experienced advice needed

We do anything not to lease on.

Examine the emssions situation for any truck you look at. The heat sources rival the pyrometer and so on. Many trucks burn because of a variety of reasons related to that.

You want a transmission that meekly obeys your every move, particularly backing up. Otherwise you will look like a nooblet bounce bounce bounce all the way to the dock.

Your ability to be in a position of Owner on whatever you buy meaning you have access to all possible levels of electronics. ELD etc.

The Industry is going into some very difficult time and right now I don't rightly know if we are going to be in peace or war with a peer nation any time soon. That affects the freight.

 

Might consider a Western Star with Dd13 or 15.

 

Id go with the Freightliner, seal her up. Get a pre-emissioms DD15 and hit the road.

 

Can we talk you out of it???

 

The most leaky trucks I've owned were petes and kws, and I never cared to know why nor tried to stop it, just handed the drivers silicone caulking and told them have at it. Western stars all seem have an upper windshield leak while the fl trucks all just rattled and made you deaf.

 

Freightliners arent known for leakey windows, so I dont know where you heard that. However, the doors will need adjustment after the miles rack up. Otherwise that is the part that leaks on Freightliners. Yet like I said, it is a simple adjustment.

Service wise, there are more Freightliners out there than most of the other trucks. So more workshops will be lower cost as that is what they are used to servicing for repairs.

A simple rule of thumb says to have the cost used to purchase the truck in the bank as reserve. As you never know if you may have to replace the whole truck (no matter whom the manufacture). Tho a pre DEF truck is no longer desirable. If you have any loads to California and you dont have a DEF system. The receivers will not allow you to haul their loads. So something to be aware of when buying used. Tho a older truck can be retrofitted.

 

Also dont fall for a Volvo. Unless your buying it new. Volvos are notorious for developing gremlins in the rain. For some reason their wiring gets weird with higher miles. In a rainstorm electrical devices stop working.