Options for Bulk Coal in Cecil County, MD

PJDIESEL wrote:
Penn Keystone prices went up $10 a ton in 9 days, delivery (to me) is up to $24 a ton. Just can't justify that much of an investment, I should have had that bulk order done in July when the price was down a little and the haulers weren't looking to rape everyone.

I'm also in Cecil and new to coal. In July or August 2013 I bought a truck load of 'nut from Penn Keystone, 23.9 ton net weight according to the delivery ticket. It was $139/ton plus $16 delivery fee, $155/ton total cost. At that time I think Benjamin was about $260/ton plus delivery charge. The delivery fee was $25/trip. Bagged worked out to about $320/ton, picked up.

You are near Maryland Materials, have you thought of trying to get one of the independents to haul your coal? I think they occasionally deliver crushed stone up near Harrisburg and might like a backhaul. The sand buckets are smaller than the coal trucks, so you could buy smaller amounts/trip.

I am considering buying a couple more truck loads now rather than wait until I need it & paying a higher price but I won't be able to do that until I enlarge my storage bin. If you want, maybe we could coordinate and order several loads together then negotiate a better price. I don't know how many people around here burn coal and could accommodate a tractor trailer, but might be worth checking out. The guy that came here was an independent with a conventional Pete & 40 ft dump trailer, about 68 ft overall length. It was tight, but I'm in the process of changing some things for easier access.

Interestingly, I am a direct adjacent property owner of Maryland Materials (across the street). MarDel (Trucking) has done some favors in conjunction with the quarry for me in the way of quarry waste stone, never thought to as them about a back haul from up that way.

This year I am getting 6 tons from Reese's (delivered). Not exactly setting the world on fire cost savings wise, but, better than multiple trips to Benjamin's.

I would be interested in a split, I have a 2.5 yard rubber tire load and plenty of room for full length tractor trailer access. We can unload, load, even weight loads on the way out (Flying J).

I think Md Mat used to give nearby property owners a couple loads crushed stone every year as a "good neighbor" policy. I used to live near a Stoltzfus quarry and they distributed a fruit basket & ham to every home within a couple miles. I never even knew it until the last year I owned that house. They gave the baskets & hams to a local church to distribute, everyone at the church took them even if they did not live nearby. My kids even cut the grass at the church every Saturday and we still didn't get a basket. lol

I was thinking more of an independent, but it certainly couldn't hurt to ask MarDel. If they are not interested maybe they can point you in the right direction. BTW, the sand buckets hauling out of there are a lot smaller than a coal truck, so you will likely only get about 18 ton or so on a load. I'm sure they can advise you on that, just keep that in mind if you split a load or if they give you a flat rate instead of a per ton rate to haul it. I think Flying J has Cat Scales, if so, the cost to weigh is about $10.50 plus $2.00 for a re-weigh. Maybe Md Mat would weigh you for free?? One of my neighbors has a recycling center & will let me weigh a truck for free, just not several trucks on the same day as it would interfere with his business. BTW, what sort of loader do you have?

Allis Chalmers 545B. We use it for general yard work around the shop.

Got my delivery today from Ben Reese.

VERY pleased with the look and amount. Nice shiny hard stuff, full 6 tons according to the ticket. Very very nice people to deal with, the wait was a little concerning (called them in Early September). Worth the wait though I think.

They are an old school operation and I appreciate that!

If you are looking for bulk delivery, better call NOW, they are running 5 weeks behind and fully expect to be ran out before the end of winter.