Why do most owner operators fail?

Not saying you don't know how to drive a Cummins or Detroit. Drove a 4-axle Pete with a 14L Series-60 (first-gen series 60) Detroit in it. It was getting on its last legs before needing a rebuild and still drove very well for what it was.

Then an N14 Plus set at 525, biggest problem I had with that motor is just how fast the turbo would drop off. But, within a couple miles, I found a reasonable powerband on it, did fine from there, but, had to plan for the hills a bit more than with the CAT.

Of course, a note-worthy factor between these two motors and a 6NZ CAT is the displacement advantage the CAT has over the N14 and the Series-60. Roughly 915 cubic inches versus 855 cubic inches for the N14 and 14.0L Series-60. There's no replacement for displacement.

Turbos can play a big factor between engines, as well. Buddy with a 460 Mack in a Granite, always had a hard time getting going on an incline, after a new, aftermarket turbo, the truck pulls much, much better.

And, it all depends on what someone considers "good pulling". A lot of guys out there want a tractor to pull a hill without dropping a gear. Doing heavy haul though, all I care about is that the motor stays cool pulling the hill (which has plenty to do with the driver). Anything past 450 horsepower is really just gravy unless you're getting real heavy, this is where the gearing is important to me, at least getting started. When you're pulling the mountains heavy, it doesn't really matter whether you're set at 450 or 600 horsepower, it's going to be a slow pull, settle in and get comfortable. To make much of a difference pulling a hill heavy you really have to get into running a lot of power, and the cost of both these upgrades and increase in fuel consumption don't justify another 2-3 miles per hour pulling a mountain pass.

Give me a 6-71 Detroit, a KTA-19 Cummins, or an M11 Cummins, with the right gearing and patience, it'll pull the hill.

 

1994 Pete 397 long nose with 4.4 million Km , about 2.6 million miles.

Works in harsh northern environment 25% of the time.

Engine is a 3406 Electronic Caterpillar.

Changed the water pump when bought used in 2001. $500 did it myself
Changed one injector in 2004. dealer about $1500
Changed primary fuel pump around 2009. about $800 ( dealer)
Changed wiring harness for a sensor on engine that caused missing. Hard to diagnose about $800.00 in all
Just did main bearings in July, computer had 4.4 million Km. $ 1750 at local engine shop.

Never touched turbo, the waste gate rotted away about 5 years ago.
Never lifted the head, or touched any other engine component.

I imagine it must have been overhauled prior to my purchase, but it was only 7 years old, so maybe not.

 

WOW!!!!!!!!!!!

 

ok i can see you have no idea what your talking about I am a true independent my own truck and authority everything i have is paid for i paid cash so i owe nothing that is the number 1 mistake most o/o have a payment and that reduces there chances of success the other thing that equals failure is no starting capital i started with a business account with 30k in it just to handle maintenance and fuel. i pay all my costs as i need and i don't factor any loads or take quick pay so 100% of my earnings go to my company downside is it takes on average of 30 days to get paid for what you do today from the time you send them the invoice so dont want to wait to long before you invoice them. its also a lot of work keep track of your customers and billing tracking and filing your ifta every 3 months taxes, 2290, permits, dot compliance, also have to have a drug testing program, and many many other things plus im also a driver as well. infect every month i go out on the road every time i come back i end up having to put truck in the shop usually something minor but rather pay 1000-2000 dollars on something minor now then wait for it to go out completely and it costing me 10k or more thats another mistake as company drivers the ride it till it breaks cant do that cost way more in the long run and the other factor that causes o/o to fail is not knowing there cost of operation. there quick to take a load for $1.30 a mile but they can make a profit on that if all they had was fuel but they dont think about insurance, truck payment, wear and tear, permits, load board access, anual ucr and taxes .60-1.00 a mile is going to fuel the rates suck you wont get rich on one truck if you want the money your better off being a broker.

 

Ok so let me get this straight....because you have wealthy parents who handed you all the money to buy your truck and padded your bank account makes you a true independent. If you were a TRUE independent you would be fixing things yourself to save money because that's a large part of being a "true independent" among other things. I have my own authority, do my own work on my equipment, file my own taxes, etc. Having a paid off truck and working capital doesn't make you a true independent, that's just something to brag about on here with.

 

omg dude you dont freaking know me i dont have wealthy parents i used my money and to clarify just cause you do all the work on your truck i suposed you will also rebuild the motor too when you need it right. give me a break im not a desiel machanic nor do i pretend to be i am what makes me a true independent is that piece of paper and not having to rely on another carrier thats what makes me a true independent. and if i make enough to pay my own mechanic which most carriers do and still make a profit that is my choice. so when you break down i guess you fix it on the side of the interstate too. you really sound like an idiot troll that thinks hes better then everyone and comes on here and flame a post to make him feel better about his failing business get a life

 

I don't rely on anyone, and if I broke down on the side of the highway if it was something I could fix your darn right id be doing it. I have one person that does my engine work and the rest I do myself. I don't think I'm better than anyone and my business is in any shape or form failing. I'm not the one who got on here bragging about all my money and equipment being paid off, I started with nothing and built myself up and didn't have a ton of money to put in a acct. I'm sure those loan payments for all that cash are pretty steep too. I've been in this way longer than you have and if you've only been in this industry for 3 years you got alot to learn.

 

$30k sounds a little low for starting up these days, maybe sounds right for fuel/maint account, and I'm sure $30k is worth a bit more today than it was when you started, southern flyer...

getting your panties all in a bunch because someone mentioned they saved up $30k+ to start their business, and there's nothing wrong with paying a mechanic to work on your truck, they got to make a living too, and as long as you're making enough profit to satisfy you, then what's the problem? Don't go around criticizing other people on here like that for making different business decisions.

I don't have a lick of mechanical knowledge, but that's ok, there's people out there that get paid to do that for us, and i'll build that cost into my operating expenses when I go out to buy a truck. And no I don't have $30k saved up yet, but I'm getting there.

 

as i said you dont know me at all explaining someones question and comparing it to my own experiences is far from bragging. yep a whole 3 years im a very fast learner i spent a year in a lease purchase to learn more about this end and then I am learning the company end of it yes i still have a lot to learn but the learning never stops you never know everything. as far as my money i worked hard for it i owe no one a dime if you must know trucking wasnt the only thing i have done before that I was a machinist and programmer for 15 years making between 100k and 150k a year i made alot of investments in the stock market over the years i went to trucking when i got laid off do to the recession hitting the oilfield really hard when the market started crashing i pulled my money out and decided to start own trucking company so i worked for everything i have but i know i get this a lot people that have been in trucking for 20 years takes them 15 years to start there own company and here i am 3 years under my belt and do what it takes a lot of people a life time. the thing is i always put my self on the fast track of anything i do and i always succeed cause i put in many hours upon hours for months doing the research on this so dont come on here and say im stupid or im not a real independent cause i cant take my own engine appart. im here to stay im doing really well and making money i only take enough money to live on and the rest goes into company within 6 months ill be able to by 2 more truck ill put up a 100k broker bond ill come off the road and i will broker and dispatch from home

 

no the 30k was for maint account along with fuel expenses it doesnt count anything else spent prior to taking loads it seems to be enough to take care of things till you can start getting a cash flow by the time i started getting checks in the mail i was down to about 18k but i had 20k in unpaid invoices so i was still coming out ahead and that wasn't counting the money i already spend 872 on tire chains a couple of tires an oil change and some minor repairs that i also used out of that 30k but keep on saving you will get there also took me 3 months to find the truck i liked i got a good deal on my truck it was well cared for dont buy anything that was in a fleet you want one that belonged to an independent cause they take better care of there trucks this truck with 860k miles on it when i bought it never needs oil added to it it doesnt burn any oil hardly between the time the oil gets changed it was a 2006 KW not a scratch on it looked brand new almost for 22500 truck and its run great since i got it dont let anyone discourage you from your dream