Taking the plunge. My journey as an O/O.

Discussion in 'Ask An Owner Operator' started by Farmerbob1, Jan 7, 2019.

  1. tommymonza

    tommymonza Road Train Member

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    When I first started driving back in 2018 I was issued a 2 year old KW 680 with 225k .

    I thought I had the Cats Meow.

    That truck rattled like a 2 million mile truck with all the cabinet doors constantly coming open

    It rode like absolute Krap and the front end was absolutely shot .

    Never ending check engine lights

    When I jumped into my Western Star 4900sb glider that was just as old and same mileage, I felt like I had jumped from my old 1971 Pinto winter beater into a Brand new Chevy 1 ton.

    I thought the old beat Century I got my cdl in was just a piece of Krap because it was old and worn out.

    I’m a little partial to my old company Western Star but in 15 months the only repair was the driver side window regulators but that was my fault

    My old million 2 1997 International Eagle even drives better than that 680 Kenworth did
     
    Last edited: Aug 12, 2020
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  3. Farmerbob1

    Farmerbob1 Road Train Member

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    Well, got to the shop and looked at the tech notes. They replaced some cables, and only charged 2 hours in labor. Total bill was less than 400 dollars for this round, and I know they hooked it up to the computer and spend more than 2 hours troubleshooting based on the notes.

    I think they did make an effort to be fair, so I decided not to press the matter this time. @380$ is too small a cost to fight over when this shop is where I take my truck when I go for home time.
     
  4. iraqralph43

    iraqralph43 Road Train Member

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    Do you ever think about... selling truck...and going back to being a company driver....wouldn't your income be just as good ..with less headaches
     
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  5. Tug Toy

    Tug Toy Road Train Member

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    So how much was the bill for the first visit with the compressor? Did I miss it?
    Glad you got it fixed. Really need to have AC this time of year!
     
  6. Eldiablo

    Eldiablo Heavy Load Member

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    No it would be better. He could probably double it with a good company. JS.
     
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  7. Farmerbob1

    Farmerbob1 Road Train Member

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    Sure, I've thought about it, but I can see how to move forward. Either buy old iron, or buy a new truck every 400k miles. Just gotta get through this truck note before I can do that. My bank is also going to be a whole lot more interested in dealing with me for loans after 2 years being an o/o, so I should be able to get good rates.

    We shall see.
     
  8. tommymonza

    tommymonza Road Train Member

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  9. Farmerbob1

    Farmerbob1 Road Train Member

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    First time through on the A/C was a bit over 1k for compressor, condenser, and labor.
     
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  10. Farmerbob1

    Farmerbob1 Road Train Member

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    Update.

    I failed to check the opti-idle system after the truck AC was serviced the second time.

    Of course, it was disabled, and not turned back on. One more thing I need to get done. The truck will not shut down to save fuel now.
     
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  11. Rideandrepair

    Rideandrepair Road Train Member

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    That’s a very fair price, these days.
     
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