Another rookie post.

I would buy a small sleeper truck, even if you don't use it the extra room is nice, and if you ever get a load that takes you out of your area you dont have to look for a motel with truck parking.

 

Bill Gates is the richest man in the world and he can't afford the maintenance on a MaxxForce engine. Do a Google search on that engine and you'll see why trucks with the MaxxForce engine are so cheap. Some dealerships won't even take them on a trade-in.

www.OOIDA.com is a business website for the owner-operator; better check it out. Once you buy a truck, you'll then be a small business owner, not a truck driver.

 

If you buy a Maxxforce I would place a bet that you will be out of business inside of 6 months. Since you're in CA you unfortunately can't risk buying the best trucks(pre egr Detroit, cat or Cummins) so that leaves you with all emissions engines to choose from. I am thinking that the least problematic emissions engine is the DD15 with maybe the Cummins isx coming in 2nd

 

Agreed 100%. Even if you don't plan on staying out overnight, plans change, things come up. Even a small sleeper is hundreds of times more comfortable than your driver seat and when not in use for sleeping gives you a place for a small cooler, tools, jackets....

You can also consider a regular tandem axle truck. There are plenty available with small to large sleepers for not a lot of $. (And day cabs too)

Downside of this is:
*Extra axle to consider on toll roads - may or may not make much difference depending on where you primarily operate.
*Extra moving parts and tires to maintain - can certainly be a consideration but not as big as it really seems.
*Extra wheelbase "could" make it slightly less maneuverable in tight places. - my tractor has a ridiculous 310" wheelbase. With care and practice I can get into/out of "most" anyplace I need to. That said, something in the 250-270" range for me now would be like me driving a Toyota.. LOL. I use the long wheelbase to accommodate a huge sleeper and still have plenty room to build a very heavy-duty 6' extension on the front of my trailer allowing me lots of potential loads I otherwise could not take.

Advantages of a tandem axle tractor:
*More rubber on the ground and an extra set of brakes in emergency.
*Since it is a "regular" tractor you have zero issue moving up to any higher capacity trailer you want in the future, including box trailers, flatbeds, whatever you want if you later decide moving cars is not for you. Also from time to time you'll come across someone wanting a trailer moved, sometimes that pays really well then you go right back to your regular gig.

You can also fairly easily and not to expensively remove one of the axles, have the driveshafts modified and have a nice single axle rig if you decide to do that.

With my long wheelbase and single axle I have lots of frame space for tool boxes so I can carry all sorts spare parts, tools and ummm crap... LOL.

When moving from a pick-up truck to a real commercial truck you have LOTS AND LOTS of options. At that point it is just figuring out what is right for you, your current plan and whatever potential plan changes you may have in the future.

 

Bill Gates owns a $65,000,000.00 ($65 million) Global Express jet airplane with a nonstop range of roughly 7,000 miles with a cruising speed of just slightly less than the speed of sound.

It costs roughly $15,000 for every hour that plane is in the air. This means the 2,000 mile roughly 4 hour flight (including ground running time for taxi and so forth) from Orlando to Las Vegas ONLY costs in the neighborhood of $60,000.

If this guy can't afford a MaxxForce....

 

He still couldn't afford it. He earned $11.5 billion this year which works out to be ~$33.3 million per day;$1.38 million per hour; or ~$23,148 per minute. A man like that has NO time for down time. So a Maxxforce has no place in his life

 

YES!!! This, all day long!!!!!

My man, don't you know that your dualie will be mechanically raped within 2 years' time? Steel Dragon said a mouthful; these are pickups, not semi-tractors. They are not made for this kind of workload, it will eventually destroy them. happens almost every single friggin' time.

Just bite the bullet and get a single-screw daycab. Trust me, your maintenance and repair budget will thank you immensely.

 

Laylow009, contact me on private message. I have something you are going to want to read, and I really, really think it will help you and your friend a bunch. Trust me, you're going to like it.