For earthmoving contractors
Quoting for earthmoving contractors
Earthmoving is sold by the machine hour, operator in the seat, plus the float to get the machine there and the trucks to take the spoil away. Customers compare hourly rates and forget the rest. Quote Desk puts the float, the hours, the trucks and the tip fees on the quote as lines, so the comparison is made on the whole job.
Quote from Gidgee Creek Earthworks
Level pad for a 9 by 6 metre shed
| 5 t excavator with operator, 8 hours | $1,120.00 |
| Float delivery and pick-up | $280.00 |
| Tipper truck with driver, 6 hours | $720.00 |
| Tip fees, clean fill, 6 loads | $900.00 |
| Total | $3,020.00 |
Sent from the kerb. The builder accepted that afternoon.
What gets in the way for earthmoving contractors
The hourly rate is not the price
A cheaper excavator rate with a float charge, a four-hour minimum and tip fees in the fine print is not cheaper. Lines for each, on your quote, let the customer compare the whole cost rather than one number.
What is under the ground
Rock, old footings, a buried tank. You price the dig you can see and say in the note what happens when the bucket hits something else: the rate it is charged at, and that you stop and tell them first.
Wet ground and narrow gates
A wet site stops a machine, and a side gate decides which machine fits. Say in the note which machine you priced and that wet weather moves the start, so the yes covers both.
Spoil has to go somewhere
Every cubic metre dug is a load to cart away or a pile to spread. Truck hours and tip fees as their own lines stop the disposal cost coming out of your margin.
A worked example
Earthmoving contractor work, with Quote Desk
Think of a fictional owner-operator, Gidgee Creek Earthworks, with a 5 tonne excavator, a 1.7 tonne mini excavator and a tipper. Price list: 5 tonne excavator with operator $140 an hour, mini excavator with operator $115 an hour, float delivery and pick-up $280 each, tipper truck with driver $120 an hour, tip fee for clean fill $150 a load, rock breaker attachment $60 an hour.
A builder forwards an email asking for a level pad for a 9 by 6 metre shed on a sloping back yard, about 25 cubic metres to come out. The operator walks the block, checks the side gate is wide enough for the 5 tonne machine, and presses Quote this: excavator x8, float x1, tipper x6, tip fees x6. The note says the price includes GST and is for soil as seen; rock or buried material is charged at the machine rate plus the breaker at $60 an hour, and work stops so the builder hears about it first; access is through the 2.4 metre side gate; the start depends on the weather; the owner marks any private services before the dig. Total $3,020. Sent from the kerb. The builder accepts that afternoon.
A neighbour who watched the job asks for a day of general work: a trench, a stump and some levelling. That quote is mini excavator x8 and float x1, with a note that hours are charged as worked with a four-hour minimum. Total $1,200.
Talk of the Trade
Earthmoving contractors on Talk of the Trade
Talk of the Trade ranks earthmoving contractors by how many Google reviews they have. Figures as of October 2026.
See the earthmoving contractors on Talk of the Trade. Being listed there has nothing to do with using Quote Desk: no listing is sold and no rank changes.
Questions from earthmoving contractors
Can I quote by the hour when I do not know how long the job will take?
Yes. Quote the hours you expect as a whole number and say in the note that hours are charged as worked, with your minimum. The customer accepts the estimate and the basis for the final bill together.
How do I show the float and a minimum hire?
The float as its own line, delivery and pick-up together or apart. Write the minimum hire in the note, which the customer reads before they press "Accept this quote".
Can I use it for tendered civil work?
Quote Desk is built for the job a customer can read and accept on a phone: up to twenty lines and a note. For a tender with a bill of quantities, keep your estimating tool for the detail.
How many earthmoving contractors are on Talk of the Trade?
As of October 2026 the Earthmoving and Excavation category has 139 ranked lists, with 767 businesses listed in New South Wales, 620 in Queensland and 507 in Victoria. Quote Desk does not affect those listings.
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