Wanna Be An Owner Operator-Car Hauler

Why not run that set up in a 600-800 radius of the northeast? Between what you would lose in upgrading & other factors it would allow you to build a customer base & cash.

 

As a rule a Western Star will be heavier than a Pete all things being equal.

Freightliner/Western Star parts and service is poor IMHO... I got ride of my last FL because most dealers never stocked anything that broke on my truck and i couldn't afford the downtime to wait for parts.

My son and I (combined) have owned over a dozen Peterbilt's and it's a rare occasion when the dealer, any dealer, doesn't have the parts you need IN STOCK.

I hauled high $$$ classic cars for three years during the late 80's/early 90's. I had a very cheap, home made 3 car enclosed gas-powered rig. I made $2.70 per mile enclosed and $1.80 per mile for auction cars... I doubt rates are any better today.

 

I haul cars too & you are very correct, auction cars are not paying better than $180.00 per mile currently. Sorry couldn't resist.

 

Hey...I negotiated the rate... but the taxes killed me!

 

No worries about taxes killing ya in todays auto transport market.

 

You're not going to get good fuel mileage with anything pulling a parking lot, to much wind drag. I'd go with the Pete, the new Stars are just a glorified Freightliner.

 

If you are truly wanting a 9 car, you need to be asking these guys which trailer & headrack works best for vehicles of all types. Each are a little different & come with their own issues. Which is easiest to load, where are the issues to look for etc.

If you are torn between Pete Western Star or whatever brand, go to truck paper & see what there is the most of.

But honestly, if you are not signing that 9 car on with someone that can keep it loaded, you will wish for that inexpensive to operate 4/5 car set up. Hotels are a negligible expense vs. keeping a $200,000+(when it was new) rig maintained.

Central Dispatch is not the answer to running a 9 car on your own.

 

Well, not for the inexperienced, anyhow. It's great for filling out those empty spots.

 

Me and 3 of the guys I work with have 07 Stars. While they are lighter than the Petes, don't expect to get any fuel mileage out of them. The EGR Detroits (515 hp) don't seen to like the high duty cycle of carhauling. Mid to high 4's with an occasional tank of 5mpg if you happen to have a tight load of cars. And that's keeping it to 65mph, which is pretty sad when my 2000 Pete with a 550 3406e consistently ran close to 5.5 mpg # 65-70 mph. Cooling is marginal as well, these trucks are all 1650 torque engines as apparently they couldn't keep the 1850 rated engines cool in this chassis. They'll run like a big truck if you're willing to keep it above 1600 rpm on the hills, but are fairly gutless down low.

Parts are an issue, nobody seems to stock anything for WS, and while they have been fairly reliable, they are starting to nickel and dime us. The aggravation part is it's stuff you'd expect on a 10 year old truck, not a 3 year old truck. (interior light fixtures, heater valves, coolant tubes, etc.)

Not a Pete fan, but next truck won't be a Star!