how much money?

I have the 3406b model with the pump turned up. It has very good pulling power and I get 6.21 mpg.
I was getting 5.9 up until 3 yrs ago. I put a new eaton RTLO 13 spd in to match the 3.55 rears on high rubber. I was running a 15 spd, which is a reliable trans it just wasn't geared for my kind of running. The truck now gets 6.21 mpg at 74 mph all day long. The key is to keep them running in the sweet spot, which on the 3406b motor is a little higher up then a E motor or c-15 6nz motor.

 

I only read the first couple pages on the thread so it may have been covered in the replies I didn't read but what part of Wisconsin are you from? I don't know much at all about the company but smedema trucking out of fox lake has some amazing looking trucks in pristine condition. No clue where they run or how long their out, I see them at quad graphics when I'm there loading and always drool over their trucks, all I have ever seen is dry vans and I know they have o/o's if that's what you want. Jim piontek out of Green Bay used to be solely reefers but now has connies and steps too, I know the reefers ran out east a lot but they were all customized petes and last time I talked to a driver they still ran right out. Road ready out of Wausau doesn't have the newest or best looking fleet but they appear pretty well cared for, not junk just typical company trucks. They run LTL loads along the i35 corridor and get guys home roughly every 7 days but not always a weekend. TTI out of fond du lac has pretty decent trucks but again I don't know much about them. Osborne and sons is out of fond du lac, they have pretty nice looking trucks but run reefer and have another location in jersey so I'm assuming lots of east coast. I drive for ecklund out of Neenah, the pay is right and they get us home every weekend but our trucks are old, rode hard and put up wet so for that reason I would say pass on it.

If you're into more local work I know the hot line yard in GB was looking for linehaul drivers doing terminal to terminal, they have some nice looking trucks some aren't anything special but you're home every day and the pay was decent. Landair terminal in neenah has been doing a lot of hiring, nothing special for trucks but some positions are very local (50 miles) some are mostly local (home almost every night) and they have OTR too, pays pretty fair. USF holland definitely doesn't have anything special for trucks but the neenah terminal is desperate for drivers, home daily and I believe $22/hr starting.

As for o/o opportunities I looked into running hoppers because guys around here tend to run shorter hauls and get home daily but the guys I talked to said $1.35/mile on loaded miles nothing on deadhead. At that rate I could do better leased to a mega carrier. I know the last few years weather have played havoc with crops and unstable prices have made a lot of guys hold onto it so that may go up if we have a good year but right now hopper isn't where the money is. It's also very seasonal, for the next couple weeks they're running wild getting fertilizer moved but after that it's a bit of a dry spell until crops start coming off. Right after crops come off they start pounding salt into the highway garages so fall is good but other than that and fert it's kind of spotty.

Thats ts about the extent of my knowledge on local trucking companies and markets. Any other questions fire away and I'll do my best to help a guy out. No job is right for everyone but there is a right job for everyone, you can find it you just have to keep the list of things that are most important to you and the list that can be give and take. I accepted crappy trucks for good pay and weekends home. That fit my list.

 

I'm averaging ~5.9 running between I-81 and I-91. I gross 80,000 SB and 32,000 NB. 15 single OD, 3.90 rear, 24.5 LP rubber, 60 mph, ~1700 rpm

That's a great mileage improvement. What did you drop.....100-150 rpm when you swapped in the 13? What are you grossing, where are running and what's your cruise rpm?

 

I would freak if I had to turn 1700 RPM to run 60 mph. I have an 04 BXS Pre emissions ACCERT in mine. 3.58 rears and 70 mph is roughly 1550 RPM. Never run a mechanical CAT, 6NZ is the oldest I've ever driven. Its very similar to the ACCERT in terms of torq and RPM power range. With the nod going to the ACCERT for better low end torq,.. lugging 1100 - 1200 rpm.

Is 1700 RPM common for 3406 motors? Do they run better up there?

For me the sweet spot on mine is 1450 RPM. Anything over 1500 RPM and fuel mileage drops off exponentially. ACCERT seems happiest between 1350 - 1450 rpms. Unfortunately 1450 RPM means no more then 65 mph for me. As long as their are no hills, I am fine running 65. Cruise control will maintain 63 - 65 for the most part even with mild hills.

I have 10 spd in mine. I really despise the 10 spd. Much prefer a 13 or 18. Gives me more options to be in the RPM range at any particular speed I want.

Hurst

 

merp I don't see many local companies with this that pay well.

 

25% from 36,900 - 89,349
28% from 89,350 - 186,349

These are for federal taxes while single.

Married would be:

25% 73,800 - 148,850

2015 federal tax brackets, they have decreased from last year I believe. All I know is I over-paid a crap ton.

 

Yeah we also have a 6NZ and a 2005 Accert (not sure on the prefix). Yes (when it's working) the Accert is better down low and has less turbo lag than the 6nz (because of the sequential turbos no doubt). But the Accert has so many problems I wish we'd never bought it.

As for the 3406. She is an '86 from TN.....spec'd for 55 mph and mountains I suspect. And now it has LP rubber to make matters worse. Yes I would like to get those rpms down and the steps between the shifts down but that means two new diffs and a new trans. That's alot of coin to shell out on a truck that already gets the same fuel mileage or better than the Accert or the 6Nz. And very little turbo lag. She seems to like to spin more that the newer Cats.

 

IIRC the national speed limit was still 55 mph in 86. I dont think I saw 65mph until mid 90's with the exception of a few places in the mid west.

Thats a shame about your ACCERT. Mine is an 04, in a 2005 Columbia. Truck had 880k mi when I first got into it. I bought it at 992k, I am now over 1.25 million trouble free mechanically. And not to add to your wound,.. but I idle almost constantly for comfort. Has to be really nice and no other trucks near me for me to shut down and sleep with the windows down.

And yeah on the price to change gears and tranny. While searching for ways to find better fuel economy I looked into it for mine. I'd rather sell my truck and buy one already spec'd.

I am still on the fence about switching to 24.5 with tall rubber. My gear ratio isnt too bad,.. and that would get me almost to where I want to be. Just not sure how far off it will throw my gear shifts with the 10 spd. The difference between taching out the motor or lugging the next gear is a lot of RPM.

Hurst