Company driver going O/O Flatbed, International 9400?

1.) Get all the documentation and records you can for that particular vehicle. International is infamous for needing specific information to be able to get the right parts for their vehicles. Identical year and production run could have two different parts for the same trucks, depending on when they decided to update the part, and the dealer will need a lot of information to make sure they can get the right one, if you're doing the maintenance.
2.) I think you're looking at this the right way, as long as you can afford to leave the truck idle while you fix it up and give it TLC on the services. With this market, it's good to hedge your bets, but if you're just buying the older vehicle to avoid the ELD, be aware that they are trying to implement new standards to pull the older vehicles out of grand-fathered status. Having a 'smart' phone alone could negate the technical reasons not to have ELD capability. If you're getting an older model for the ease of maintenance, that's a good call also, but parts can be your next problem. When the one I drove a 2006 had a wheel bearing go bad, I found they had to ship the part to Channelview, TX TA, because it required the replacement of the entire hub...as that's how that part had to be replaced as a whole..whether it was from wear on the surfaces or design. Your 98 might be different, I don't know.
3.) If you're big like me, you might want to replace the seat right away, as that plastic adjustment mechanism can't handle movement in it by big folks. I ended up having to have a solid bolt put through the metal parts of it, which made it unadjustable afterward.
4.) It's not the most comfortable vehicle, but I drove the one for the company for 106,966 miles from 12/2/2010 to 12/18/2012 and I had quit them for 11 months in between. I started when it had 426,150 and stopped using it when it had 599,444. miles. Had the company been as proactive at repairing it as I was, I could have driven it much longer, but in their mindset, repairs were too costly for them. Pretty much the main reason I quit them twice.

You should be happy with your selection, as long as you take care of it. The one I drove had a Cummins in it, and for the most part, the maintenance problems I had had nothing to do with the engine during that time, not sure about before or after, but I never had a problem with that part. The A/C and the parts I mentioned were the main problems it had on a recurring basis with it. I was driving it for flatbed also, with a short stint hauling intermodal containers with the same carrier as well as a few van loads. Good luck.

 

Your insurance is gonna kill you with new authority.

 

That sounds like an excellent starter truck, as long as it has been taken care of. I am running an e-log exempt engine too. I won't be buying any of this newer junk anytime soon.

That sounds like an excellent starter truck, as long as it has been taken care of. I am running an e-log exempt engine too. I won't be buying any of this newer junk anytime soon.