Cost
What does hay hauling cost in Alberta?
Short answer: $225 minimum per trip, and a 12-round haul over 55 km estimates at about $340. Below is the exact formula, worked examples, and what pushes the number up or down.
The formula. All of it.
Most haulers won't put a number online. We would rather you see the math and argue with it than get a surprise. This is the same formula that runs the map on the estimate page and Post a haul:
“Loaded kilometres” means the driving route from your pickup pin to your drop-off pin. If the route service is down, the map falls back to a straight line × 1.35 and says “approx.”
Worked examples
4 rounds, 8 km, neighbour to neighbour. 125 + 22.80 + 20 = $167.80, which is under the floor, so $225.
8 rounds, 22 km, into a Sherwood Park barn. 125 + 62.70 + 40 = $227.70, so $230.
12 rounds, 55 km, to a Camrose acreage. 125 + 156.75 + 60 = $341.75, so $340.
20 rounds, same 55 km. That's more than 17, so two trips. (125 + 156.75 + 100) × 2 = $763.50, so $765. Cut it to 17 bales and it's one trip: 125 + 156.75 + 85 = $366.75, so $365.
Pushes it up
What raises the price
- Distance. $2.85 a loaded kilometre adds up fastest. Drivers also bid for the empty run to your pickup, which the estimate doesn't count.
- Bale count past 17. Bale 18 starts a second trip, with a second dispatch and a second drive.
- Bale type. Heavy 5×6 rounds or big squares may mean fewer per load on a smaller unit. Small squares are hand-stacked, so they're bid only.
- No loading help. If there's no tractor at one end, the driver needs their own way to load, or can't take the job.
- Winter and thaw. Drifted lanes, ice and spring road bans slow everything down. Expect higher bids or a moved date.
- Tight or soft yards. Backing a 30-foot trailer between a shop and a fence takes time.
Brings it down
What lowers it
- Short loaded distance. Neighbour-to-neighbour hauls sit at or near the $225 floor.
- Full loads. 17 bales cost one dispatch, same as 5 bales.
- A tractor at both ends. That's the fastest job there is, and drivers price it that way.
- Bales ready by the approach, not in the far corner of a quarter section.
- A flexible date. A driver already heading your way can bid under the estimate.
Money questions
Straight answers on price
What does hay hauling cost in Alberta?
On this site, the estimate is $125 dispatch plus $2.85 per loaded kilometre plus $5 a bale, with a $225 minimum per trip, one trip per 17 bales, rounded to the nearest $5. A 12-round haul over 55 km comes to about $340. Drivers can take a haul at that number or bid higher or lower.
Why is there a $225 minimum?
Loading, strapping and unloading take close to the same time for four bales as for ten. Below about $225, a trip across the county doesn't cover the driver's morning. It's the same floor whether the haul is 3 km or 30.
Does the estimate include the hay?
No. It's hauling only. You buy the hay from whoever's selling it. We don't sell hay.
Is GST included?
The estimate doesn't add GST. A driver who's registered for GST has to charge 5% on top. Many small operators aren't registered. Ask the driver before you confirm.
Why would a driver bid above the estimate?
The estimate only counts loaded kilometres from pickup to drop-off. It doesn't know the driver lives 60 km the other way, that there's no loader, that the lane's drifted in, or that the bales are heavy wet 5×6s. A bid is the driver telling you what the job actually costs them.
Can I pay less than the estimate?
Sometimes. Drivers can bid under it. You'll get lower offers when the date's flexible, there's a tractor at both ends, the bales are stacked by the approach, and a driver's already nearby.
Are there hidden fees?
No. The formula is on this page. Nothing gets added on the site. The price you confirm is what you and the driver agreed. If the job changes on the day (say the yard's a swamp or there are more bales than posted), that's between you and the driver, and you can report a problem if it goes sideways.