My journey with Dart

I'm curious about the truck. I know it's a 2013 630, but with what engine/transmission combo. You like the truck so far? Reason I'm curious is i'm thinking about buying one but obviously want to do as much research as possible. Hope everything works out with you and Dart!

 

Thank you for the info.

 

Hey tj you need to do over 3k miles for that lease to work for you

 

Ok thank you for taking the time to explain.

 

Where did you get your truck from

 

i've done 2 leases before, one of them looked more promising than yours. at this point I'll pray that you'll make it, I will never lease again.
keep your head up and whatever you do, suck up to the dispatchers as much as you can, it will pay off in the long run if you stay till the end of the lease.

 

Thanks for the info! Yea i'm up in the air about what truck I want to get. I always over think things. Hahah. Just trying to do as much research as possible.

To start, I run a dedicated route up here in the Northeast and I'm only out on the road a week at a time. I pull 53' box trailers that are usually loaded between 30-35,000lbs and half the time its an empty trailer. I do get the occasional 40k+, but thats pretty rare. But basically I bring a loaded trailer out and return with an empty. I currently drive a 2013 VNL 670 with a 400hp ISX15 with a 10 speed. (Company Truck)

So with that in mind, I was thinking about getting the VNM 430 with a D11 (405hp). Nice light truck with really no storage space, but since I'm only out for a week I figure I could sacrifice the storage space for a smaller truck payment and possibly better fuel mileage. Try and make it work and possibly make more money in the long run. But since I've never seen the inside of a 430 in person, that could change to a VNM 630. Ha! I'm definitely thinking about the VNM though, since my route brings me into the NYC area. Smaller truck would be a huge advantage. But big downfall I see with going with the VNM 430 or the 630 is that while it make work for me now on this dedicated route, if I decide to move on to a different company, I may need something else. And the resale value would probably not be very good.

On the other hand, I was thinking about sticking with a VNL 670 and ISX or D13 and going big power. Like 500hp range or so. Not really sure which would get me the better fuel mileage (which I understand is your biggest expense). The D11 since is a smaller displacement engine (though I would have to be on the throttle more) or the big power ISX/D13 (since I could pull hills faster and get back off the throttle sooner). But with the 670 and more power, I could take the truck with me to any company and it would most likely work for me in the long run.

So as you can see, I'm all over the place. Ha!

 

You may have already talked about this. But I didnt see it in here. What type of credit and down payment do you need to lease with dart? Do you have an option to buy the truck out right?

I have heard lots of good things about dart from their LOs, I see them a lot at beverage companies in New Mexico and other places. The drivers are friendly and seem to be happy.

Good luck with Dart. I will be following your story so don't forget to post lol. I also like that you post the numbers straight up. Thanks for that.