Flattops pullin Reefers

Only a few percent ?

I'm sorry i love the look of a flat top but show me some getting 8+ mpg.
My Q2 IFTA was 10.3 with the Volvo XE running gross on the I-95 corridor southeast.

 

And fairings on a crappy specs truck won't get any good MPG either...
My leased friend is getting way less MPG with his Volvo but his specs are way different... Traditional rears is one big killer.

 

It's not about looks. You can have a 20 mule team on that reefer if your schedule allows for it and you had a doubles or triples license for a water tanker to maintain the mules for the trip.

I sense a reliance on appearances. Now I like good looking trucks as much as people like good looking women (That too, but I am a sort of person who relies on the function rather than just the form or looks...) I see a thinking people are buying flattops because they do not carry a price premium and are not as expensive to maintain they need a tractor with a sleeper to run that reefer. And they have it. And are doing it.

My first sleeper was about 34 inches high, 96 inches wide (The drive tires in the old 96 inch trucks before the new 102 inch trucks showed up...) and probably right about 4 feet deep or long along the frame behind the drivers seat. Just a bed, light switch and something for hot air in winter.

Fast forward to the new sleepers today, particularly the Volvo 780 series, those are like freaking apartments back there. It's lucky New York City does not impose a Rental license with a monthly housing cost of 3000 dollars for such a nice place...

 

I am comparing a flat top Pete to a stand up Pete. The difference won't be much if that is the only difference. Compare a flat top long wheelbase to your Volvo xe, of course you will win the fuel economy game. I don't much care, my fuel economy works for my operation and I much prefer to drive my hood. Does it cost me more? Yes. Do I like it more to justify the extra expense? Yes.

 

Yeah it's basically a classic looks vs business dollars n comfort thing.

I am torn because i love the XE in the 780 Volvo ... BUT .... I really really love the LOOKS of a classic style truck.

I've thought that I'll have a truck that is good business.... and then buy one that's for the looks and pride to ride ... It'll be decked out to the 9s though


The ELD problem is just pushing my dream a little faster for the project truck lol !!


.

 

Sometimes I think the areodymanics around big rigs is a manufactored set of HOOEY.

Bear with me here.... Let me explain.

Nice volvo 150,000 dollars retail. Fine. Remove the Areodynamic skirt, nut covers, this fairing that fariing etc etc etc. to paraphrase it just became a 125000 dollar retail tractor.

With me so far? You are still going to get 6 miles to gallon roughly. Spending 30,000 more dollars to eke out a .5 or .75 extra mile per gallon fuel mileage is falt redicilous.

 

Can I ask what your 780 weighs when full of fuel and def (bobtail)

I have heard they are very heavy tractors, just wondering how heavy..

 

What?! And eliminate the old school tradional diamond dot interior padding?!

 

Hmm. Quick math here. Solo driver. Truck life 5 years. 120k miles per year.

600,000 miles.

At 6 MPG = 100,000 gallons fuel.
At 6.5 MPG = 92307 gallons fuel.

$25,000 fuel efficiency features save 7693 gallons fuel.

This will be worth it with average fuel per gallon cost of @ $3.25 per gallon. Not particularly attractive, and that doesn't count financing costs on that extra 25k.

If you get .75 MPG improvement for 25k, the math actually starts to look decent.

At 1.0 MPG improvement, it's hard to turn down the money it will make for you.

EDIT: I suspect most owner operators try to keep trucks for more than 5 years, and quite a few run more than 10k miles per month.