Owner Operator Specs?

If you hear a dealer say that it just means big power and fancy lip stick with a high price tag. I am waiting on delivery of my new truck here soon and it is "owner operator" spec. To most on here it just means well thought out or tailored specifically to them. Mine is custom spec'd by me for maximum MPG. It means different things to different people. We each have a certain goal in mind and spec a truck to do that specific thing. Dealers use the phrase as marketing to get a better margin on a pretty truck.

 

Probably means its not a castrated POS fleet truck with a gutless engine and a 10 speed/auto.

 

O/O spec varies quite a bit but the common denominators are usually a bigger engine or higher hp/tq ratings, a manual transmission, more gauges and a nicer interior, as opposed to a fleet truck that was spec'd out for lowest cost above all else.

Take it with a pretty heavy grain of salt. My O/O spec for what I like to do and where I like to run may not be the same as the next guy's, and so on.

 

Usually leather interior, air ride, 13/18spd unrestricted engine, chrome add-ons, etc that fleet wouldn't order for their average driver.

 

Reefer freight mostly East of the Mississippi. Spec'd with amenities of an APU and a fridge. Power train specs are maximum efficiency; 13l motor, 10 speed direct, 6X2 axle, 2.5 ratio.

 

6X2 means there is only one drive shaft and one of the axles is a dead axle. Direct means no over drive. In top gear the transmission is a 1:1 ratio. More efficient use of horsepower.

A dealer can submit stuff to engineering regarding gradability, or how fast you want to crest a grade. You could say I want to be able to crest a 5% grade at 45mph and they can determine what that will take. The problem is that it takes a lot of HP to do that. More HP always equals more fuel. I don't care about speed or gradability; mine is built specifically for big MPGs and a lot of guys would probably hate to drive what I built. Your target cruising speed is important as well. I only drive 60 everywhere I go and go 65 maybe 5% of the time. A good dealer that actually listens to you can help you with a spec that strikes a balance based on your needs. Unfortunately, I found most are only interested in building what the OEM tells them to build and once you start customizing things, be ready for a battle. I started this process in mid February and finally got the truck ordered last month. I went all over town trying to find someone to build my spec.