Every time I see a fully customized truck or condo its pulling a reefer or flatbed

I'd like to add my perspective on this.

My truck is an older 2005 Columbia. I pull a 2012 Fontaine step deck. My truck was $20k cash with 875k mi on it. My trailer cost me $33k used and I am still paying on it.

I'm not going to divulge my gross or net income,.. nor what I have in my bank.

I dont pull top shelf loads paying top dollar. I do brokered loads that pay all over the chart. Some good,.. some really bad. The thing is my truck earns the same as what some of the new much nicer and much more expensive trucks run at. Could I afford a nice new $250k custom semi with 160" sleeper? Um,.. I think I could swing it,.. but it would have me very truck poor. As there would not be much left for anything else. If I lived in the truck and thats all I wanted,. then sure,.. why not?

The trucks you see like that are operating in a specialized field by drivers and O/O's who have worked hard to get into that niche. Not everyone can pull Jeff Gordon's race car around,.. but you can bet that one guy who is gets paid very well to do it. That driver will have a spotless record,.. he will have had yrs of proven experience and takes his job very seriously. He most likely does a 1 - 2 hour pretrip on his own time before ever starting that truck.

Thats the kind of people you are seeing in trucks like those you are describing. They didnt just wake up one day and decide to buy a $250k truck and then try to put it to work. They made a business plan, they set out to build that business into what they wanted and they made their niche work for them. More than likely it took yrs of planning and hundreds of phone calls before they ever bought the truck.

There are many ways to make money in trucking. Those guys you see in those older ugly trucks pulling vans. They are making the same money (Most of them) as the guys in the nice shiney new trucks. The difference is their truck has been paid for several times over. They could be like me with expensive hobbies, like to take vacations and cruises. I like new toys. I put as much money into my truck as it needs to remain reliable. I could paint it and make it look nicer. In the end it will be the same truck,.. making the same money. I personally have no desire to show boat out here. I like my money in the bank,.. I like to watch it grow. I feel safe when it gets nice and cushy.

Thats just me.

Hurst

 

My thoughts are that my name is on the door in big bold letters. My truck is a reflection of my business and myself.
Age is not as important as upkeep and appearance.
My newest is 16 years old. The oldest is 32. If you don't know anything about trucks you will not tell them apart.
Home on a Sunday wash the truck.
Home 3 days later. Wash the truck.
Kids that get in trouble get to go "Polish the truck."

 

I think one of the reasons you don't see a lot of tricked out dry vans is they just don't make very many good looking dry vans.

 

You speak with words of iron. 10Bears would approve.

 

Hey don't knock it until you try it. I have

 

Don't generalize, there's a lot of smoke ,and mirrors in this industry, and many variables. Dry freight pay well .Do your research b4 you make an assumption.

 

SOME dry freight pays well, just in time expedited loads for example. but the vast majority is cheap. For a guy just starting out with limited experience and no business relationships, it's much easier to find decent paying reefer and flat freight than it is dry freight.

The easier something is, the more people are willing and able to do it, therefore the less it pays.

 

I totally disagree.Do you know that dry vans have to be food grade in alot of cases,do you know about a plate trailer?I can go on an on.Do you know who P&G is,there is alot of freight that is dry van only.Just to let anyone who may be reading this thread,I'm on my 5 truck.I have ran flat,reff,cont.Just do your research,and don't assume until you see the rates,and bid on them.

 

Those are not typical van loads. They are specialized. I didnt say NO dry freight pays good, I even listed an example of a segment of the dry freight market that does.

A new guy just starting out with his first truck is going to have a very difficult time scoring a contract with someone like p&g or Ford.

Chances are, a guy just starting out is going to be loading generic freight, no matter if it's van, flat or reefer, and working off public load boards. examples: canned goods in a van, roofing shingles on a flat, frozen tv dinners in a reefer. of the three trailer types, with generic every day freight, the van is paying the least.

 

I pull a dry van and have been told I have an awesome truck. Not show quality, but those things takes years. You do a little at a time.
I take my boots off when I enter the truck and have ones meant for driving. My interior has a genuine hardwood floor. Soon to have a full custom interior (peterbilt switches [eventually gauges when I finish buying them]), painted dash to match the exterior and another color to match the wood grain.
However I did just buy a refrigerated trailer in august.... so guess that'll count me out?
It's not a matter of your freight, it's about how much pride you take and want to show. Personally I want to be seen and heard. Straight stacks and chicken lights!