Peterbuilt. Brass tacts question.

I can get 5.5 without really trying in my w9 pulling a fridge with a n14/18/3.55 and I live in ma and run to York pa every week Can get over 6 if I behave myself. Pa and ct have higher fuel tax but as long as you buy fuel in those states you are fine to help with ifta. Fuels a write off so while it’s important to know what it’s costing you it’s really not that big of a deal breaker unless your working cheap and IMO better then going broke waiting for your free repairs to get done on a new truck.

I would probably start with learning how to spell peterbilt though

 

I get 6.5 average in my 389 cummims x15 18 speed 3.25 gears. I run flatbed

 

Peterbilt.....since we are talkin brass tacks

 

Okay I might drive that Freightliner too.

 

Up until 88/89 or so when the FLD came out Freightliner was a premium o/o truck. Peterbilt and KW couldn’t come close to what FL used to offer for interior options back in the day.

 

Having driven W900’s and 379,s for most of my 34 years of driving
I can tell you the perception of yourself as some different bread of trucker because you drive a large car is just your own.No one really looks at you any different in the real world other than the few who try to create this ###### image of themselves through their truck ,and it’s just that ,their own image of themselves,no one else’s . A truck is a tool to make money. I’ve been in a heavy spec
2019 Kenworth t680 hauling 117k pound loads up and down mountains everyday for the last year and a half and have no desire to go back to a long hood truck anytime soon . This truck makes my day less tiring and actually more enjoyable with it’s quiet ride
,better visibility and turning radius and great fuel mileage are real world advantages that make a difference to me.I like looking at cool trucks too,but cool looking doesn’t always mean it’s the best tool for the job. A cool stretched out cabover looks awesome ,try spending a 14 hour day in one ,it sucks ,they ride horrible and are loud and have poor visibility down the passenger side . How do I know ? I owned one in the early 90’s , it’s a relic better looked at than driven everyday. A W900 is a good looking truck , they have a small cramped cab, they turn like a tug boat, and in the real world that long hood is a disadvantage but it’s cool to look at. I would say the same about a 379/389 long nose Pete, good looking truck but same disadvantages in the real world . I’ve spent years driving them in all types of conditions . It’s image over real world advantages that make a difference running a business. The major difference is a higher resale value with a large car . I have a friend who mainly buys loaded large cars for his small fleet and only keeps them a few years and trades them in.He does have a couple of aerodynamic trucks that actually make him more money and likes them that for that reason He buys the long nose large cars to attract better drivers (his opinion ) and for resale value . If it wasn’t for that he would have all aerodynamic trucks . The fuel mileage is pretty significant . He’s also a flashy guy and likes having flashy large cars ....Lol,!

 

My 2005 Ford Expedition gets 12 mpg around town, so I feel your pain.

 

I also live in Maine and drive a 379 Pete with an Acert Cat. I did runs twice a week between Auburn and Baltimore MD, loaded 100% of the time and averaged right around 5.8mpg. Speed maintained right around 68mph. When I did the occasional run to the midwest and back my average would be above 7, but that would be loaded only outbound. This was tanker work fwiw. Also have my truck for sale

I always budgeted around .50/mi for fuel and another .25/mi for tolls and it seemed to work out OK.

 

Yes, it is sort of an image thing. Especially in the roads I have chosen to take in life. I started out in 4070 Internationals in the late 80's. HOT NTC 400's made out of 290's. Others had big hoods back then and I finally stepped up to that . The old Binders were tough, tough trucks that rode like a backboard and got 4mpg. Had turned around boxes and would fly. We would melt about one a year but they were cheap and easy to rebuild. If bottom line is your main concern expect to earn it. It all turns into head games. I am not the guy at Golden Corral with the Pete or KW belt buckle and the Cat hat. But I am not in the plastic truck waiting in line at the dealer over egr problems either. Depends on what your doing with the truck too . To thine own self be true.

 

It's your money it's your business get what you like.

My own personal opinion is that those trucks are ridiculous and impractical for many many many many many reasons. Function is way more important than form, especially such an expensive and impractical form.

But it does not matter what I think or what anyone else thinks. It's your money it's your life it's your business get what you like.