Flatbed guys what are you running? Truck/trailer

Discussion in 'Expediter and Hot Shot Trucking Forum' started by crocky, Mar 7, 2020.

  1. crocky

    crocky Road Train Member

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    I'm also in FL and know what you are saying.. I didn't realize your truck was single axle. Thought it was a normal semi from the other pic as I didn't look at the truck close enough. Mega ramps are not good for cars you have to use them in conjunction with normal car ramps. Even my low boy trailer I picked up a set of 7ft aluminum car ramps for it to make loading low cars easier.

    No idea what brand your trailer is but I can tell it alone costs more than I've spent on my whole business so far.. LOL so something like that is likely out of my budget anyway.

    As far as the reasons for me to stay away from semi's, is really 2 reasons. #1 I can put a normal HS truck & trailer at my house but not a semi & trailer. #2. I can fix anything on my truck/trailer myself and even for anything non serious I can fix with limited tools nearly anywhere in the country.

    When I drove Semis for Prime as example, my brand new 2018 Cascadia broke down in Ladero, Tx. I had to pay I think it was $1,600 to get it towed to San Antonio because the Freightliner dealer in Laredo wouldn't even look at the truck for 2 weeks. I then sat in a hotel for 8 days in San An while the dealer there replaced both fuel pumps and all the injectors on a truck with 60k miles on it....

    This is the problem with big trucks and why I don't want to mess with them.. everything about them is very, very expensive and in all honestly they don't make you much more than a hotshot truck will it's just a bit easier to make it being you don't have as hard of a time finding the loads.

    I'm running a less than optimal truck/trailer set up and I've still pulled out over $4k weeks this winter. I could do better, but I stayed out of the snow states all winter.. I've only been north of i20 one time this winter and that was a trip to Cortez, CO. I've been running i10 most of the winter..
     
    Last edited: Mar 8, 2020
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  3. singlescrewshaker

    singlescrewshaker Road Train Member

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    Trailer was expensive. It's an aluminum Doonan, 48'. 8' upper 40' lower.. The thing I learned from hotshot was to be as light, & versatile as one can be.. Thank you Gary.! ;)

    There is also really no one size fits all in trucking either. Everyone either finds a way, or finds the door.. What makes me happy, could make you miserable..

    Sure my wagon is a 2020 with hopefully no issues for a few years..
    My tractor is a '93. Needs little things all the time.. The upside is no epa crap to deal with, paper books, better bunk, its reliable, great fuel economy, parts are cheap & easy to come by, & its pretty easy to work on. A guy like yourself sounds handier than me, yet I've managed to do a few things on it myself. It will also never see a dealer, as any mechanic anywhere can work on an older truck. Doesn't mean they will be any good, but it will never sit for weeks before someone works on it..

    I also live in city limits with truck restrictions. Eff em. Got a 6' wood fence with a 12' wide rolling gate. I park the whole rig back there. Sure, I get a letter every now & then but I'm usually back on the road by the deadline to move it..:D

    I do miss having a nice diesel pickup. Had one or another since '03 as my daily driver or work truck.. Now I when I'm home I drive an '03 Durango beater.. :confused:

    But I digress. I'm not trying to tell you what to do. Just what I've done, & how I believe it has or hasn't benefited me. I had all of these same concerns as you. It can be very frustrating..

    Just for S&G's. Have a look see at this. I believe it is from the same fleet as mine, only newer & nicer. Mine also only has a 11.1L, not a 12.7L..

    https://www.truckpaper.com/listings/trucks/for-sale/191491301/1999-freightliner-fld120
     
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  4. crocky

    crocky Road Train Member

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    Yeah I've seen those, I'm partial to the 99ish single axle flat top volvos if going that route though I'm guessing they had better rides than the FLD's but back then they came with the DD12.7 eaton 10 sp as well. You can update the interiors to be a bit nicer from newer models and so on.
     
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  5. crocky

    crocky Road Train Member

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    Actually saw one of those trailers today like yours but he had the dovetail at the back with flip up ramps kinda like a hotshot mega ramps.. Think it was a Doonan as well but not 100%..

    So out of curiosity how expensive are those things? Are we talking $30-40k?
     
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  6. singlescrewshaker

    singlescrewshaker Road Train Member

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    https://www.truckpaper.com/listings/trailers/for-sale/163112381/2016-doonan-platinum

    I almost got one identical to this. Hindsight, would of been less work than building out 450lbs of ramp kit all the time, & with the spread set slightly forward because of the dovetail, keeping the drive under 20k would have been easier. I also like how they've built container locks into the flip over ramps..

    Mine is lighter cause the main beams are aluminum, & 48' is exempt from KPRA laws, so its legal everywhere without having a slider, or 2 position kig pin..

    Mine was $40k before FET..
     
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  7. singlescrewshaker

    singlescrewshaker Road Train Member

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    Sorry about derailing your tread..

    I guess I did answer your original question somewhere in there, & @24kHotshot gave you the weight he's willing to tote around..

    @Lite bug said no more than 5k lbs nowadays.

    Figure more guys would be willing to say how much they'll toss on deck.. :confused:
     
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  8. tommymonza

    tommymonza Road Train Member

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    So at the end of the day what is the advantage to running your single axle compared to a tandem axle?
     
  9. singlescrewshaker

    singlescrewshaker Road Train Member

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    Compared with a twin screw not all to much.
    8-9mpg average
    one less axle to maintain
    Tolls are cheaper
    210" wheelbase maneuvers well
    No 2299 tax
    No KYU #

    I bought this truck coming out of a hotshot myself, so I saw it more as a step up from there. + I got into it right before the ELD mandate dropped, which was what I wanted. Staying on paper long as I can..
     
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  10. BackwoodsGA

    BackwoodsGA Road Train Member

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    My usual.48 foot Great Dane with a load of GP sheetrock.
     
  11. flatbedcarrier

    flatbedcarrier Medium Load Member

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    E9B4C3A8-15A6-4A2B-9940-46E7AAEBD157.jpeg 3D6F624E-4265-4AC1-9F9B-89AF19ABA080.jpeg

    In my opinion, running a HS style set up you’re better off having a few different trailers. They don’t eat much after the initial purchase.

    I keep a 40’ lowboy for the larger loads but I also keep some smaller trailers around. Just picked up this 24’ 14k GVW bumper pull over the weekend for the smaller, lighter loads that I move.
     
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