Grain Haulage availability Harvest 2019

Hanslope

Member
Is there still a lack of grain bulk hauliers?

I rely on sending all my crop either into Camgrain or sell off the combine, last year was very challenging due to the lack of haulage capacity.
Camgrain usually collect within 24 hours, but last harvest it was 4-5 days.

And selling off the combine was worse, most years can get it collected within 7 days, but it was more like 14 days.

So has anything changed in the industry? Or should I plan for this to be the new norm?
 

Hanslope

Member
Hassle camgrain. Make it their problem.
I think they got plenty of hassle last year.

Although the whole central storage model depends on fast collection, if you need the ability to store 5 days of harvesting then why not just store it on farm.

So certainly if there's a repeat of last year then Camgrain is no longer a viable option.
 

Jetemp

Member
Location
North Yorkshire
how much per tonne does a 10 mile haul cost

Lots of variables, depends on loading and tipping waiting times. As mentioned above £5/ tonne won’t be to far off so long as no messing/waiting around.

Although let’s be realistic the reason that there is a lack of hauliers atm is that the rates have been screwed as tight as possible by merchants and farmers. Certain aspects of the bulk haulage world are a little like farm contracting, lots of expensive shiny equipment that need paying for I really don’t understand how some of the hauliers make the figures stack up!

James
 

crazy_bull

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Huntingdon
Lots of variables, depends on loading and tipping waiting times. As mentioned above £5/ tonne won’t be to far off so long as no messing/waiting around.

Although let’s be realistic the reason that there is a lack of hauliers atm is that the rates have been screwed as tight as possible by merchants and farmers. Certain aspects of the bulk haulage world are a little like farm contracting, lots of expensive shiny equipment that need paying for I really don’t understand how some of the hauliers make the figures stack up!

James

I was just going to write the exact same thing! When merchants and hauliers are missing business to competitors for literally 50p they cut their margins to a point that there is no point carrying on or they go bust.

Had a farmer customer who used to run 2-3 lorries come on at cereals on Wednesday and he said it got to a point he only hauled to a certain few local homes, (he hauled for a few merchants plus his own gear) his own OSR and beans he sold he let the merchant haul as they could do the haulage at £3-4/t less than he could realistically do it (long hauls). Then he found that he could even let the merchant haul his own wheat on the local hauls for less money than it cost him, what with running a small fleet. So he packed it in, multiply that up by 40-50 firms round the country and you are soon at over a hundred less lorries on the road, loose a few of the big players and it is easy to see how we are down something like 350 less grain lorries on the road compared to 5 years ago. Now of course rates aren't the only thing, increased legislation has made it tough for small firms and often large firms would rather haul stone or wood chip which is less likely to be rejected for what ever reason or not loaded because a last minute shoot invite came up, or the mills cancelled the bookings at the last minute etc etc

C B
 

Jetemp

Member
Location
North Yorkshire
@crazy_bull i am like your haulier with 2/3 wagons, I can make it work and can create a small profit. Our levels of investment are minute in comparison to the shiny crew we buy bulkers and tractors units at a budget others would laugh at! I pick and choose what I will do and where I’ll go I have some great work maximum distance 10 miles, use very little fuel in compasrrison to the long haul lads.

If you can get grain moved for £5/t i reckon if you paid £5.50 or £6 you’d have a queue of wagons fighting over the work within a few hours
 
Location
North Notts
Had a few lorries in the yard recently and the word is there's not much work about, often only doing 1 or 2 local loads a day. Our lorry is still busy but our driver is prepared to be away all week. Don't bother getting him back to do our own grain as its too much fuss for £6/t to Selby
 

Brisel

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Midlands
I think they got plenty of hassle last year.

Although the whole central storage model depends on fast collection, if you need the ability to store 5 days of harvesting then why not just store it on farm.

So certainly if there's a repeat of last year then Camgrain is no longer a viable option.

What is the alternative? Many growers with off farm storage can't just quickly find an alternative that doesn't involve haulage. Try selling your space in Camgrain...

Can you make more buffer storage space available? Camgrain will have to address this issue or they will lose their points of difference from the corporates.
 

fingermouse

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
cheshire
Hello you called
Bet your glad that new ride of yours is going to earn its keep on flat work :ROFLMAO:
£5/T about right for a 10 mile haul ,don't take much going wrong though especially sitting for hours waiting to tip to skim what bit of cream there is off the top
like has already been said earlier stone work far more appealing to tie in with regular straights work into mills rather than do grain
 

ajd132

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Suffolk
Just for the record, the reason camgrain weren’t as efficient last harvest early on was because of ultra early harvest with old crop that still needed moving and new crop being harvested at a fair rate. This was an industry wide problem.
I recently went to see the transport office there and learn/understand more about it, it’s not a job I would want, very difficult.
The key is communication, not cutting 500 tonnes then getting back to the yard and expecting 15 lorries to turn up at the drop of a hat!
 

kiwi pom

Member
Location
canterbury NZ
I think they got plenty of hassle last year.

Although the whole central storage model depends on fast collection, if you need the ability to store 5 days of harvesting then why not just store it on farm.

So certainly if there's a repeat of last year then Camgrain is no longer a viable option.

Organise your own transport, book them in advance and give them a day rate whether they move or not and they'll be queued out your gate.
Stop, go, nothing today, a dozen loads tomorrow (which is the same day everyone wants them) how anyone could run like that is beyond me. That's without all the constraints on drivers etc.
 

SFI - What % were you taking out of production?

  • 0 %

    Votes: 78 43.3%
  • Up to 25%

    Votes: 62 34.4%
  • 25-50%

    Votes: 30 16.7%
  • 50-75%

    Votes: 3 1.7%
  • 75-100%

    Votes: 3 1.7%
  • 100% I’ve had enough of farming!

    Votes: 4 2.2%

Red Tractor drops launch of green farming scheme amid anger from farmers

  • 1,286
  • 1
As reported in Independent


quote: “Red Tractor has confirmed it is dropping plans to launch its green farming assurance standard in April“

read the TFF thread here: https://thefarmingforum.co.uk/index.php?threads/gfc-was-to-go-ahead-now-not-going-ahead.405234/
Top