Glider Freightliner or Volvo VNL 670

This is getting good now. Increase in equity? And will do so with each additional mile and hour on the engine put on it? Now I know that you are smoking something illegal. This is not real estate we are talking about! No piece of equipment increases in equity except a classic muscle car or museum grade vehicle. Even though the Volvo is not a muscle car, it is also hardly a classic vehicle. Yours only needs serviced at 30K intervals? What made you think mine couldn't? The beauty of using bypass filtration and high quality oil. Going to every port and location is neat if one wants to do that. I don't. I restricted where I run back in the late 90's to the area I run now. This is all about business, and California or the ports don't offer me anything that I can't make as much or more doing elsewhere. Something is only a selling point if it means something to someone. I have no interest or need to go to ports or California. And I can go to any job site also. I seriously doubt that your Volvo has every spec mine does, are your drive axles aluminum housing axles with full lockers? That is an extremely rare spec. And if all I ever ran was I-10, I probably could get 10 mpg also. I got 10.3 on a warm, calm day last week when running in MI and IN for a stretch and had a lighter load on. All I ever do is the upper tier of the country, usually with 40K+ loads, and a lot of back roads. I don't think the low 7 mpg in the winter average and the low 8 mpg avg in the summer is all that bad for the loads I pull and the roads and terrain I run.

Obviously you like your Volvo, and that is cool. But it is only of value to you. Get an estimate on the value of it in another year or two and see if you get more out of it than it is worth today, then let us know if if increased in equity.

 

Think he meant the increase in equity when comparing it to the glider. IE, his will hold more value than yours in years to come (which I doubt myself, but I aint going there).

Martin

 

I think the fact that the truck paper did not have ONE single glider 5 years or older speak loud volumes...he may have misinterpreted that as a bad thing. Clearly the used market on gliders get bought up pretty quick. Im guessing his Volvo, may hang out on truck paper as there is 100-plus exactly like his right now, increasing in value as they sit on the classified adds!

 

HAHAHAHAHA, the funniest thing this weekend for sure!

Martin

 

If you take a minute to read my post you'll find it says (increase equity OVER YOURS).
Yes, it has full lockers. It took a year to build this truck just on paper, I assure you there isn't one like it anywhere let alone hundreds like it. My point being, it can pull a 9 axle yet still pull a flatbed or reefer and get better mpg than yours, it will at no point in its life not be able to go to any state, port or job site, you can not. It is the diverse and unrestricted nature of this truck that makes it very valuable.
You can say you don't need to go to ca or ports but eventually there will be many other states that will enforce strict emmissions standards. Your like a taxi that says (I'll take you anywhere except the airport). It makes no sense to me to restrict yourself in trucking today. Even though you don't have the need or desire to go to ca, the fact that your truck can't makes it less desireable and less valuable at any point in its life to others.

 

Both the glider and the newer truck have valid points in my book. It just takes some analyzing of YOUR operation to make an informed decision on which is best. No doubt a well built glider will have less issues than any new truck, if for no other reason that it has less stuff to go wrong with it!
I wouldn't touch a Volvo myself, but have driven them back home with no complaints.
Agree to disagree maybe? Think the OP has his answers, although I always crack up when people ask an internet forum which truck to buy as it shows a real lack of research and understanding on the OP's part IMHO.
Not to mention this has been thoroughly beaten to death already on here.....

Martin

 

Well, the states imposing the same emission standards as CA is pure speculation at best. Most of the areas i run now still haven't imposed the emission inspection on cars that CA imposed in the 70's. I am not in the least worried. And I meet the EPA emissions for the year my engine was produced. So again, no problem. California has ALWAYS had stricter emission standards, trucks or autos, than anyone else. The vast majority of states are only interested in the EPA standards, and mine meets the standards the EPA has required.... that my engine meet the emission standard for the year it was built, which was in 2000.

As for yours being of more value over time than mine, that again is pure speculation based on nothing. You, nor anyone else has any side by side comparisons to prove that statement. But I am relatively sure, that mine with no emissions, being able to put 48,000 in a 53' dry box with the tractor having full fuel tanks, and getting pretty decent fuel mileage, and having very low maintenance requirements due to the lack of emissions stuff, would sell as quick or quicker than most any comparable spec'd truck with emissions.

Just look at the forum here. Just based on interest alone, you find as many or more thread discussions on gliders compared to anything new. Most of the newer emission truck threads are looking for information on how to correct a problem. That doesn't seem to be the situation with glider discussions. Most of those are looking for information on how to get one. That speaks volumes.

And the being diverse in where the truck can go is only relative to the customer buying a truck. In my case, I got a mid roof spec'd the way I did not only for me, but for the target customer I may resale to ..... agriculture use. Since i live and primarily operate in the upper midwest, I can sell my glider pretty quick with the spec's it has to someone wanting to pull a hopper or a livestock wagon. The truck is light, they can pull the air dam off the top so it can get in many grain elevators, etc. Not too many farmers or grain elevator operations are interested in going to California or the ports either. Again, it is all about who you would be potentially selling a truck to. You really need to broaden your perspective of trucking. There is a lot more going on than flats, boxes, and reefers.

 

Would this be broad enough for you?

 

&nbsp; &nbsp;You like your truck , and you like your truck. Each have their place. We are running everything from glider kits to LNG trucks. Based on the job and location which goes where. Our gliders are running 25% cheaper, so can look at it , every 5th one is free! LNG trucks are sky high!&nbsp;<br>