long hood trucks obsolete in 5 yrs or less?

I'm not an o/o man. I don't have the business knowledge, or mechanical knowledge for it. You're right ALOT of people AREN'T cut out for it, just some aren't ready to acknowledge their limitations. That's where you see equipment for sale alot of times. I am sure there are o/o running aero equipment, but the majority of those I have met personally prefer the old school look, and they are also usually more knowledgeable than those in aeros I have known.

Either way I do not see the long hoods going away for a long time. They're basically classic Americana.

 

Are you seriously claiming that those running hoods or who prefer hoods are more knowledgeable than folks driving Aeros? Seriously?

Not buying it.

And yes, I also think hoods are beautiful trucks and are definitely classic Americana, something we have too little left of. Thing is, a trucking business is not a beauty contest, it's a BUSINESS. If I could buy a truck in the shape and color of a turd that maximized profits, I'd drive it.

 

When the T-600 came out, that is what everyone said, "Hoods will be gone in 5 years." That was 20 years ago............

 

I am telling you out of the o/o who I know PERSONALLY that is the case.

 

The COE died because nobody bought it. Simple market demand. I have not statted one time that they were discontinued because of fuel, though the reason big fleets went away from them took fuel into consideration, along with livability, driver retention, operating cost......... But strictly fuel mileage based no. But then again I never said that. Perhaps a bit of that comprehension you speek so highly of.


I am saying producing that hood has costs. To make them worthwhile to produce they need to make XXXXX( I have no idea what that numer is but I would hazard a guess of at least 25,000 a year) to make the tooling, engineering and maintenance of a production line profitable. Further when the number of units sold falls below that threshold consistently the model will go away.

Yes fleets like J+J, TMC, Werner(well used to), Indian River, Pilot, Flying J, buying tens of thousands of trucks a year help keep those models in production. Pilot is going to Freightliners, J+J is moving to T700 and 587's, I have seen a good number of 387's for TMC and come to think of it I believe a couple 587's over at the boat plant.

If those fleets and others like them quit buying those tens of thousands of those models I do not believe the strictly O/O market will keep them alive. Quite simply because there is less turn over in O/O trucks, and not every O/O wants some long nose behemoth.

3 of the best guys I know owning their own truck wouldn't own a long nose if one on a bet. One loves his old FLD( I still maintain your to friggin cheap Ding), one has told everyone around him repeatedly spending more than $20,000 on a truck shows early onset downs syndrome, and the third couldn't be drug out of his Volvo with that forestry truck you posted. I can think of one guy up in NE that had a big old rooster cruiser but last I heard he couldn't justify the cost of it's operation put it up for sale and started selling RV's and Motorcycles.

 

Yep, TMC had 387's way back when I started there in 2007.

 

Theres a few smaller fleets around here that still have long hoods. 3 come to mind. One of them only runs black w900s.

 

CEO of international, I wish they would stop making trucks period, nothin but trash, and I think now you have to get their motor too, also trash.

 

Thats right it is a business and I hate to tell you but the guys in the long hoods don't haul cheap freight either, those 300 thousand dollar rigs are pulling nothing but the best paying freight on the market, how do you think they got that truck in the first place, publishers clearing house ?

 

Hell, most anything better than Freightshaker, lol