need advice-should I stay or should I go?

If you are competent with a wrench, 10k will fix anything that can break. Heck i can rebuild my cummins with new turbo heads and injectors for around 5k. Assuming ofcourse you get an older truck with a series 60 or n14. A newer egr/dpf truck and 10k is not nearly enough.

The biggest factor is that you take the time to really look a truck over and plan accordingly. 10k won't be enough if you buy a truck that needs tires brakes air bags and wheel seals just to pass a dot inspection.

 

Regarding percentage pay, that's what I went to two and a half years ago. I will never go back to mileage pay. If you are hauling high tariff freight, why not participate in the higher revenue? Besides which, since you are planning to become an owner operator, it's far better to go percentage. It gets you out of that "I gotta run me some MILES!" mentality.

I bought my own truck a year ago. It's now paid for and my 48' flatbed will be paid for in another year.

I made a LOT of mistakes: not getting a Dyno before buying the truck, not having cash reserves, etc. By the grace of a good mechanic that extended credit, a LOT of credit, and having the opportunity at the company I am leased on with to keep income going while my truck was frequently in the shop, I survived.

Now I feel like I am almost on top of truck maintenance. However, I still have a full page of things to get done, including upgrades (like full fenders for the drives).

I also realize I need to upgrade my truck. This truck was originally specced for OTR. I'm shopping for the next truck, something with more power and won't fall apart going off road.

 

If your gonna be doing a lot of your own repairs which a lot of us do on here, do yourself a favor and get what you want. Whatever you buy your gonna be putting money and a lot of man hours into it so make sure your happy with your equipment when your done.
The 15 is very similar to the 10 only with deep reduction gears. Unless you are off road a good amount of your day, deep reduction gears don't get much stick work. Stay with the 13 or 18.

 

Wrenching many times isn't about saving money, but saving time. Time is more important than money. That's whi I recommend that you still find a shop in your area. I take my truck to the shop when I go home. When I am at home, I have so much to do. The shop is an independent shop that gives me great prices for cash money. I leave a list of things I want done and they do them. I did my first inframe on the truck. They did the second. They charged me $950 labor. I bought the inframe kit and remanned head. Dropped the truck off Thursday morning and it was ready Friday. I cant compete with that, so I let them do everything when I am at the house.

On another thread, a guy mentioned how it took 2 weeks to put a radiator in his truck. OUCH!!!! I would install the radiator myself before I waited that long. There are certain times where I'd have a breakdown somewheres, something simple...and a shop wants to send a wrecker. I blew a high pressure steering hose on a military base and all the shops wanted to tow me out. For a steering hose? They're out of their minds. I called NAPA and they made me the hose and brought it out to me with transmission fluid. By the time the NAPA truck got there, the engine had cooled and it's nothing to work with hydraulic hoses.

 

I have to second it. But the truth is I'm getting better mileage with a W900L than I did driving a Volvo. That, my friend is a win-win!

 

Make sure you spec the truck for what you're going to use it for . Although I love my truck I'm losing 5k a yr due to poor fuel mileage 7 mi per gallon vs 6 is a huge savings . That's basically a maintenance fund for the year( If you're lucky ) . Do your homework, oh and search for the best interest rate on the loan ! Once you're in it you're in it . Good luck

 

Seriously?
The Volvo you were driving must have had major issues?
What kind of mileage are you getting with the W900?