Double Yellow's Company Driver to Independent Thread

Well, assuming you are still doing ok with the payments, you'll be in great shape with no downtime when it "breaks open" again!

 

It didn't come with a payment or I wouldn't have bought it. 2014 was a great year that paid for it. When you're in that and you've never seen a downturn you think it will go on forever.

 

The last three that my company bought cost 25K a piece. That was the lowest price that we could find on them anywhere near us for those specs and they weren't top of the line either.

 

It would depend on your customer base. I remember when I pulled for Swift some customers required vans less than 10 years old and did thorough inspections before allowing you into the yard. They got inside the trailer, closed the doors, and looked for any light coming through pin holes under the kleig lights. I don't know if a $10K trailer would pass the test.

 

That's like saying a ten year old truck can't pass a dot inspection. Do a proper inspection when you buy it and fix any little issues it may have.

 

I agree completely. But, there are customers that require a trailer no more than ten years old. Then it becomes a decision whether the revenue from that customer justifies purchasing a newer trailer versus the ROI. It might make sense to get something about 4-6 years old so you can get a few years out of it.

 

Even at 4 to 6 years old, there are plenty available for real cheap. A person should never buy a new dry van and pay that new cost when they can save 10 grand on one 6 months old. It's not like a flat bed that really holds its value, dry vans drop in value more than a new car.
For a large carrier it makes sense to buy new, they have huge fleets they constantly need to turn over. But for us single truck operators and small fleets, just way to many used ones on the market. We can take a bit of time to find the right trailer at the right price, where they need 100 a year so cant spend a month looking for 1.

 

@double yellow A reason I would run not walk to relocate from cali
http://www.livetrucking.com/firetruck-falls-into-crumbling-california-highway/

 

Upon attempting to verify my 1099, I realized I missed entering several settlements (easy to do when they don't bother to send it every week). The good news is, I made about $12,000 more than I thought. The bad news is, I made about $12,000 more than I thought.

 

working my way through the whole thread. Thanks for sharing.