what first truck makes more sense??

It said he's a wannabe, I am sure he will come back on here and tell us he has 25 years experience and puts wannabe cause he can.

 

My first truck was a wreck. Really, a wrecked truck that sat for a year until the insurance company settled the lawsuits and paid the Motor Carrier. They fixed it in their shop and sold it as a lease purchase. It WAS a JUNKER, but I was looking for a junker. Nine months of $950.00 payments, $8,000.00 buyout. I deferred all the maintenance I could, fixed what I had to myself, paid cash for it at the buyout- drove it for about 3 more months. When I knew it was on its' last leg (but still running), I traded it in for a new Western Star. To keep it rolling, I worked on it almost daily. Fixing, cleaning, painting(mostly to cover up damage or corrosion)- what ever it took to get it to the buyout and pay cash. I upped the maintenance account to have enough money to buy it at the end of the lease. I regrooved the drive tires -the regrooving tool sold for $85.00 and it made the already worn drive tires last until I traded it in. The bunk heater core started leaking so I bypassed it. A hole got punched in the fuel tank so I mixed some epoxy and plugged it, it held until I got rid of it.

The idea is, work your best advantage. Don't expect a dependable used truck, if it was dependable the original owner would still be using it. Look for a truck to get you started out. Doesn't have to be perfect, it just has to deliver freight. Pay it off and climb to the next rung in the ladder.

In my situation, failure was NEVER an option. I was determined to do what ever it took to buy that truck and make it work.

Determination will make up for anything you don't have. Don't figure out how you will fail, decide how you will win and how you will still win if it doesn't work. Then figure out how you're going to win if you can't win. Just get it done and get it behind you, that's what it takes to be a success sometimes in trucking.

 

Go for it, come out a winner. Keep us posted !

 

As an owner of a c15 with over 1.4 million miles on it (inframed at 920K) my recommedation for a inexpensive truck engine is the Detroit Diesel series 60. No one complains of poor fuel economy, no one complains of expensive rebuild costs. The most common complaint ( on the older engines) is oil leakage. One might be forced to raise the hood once a day to check the oil level.

Look for a 98 to 03 model truck. Go as aero as you can find, the money is in not burning fuel. Ultimately the only thing that differs between manufacturers is the cab. A fleetliner, err Freightliner, is the easiest and cheapest to find parts for. (I mean really, if they can't fix a Freightshaker how the hell can they be trusted to work on a Pete.) Just my 2cts worth.

 

I would look for the features that I wanted first and then consider the brand. I have owned a number of different brands of trucks. If you take the skin off they are all pretty much the same. You will probably get a better deal on a Freightliner or International. Given the choice between the two I would go with International. You might find a T600 in your price range. I have always gotten over 6 mpg with a CAT engine, but rebuilds are usually more expensive. Cummins is probably the least expensive to rebuilt with Detroit close behind. I would look for a truck with gearing around 355. It is good for pulling and will get decent fuel mileage. All you need is a 10 speed transmission for most applications. I prefer a mid roof. A condo wastes a lot of room and wind and there isn't enough headroom for me in a flattop.

I have posted this on another thread, but I will hit on it again here. When you look for a truck see if they have paperwork on anything that may have been done. You may also want to see if they have the maintenance records. I change the oil in my trucks at 15,000 miles. Some of the fleets will go 40,000 or more before changing oil. You want to check the suspension, tires, fifth wheel, king pins and front end. Look for oil leaks. I also look for how the interior was maintained. If it is poorly maintained with missing pieces or damage then I assume the rest of the truck was probably not well maintained. If everything else looks good then I may do an oil analysis and dyno. You should be able to do both for $200-400.

There should be a lot of trucks for sale in your price range. I would not spend more than $20,000. You may find one with a recent in-frame in that price range. Take your time if you want to get a good truck at a cheap price. You may need patience to find what you want. You want a truck that looks nice, but you don't need a show truck. A truck is only a tool that we use to earn a living. Nothing more. Nothing less. You are looking for the best tool you can get that will do the job. This is a business. That doesn't mean that you cannot enjoy your truck. But, don't fall in love with a particular brand, especially starting out. If you take your time there is no reason you should not get a lot of good value from your truck. You can always trade up when the money starts rolling in. Try to keep debt to a minimum. Cash is always better when it comes to buying class 8 equipment.

 

Here is my suggestion....

98-00 truck with a detroit 60 series
10spd trans and 3.73-3.90 gears
I'd say a freightliner FLD or Century in good shape if you can find one. They are on the cheaper end of the scale than a Pete or KW but if you can locate one with low miles for a good price then grab it.

The above truck should be found for about $10k and parts/maintance are pretty cheap if you do the work yourself. A freightliner does not require rocket science to work on if you get a pre-2001 model

just my suggestion

 

A mini sleeper might not be a bad idea but a full sized 70" put an extra 10k on you and forces you to have a longer wheel base. Combine that with the fact that a lot of the bigger sleepers are air ride cabs which are not intended for heavy off road use. If I was going to run local and out in the woods I would want an older rugged truck that I'm not worried about getting scratched and dinged. I would also want to be able to keep up with the daycabs that can take a fair amount more weight. The shorter wheelbase gives better turning radius for those tight spots.

As for the condo with flatbed once again what you are hauling is the key. If most of your freight is going to be high then yes a condo makes sense. However if you are hauling mostly lumber of steel then a flattop will probably be a slightly better choice. If you are unsure what you are going with go for a midroof so your wind profile isn't to big but if you get the high load it won't be as bad.

As for the guy that said I'm just a wannabe please explain exactly why that matters. For what reason can I not have good advice? For all you know I work designing vehicles to have better aerodynamics and can't drive because of a medical condition. Or I may have already starting my driving career and just not gotten around to changing it. Regardless of my situation why can't a "wannabe" have good logical advice?

 

i was talking 36 to 48`` bunks not 70`` condo`s. just because a guy works in the woods doesn`t mean he`s home every night.

 

Buyers should not only look at miles, look at engine hours for a engine can have more idle time than run time and long idling is hard on an engine. Idling causes excessive wear due to low oil pressure and oil goes bad quicker. Reliability equals more profit. Fleets like to flip them Freightshakers quicker because of depreciation. A good certified DOT inspection is a must before signing a Bill of Sale. Write up a purchase agreement that states the vehicle must Pass a full Inspection and the seller must fix any defects if it doesn't before you drive away.