Life on the road with a custom semi.

Get a rv conversion. No sense you trying to live a dream that's actually all work just to have a big bunk largecar.

You work a truck or you have a lot of money to throw at a toy. No sense trying to make a hobby.

Be a nomad. Get a big bunk rv on a truck platform. Ride around. Have adventures.

 

Thing is if you want to run under your own authority without at least 2 years experience insurance will eat you alive. You could sign on to a company and finish training and then do a lease to own contract with them but you wont be driving a custom truck.

 

Well first off pulling a reefer and a custom sleeper are almost mutually exclusive of each other unless you have some direct customer lined up with lighter than normal reefer loads. As for versatility, again a reefer may not be where it's at and for the most part refrigerated freight is the bottom of the barrel in rates, often times lower than dry van freight on the same lanes. You'd be money ahead to look at a lightweight flatbed with a rolling tarp system (often referred to as a Conestoga). Then you can work LTL freight which is what most of these guys with the big sleepers used to pay for those sleepers anyway. The other popular option is household moving but that doesn't align with what it sounds like your looking for and most certainly not something that can be done from load boards.

As for parking at BLM land and RV parks, not going to happen with a commercial truck and trailer. In fact almost all BLM land I know of is off limits to commercial vehicles. You have a DOT number on the side of the truck with an apportioned plate on the bumper and you will at the very least be shown the way out if not ticketed first. I drove a truck for 5 years with "Recreational Vehicle - Not For Hire" on it and I was not welcome at any of the places your referring to and you'll have to be displaying full credentials on the truck to legally haul anything.

I applaud your ambitions but I think you might want to look at doing some other kind of work and buying an RV. Buying a truck, any truck with the plan of using it as your source of revenue AND your RV is not a can of worms I'd want to open.

However if your insistent here's a truck that fits those desires but know for one like this your going to be in close to a half million dollars, certainly not a "part time working" rig. The men and women running these trucks have worked their way up to them and are not sitting on giant monthly payments. If you have the liquid cash then go for it. Personally if I had 1/2 mil liquid I would invest it, get a 9 to 5 and collect the dividends every year not drop it in a depreciating piece of equipment.

 

Oh yeah, almost forgot, parking at a truckstop with one of these.......not going to happen. If you did manage to get into a spot you would be hit before morning guaranteed. Parking something this long in today's truckstops would get you more time at home waiting on body shop repairs while fighting with Swift, CRST, England and the rest to get the damages paid for than actually out earning a living.

 

Hope you have lots of coin, no experience with the business is like swimming with sharks. First time you take one of these to Philly may God help you.

 

Many times Ive passed state/national parks and thought how itd be great to take a 34 reset at a park. They aint going to allow it unfortunately. I have taken 10 hour breaks in rest areas that were as good as some of the parks. Mostly out west and they werent even crowded. Only way you are going to safely park a monster like in the photo at a truckstop is if you shut down early before the good spots get taken. Or drive at night.
Getting started in trucking is definitely an adventure and you just might love the lifestyle. You are absolutely correct about not making a large investment and jumping into this industry without knowing what it can be like. Just enjoy the adventure without the worry of having tons of money tied to it. That way if its not for you, you can simply hand them back their keys and walk away.