Does owning a "tricked out truck" land you better gigs?

Well I'm not gonna lie about it. As being a 2 time 379 owner I love the old petes. There are smoother trucks though. Volvos and W-900's are tons smoother than a 379.

 

Speaking from experience .... KW W9 owner

Nobody cares what your truck looks like but they seem to care about you...your mouth and if your clean.

A washed truck will keep you out of the back at a scale. Shiny clean trucks 9 times out of 10 get a green light (some of us don't have prepass).

 

Thats another reason I stayed clean. I never once was pulled around back, but I did get a red light now and then. But I was pushing the weights. I didn't have a prepass either.

 

Yeah the one I drove while the pete was down didn't beat my kidneys out near as bad. Allllmost thought about trading for one but so much work and money went into that old black truck that I just couldn't do it.

 

Deciding who hauls the freight based on the looks of the equipment has never been an issue. That would be akin to deciding who you were going to marry based on looks. It's what is under the wheel that make the impression not whats on the hood.
I would say that perhaps SOME of the high profile clients like bands, NASCAR and such DO place some importance on looks , but then again most of them OWN or lease the trucks that haul their products around. Drivers have always been what makes or breaks a company, not the looks of the equipment.

 

The customer will see you if you haul directly for someone and do it often. I believe that some tricked out chromed out truck would make them believe that they could get a lower rate somewhere else. All you need is a presentable truck that is not primered or has mirrors busted off or one that leaks fluids all over your customer's parking lot.
So my answer is yes, you need a presentable truck but a tricked out truck could actually be detrimental in many cases.

 

I have had customers specify that they want a clean trailer with a fresh wash ticket, or that the trailer can only have had certain products in it. I have had customers specify that the ladder to climb on the trailer has to be mounted at the rear of the trailer, not on the side. I have customers that specify that the trailer has to have a dust collection system and a set amount and length of hoses. I have had customers specify that the truck and trailer must be capable of holding a set amount of weight. I have customers who specify what type and style of seals must be on the trailer when it pulls onto their lot.

But not once have I ever had a customer set any of the details concerning the truck. As long as it is capable of getting the load from point A to point B, they could care less. Not one customer has ever refused to load the truck because there "wasn't enough chrome on it" or because the "sleeper is too small", or because there were not "enough chicken lights on it" to fulfill their needs.

Customers don't care what the truck looks like as long as it is capable of getting the product from where it is to where it needs to be. No one will pay you a penny more for having your truck tricked out with extra chrome. You might make the guy running the chrome shop happy, but the customer could care less.