Old question again

"Fleet spec'ed" trucks, generaly speaking, are ordered by people who've never driven a big truck, ie; the mega national carriers. Minimum gauges, 9 or 10 speeds, fixed fifth wheels, small rubber, steel wheels, no passenger air ride seat, etc, and worst of all they are usually Freightshakers or Cornbinders.

"O/O spec'ed" trucks have, generaly speaking, most, if not nearly all options, 13 speeds and higher horsepower. Petes and KW's are commonly the desired trucks of choice.

There are however, a few fleets who spec out their trucks quite nicely. Those would be the trucks I'd look at if I were you looking to make your first tractor purchase. I'm not saying you should be impressed with chrome and chicken lights, rather something you'll at least be proud to own and drive which would likely entail something inbetween loaded and stripped plane Jane.

I'd stay away from Freightliners and International trucks, Mercedes and Detroit motors. Just my opinion.

An old Kenworth slogan from years ago stated "You could buy something else, but then you'd have to drive it". So true..

 

3 or 4 year old truck. Depending on how long you intend to own it, you may want to consider engine rebuild and repair costs. Cat is really high. Here in IL, we appreciate people buying Cats putting money into the economy. But Cat controls the parts tightlya nd they make more money from repair parts than they do the sale of engines. Mack, Cummins, and DD seem to be much less expensive repair and rebuild when the miles start adding up. It may be something to consider.

Demmy

 

You also need to look at resale down the road. KW's, Pete's, cost more up front, but also seem to hold their value better at trade in time. Fleet spec trucks are a dime a dozen on lots these days. I also would stay away from Detroit, and Mercedes diesels. Just my $0.02 worth.....