Truck Load Rates Halt 8 Week Slide 2.0

Essential things need always to be fixed to ensure the livelihood. The livelihood precedes other things in my book. If I can do it myself, without paying someone else, I would do it. There is always time to take time off and enjoy life. I guess, it is a matter of personal preference.
Yes, if I did the OTR work weeks on end and only spent two- three days at home then spending time working on a truck would be the last thing I would want to do.
It is a moot point for me, anyways. Other than superficial stuff I don't have the right place to do my own repairs.

 

Down time is when the truck is down and out of commission. You can either take it to a shop. Which we all know will take longer than if you just did it yourself. It’s not vacation it’s lost productivity. Often it’s faster to do it yourself.

 

Ok, basically down time is when I need it and it is not available. Simple, thanks.

 

I don't know anyone with an older truck that spends half their off time working on it. If I have a week invested in a year's time into routine PM's I'd be surprised. Let's say I had a week in that and another 3 weeks above it in other downtime working on the truck, what's the big deal? It's not anywhere near what people make it out to be having an old truck and supposedly spending all one's off time on maintenance. I work on it at my leisure and am already taking off for several months in a year anyways. I'm not trying to argue which is better as clearly each has their good points. If I had a $4,000 truck note every month I'd have to say bye bye to my lazy ways and bust ### every month.

 

Yep, I don't think it is every month and constant fixing something, well, from my own and whoever I know experience. Few hrs a month, yes, maybe, to do what? Something bolt off, bolt on. Oil change, tires, AC fill up, something that requires specific place and tools are done in the shop. Everything else.. depends on the mood and weather.

 

If you look at the original post that I first replied to about the value of one’s time he equated wrenching on your own older truck that gets 6mpg to be the same as running a newer one getting 7mpg and taking it to a shop. That’s about $10k, give or take, and that’s a lot of wrenching on your own stuff.

I realize it’s not every weekend, same as every new truck doesn’t come with a $4k payment.

 

I don't know, I just do what I do and saying it as an option. Whatever the old truck eats as far as "extra" fuel, parts and labor - outweighs any payment and "extra" fuel "savings" on a new one in my book.. and it gives me ability to be home as much as I'm pleased.

 

I make more money with a new truck and a new truck payment than I did with an old truck with no payment. Results may differ, but for me it’s a clear decision.

 

It's hard for me to compare paying myself to do work against a shop's rate. I can have a job done in 8 hours, where even if the shop can do it in 4 hours, it takes a day to get checked in, a day to make it into a bay, a day to do the work, and a day to get the call that my truck is ready. It's one of the bad things about owning a Volvo motor, and most shops use their Up-Time system. First come, first serve doesn't work very well if they take people who checked in after you and move them to the front of the line. Any non-dealer work I get done seems to be fair, since the truck doesn't get caught up in all the red tape.

I can actually screw up a job, and still come out ahead financially and time wise redoing the work.

 

I had a bravery to assume you are on the road almost 30 days a month to make those payments? And how much fuel one has to "save" in order to cover difference?