Double Yellow's Company Driver to Independent Thread

They would also run backwards and have blower fires and blow sparks out the stacks, and leak leak leak

 

but but but,,,,,,,,,,,the leaks kept them from rusting

 

An interesting thing with my 2010 cummins, just had the DPF baked couple months ago and the EGR Valve replaced along with Dozer and some sensors last summer. Off and on check engine lights for years showing EGR Plugged/Delta Pressure/flashing and solid DPF lights etc. Had them turn the truck up to 75 miles per hour and run a few heavy loads around 72 mph, no more check engine lights hmmm. I even had to idle a few nights when my honda generator quit-- just set the idle at 1000 rpms and no problems (learned this the hard way, years past didn't know better and would wake up after hours of low idle and the red stop engine light would be on and dinging.) Shops would re-flash and get me on down the road, but the underlying problem was built up soot in the DPF. Seems like the solution is to reduce idle or at least blow it out before it can build up by running hotter/faster.

 

i have done that for years. ,ifta doesn't enter into it

 

Just deduct the taxes on the fuel used in the apu, in the box that's much cheaper and. Less annoying. I have done it for years.

 

Yeah, esp. the old two strokes, been a long time since I have seen a "Detroit Stripe" down the middle of the lane.

 

After reading through this thread, I think I'll go with a brand new truck. With all of the down time and repair costs, it seems to me that the money saved going with an old truck doesn't really equate to saving money. It's just determining where you want to spend the money.

Buying an old truck and then driving it differently than the first owner drove it is just asking for trouble. Things get worn in a certain way and once they're worn in that way, they don't like change. 20 years ago, I began with Swift and they purchased MNX. Swift turned back those MNX trucks to run 57 and they started having trouble almost immediately. They turned them back up to run 68 and the problems disappeared.

To each his own, but I'll go with the new amenities and warranty and payments and break the truck in the way I drive and let the next guy get the lower price and down time and the repair bills.

Double Yellow, being that you live in CA and have an old truck, are you aware of the grants being offered to replace old trucks that run in CA? CARB is giving a $55,000 grant towards a new truck to replace those old trucks. Just a thought.

 

I am in the process of buying a brand new truck right now and they asked me if I had an older truck because they can still get the grant money. I think you have to have a year under your belt to qualify though.

 

In this business, everything is a gamble. With a new truck you are gambling that you will trade huge monthly payments for no issues and zero dowtime. I know several people personally who are losing that gamble. Sure everything has been covered under warranty, but you are sometimes better off finding an independent shop that will get to you right away versus sitting at a dealership for days.

DY has had some unfortunate expenses but he is fixing everything right and should be good to go for quite a while now. Plus I'm betting that if you add up all his expenses over the few months he has been running it still would be less than payments on a new truck