Just ran the numbers on my crane's fuel costs for 2024

Ngl, I was shocked when I totaled up my crane's diesel usage for last year. According to my logbook, my Liebherr LTM 1050 burned through about 4,800 gallons just on job sites around Dallas. That's around $14,000 in fuel alone before maintenance. How do you guys budget for fuel when bidding jobs, do you factor in a flat percentage or actual hourly burn rates?

2 comments

2 Comments

murphy.abby1d agoTop Commenter

4,800 gallons for a 1050 in Dallas sounds like you're doing a lot of short-haul stuff where it's running all day but not getting worked hard. Are you tracking your idle time separate from actual craning hours? Because I bet a solid chunk of that fuel is burning while you're just sitting there waiting on rigging or concrete pours, and that's a totally different cost to factor into your bids than the actual lift time.

nora_park1d ago

Heard a guy say he tracks idle time separately and charges it as a flat fee per hour on the bid...