First year has been Hell!

At some point you run out of stuff to fix is the good news. Then the truck has no choice but to run right!

 

That is my hope. Ha Ha.

 

Depends. Some guys can break an anvil with a rubber mallet

 

The only certain thing about trucks, is that they never stop wearing out, and that goes for new and old, when you think you have fixed everything, it is about time to start over. lol

 

Fix it right, so you only fix it once. Good plan.

 

If your wearing parts out, then your making money. If things are “breaking” then your in the red. That’s the old rule of thumb. However, nowadays just bc your loaded doesn’t mean your earning. Good news is now that your 10 months in you should have a good feel on what rates you need to stay a float. Always easy to talk about when your on the outside looking in. Little different when your not running someone else’s Trk.

 

If I can make it a couple
Months with nothing going wrong I would be thrilled at this point.

 

I had it figured out before starting on rates . Good news is I hit the rate and plus on most of the year. Can’t complain for starting out. I have tried a few different areas but always tend to go back to my first area started out at since it has been the nicest lane for me.

 

My newest truck is a 99, I tinker with them all the time, but I rarely ever have something actually go wrong, but there is not near as much on my old stuff to go wrong to start with.

If a guy didn't count tires and an occasional inframe, I doubt I have ever had a 10,000 dollar maintenance year ever.
My situation is different and not everybody can do it like I do.
I buy lots of parts when they run specials on them. Like the brake job I did on mine this year, I have had the drums, s-cams, s-cam bushings, slack adjusters, maxis and shoes sitting on the shelf for a couple of years, same when I replaced all the flex pipe on the exhaust. I buy sticks of the pipe and cases of the clamps, when they are on sale.
The last time I was over in the Yukon, which has been several years, kenworth at whitehoirse has windshields on sale, I brought back 5 for each side, and still have several left.
the morning I totaled my truck, I had made a deal to buy an engine to do an out of frame on and have ready for when I wanted to swap it in mine, I had also ordered several carrier bearings before I left out. as soon as I got back in cell service I called and cancelled them deals. lol

Engines, transmissions , clutches and rears I seldom touch, other than overheads and occasionally rolling a set of bearings in, water pumps and fan clutches seem to go every few years. I carry a spare alternator with me at all times, along with a piggy back brake chamber, but have never had a need for them, other than loaning them out. I bet in the last 10 years My alternator has been replaced at least once a year, and I still have not used it. lol

I seldom have any outside shop work done at all, so no labor bills on any of it.
Like I said, not everybody has the place or equipment to do it the way I do, but I have played with trucks for many years and have gathered up the stuff to be able to do what I need to pretty cheap, and keep my stuff up to snuff. Where I run, you do not have the option of calling a service truck out, nor stopping at a shop, except for the ends of the run, and it is not uncommon for a tow bill to be 10 grand or more, I do not break down on the road.
That little mishap last week was only 55 miles out and the bill to get her back on the road exceeded 8 grand.

 

if you own an emission truck you will always have problems. If you will fix it at dealers you will spent 20-30k every year on engine/emission system repairs only.