Starting out, first truck

And what are “The Standards”? I’m not trying to undercut no one but rather some guys asked if we’d work with them at times. This isn’t my sole line of work and I think you’re missing that. I’m telling you right now, if I gotta be dishonest about doing or getting a job, I’m not doing it. I’ve gotten the work I’ve got, from a good reputation and folks around helping me. They sure as hell ain’t gonna help someone who’s an under cutter, narcissistic liar. If I was trying to knock someone out, I wouldn’t have showed up with such trash equipment, by “The standard”.

 

Truck is 3500, trailer is 700, and insurance is 1000 so 62,400 for the year.

 

your confusing purchase price with running cost, everyone who thinks “I’m buying an old truck because I can’t afford new” has never run an old truck, you really have to be slightly ####ed in the head (like me) to do it

I also spent about 12k last Christmas on every stupid thing I could think of for the write off, but it was still a cost

 

You weren't a d.i.c.k.. I completely understand your thinking.. When I started I had a new truck .. but I lived in that truck for 5 years Literally..And pulled a half wore out trailer . .. but I was real young and had nothing to loose but my truck .. would I recommend it .. probably not .. I still run a 42 year old truck that I have basicaly rebuilt 2 times over in the last 25 years and fix'n to do it again
If your handy with a wrench and enjoy wrenching then go find what you think is the truck you want.. but just know your gonna spend money & time fixing it
If your not wanting to do that then I guess mentaly prepair yourself to make payments .. but I read horror stories here all the time about 4 & 6 year old trucks costing big money to repair and alot of down time waiting on parts
Which is why I don't wanta give up my old junk theres nothing I can't or would be scared to fix on it buts its not a truck that is gona get leased on with any big carrier either .. they wouldn't give me a 2nd glace
That's the only direction I can point you in and its not much
My point is I honestly don't think 50k is gonna get ya were you need to be on a pre elog truck .. my friend has a shop and we shop around all the time and buy a truck that we feel we can improve some reliability and fix it up to sell as reliable when we are done We are always in it for 80 to 90k

 

You arent the first person to come here with this "I just got my CDL and I wanna buy a truck and make big money" story...

[believe it or not]

I will tell you what I have told every one of them. Go to work for 10 years at least before even THINKING about buying a truck. And save your pennies. Ignore everyone like you are (because you have tunnel vision on what you want to do and wont hear anything that doesnt advance you to that goal) is the surest way to failure.

Buying anything other than a new truck is a recipe for disaster. Ive been driving nearly 40 years. 50+ if you count my days on the farm and in the army and frankly there isnt much I can do with the new trucks because everything runs through the computer (even the d@mn headlights), so dont delude yourself on "you gonna fix it yourself". You aint.

You got no idea of what can go wrong with a truck. You got no idea where to go to get something fixed. You work for someone else for 10+ years (I was a company driver for around 25 years before I bought my first one) and you get to know what can go wrong and how to avoid it, and where to go to get it fixed RIGHT when something does happen.

You have no idea even where to go to find work. And right now, in THIS market, that isnt always an easy thing to find.

Do what you want, its your money, but research failure rates on owner ops before you do.

And 2k a month for insurance? I pay about 300 with a brand new Western Star. Why? No tickets in almost 25 years, no accidents in over 30 years.

Get some experience, THEN "make a plan"...

 

I would like to say something to the masses here if it offends or you don’t or can’t understand it…..I can’t explain it to you.

There are some of us that have done other things but at the end of the day every time we see a cattle pot it would stir a feeling in the pit of our stomach. If we had that fiery crash tonight we would have pride in dying with our boots on. If they put our heart in a New York City bum that couldn’t drive a shopping cart soon as that m’fer could walk he be headed to find a long hood Pete and cattle pot he wouldn’t know why but he’d be on his way. It’s not a way of life a life style or none that ####. It’s a calling. You have it or not….many play the bullhauler part. I can count the bullhaulers I know on one hand. it’s not something you do for money or to look cool. However droppin panties is a side effect of it. The reason the trailer matters is simple the animals matter more than money they are living breathing creatures. #### can happen to any of us no matter the equipment and knowing what the right thing to do and doing it matters. How you react in a hard spot matters. Being farm raised doesn’t mean squat being truck raised doesn’t mean squat. Regardless of honest intentions it’s an all in or out deal part time is just a GD mess we have to clean up later. Hauling off your family’s place is a different situation. But until you’re loading a herd dispersal and watch a 70 year old man stand in your trailer and tear up cause he doesn’t want to see them go……till you’ve waded flood waters to get em not knowing where your taking them or who’s paying…..blowed through the wild fire and it biting on your heels same deal no idea where they going or who’s paying don’t judge those of us that have for having the views we have

 

To go a little further with what I posted yesterday about 25 year old pre-ELD trucks and what he's saying about $50,000 just ain't gonna cut it. The thing with pre-ELD trucks is that anybody who has one roadworthy is already driving it and not looking to sell. Unless you got a pile of cash maybe. They're not going to let it go cheap.

Not to mention have you been keeping up with industry news? FMCSA is currently in a comment period about eliminating the 1999 ELD exemption. Which means it's a foregone conclusion that's exactly what's going to happen.

They announced that about a week after my engine went down last summer. So at that point I'm thinking why the **** would I sink money into an engine for a 25 year old truck if they're taking away my paper logs? So maybe you need to get a mechanical truck if you still want no ELD...

 

Good stuff man. I sure hope most everyone that hauls animals have the utmost respect for them. It is bad enough that they are most likely going to get slaughtered, at least have the decency of showing respect for them. I hate people that have no respect to animals regardless of what kind of animal it is.They are all innocent and deserve respect at the least.