How to become an Owner/Operator

Service is right.
If you want to get in and out of docks in timely fashion.
Look who’s talking, I’m the guy that has been sitting in line the past couple days at ADM to dump corn. I guess I need to figure out who I need to service.

 

Select Trucks and Penske? Man those guys are overpriced... by thousands !!!

I run a 17 year old Peterbilt that just keeps on going. 1,688,000 miles as of this week. My son bought a '96 Pete 377 last year with a 12.7 Detroit... well over 7 mpg and it has been dead nuts reliable (even with a hired driver in it)... and he paid $6,000.00 for the truck.

He also has an '06 379 glider with a 600 CAT C-15 (yes the first 600's were 15.6L)... he built it up himself and it also has been pretty much bullet proof.

SHC I think you are doing this guy a dis-service telling him Pete's and KW's are only good for flatbed and tanker work... there aren't and easier truck to service and they are better built than the average rattletrap Freightshaker... and hold their value better to boot.

And there are plenty of fleets and O/O's running Macks and Stars, too.

 

I based my response on my past experiences with said brands. Of course a 379 or W9 can drag a box van, but its not very economical. I'm sure your kid gets 7mpg, but the majority of them don't come close. Tho mine were flat tops and midroofs. I just suggested Penske as their service is impeccable. Like stated, I bought a FLD from them, and the repairs were 0 for the 1st 6yrs I owned the truck. Not bad for a $30,000 truck.

I understand that you are partial to Paccar, but any pre2002 freightliner is just as reliable and easy to work on.

BTW, I own a Star and run tanker. Good trucks but terrible mpg, but sometimes it costs money to look good doing it LOL

 

I have always found that a bag of sausage biscuits or dozen doughnuts help get the wagon unloaded in a timely manner

 

And you won't find a pre-2002 at Penske or Select Trucks.

This 'buy a Freightliner' mentality really has me baffled... but I guess it shouldn't. Misery loves company.

I realize that many guys have NEVER driven anything except a FL or a Volvo because they have always worked for those big fleets but cheap-### fleet trucks don't impress me. Too many drivers have beat them up... it's akin to marrying a hooker.... sure she has experience but how many guys have been behind the wheel?

I owned a '96 FLD for almost two years. Great truck. Ex-DSI Transports (leased to Tri-Mac) tanker-yanker from Houston. Bought it in early '01 for $12,845.00. 801,000 miles. 11.1 Detroit. 7.4 mpg under almost any circumstances. Dead nuts reliable except for a few little things. I have no problem with anyone buying an FLD... 112/120 or Classic of any flavor. The 11.1/12.7 Detroit's are great (the 14.0's are a little less so). I am NOT anti-Freightliner. But the trucks they have built the last several years are not of the quality they used to sell... and the service sux.

I sold it for two reasons... #1) I had a '90 Pete 378 I had bought for a project truck and it wasn't selling and #2) I was sick of the terrible parts and service at Freightliner dealers.

FL parts and service are a joke. I don't need to deal with a pimply-face 19 year old at the service desk who has never driven a truck for a living and has no idea how the industry works. The service departments generally treated me as if i was a clueless company driver ( with all due apologies to clueless company drivers) who could care less how much or how long the service or repairs would take. I don't have time to spend making the dealers mortgage payments while his DA technicians dilly-daddle while "repairing" my truck.

It took less than six months for me to see that a KW, Pete or IHC dealer had more Freightliner parts in stock than the Freightliner dealers did... the last straw was having a service writer ask how the owner was going to pay for the service bill .. I said "I am the owner".... he told me 'NO... YOU are a lease operator... you will have to call your boss...no driver owns his own truck!"...

While I'm ranting... buying a 'newer' truck is a mistake so many guys make. It's the 'four wheeler' mentality.... 'what if i break down'... 'I want a reliable truck'...

Well folks a brand new tractor an break.... it's been proven thousands of times. Don't sign a big note for an expensive truck when a good older workhorse will do. Do you see ANY new small business start-ups buy a new building? Or all new vehicles? Or all new equipment? not many... a few years ago my total truck repair expense on my million-mile 379 was $1200.00.... my accountant was baffled... never heard of that before. last year i did an in-frame on the engine so it was a new ballgame but still not bad all things considered. This year started out with a bang when the front diff exploded (twice!!!) but I haven't had one major repair since January.

If you are unsure of a truck you think may work take it to a mechanic and have it inspected. The dealer won't let you? Walk away... sales are slow... they will come around or just find another truck. Don't be afraid to buy something other than white. Buying an older truck is always a good business decision.

If the company you are thinking about leasing to won't take an older unit... walk. Find someone else. There are more older trucks on the road every day than newer ones. The average age of the big fleets is now almost 5 years. Many fleets are keeping their trucks seven or eight years because they don't want the problems related to the EGR engines and DPF/DEF problems and costs. I once answered an ad for a carrier looking for trucks to run team out of Green Bay to pull doubles to Dallas twice per week. The pay wasn't bad... but the recruiter pointed out that my truck had to be less than five years old. I pointed out that your company trucks are usually at least ten years old... I didn't sign on the line.

Ask guys who run older trucks what they think... don't take the word of the steering wheel holder sitting next to you at Subway.

 

I agree with ya. It just seemed like the op was just starting out in this industry and I just wanted to share my experiences. As far as dealers, I have the opposite luck here where I live. My local freightliner parts guy is great. He's been working there since 1968 and always knows what I'm talking about. The Pete dealer has the young kids and don't seem to know much besides what bar they are going to that night LOL.

As far as service, I couldn't compare as I do all my own repairs (thank you Wyotech and a long family history of trucking) but I do know the Pete dealer is $15 more an hour, but u won't have to wait a week to get in. The few times I HAD to get the truck serviced on the road I used MHC and they were really good.

You won't catch me in a new truck. My Star is a 2004 and its almost too new. I really want to fins a mid 70's KW but its hard and when I do, they always want $40k

 

Fair enough... it is just so frustrating to see these guys go in way over their head thinking they can make it up with more miles... that never come.

I'd sooner work less and get paid more...

 

amen! A paid for truck is always the best truck

 

sure. barrow me $14k and i'l go buy the 89 pete i've had my eye on