Truck Load Rates Halt 8 Week Slide 2.0

Go back a few posts. I shared my numbers for the first quarter. My payment on my new truck is roughly the same as the 2017 I had, and I saved just under $6700 compared to what my old truck got for mileage. Yes I ran a fair amount, but I plan on taking June off, and as long as the rates stay roughly the same I should be able to park for the year once I hit 100k miles.

 

Not hardly

 

What shop do you take yours too? I want to stay away from them so give me a heads up if I am in that area. My shop in KC is pretty fast for me and only takes any amount of time if I tell them I am in no hurry. I always let them know what I am planning and they help me out as much as they can.

 

I must be doing something wrong, my 2001 makes just as much money as my 2018.

 

Did I say that? I thought I said results may vary.

 

I used to go to Volvo of Denver a lot, even before they were Nextran, and I think I finally reached my limit last time. They took a week just trying to get a part number on a lower steering knuckle because they had to email Volvo or something. The invoice when I went to pay had another company's name on it. They didn't have a socket for a steer axle nut that is for a part specifically used on Volvos. I got prices from the parts department before I had the work done, and everything on the invoice was marked up by like 25%. They didn't refill the power steering after replacing the heat exchanger. I think the labor on that was 4 hours, which I could've done in 1. It's something like 4 bolts and a hose clamp, one of the few parts with easy access. I only had them do it since I noticed it on a post trip when I was handing over the keys for the steer wheel seal job, and figured it wouldn't take that long. I still don't have that part number, since I had to tell them to just put the truck back together after the second week, and they never followed up. This is one event out of many similar ones. One time they even called me saying I owe them money on a repair that was never performed, since my truck was around Las Vegas that day. Plus I don't have a credit account, I pay cash for everything when I pick up the truck. They must have figured it out, because I never heard back from them, but he sounded like he didn't believe me.

TEC in Oakland, around 4 years ago, took a month of misdiagnosis to replace two injectors. I've used Nextran in Fort Myers, FL a little bit as well, and it's looking a lot like Denver.

The independent shops that aren't affiliated with Volvo are usually able to work with me on when to bring it in, it gets looked at almost immediately after dropping it off, then I get it back pretty much after whatever hours I'm billed for.

 

I try real hard to do all of my business with my local Volvo dealer because I know a handful of people there that are really good. Every time I get a part or service far from home I pay more. Nobody don't give deals to outsiders it seems.

I would love it if we could ever get a list going of independent shops that work on Volvo. Anywhere in my area other than the Volvo dealer they assume you don't have a brain or don't speak English if you need service on a Volvo. It's sad. It's changing because a lot more fleets are buying Volvos but it's still the old school, small town way.

If I lived far from a city with a decent Volvo dealer I would be tempted to buy an older truck, or at least a modern FL.

 

Volvo... what can I say? You work for it, you live in it, you don't know any better. And for what?

 

Not sure what you are saying.

 

Very comfortable money pit, no pun intended.