Buying a truck advice?

you can’t go backwards on emissions if it’s not a true glider, atleast for the time being, see if that sticks with the recent chevron overturn

 

Not every truck is in this boat, I've got an '06 Volvo 780 that I'm selling for $13K. An enterprising trucker with average mechanical skills could have a trusted truck for about $50k all in (AT MOST)....and know exactly what components he has in it and plenty of relatively trouble free miles in front of him. This has been our business model for years and years and hasn't left us disappointed (or in insurmountable debt) yet.

That said, there's $35k trucks that will need the same amount of repairs so it's all about going in with eyes wide open, understanding your limitations and labor prices, and acting accordingly.

 

It is possible to stick a “glider” engine in, but you will have to add an inch or so to the frame, then apply for a Recontructed title. I wouldn’t blow the money on a Cascadia. They are a Tupperware truck.

 

I would never buy an older emissions truck and put a pre emissions engine. Why not just buy and pre emissions trucks and put that money into fixing it up? If you own the truck, simply get a good shop that knows what they are doing to d#lete all that garbage and you’ll have a solid engine. That’s what I did the first time my truck had emissions issues and it was solid after that.

 

I wouldn't buy anything 2007+ that has a DPF on it for sure. Early-mid 2000's era motors with EGR on them might be a tolerable compromise and that particular emissions system is easier to get rid of than the full suite of aftertreatment crap downstream of the engine on the newer stuff. A late model glider with a Series 60 and a manual transmission would the ideal truck as a 1-truck guy trying to make a living with, but these don't come up often for sale. If you have that kind of money to spend and are serious about getting in the game, find one of those. A late 90's or early-mid 2000's pre-emission or light-emission truck would be the cheaper buy option but that will be a project truck that's 18-25 years old and probably due for extensive overhauling even if it's been well maintained. There's no free lunch there. Even a brand new one I would say is a bad idea unless you're already established and have a spare old truck you can jump in and keep rolling when the new one's emissions system takes it out of service. If you're that guy maybe you can tolerate that risk on a new one.

 

I see a lot of you old school guys saying buy a glider?

Do you guys not realize anyone with a DOT number is not gonna sign you on?

 

Old equipment like that you pretty much have the cash or you don't buy it. That what also makes the prices cheaper along with most guys just not wanting to run stuff that old unless maybe just for local work. If you see a really old girl still working it's usually because the guy has been driving it for decades and has painstakingly kept it roadworthy and never felt the need to buy a newer one. And then also a lot of carriers wont even deal with equipment past a certain age if they require ELDs. A 20-25 year old Pete with big Caterpillar in it is one thing. A 40 or 50 year old truck is something else.

 

We have our own DOT numbers. And we can’t afford downtime, that’s why we like pre emission engines

 

what's the symptoms

 

Nobody wants to listen. They think running a business is like buying a used car and using it around the house. It costs a fortune to run a truck as a business. If it breaks down and you got time sensitive freight, than what? Got a new customer and you loose a spindle on the fist haul? Buying new may be the cheapest route when looking in the long run. A service failure can cost a fortune. Show your business some respect and don’t offer junk. If you’re broke, don’t start a transport business. It’s hard to transport with broken equipment. Everything has a service life. You magically don’t get lucky. If it isn’t new, the life of the components have been removed and don’t magically regrow cause you bought it. Wonder why successful carriers by new… cause otherwise they would have a harder time to be successful. Advise, have a customer or carrier lined up before buying the truck. Spec the truck to the type of freight you will be hauling. By the best available. Ensure you will be profitable, otherwise you will just be enriching the dealer, brokers, carrier, fuel companies, insurance companies, etc. and never ever pull a dryvan unless it is specialized like lift gate and touch freight if you want to stay in business in todays market. You can haul for 3-4 a mile or 1.80 a mile. Which will be more successful? Dryvan market is being flooded by foreigners and is broken. If your in dryvan, run away fast.