grease monkey drivers?

From the business end of it, if you can pay a shop $100/hr to do the work while you take care of business that would cost you $200/hr, that shop rate is money well spent. In other words, though knowing your truck may be a good thing, but knowing your strong points and weak points and using them to know which side of business to pay out on, would be better business. IMO.

That said, I know that I am not fast enough, nor equipped well enough, to go beyond the peripherals of the engine. I can remove and instal rebuilt dropin gear heads, remove and instal transmissions and do most older clutch work. I am even equipped to do tires in an emergency, but I prefer not to. On the other hand, I am experienced in welding and minor metal fab, so that sort of repair work I can do efficiently enough to make it worth my while and come out ahead.

It really comes down to knowing where your strong interests, experience, and/or education can be better served. IMO.

 

It's usually a good thing to be friends with a good mechanic, I used to be a power equipment tech, it almost hurt to see all the backyard mechanics finally bring in a piece of equipment after many wasted hours and lots of $$ spent on throwing parts at it. I've also seen lots of equipment trashed by people who thought they know how to fix things that they didn't. . So if you don't know what your doing then find someone who does to help you.

 

I do everything on my truck (installs, fab work, polishing, tires, modifications, etc.) except for internal engine work, that is reserved for the shop that meticulously overhauled the engine.

My rates are higher than most people so I have more time not driving than most guys. I found in between the work I do get I should use my time to save myself money I otherwise would be paying other people. So I learn a lot and have piece of mind that the work done on my truck is done correctly, thoroughly and efficiently as possible.

That doesn't just mean mechanical work, I currently don't pay anyone to do anything for my business. I do all tax related stuff, billing, safety compliance, and whatever else needs to be done.

 

My dad was a mechanic, so we always did our own repairs. Anything that I haven't done I usually get more information and do myself.

The problem with taking your truck somewhere is that:

1) You have to wait for them to get to it
2) Often, you get a big bill
3) Sometimes they don't fix it right and you have to do it yourself anyway.

 

I drove for 3 years after getting out of school, long haul all over the US and Canada. I went back to school and became a mechanic, I worked in truck shops for 45 years and can count on one hand the numbers of owners that ever asked if they could do anything to their truck. People would pay $60.00 plus parts to change a tail light bulb, many of them were owner operators.
To make money you want to learn how to at least look over your truck and find a problem, if nothing else at least wash it.
Just a thought!

 

Well I didn't go to school but mechanicing on heavy equip and trucks made a good living for my family 20 years. I realize I have an advantage over the normal O/O but I won't let any body touch my two except tire mounting. Though I have seen many just like john described go broke paying to change a bulb

 

Very true.

I knew two brothers that wanted to go into the trucking business. Their father had a BIG business that employed hundreds of people. So the father financed them.

They bought two brand new Mack dumps and a brand new Peterbilt tractor and a dump trailer. Whatever those trucks needed, they went straight to the dealer.

Even though these guys had unlimited financing and money was not a problem, within 5 years they closed up because they could not show a profit (the father cut them off), and back to work for daddy they went.

It just goes to show you. Knowing your business and having the right work ethic is worth more than all the financial backing that you could ever dream of.

 

I spent a lot of time working in the truck repair business, and you can do everything right and get a lemon, or if someone else runs into you, and puts you out of work for a few months, even the best can go broke. Many things can cause an owner operator to go broke. When I see someone spending thousands on fancy lighting and chrome, it makes me wonder.
A prime example was while at Freightliner we had a guy come in for a minor engine repair, I did that and was going to take it for a road test, I checked the steering linkage for wear the drag link was really bad. I did a very short road test and informed the driver.
The next morning the driver was standing in front of his truck looking perplexed, I asked him what was wrong he stated, he did not have enough extra cash for the drag link and the stacks, I asked what was wrong with the stacks he said they were tarnished. I thought he was kidding, I went to work on a different unit, come coffee time there was his truck with the stacks being changed, I asked him about the drag link he said it would wait, I informed him that if he took the truck out without replacing the drag link I was going to call the CVSE, inspection pigs, and I showed him the business card I had blown up, to a full page, with the phone number on it. He just laughed, When he was getting ready to leave I picked up the phone and called, they caught him at the scale, and condemned the truck, which meant it needed to be repaired in place or towed.
Just a thought!

 

The thing is we all have our strong and weak points in this business. If you do all you can but stay in your realm of knowledge you will be fine. An example is I may know my truck from front to back and have the tools to do anything. When it comes to taxes and authority issues I have to refer to trusted professionals. While another O/O is a whiz at taxes and authority issues, but internal engine work he is gunshy. But we are all capable of light repair and minor crap, but if I had a good size repair done by a shop and knew I had light trouble yea it makes sense to have them do it while they have it. when its done you can put it in the wind. Instead of more down time.

I do like flashy things and a clean truck it makes a statement to me. If its covered in lights but half don't work and its filthy makes a different statement. My truck looked bad when I put it out on the road just on the outside. After running it a year its still immaculate under the hood and frame rails. I built a solid foundation first, it holds air better 2 or 3 days before it gets below 90psi. The exterior was last to me but worth the wait. Why any body would go cosmetic before safety or mechanical is beyond me but they don't need to be in the trucking business. Thats my thought!

 

Now thats dumb. I guess chrome was more important than steering? Wow.