Some numbers for new O/O

I always use oem parts. And while they may have gone up a little bit since i last did an engine it won't be a large difference. But yes my labor. Many shops will do an engine for 2500 plus parts. But id rather do it myself so there is no question if anything was halfassed.

 

A dpf on a dd15 is 15k in PARTS to replace... emmision stuff is very expensive. Look at a inframe for a cat its 12 or 13 grand and then your good for 1 million miles and if new trucks are so great than why is it all of these larger companys hauling milk still own and actively use older trucks its not because they dont have the money. Mack is owned by volvo so you guessed it there not built like they usta be ask a person at there plant... the one guy said "built like a mack... maybe 20 years ago"
Why is it tmc kept there 07 rigs till 2013 when they probable had over 600k on them. Why is Cat so famous because they beat the rest and if you go to a good mechanic or you know what your doing the will last. If not why do people have cats with 3 million miles on em and still own em if a truck is paid for up front and not financed theres no intrest. Ask guys from back in the 90s there were guys who went and got there brand new shiny freightliner for 5 grand down well most of them ended up broke mean while all the other O/O with there older taken care of rig were making good cash heck one guy was retireing at the end of the month but sadly he was killed in a tragic accident because some guys in a van were high as hell on cocaine and passed out and them and there kids came across the median and hit head on killed all of them and the o/o hit the steering wheel in the chest it caused internal bleeding and he passed 45 minutes after the accident.
Look at it this way a 2015 international is 30k but a 2007 379 with a cat c15 6nz and a 18 is 50 or 60 k
Now if you say ok i only have 30k to spend but hey look theres a 2001 WS with a c15 and a 13 and wow dang this thing is in good condition and has been taken care of (this truck does exsist last i looked on truck paper). The trucking school my father works at has just gotten 2 new rigs and they have 5k miles on them and have been in the shop multipul times with emissions issues oh and i forgot the truck thats in the shop the least is 196 there 1996 fld 120 classic with a 12.7 and a 13. The new rigs have A 70 gallon fuel tank and no fender mirrors no power mirrors no 12v plug ins and were 90k each. they are still under warrenty for another 3 years but when that runs out there screwed. The guys in the said they were gonna have issues.

 

If your sick in the first month or two and have a 2500$ payment to make your gonna loose money but a paid for rig sits and doesnt make or lose money so whos in a better situation and how in the hell are you gonna pay a rig off in 5 years say the truck is 170k (mid spec) you still have 20k left before your even paid off and then now you need a new rig woah woah woah here this truck is only worth 40k now and if you buy bottom of the line pos trucks like bottom of the line internationals are 90k and the trucks are pos constantly in the shop. Its like this one owner op said "its kinda funny all these guys with there new fancy shiny rigs barely making a dime but im over here in my 05 columbia and making great cash and low costs for maintance." Most sucessful owner ops ive talk to have had older Cats in petes and kws and were making good money and not constantly in the shop and same for fleet owners. My dad knows and worked with a ex 300 truck company owner that he started and guess what he started with a used old rig and he didnt buy a bunch of new rigs he bought all used and payed 50 cpm in the 90s and 2000's. I'll maybe go talk to him in a few years when i get my first truck or maybe ill go talk to the guy at the company me and my dad ran for this weekend they have around 20 or 30 rigs and just bought a w900 with a n14 and a 13. The 2015 prostar we had he said he hated em. See what one of them says instead of some random people on a fourm.

 

All of the stress and headaches for $120k/year!? Just go be a company driver for an LTL carrier.

I am currently looking into becoming an O/O, but each time I read a post, I’m thinking I should just stay with Estes.

Thanks for all the information.

 

Lets say you dont need the warranty in the 3-5 years, its all money pissed away for nothing. I'll keep the 7k and put it into something "IF" it happens. That and save money you wont be hurting if you have a major expense. Its not the expense that is major, its society today and people having no control and cant save money. So due to the lack of people being able to save money, a warranty is a feel good band-aid for them. Learn to save, keep the 7k warranty money and you'll come out way better. A warranty is a money grab for dealers, they make a killing off of selling extended warranties. Most wont honor them or find a loophole that excludes the warranty anyway. "Normal wear and tear".

Right on.
The initial post said this. - 2.Average truck/trailer yearly maintenance/repair bill is $25000, so lets say $2000 per month
I agree with you, cost to do it yourself is relatively cheap, A local reputable shop told me once rebuilding an N14 is $14k. So that being the most major, where does the average of $25k a year come from? Sounds like a lot of people are getting took through the cleaners.

 

If you do repairs you know are coming yourself and maintinance yourself you will save some serious $$$ thats what our old boss did he had us bring him some axles with his dually pick up once he rebuilt a wrecked truck (long story beware of penut oil in roads) and the truck is still being used... we arent incapable babys here we have tech and all that stuff that can tell you how to do repairs or go to a school and learn it.
TAKE REPAIR PARTS WITH YOU stuff like ecm's small parts like belts and such are easy to replace and can save you a huge tow and repair bill.

 

I would say that most extended warrantee are underused. A lot of drivers are afraid to shut down long enough to get work done unless the truck is hard down. A lot of other drivers don't bother to ask if each line item in their repair bill is a warrantee item or not.

This is one reason why running hard and taking 34's is good. Every single week, I have a 34 hour window to get service done on the truck when I can't drive it anyway.

 

Yup, in a perfect world you'll never need it.
And hopefully you won't need it if you don't get warranty coverage.

I'm not a gambler and we've all hard the stories of $10-15k emissions repairs that are supposedly prevalent.. how many of those repairs would you wanna risk out of pocket over those many years?

In 3-5 years that $7k is about nothing but the assurance it can save you multiples is well worth the minimal upfront cost.
Financial Risk mitigation pure and simple.

 

Thats why i say if you buy a older but well kept and maintaned rig like some ol owner op's rig and that rig was his baby kinda things then you probable wont have a issue or find a truck and give it a could check over used vehicles can be good if you find a good used one unless you can do most of the repairs yourself then you can take a million mile rig rebuild it and fix it up and have a good rig see the thing is you can rebuild a pete or kw to the very last rivet ask the guy at pittsburgh power who thought that there was a 389 in the shop then found out it was a 94 379 !!! Just depends how much the rig needs figure out how much it will cost and then decide what is gonna be a better value. Remember cheapest rig isnt the best value and neither is the most expensive so find the sweet spot

 

What do you mean with the question how are you going to pay it off in five years?

Most loans are 3-5 years, generally with depreciation rules most pay off in 36 months or less.

New Truck payments are nothing monthly if you're working full time and not hauling cheap Freight. My truck payments are comprised of 3-4 days of work every month.

Don't really think it's much of a deal breaker or stress.

Honestly... but to each their own.