Getting Into The Game

I’d say restore the 359 for a show truck and just have a good paying company job with benefits. That would probably be more enjoyable unless you really have a strong desire to be your own boss.

 

First and foremost, how much experience do you have?

 

A 359 is the easiest old truck to find any part. Almost everything is being remade and is available. There are countless 359s still working everyday.

 

You gotta think this through. You get this truck back roadworthy and get your own authority. What next? Where are you planning to get loads and what type wagon you want to pull? Load board? You’re gonna starve.

Before you pull the trigger on anything, you need to figure out your freight. Drive around your home 20 and see what’s in your area. If there’s shippers in your area, see who’s pulling the freight. At almost all shippers, you will see the megas piled in with tons of trailers. There will almost always be a few trailers from the smaller carriers. The smaller carriers will still be performance based (less “company policy, less cattle prods, zero handholding) and will usually run the short hop local/regional stuff. I would go to the small carrier and talk with the owner. Usually, they will hire owner ops.

 

I don’t see THAT many on the road any more..,probably none on a typical day or maybe even week. In fact I think I can remember the last one I saw out in the wild. T/A in Porter, IN. Some local older dude from Michigan who clearly didn’t drive it in the winter by how clean it was. Not a quite a toy but not quite an all season working truck either.

 

A truck that you never actually get to use as a truck kind of defeats the purpose of even owning it or fixing it up IMO. If it’s a classic American muscle car or some old European or Japanese performance car from 30 or 40 years ago, I get it. But with trucks, unless it’s truly an antique from the days of yore that won’t actually do the job any longer in the modern environment, it’s just a piece of equipment that either serves a purpose or it doesn’t.

 

Finding someone to lease to is gonna be a trick. I know of several companies with no age limit on the tractor but they want it able to run an ELD. So that for you immediately means upgrade to an electronic engine of some sort.


On your own numbers the age of the tractor is gonna make most insurance companies back pedal. I’ve been with my same company for years. I was told a couple years ago my trucks age is the reason mine is high.


The truck has lots of negative and I’ve not even seen it. While yes you can get what ever you want for it…….differential parts Rockwell or Eaton that age are hard to get and high as a cats sss. Sure you can upgrade to newer but it comes with a cost. Bust one of them barrel nuts and after you find a shop willing to tackle it then tell you you have a cracked wheel more waiting…..


My only point here is several of us run old trucks. It’s not rocket science to us but we run old trucks when they were new. That matters. I’m not saying you can’t learn. Nor am I discouraging you. I’m simply asking you to do much research on this ol truck and ask yourself is that really for me. Again I don’t know you but I am betting it isn’t. That is nothing to be ashamed of

 

Keep your current gig. Get the 84 and start getting it roadworthy. You will soon see the problem. Best of Luck ~

 

Insurance nowadays requires an electronic ELD, not through the data port.

Days of running deleted trucks and paper logs are over when it comes to hauling spot freight.

No company with an Authority is gonna insure an ELD exempt motor.

Thanks Obama, Bush and Trump. You ruined Trucking.

 

I don’t know. I have a few friends that have old trucks that don’t work. They just take them to shows in the summer. They seem to enjoy keeping them cleaned up and shiny and parked inside.