularly so I know what to expect, but for a narrow boom lift, that thing tows like a BRICK!


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