Trade or maintain?

It all depends on what it is you really want,if you like your truck and want to keep.it then get the motor overhauled,you can buy a rebuild kit online for way cheaper then what the dealer is goin to charge you,2nd why are you doing a rebuild is it because of the mileage ,or you received a bad oil sample reading from sending it off to smple test?are you having internal problems with the truck forbidding you from working it.l,the reason why i ask is crucial to what you need to do,because if you can still drive it now depending on severity..if you buy the kit youbcan get a Rack job done which is the upper portion of your motor redone ..then later down the line get the bottom part done which is the real costly part,they have to redo your crank,bearings,sleeves and so on.but if motor is shot then you have to redo the whole motor,id suggest if you live in georgia and thats where the truck is at now ,try talking with a few of your buddies in the trucking business out there in that area and find a reputable shop,with a good work ethic and with the bbb and you shud be able to get it done all parts and labor around 9-10k with warranty,the last thing you wanna do is cut cost and get 900 miles down the road and it go to clucking on you.I kno a guy sent his truck to Peterbilt for a reworked motor,well they lied to.him about changing da motor out 600 miles down the road the #### Crank bearing broke,come to find out when he called them,they never changed it..not only did they have to.pay for the tow truck to get back to the shop,they paid for all expenses,hotel,meals they also refunded him 18,000 cash and he got a brand new motor out of the Crate..it was either they go above and beyond to make him happy or face a big lawsuit along withbpublic scrutiny for having shady mechanics

 

Has the truck been on a dyno to see what it is producing in HP and blowby?

 

Very good place to start. I have a 2005 Freightliner Century I also pull containers out of Ports mine has 810k on it. In frame at my local mechanic is around $7,500. I have new injectors & turbo, EGR, pistons already in mine last 2-3 years. Put your truck on a Dyno first and see what it tells you first before spending all that money. Trading it in is also an option but picking up a large truck payment just sucks! Mine is paid for and I'll rebuild it when I have to.

 

Im not tryiong to be rude.......But as an owner-operator,Why dont you have a maintenance account?

You CANNOT be successful..(Which istarted this thread,Now needing advice) Without a maintenance account

put $300 per week away in an account ONLY to be used for repairs.........In No time, You'd have enough money to overhaul your entire truck!


Now....For your intitial question, Overhaul or trade?

Your credit is poor..So getting a decent finance rate is not gonna happen, Let alone getting a Loan foir a truck, (Banks consider class 8 trucks as very high risk)

So, Your alternative is this......START SAVING YOUR MONEY,for petes sake...... Baby your truck daily,Keep it greased and lubed often, Then when you have saved the $20k...Go get your overhaul and Paint Job.

Yes,I say overhaul and Paint job because as soon as you hear that fresh motor purring...You'll want new paint. Happens to everyone

 

Putting $300 a week in a maintenance escrow account pulling containers is impossible. I pull out of NIT & APM in Norfolk-Portsmouth, VA doing regional drays home every night and off on weekends. I usually gross after fuel and other expenses between $1,200 to $1,700 a week. I put in my escrow every week just $75 but I have a business savings account that I deposit a few dollars more into a week. I've been lucky thus far with my truck.

30 Minutes have you tried to see what Select Trucks can do for you? They have many financing options just bring your truck as a trade for a down payment and I'd say at least $2-3k cash. My buddy just bought a 2011 Freightliner Cascadia from them and he went thru a divorce and his credit was fairly trashed but he had a trade in and some cash and they found him financing.

 

Really? You cant afford $300 per week in a maintenance account?

if your making $1700 week after fuel ..Put $300 out of that for maintenance..Your gonna HAVE to..Or all this hard work you do will be for nothing. And it will HURT..BAD!

Please...Find a way to put money away weekly....This is good advice from a fellow trucker. If your not making enough in drayage...You need to change your operations