Is shortening a semi frame a big deal?

Last time I asked a few weeks ago they said jan-feb...

I'm gonna pass by there with the truck to iron out prices, specs and dates. Hopefully I can grease someone and get it in earlier

 

I dont run south east because it's difficult to even get $2 a mile with 3 units over there.

I have a good relationship with a few good brokers that almost every week set me up with $3+ a mile for 3 units. I can easily get $2 a mile with 2 units and even single large units.

This semi opens up all my options.
I can make $1,000 a day locally/regionally in the northeast hauling 1-2 units at a time and be home everyday or everyother day. I can also run inside NYC and long island pretty easily with a 40 foot truck as that's the size of the city busses that run here. (My truck isn't legal length to run in nyc even thoughI do sometimes) I can also tow a 25 foot trailer if I need a third unit and load the trailer on the truck when running empty. There are also 2 car stacker trailers and even maybe an enclosed trailer I can always pull.

I can always sell the bed and reinstall the fifth wheel to run power only or any type of trailer.

Best of all I finally will be comfortable.


I refused the loan in the end. The numbers weren't worth it. I cashed out one of my bitcoins I bought back in 2017 and have the rest in cash. Once my truck and trailer sells I'll rebuy the bitcoin I sold and keep the rest for a rainy day.

 

So apart from temp bobtail insurance and temp permits I just need to log the drive back right?

Paper logs are ok for this? Can I use my keep trucking app to log this trip without being connected to the truck instead of Paper?

Should I put a not for hire sign on the truck? Do I need my dot and company on the truck for this trip?

 

All is true except last point. My truck and trailer are paid off. I'm at 140k miles and no major issues and can expect this truck to reach 300k at least. Current trailer has been pulled for 80k miles so far with no mechanical issue whatsoever.

I'm based out of nyc and my truck isn't really legal here and very hard to drive anywhere but the major roads. I do not run my truck regionally because 3 cars takes sometimes half a work day just to drive around and gather them. I do pick up some cars here and head out straight away usually towards Indiana, Illinois and Oklahoma to get my $3 a mile and return with $2 a mile. I average 2.40-2.60 all miles. I am out for 4-5 days a week.

I want to run regionally NYC, PA,NJ,CT,OH and VA. Shorter miles pay more per mile and I can get them done quicker. I have been following the loadboards closely for about a year to see if I can make the same amount of money with 2 cars running nearby.

I am not going to cash out my bitcoin, I am taking a small loan from my father that will be covered when I sell my truck in the end. Bitcoin decided to drop the last few days.

Yes the truck can haul a 25 foot trailer with or without a load on the bed.

It is a longer term play. I can practically do any type of trucking with this truck. I hate car trailers that have 2 floors. I'm slightly afraid of heights lol.
I might pickup a 5 car sun country if I decide to keep the truck as is. Maybe shorten it a bit if I go this way.

I can probably get the bed off the truck with the help of a friend, a few jacks and an impact gun.


My main issue with my truck is comfort. I get cooked in the summer and frozen in the winter. The bed is slightly short. There isn't much room for anything and the ride is rough. You will always be overweight on the drive axle so I upgraded to 19.5 wheels and installed airbags. I can't do much else to make it better. Even though my truck and trailer together are rated for 38k I rarely go over 33k and my truck is actually fitted with the tow package unlike most other hotshot trucks I see running around.
I never ever do a reset while in the truck. I did it a couple of times and 34 hours in a pickup truck gets very old very fast. I don't idle my truck. I have 400 idle hours out of 3000 total. I won't spend money on a hotel. It adds up quickly and hard to find hotels/motels that have room to park a 65+ foot vehicle.
I was warned by truckers when I started that I should get a class 8 instead of the ram and I didn't listen.

 

Does $730 make sense for permits going through Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania and New Jersey?