So you want to "own " your own company

Gosh that thing is so ugly!

 

now if this is your first truck your off to a good start , ask all the questions you can BEFORE you buy the truck.

SLEEPERS now if your going to be on the road a lot a big sleeper is a must, after a week of hard running that sleeper will feel real good .

WHEEL BASE now that is a big thing to me a short wheel base truck will ride rough the shorter the truck the rougher the ride , it's hard on the driver and harder on the truck , me , I'm to old to be bounced around like a BB in a bucket the longer the wheel base the better my trucks are 280 and 270 and the ride pretty good and most of the time i keep them stretched out all the way, now bare in mind that might not work on the east cost which i don't run at all.

LAND-STAR now I've heard some bad comments on landstar i can tell you my experience with them and it is all good .

i had a truck leased to landstar for two years about 10 yrs ago and i made good money with them and i mean good money and they don't owe me a dime.
but you have to lean the system, they are not a forced dispatch company in fact they don't have a dispatcher, its your business you load the wagon. what they have is a network of agents all over the country o and an agent is nothing but a broker that is contracted to landstar . all their loads are put on line , your given a password so you can access the loads , all the loads you pick the load you want and call the agent he gives the load to you and your advance is loaded on your comdata card , when the load is delivered your pay is also put on the card no waiting for your pay.

now if you want to go home for awhile you just go it's your business you stay as long as you want when your ready to load you just get on the computer and pick out a load and go, it's just that simple , landstar doesn't tell you when to load or where to go that is your decision alone.

worked out pretty well for me , if you don't want to take a load you just say no you don't want it and pick another one .

the best thing about landstar is the freedom to do as you please, now it's been 10 years since i was leased to them butt i doubt they have changed that much.

Best of luck to you my Friend. saouthernpride

 

Thanks for the information. I am pretty much covered all bases, and leaving no stone unturned. And once I think I am finally done, I go back and do it all again. That's just how I am, I don't get into any situation without knowing how every scenario could turn out.

Now as for the "bad" comments some people were telling you, I am pretty much learned that a lot of these guys are never satisfied.
I talked to a Landstar driver yesterday, who ran his number right in front me of. He only 2 took loads for the week so far, and was PROFITING over $2500. (yes I know, keep a percentage back for maintenance etc, i know i know .....and taxes...i know)
Then he proceeded to tell me so weeks you won't make as much, sometimes just $1800. I laughed and said, well.....1800 is a good 1100 more a week than I am making now....with my point being, sometimes these guys could be making 5 or 6grand a week, but it isn't enough for them, because they have it spent before they get it.
And I am not like that, I save save save. My goal is to simply retire young. So for all that, Landstar does not scare me. All the numbers I have been running, I could still make money using the outside carrier board with the lower rates. Some drivers just aren't satisfied.

ANYWAY, back to the truck. I think I am going to look for something in the 280" wheelbase range, now that I see they can have big sleepers. And I am going to try for 2005 or newer so the miles are low, and APU A MUST. I am going with a low payment truck so I can feel more in control and know no matter what I will be able to have the money to cover everything. I think some drivers get over committed and just have to fold under the financial pressure. Again, that isn't me.

So, who has information on Sleepers? In the 100" range? Double Eagles? Other names? Help me out, I could always use it.
And as always, thanks everyone for the information you pass on.

 

Here's a few:

http://www.legacysleepers.com/index.php

http://www.trucksleeper.com/product-line.htm


Now I've been looking into these big sleepers as I plan to pretty much live in my truck, when I buy one in 2-5years. You seem pretty worried about the wheel base, and a bigger problem with these sleepers in the Weight!

just to give you an Idea this is a Peterbilt 386 with a 108" ARI Sleeper (the first link above) a wheel base of 266" and a 18speed and it weighs 20,440lbs



here's the link to the truck:

http://www.legacysleepers.com/news_and_new_products.php?load=18

Good Luck and make sure ya let us (me) know how it goes, as I plan to do the same!

P.S that 386 in blue and silver two tone (Blue top and bottom sliver in the middle) is what I want but with either a CAT or a Detroit.

Addition: these Big sleepers usually come with generators so you won't need an APU.

American Trucker

 

Anything with a Double Eagle or simular type sleeper is going to be expensive. The truck I posted is really not a bad deal. The only reason the wheelbase is short is because it is a 377 with a set back front axle. A big sleeper with a SBA is very hard to find. That truck has 1 million light load, one owner/driver, trade show, easy miles, with an out of frame overhaul with less than 400K miles on it. Yes the paint is faded a little, and the inside could use a little cleaning, but the tires are virgin, brakes are good, and has obiviously been kept up by the driver.

You also have a generator and roof air, on board water/sink, among other things. This driver died, so the truck has not been detailed out, as you can see the CB and bed clothes are still in the truck. Shine does not always mean a good truck. My best trucks were trucks I checked the mechanical over real well, and had to detail and make look good myself. I'm sure the price is negotiable. See what an '05 will cost spec'ed out the same way. You will be suprised how expensive they will be. The miles will probably be close to the same also.

 

I'm only worried about wheelbase if bigger spreads are going to be quite a bit more difficult to maneuver. If they aren't then I am not that concerned with them.

And yes, I have been looking into this WEIGHT issue as well. And I guess I need some clear answers on this too.
I want to be able to pull basically any load I can find for a VAN. So I would LOVE to be able to haul around 45K if that's what I need to for that load.
Now with that being said, and I am pulling around a 45K LB load, what is the most my truck can weigh?
I am seeing that VAN trailers typically weigh 10-15K lbs? (if anybody could tell me what your typical Landstar trailer is, that would be helpful!)
SO, a little match says that:
80000GVW - 45K LB - 15K LB = 20000LB
So I suppose 20K LB is a good baseline to go by?

Anybody have any input on any of that?

 

A few questions here as well. Are these Set Back Axles beneficial for reasons other than wheelbase?

And when it comes to trucks with more miles on them, if they have been overhauled is that a good thing? I have been looking at this truck: http://www.truckpaper.com/listingsdetail/detail.aspx?OHID=2277516 and it says it was rebuilt at 500000 miles. I am in the process of trying to find out how many miles it has on it total, but when you look that truck over, what do you think? Is the rebuild a bad thing?
It has everything I would want in it.
The only other thing I am wondering about, is this Autoshift ISX. I have read Cummins ISX is a decent way to go. But what about the Autoshift as well? From what I gather, most of the time Autoshift gives a better MPG?
What are your thoughts on this one?

 

I've read reports that the Autoshift mated with the ISX is the better of any combination. Remember, the transmission is a regular 10 or super 10 or whatever, it's just got autoshift added to it. You can convert it to a manual shift with parts and programming. I've got an autoshift and love it. I've had 18's 13's and 10's, all manual. Didn't know if I'd like the autoshift but took a giant leap of faith when I bought this truck. Mine has a clutch pedal for starting and stopping, some may not. As usual, I did tons of research regarding the autoshift and ISX, and because the computer shifts the truck, it shifts at the most optimal rpm for efficiency. There's also a manual button if you want to button shift manually. I've not played with it that much. Head to youtube and search for autoshift. You'll find some videos explaning the system in more detail.

 

Not to bust your bubble, but are you sure LS will accept you. They only sign on about 3 out of 100 that apply.

Shelby Elliott sells a lot of overpriced junk, beware. Your first truck needs to be versatile, not too long or too heavy until you know what you are going to be doing week to week.

 

Watch your empty weight. you dont want to lose out on real good paying loads because you will be over gross if you load it. there was more than a few times I was 500-700 miles from home & the only loads going right back to with in 1 block from my home was 49,000 lbs. one night in particular years ago I was in delta oh. there was a severe winter storm coming in that night. they had several loads going south towards home. all were heavy loads. only myself & my neighbor could haul the loads. every one there at that time could not due to the weight. my light weight is 29,000 lbs.