3500 drw & wedge/flat bed info needed

First off, not to discourage you but everyone who is out of work and has a dually is jumping into the car transport busienss because they have a buddy who is making great money.(Supposedly). So they think they are going to jump in an make it big too. Problem is, unless you have guarenteed clients, if you plan on running off of a load board, your chances won't be good. Out of every 10 that start, about 7 don't make it. I know of companies that have been at it for years that are getting out of the business. Know that you're also going to be competing for work will illegal carriers. Also know that auto transport insurance is very expensive.

Good luck.

 

There is no real rule of thumb about how many miles before something breaks on a truck. I have known of some that had to be overhauled with only 150,000 miles and others that have gone hundreds of thousands of miles over a million before needing any major engine work. I see no reason that you should not be able to find a decent truck for $15,000. You will need to take your time. When you look for a truck you don't want to get in a hurry. Check it out as well as possible. Once you find something you like, pay a mechanic or garage to check it out for you if you don't have the knowledge about what to check yourself. You can tell a lot about a truck simply by driving it, but you need to have a dyno done and get an oil analysis before spending your money.

You will probably find a lot of junk along the way. That is why you don't get in a hurry. Sometimes, you can find a good deal on a truck that has a recent inframe, transmission or rear end work. The owner just wants out of the business or needs the money. If you have cash in hand you might even find something for a good price at an auction. There are some who think that in order to get a good truck you need to spend $100,000. That is simply not true. Most of the newer engines can get at least 750,000 before needing an overhaul. Many will go well over 1 million miles before needing a rebuild. It comes down to maintenance. For instance, I change my oil around 15,000 miles. Most fleets go at least 25,000 and some will go as high as 50,000 between oil changes. If the seller has maintenance records, you can get an idea of how the truck was maintained.

There are no guarantee's. That is why those of us who have owned truck advise drivers who are thinking about buying a truck, to have some funds put back to take care of most any major breakdown. Turbo's can go out at any time and often without warning. I have had transmissions and power dividers to also go out with little or not warning.

My best advice is to look at a lot of trucks. Once you begin looking around you will learn more as to what to look for. Don't buy something just because you can. Find a truck that you like and spend the time and a little money checking it out once you do find one you like.

 

If I planned on pulling containers all the time, I would buy a step with container locks. It will save a lot of time. I don't know if you can get a flat with container locks. If you lease to a company that pulls containers, you can likely use their container trailers. Most rates for containers are cheap. I will load a container from time to time, when the rates are decent. But, you could pull a flatbed and haul containers. Hauling containers could get the driver home most nights, depending on where they go. It can cost from about $10,000 to over $18,000 to do an inframe (rebuild) on most engines. The difference is due to what is done on the rebuild and type of engine. The last time I checked, you could get a re manufactured engine from CAT for about $25,000. With trucks, there is no real "typical repair" costs. I have paid $3,000 to over $8,500 to have a transmission rebuilt. The higher one had to be done on the road and included a tow bill of almost $1,000. Clutches and rears are fairly basic in costs, but it depends on what needs to be done and the level of difficulty. I have a local mechanic who charges me about $65/hour. I have paid over $130/hour at a dealer shop. Parts and labor costs can vary widely from one area of the country to another.

 

The fewer tires you have on the ground the lesser the resistance and that usually translates into better fuel economy. Gearing and how you drive will usually impact your fuel mileage than anything else. Without a sleeper you will need to find a motel every night. That costs extra money. I would want to have the convenience of a sleeper rather than having to search for a motel every night. A step will have less wind resistance when empty, but unless you haul cars exclusively your fuel mileage can vary somewhat according to what you are hauling.

 

With the new regulations now in effect allowing loggging off duty while resting in a nonmoving CMV finding a motel is required . It never was required anyway.

 

theirs no money in hauling cars or campers with a hotshot rig. There are some niche's that hotshot can make money but cars and campers are not it. your better off using your 20k and buying a semi, you can find a rig in that price range that will be a good truck if you look hard enough, personally i would look to spend around 30k on a used tractor go to your bank and take out a loan and put down a sizable down payment and keep some cash for expenses

 

as for miles a big truck is good for: A lot more than a pickup. Look for a recent overhaul, and/or see if you can get one with a recent oil analysis. You can get a truck with over 1m miles with a recent overhaul with not much wrong with it for less than 10k. i saw 3 older freightliners go for less than 6500 each at a recent auction. every one of em would have passed inspection.

 

I'm a little confused by this post, Rick. do yo mean that you can or cannot rest in a non moving CMV? I am not sure where the "not" belongs in that sentence, but I think it needs one. lol