new swift trucks??

Make sure you READ that contract before you sign it. Its going to cost you roughly $2800 a month to drive that truck. $550 a week for the truck lease, and about $150 a week for insurance and qualcom and other administrative expenses. When the truck is down in the shop or you take time off, that money comes out regardless. Plus if you go over 11000miles a month, they'll take $0.08 per mile and 'put it towards the $50,000 balloon payment you'll have at the end of the lease. They KNOW you wont be making that balloon payment, so i guess they just keep that money.

The only way you'll make a decent living by leasing is to train other drivers which of course has its risks, but you should make a good living there.

 

I use too small fans in the summer time and for the most part never have to idle even during the summer. This year i was lucky to be up north where the temps were milder. My idle time stayed around 4% even during the summer. I'd like to get one of those APUs for next summer though, but I can't see spending $10,000 for as little as i would use it.

 

For me, this choice would depend on fuel mileage. Both are beautiful trucks but my instinct tells me the International would get better mileage due to the aerodynamic styling. It's still a very heavy truck, so at best you'll get around 7 mpg, maybe a little more. Think about it this way: every 1 mpg increase you get on your truck every month amounts to about $700 in your pocket. (11500 miles per month, divide by 6mpg multiplied by $2.85 per gallon. Then try it with 7mpg and you'll see a savings of over $700)

 

there was a guy i spoke to, who said he has to drive 90 miles to break even on the truck. That is $83 a day to operate the truck? Dunno if that is even right, but from the numbers i've been crunching...it could me.


From what i've looked at...buddy of mine leases a ProStar. Basicly tells me its $850 and change (ballpark) to operate the truck for the 2400mi he happened to run solo that week. $900 a week divide that by 7 comes out to $128 and change. So $130 a day to break even....or 141 miles (lets just say 150. Now, i dont know about you, but making $100 a day sounds like an average amount to make in a day. But in order to TAKE HOME $100, i have to earn enough to pay the taxes on that $100. So lets say i'd have to make $133 to take home that $100. So now we're up to $233 a day. Lets not forget health insurance if i want that. For a single guy, i'm going to just guess $50 a week should cover it? Maybe i'm over or under...i dunno. Maybe someone can enlighten me. So now we have $283...lets just round up to $300. I 'd need to make $300 on the truck to live 'comfortably'. 326 mi are required to make that $300. But lets just round up to 350. 350 x 7 = 2450 mi/wk. So if i have a goal of 2500 mi a week solo, i'd think i'd do rather well. And i know my DM would hook me up with AT LEAST that....if not closer to 3k if i ever became a Lease/Op.

Please, if i've left something out, or overlooked something, point it out to me. DO NOT start the day-care name calling, and saying 'how dumb you are'. Cause from what i've read, people say "oh if you dont get 3000 mi a week you'll never make it". And i'll figure, if i take a day off and the truck SITS...since i'm not running any miles, there is no fuel to pay for...so 141 divide by 7 (mpg) is about 20 gallons x $3 is $60. So the $130 a day to run the truck is now going to cost me $70 a day to just sit. If i sit because of 'not running', i'll get $100 in layover pay...so i'd actually make out $30 ahead. =) but thats not the point i'm making.

maybe my standards of living (income wise) isnt as high as other drivers. I don't HAVE TO set my goals at making $200 a day (take home). Sure i'd be nice....but again....i crunched the numbers as a base to go from.

 

well over $700??

if you get 3k mi/wk, thats 156k a year. If you get 7mpg you'll need 22,286 gal. of fuel. If you get 6mpg, you'll need 26,000 gallons. Difference of (i sound like bob barker) 3714 gallons...at $3 a gallon, thats $11,142. So by getting that 1 mpg diff. you either MAKE yourself $10k or cost yourself $10k. Thats why i love seeing swift lease trucks running 68. because i know if they run a mile or two an hr diff. slower...they'll save 10% of their fuel cost. at 156k mi a yr thats basicly about $5k a year just running a mile an hour slower, on average. Dunno about you, but i sure could use an extra $5k a year. =)

problem with figuring 'by month' and 'by year'. is by the month, you assume 4 weeks a month x 12 months...well we know a year is 52 weeks...not 48. So i always figure mileage for the year and work from that. but by breaking it down...$11,142 into months, thats $928.50.....so yes...it is well over $700. =)

 

i'd say for APUs....they are only good for company trucks (paid and installed by the co.) or for the true drivers who OWN and operate their trucks, and they'll be driving for the next 20 yrs. Think of how much they idle....some...all the time. Not to mention when one of those things breaksdown.....its just about as bad as a turbo going out on your engine.

 

Even though I haven't driven the Prostar yet, I would recommend that due to the fact I Hate the Kenworth. Here's my list of pet peeves with the Kenworth:

• Mirrors only have one bracket; no place to attach my satellite radio antennae

• Headlights must be set to Bright to see Normal

• Where are the batteries?
• Where are the air tanks?
• Where do I purge the air tanks? (my mentor said don't worry about that stuff, this is a 2010...WTF?
• Dash lights have only two settings, Bright and Too ##**ing Bright
• Steering wheel only goes up so far; still in the way for getting in and out unlike Volvo
• Useless cabinets overhead cab area
• Cigarette 12 volt plugs only work when key is On position unlike Volvo, where I can listen to my music all night long with key in Acc position
• Sit up on the top bunk? Not going to happen unlike Volvo
• Hood may be opened by anyone walking by;subject to sabotage, unlike Volvo
• Cruise Control is way up on the dash, one has to reach way forward to engage it unlike Volvo or Prostar which is near steering wheel
• No cubby shelf at speedo,tach unlike Volvo where various items may be stored
• I hate Kenworth

 

Well my Prostar is pretty nice but I have the 1 with a lot of room inside...i.e...taller cabinets and more head room.If i am under 65000 lbs, I'll avg over 7 mpg easily...Empty, up to 11...crazy. I just had a trip from albuq. to Socal at 79200 lbs and avg'd just under 7 mpg...They're nice trucks but the windnoise thru the door weatherstrips is insane..hopefully they've fixed that issue...mine's a 09...I just left the Mira Loma shop where I had a "B" service...took 2 days..no one seemed to get any type of special treatment and I told my service tech that nothing better come up missing or I'll find him and it will be a short discussion...lol

 

But just curious.....do my numbers make sense though on leasing?? Was rollin' down the road, and could just hear someone say "yeah, but your $900/wk isnt figuring all the fuel you'll be spending". I've figured in what it will END UP costing me. Yeah, its $3/gal at the pump, but depending on the fuel surcharge, it'll be closer to $1.50-.75 out of pocket.

My mentor had a T2000. Didn't know that about the key having to be 'on' in order to use the cigarette outlet. Guess if i get one, i'll be wiring up a 1500w inverter to the batteries. =)

If i do lease....IF.....i like something fairly original. like the KW 660 or the 900. Dont see many of them on Swift yards. They're mostly the T2s or the Columbias.

There is a KW dealership in Cedar Rapids, IA...i might take a jog down there tomorrow and see what they'd want for a couple W9s they got.

 

wow, you must be a newbe, have you tryed a T-600 ant-eater, thats a perfect solid truck, i loved it when i work for millis transfer back in the late 90's, so tell me, do you use a GPS, or read a MAP, just saying, where to put that antanna, gee look around back daa, remember its not your truck, ITS A CHEAP COMPANY TRUCK