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Any money to be made?

Discussion in 'Ask An Owner Operator' started by onedayaway, Jun 28, 2011.

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  1. Jul 22, 2011 #41
    BigJohn54

    BigJohn54 Gone, but NEVER forgotten

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    I don't know what you're looking for. I'd rather have 8 years old with a 1,100,000 miles and a fresh in-frame for $32,000 than 5 years old and 650,000 miles for $40,000.

    I don't know which is best. The older one will nickle and dime you for small repairs but I fear the newer one isn't far from major repairs.

    It's a crap shoot. I bought a new truck once and it broke down the first trip, sheared the pump shaft and Cat was on strike. It was in the shop for 10 days. Then three more shop visits over a couple of months and another 7 - 10 days lost before they finally replaced the pump and got it running right.
     
    Last edited: Jul 22, 2011
    BigJohn54, Jul 22, 2011
    BigJohn54, Jul 22, 2011
    #41
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  3. Jul 23, 2011 #42
    G/MAN

    G/MAN Road Train Member

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    You could pull an oil sample yourself. Some dealers sell the kits and you can pull it and send it off unless there is a local facility that can to it for you. A dyno would also help give you a good picture of what may be going on in the engine. You should be able to do both for $200-400. You could make it a condition of the sale and see if they would absorb the cost. It is good that the oil has been in the engine for a while. It will give you a better idea of the condition of your bearings, etc., One other thing, just because a truck is being sold by a dealer doesn't necessarily mean that it is a good value or has been thoroughly checked. Some of them will detail a truck and do what they must to make the truck look nice so they can sell it. I would not take anyone's word for anything without written proof.
     
    G/MAN, Jul 23, 2011
    G/MAN, Jul 23, 2011
    #42
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  4. Jul 23, 2011 #43
    G/MAN

    G/MAN Road Train Member

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    Any time you are dealing with class 8 equipment it is a crap shoot, whether the equipment is nearly new or older. There is no way to tell for sure how well the equipment was maintained or cared for by the drivers. Doing the checks we have suggested can minimize the risks, but there will still be some risk with the purchase of any big truck.
     
    G/MAN, Jul 23, 2011
    G/MAN, Jul 23, 2011
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  5. Jul 23, 2011 #44
    onedayaway

    onedayaway Light Load Member

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    The dealer said they would absorb the cost of the oil analyst which I'm sure they'd just fluff into the final price as they said they'd want a deposit on the truck subject to oil sample results before doing it. My only fear is that there's absolutely 0 miles on this oil as I said, I'm sure the oil has been changed.

    Bigjohn54, I think it's just a matter of a different market. The place I'm working for gave me a price of $53, 500 USD for a 2003 kw t800 40" bunk with 1.3M miles and no motor work ever done period. lol Granted the price was on the high side its not uncommon. The only other trucks cheaper are some extremely rough ryder trucks 04 to 05 columbias with 620,000 mile with mercedes engines for $40,000USD
     
    onedayaway, Jul 23, 2011
    onedayaway, Jul 23, 2011
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  7. Jul 23, 2011 #45
    G/MAN

    G/MAN Road Train Member

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    If the oil has recently been changed it won't tell you much about the engine. You could still have someone hook up to the truck's ECM and also do a dyno.
     
    G/MAN, Jul 23, 2011
    G/MAN, Jul 23, 2011
    #45
  8. Jul 24, 2011 #46
    onedayaway

    onedayaway Light Load Member

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    They called me in yesterday for some gravy. Bobtail to slave lake 311 miles round trip to bring back an empty for $252.60 took me 7.5hr to complete though because I didnt know where the trailers were stored.

    Had I been o/o I would have got $522.48 mileage plus $50 for p/u trailer making it $572.48 our o/o couldnt have even been bothered but I don't understand why. I figure I would have took home after all expenses $249. Not great, but if your not doing anything anyways it's still easy money for 7 hours work.
     
    onedayaway, Jul 24, 2011
    onedayaway, Jul 24, 2011
    #46
  9. Jul 24, 2011 #47
    onedayaway

    onedayaway Light Load Member

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    I should mention the $250 take home for o/o is figured at 6mpg, but I did manage 8.1 mpg yesterday in my day cab.
     
    onedayaway, Jul 24, 2011
    onedayaway, Jul 24, 2011
    #47
  10. Jul 24, 2011 #48
    onedayaway

    onedayaway Light Load Member

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    Some times I can't believe the company rates you see posted up on here though. I never noticed how good we have it. We bid on a set run. Most runs are in the 520 to 600 mile run. You do the same run every night, 5 nights a week, Monday to Friday. Pay breaks down as follows .5695/mile plus .01/mile for each axle over 5. Most runs are rocky so it's 7 axle at .5895/mile. Only time you aren't pulling a set is if they don't have enough freight to make one. There is no loading or unloading 100% pin to pin and all working/waiting time is paid and at a rate of 24.05/hr. From what I see or here flipping through other threads we have it quite good.
     
    onedayaway, Jul 24, 2011
    onedayaway, Jul 24, 2011
    #48
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