Future Owner Operator looking for my dream truck

In the next 2-3 months I’ll be buying a truck and trailer. The equipment will be paid for. Looking to spend up to 120ish on a truck and 20 for a dry van trailer. I will be running off load boards running mostly the southeast outta Chattanooga area.

Question is,what motor would yall suggest? X15 or paccar? Pre-emissions? Looking at my dream truck either w900,389,possibly 579 or 680. Pre-emission same 2 truck,w900 or 379/389 with Cat Or Detroit.

I’ve been driving since 98. Zero accidents. 1 ticket for spending in my time. This is my “American Dream” to own a truck before I retire. Any suggestions on dealers,fleet or no fleet trucks etc will be appreciated

 

Getting into refer trucking
@Ridgeline

 

You dead set on dry van?
I have this for sale
Would be some work importing to USA.
I am exiting for other reasons, if you want to read my thread
Is this the end for me in trucking?

 

sorry for your future losses

 

We shall see

 

I wish you luck, I really do, but if I were you I think I'd wait it out a bit, unless you already have something secured and have run all the numbers. Have you been able to take a peak at loadboards to get a grasp on the amount of work out there? Did you get an insurance quote? Are you financing these purchases? Leasing? Own savings?

 

Truck and trailer will be paid for. I have one board I’m able to look at. Insurance I’m guessing 12-15kmy first year. I have no other debt.

 

The pre emission trucks are easy to fix but low MPG. Not sure if you can even find a Glider truck anymore. Those were new trucks with pre emission engines, but Fitzgerald glider trucks are junk rebuild engines from what I read.

I’m driving company truck and just switched from 2020 Freightliner to 2022 Freightliner because the 2020 with 460,000 miles was having so much trouble. Company just spent $4800 because plastic radiator cracked and had bad low coolant sensor and air leak. A week later the ABS and Adaptive cruise control and Hill Start assist. I got warming about possible short or ground in the rain when driving. I’m glade the repairs at not my problem anymore

 

I'm an old dry van guy that ran off the boards for years and here is my two cents.
If you have everything paid for so you don't have any payments, I think you can probably survive until we can get a better market.
You won't get to keep much right now and life on the road is horribly expensive.
Maintenance and repair costs on trucks are very high and will shock you when you start having to fix things that unexpectedly break. Save a ton of money towards these costs and don't relax on those savings...the costs are high and sudden...a lousy steering tire costs about a grand and hitting something on the road and destroy and brand new tire in less than a second.
Fleet trucks are usually not well maintained and are a bad bet for the most part...try to find a truck that was owned by an OO that took care of their equipment.
NEVER and I mean never takes cheap freight...you are better off deadheading to a decent market than taking a cheap load just to move the truck. Stay out of Florida with a dry van, it's mostly cheap freight country. Unless you can get a seriously good paying load going in to cover the cheap coming out you will lose money running into there.
Good luck to you in your endeavors.

 

Well I have a 2003 W9 that will be up for sale next month has everything you mentioned including a wetline kit that you didn't. It'll be at J.M. Wood's spring auction.