Planning to build a small fleet, which truck to start with?

Depending on the repair and location of breakdown, obtaining parts can be problematic. I drove a Volvo for another company and when they get up in mileage, the transmission can be an issue. I broke down in Mississippi once, and the mechanic was saying it needed a spicket bearing, but it took so long to get that part that I ended up getting in another truck. As for service, it depends in the location as well. Some dealers are better than others. There are small repair shops in Chicago that are comparable to Volvo dealerships and they know what they're doing. Most of them have European mechanics, but they deal with those types of trucks with regularity.

 

Do you ever buy anything from Walmart? Amazon? Anywhere? The old 'buy American' idea is nice but it doesn't work very easily in the grand scheme of things. Your domestic car is probably made in Mexico and if not, most of the parts are. Howbout the computer or smartphone you're typing on? Made in Asia.

We are a part of a global economy. I buy what makes sense for my wallet and accessibility and availability are a big part of that.

I am a very happy Volvo owner but I'm not biased towards them. They just work well and I found what I needed in my price range when I needed it. Also, there is a good mechanic 30 miles from my home base. I agree that most modern emissions trucks are the same just like the pre emissions are shiny fuel hogs that attract chicks I'm not interested in.

It sounds like you've done a good bit or reading and planning. Glad to hear it. Keep us in the loop.

I hope by now you have a new spare tire in a rack on your truck. Costs half as much on your terms as it does on the side of the road somewhere.

 

It just doesn't work that way. If you own it, learn to maintain it. If you don't, you'll always pay. Pay as in enough to put you out of business.

New Volvo is 500k and 750k on the iShift tranny I think. Mine is a 2015 so long out of warranty.

 

It's definitely one you should look at but they all are. As Ridgeline said above, most new ones are largely the same.

Just as important as brand for me is tranny (I wouldn't own any automatic except Volvo). If it's not a Volvo auto I'd want an Eaton 13 or possibly 10.
Other things that are REAL important for an OTR truck are space in the bunk where you/driver will spend a lot of time, APU and fuel mileage. I'm also a big fan of the trouble free disc brakes on my truck. I hope to have them on the next trailer. Less scrutiny from DOT and much longer life.

 

10-4 on the Volvo automatic transmissions. One company I was with put some test trucks in the fleet to help decide which new trucks to buy. They wanted automatics for fuel efficiency also. The Volvo automatic transmission is the only one that worked perfectly all the time. So, the company bought Volvo trucks with Volvo engines and Volvo automatic transmissions.