New local o/o, where and how to start?

That would depend on the work. I personally wouldn’t touch a used truck newer than 2007
Because of DEF DPF issues that #### started in 2008 and preferably pre 2000 - no ELD. Don’t buy a 2008 or newer truck that has had the Emmisions deleted which many have, 1. It’s illegal and 2. They do smoke checks in N.J. and deleted trucks will smoke if you get on the pedal and if they catch you you’ll have an expensive problem.
There’s many variables to what truck to buy depending on the work you want to do. A solid cheap Day Cab can be had for around $10k and see if you like being an owner operator. It’s not for everybody. Better to test the waters with a no frills day cab that’s been maintained for the work you wanted to do . A small sleepers nice to have , especiallly with a window in the back , helps in tight places backing in , but a sleeper is not necessary for most local work.
Your business model is to stay local and be home in your bed at night, there’s a lot of work where your at NY/NJ . A lot of drivers are #### scared to go into NYC and the 5 Boros . That’s a big recruitment thing for many mega company’s or OTR companies” no NYC!!”
They’ll always be work for a guy who can get the job done in the city. You just have to find the work that pays enough to do it.
Good local trucks
.Mack Vision or CH
Freightliner
International
Kenworth T800

You don’t want a long hood truck with a forward axle like a KW W900 or a Peterbilt 379
They don’t turn as well in tight city driving like a short hood set back axle truck. I’ve spent many days and nights going into the city working the trade shows in W900’s and Pete 379’s. And I loved the trucks , but a short nosed set back axle truck is what you want for tight city driving like General Trading delivering to city supermarkets.

 

2007 or older !
Mack CH
Mack vision
Kenworth t800
I’m partial to those 3 trucks for tough local city trucks.
Freightliner FLD
Internationals
Are good too
I’d stay away from Volvo’s. . They ride and turn nice but parts are sometimes a problem and have heard about a lot of electrical problems.

If you have cash check private sellers first , like Craigslist , eBay , truck shopper.local dealers sometimes have good trucks but you’ll pay more. With a dealer you can have them fix a lot of things before you buy it. Private seller usually not, but you can negotiate the price down. . If your not really mechanically
Experienced with trucks have a experienced diesel mechanic check it out before you lay out any money. Little noises , rattles, vibrations etc
Can cost you a lot of money if you don’t know
What your looking at.

 

The toughest
truck I’ve ever driven is the one I’m in now a Western Star. The reason I didn’t include it in my list is their usually bought for heavy duty work, logging, heavy haul oversized,
Dump trailer etc. So finding a used one that hasn’t been worked hard is very tough. They’re usually a little long for tight city work.
The truck above is the one I drive
2007 Western Star
C15 550 Cat
18spd
46rears
Tri axle
I haul 107,000 lbs of CD Upstate NY . It’s tough on a truck. Definitely not for local city work.

 

If you don’t have at least $10-15k cash saved up AFTER the purchase price of the truck, it would be wise to save up until that point.

Used trucks are full of unexpected costs. If that’s your only means of income, you need to be prepared to keep it running no matter what repairs pop up.

With a $10-15k budget, I would look for a late 90s/early 2000s era Mack CH or CX or a Freightliner Columbia. However, don’t get caught up in the make and model of the truck as much as the overall mechanical condition.

 

I agree. There’s a lot of variables. We put $25!k into that Western Star and trailer in 4 months after buying it and checking it out pretty well . That’s not including an engine which is around
$25k for the average in frame at a shop . If you need a block and crankshaft add another $10k.
Might be better to finance the truck and hold your cash for emergencies.

 

Go on truckpaper.com Also their are some groups on Facebook you might want to join ( truckers buy,trade,sell is one . Rate per mile Masters is the second .I've been seeing some trucks with fresh in frames( which cost 20k +) with 800k to a million miles 2000-2007 yr going for 30k-40k no emmisions (except egr which you can get rid of ) and no offense take some more time on your purchase and business plan . You're asking an awful lot of questions you should know the answers to already .