What Companies will sign on a truck with over a 300" wb?

Is this your truck, or the driver's truck? Are you the employer, or the employee? If its your truck, and the driver is your employee, then grow a spine and tell the driver he pulls the trailer you get loaded, or he gets to find himself another job! There are plenty of qualified drivers out there who would be thrilled to pull whatever trailer you have, as long as you pay a decent wage at a regular interval. Don't let an employee push you around, this is YOUR company not his. YOU are the one who could potentially lose everything if you don't get the necessary level of income, not him. After all, he can just go get another job if you go belly-up.

 

Wouldn't get on LS that hard for going towards EOBRs. Most fatigued driving violations are clerical errors. They have done a good job keeping scores in check and are just making sure that they don't move in the wrong direction. Better paying freight comes from companies that will not allow it to be loaded on a carrier with a bad CSA score. Plus LS has been reducing leased capacity so if this keeps applications down it is going to have zero effect on the corporate goals.

Plus LS doesn't want the Super Trucker that thinks HOS is not meant for them. I don't hear from BCO's that they are being pushed on HOS so recorders should be a non-issue.

 

378 isn't the longest I've ever seen. At one time we had a team with a 404" wheelbase, 359 Pete. Yes, he had a steerable lift axle under it. Yes, they pulled a van. Yes, they made money, they did specialized. They retired it after he got hurt pretty bad in a freaky accident, at a UPS yard. He now drives the NASCAR simulator rig around for OOIDA.

 

If you hire an RGN driver, you hire an RGN driver. If you "own" a 30,000+ pound truck, you accept it's limitations or get rid of it.

 

OP, of course you have Landstar, Mercer, Bennett, Southern Pride, Aviation Express, Forward air, and I'm sure a few others I'm not thinking of.
That wheelbase seems long for only a 120". Some people think wheelbase on tractors is measured steer to rear axle, where it is actually measured steer to center of tandems. Good luck.

 

Our peers are going to EOBRs and making our numbers look bad. That is why the push to EOBRs. You are correct, we don't want the "Super Trucker", we want the intelligent operator, one that knows how to make a good buck in this highly regulated industry.
The latest from our V.P. of Compliance is EOBRs for existing Contractors, is voluntary. If you want one, LS will pay for the MCP50. If you are getting violations, you can either pay for and install one, or find a new gig. New Contractors will have to install and use one, however LS will pay for the MCP50.
My opinion is, it is not if they will be mandated, but when. The Feds are going to do it, Congress has mandated it.
As to the truck in question, since it came from the Southern Pride fleet, it is not that old of a truck that it is still running a mechanical motor, like I am. There are very few of us that are still running mechanicals.

 

You are correct and the way things are calculated it could easily swing against LS for silly clerical errors. LS has been smart financially by telling the markets they will likely have the expense of installing these units in all tractors in Q1 or Q2 of next year. They are also very smart in getting ahead of this. And while I am not one that believes that you hold back on business based on elections this is one of those issues that could change significantly based on what happens in November.

 

I know this is off topic but does peterbilt/kenworth measure differently than other manufacturers? Because I usually see a 389 with a 280" wheelbase but it doesn't look any longer than a Coronado with a 70" sleeper. Just wondering.

Also, that 170" sleeper sounds awesome. Its a rolling house haha

Ethan

 

No, there's only one correct way to measure wheelbase.