Taking the plunge. My journey as an O/O.

Aye. The enormous maintenance costs I racked up taking care of all the crap that Crete never bothered to maintain, followed up with an engine rebuild and a lost month definitely crashed any hopes of really good numbers last year.

The truck note didn't help any.

At this point I do not expect generic maintenance costs to drop dramatically, but if I need to rebuild another engine, replace another clutch, or swap another one-box, that'll probably be a show-stopper for the current truck because I'm not going to try and keep a lemon rolling.

A new transmission or differential(s) would be painful, but they have age on them, and they aren't in the same cost range as an engine or one-box.

As it is currently, I'm looking at the first year as an o/o and seeing a lot of expensive maintenance that should not occur every year. Sure, other things will have issues. I've already replaced all my tractor airbags and brake chambers this year, and a full set of drive tires, for example. But I'm hoping to get through this year without any enormously costly failures.

 

I think you’ll be fine for a while. The repairs are always the wild card, being so high, they can easily put a damper on actual income for the year. The Trucks cost you quite a bit, but you’ve stayed busy, despite the downtime. 124k miles is still above average mileage, and too much IMO. Had you ran the boards, with your own authority. You would have made a little over 200k. Minus extra insurance and a Trailer, would have netted a little bit more, but not a lot. That’s the reality, the more you want to make, the more you have to spend.

 

A truck with over 500 000 miles will cost 15-20k in maintenance every year, no matter how you carres it and manicure it. A new truck will cost 30k in payments for the first 5 years or 500 000 miles and then the maintenance goes up.
The money spent on maintenance also means downtime.
No matter which way you turn, the arse is always behind.

So far, this year I am about $5 k in maintenance. 6 more months to go. Maybe I will have an exceptional low maintenance year.

 

I don’t know how a older preemission truck could cost you that much year after year.

There isn’t enough to them.

I’ve got a old 97 international n-14 13 speed with Million 175 I bought last year but yet to go otr with it .

Solid original motor and trans being it was one owner. Oil sample records come back fabulous.

Needs tires all the way around with balancers there is $6000

Needs brakes, drums, cans , lines. $1500

New shocks all around $600

4 new airbags. $600

Rebushing cab and new shocks 3-$400

Rebuild or replace 5th wheel $500-$1500

Tear down and inspect bearings and gears and Reseal rears , change fluids and replace universals in driveline $500-$1000 if it needs some bearing or axle replacements would cost more .

New clutch and rebuild shift tower $2000

New batteries and cables. $500

New water pump and belts /hoses $7-800.

New injector harness $500

Piston coolers replaced $1-200

New hi torque starter and alternator $1000

About 16-$17 in parts to make it reliable in my mind. Most likely double if you have to pay some one for the labor.

I can buy a really nice high quality fully machined and dyno tested n-14 for $14000 If catastrophes strikes.

But from what I have researched is if you don’t turn up the n-14 to the sky and keep new bearings in them and the oil pumping they will Run until the cows come home.
As any older preemission motor should.

Another key to make a motor live a good long life is keep it running cool. If it’s getting hot. Get to the bottom of the problem immediately

Which brings me to I would probably want a new fan clutch and radiator as long as I was doing the water pump so another $2000 plus labor.

So let’s round it up to 20 thousand in bolt parts. Another 20 for labor

New motor 20 with labor. Throw in another 5 for a new turbo and injectors and air to air.


So we’re at $65000 for everything replaced on the truck except the suspension and steering and ECU , so throw in another $15000 there

Plus transmission power divider and rears. Another 20 -25 thousand with labor .

Right at a 100 grand for more or less a new truck except the minor stuff.

That should get you through another 10 years and million miles for nothing but tires and brakes, clutch and pms.

$15000 a year or .15cpm would put you there allowing for another $5000 a year for pms and tires and brakes which would be skimping.

Call it more like .20cpm to be halfway safe.

So I guess you were right. Betcha you don’t hear
that often.

Though I Think a Handy guy like me could run for about 10-12 cpm for the tractor upkeep.

I think if your not mechanical and you don’t have a shop to wrench on a old preemission truck your best off buying brand new and trading in every 500 thousand.

Used emissions trucks I think most of the do it yourself guys on here wouldn’t take one if you gave it to them.


I know a Long BS post but someone’s got to replace 1xHeavy.

 

LOL I was thinking as I’m reading... man he’s kinda answering his own question. Then you said as much.

I hadn’t saw Heavy for a while. He get banned? Hope his health is ok if not. @x1Heavy

 

He just kinda Bowed out one night, I think it was on Dave’s thread of Nonsense.

I think he just felt no one cared or responding to his posts anymore.

Long winded and tall stories but I feel mine can be just as bad some days .

What’s van trailers costing you a mile to run? You running new than trade or running and rebuilding?

 

Something for you to think about, don't get the mindset that once the truck is paid off then you'll make money. You need to be able to make a good living with a truck payment. That way when you don't have a truck payment you can save that money for a large down payment or an outright cash purchase when it's time to get another truck. If you need the truck paid off to increase the bottom line to your liking them you're expectations are too high or you're running too cheap. Just my 2 cents...

 

Im at 700 k now and around 500 k is where most my maintenance occurred . After 500k Yearly maintence has been low , tires and PMs for truck and APU maintence but relatively low operational cost . Almost new Rubber all around and new clutch with Fresh PM , looking good so far this year .

 

There are two things that will be impacting my bottom line when I pay off the note, not just one.

First, and obviously, the note payment will end.

Second, I will be free to take a little more risk and lease my truck to a company that allows me access to a load board - which should turn into more money per mile.

I am not looking at the note payoff as some sort of money tree, it's just another degree of freedom.

 

You sure have a way with numbers