the 64 million dollar question
is :
How much?
It sounds great as long as :
The Price Is Right
It's your choice

Arborist wood chips make an outstanding mulch. They will decompose faster than cedar, but in turn will provide more organic material in the same time for the underlying soil.

Linked below is an article written by Linda Chalker-Scott on wood-chip mulch in which she addresses the relative merits of local arborist's wood chips vs. imported wood mulches.

Here is a link that might be useful: Wood chip mulch

yeah how much?

yeah how much?

Call other arborists and ask if they can dump a load of shredded trees on you.

Often it's free.

As mulch goes, it's good.

The local electric utility is often a good place to get free wood chip mulch.

I think they want $10-15 per cubic yard.

Expensive? Yes, but if you want it free, other arborists in the area won't give it to you unless you accept an entire truckload (30 cubic yards). I only need about 4 cubic yards and have no place to store the excess. The city offers free mulch once or twice a year and it's rationed based on how many people show up. No way I could get 4 cubic yards from them.

oh that's not bad for a short load. Delivered right?

No.
$10-15/yard for pickup yourself at their lot.

I pay $20-something/yard for hardwood mulch plus a $25 delivery charge (I never should have sold my pickup, lol), so what you describe seems like a good price compared to greater Nashville, TN area.

It is easier to keep an eye peeled for local tree work. In the old days I had two acres and could take 30 cubic yards, now if the neighbor trims a tree I ask them to shoot the chips into my front yard. There are other ways too, such as asking them to dump a smaller load. Sometimes that allows them to go straight to the next job.

The other problem I have is the slope of the driveway and front yard near the street. No way for a tree trimmer truck to back up and dump perpendicular to the street anymore.