Thinking about going O/O, any advice more then welcome

Hey there, I've been driving a company '08 Volvo 670 for a while and I've been thinking to "upgrade" to O/O. 90% of my friends around here are truckers, and 90% of them are O/O so I know what I'm getting into. My best friend is driving a reefer and after seeing his paychecks on regular basis... Oh my, I want some of that.

So, I got the most parts covered (good company with close to perfect safety score, pretty good idea about reefer rates and good/bad areas, good connections and bunch of free advices from above mentioned friends etc.)

My biggest dilema remains on what is the best truck for me. Brick-shaped mean looking rigs are out of question. I just can't afford 5mpg just to look tough. So that leaves me with either Int. Prostar or Volvo 670/780 (I'm never going back to FL after having really bad experience driving 2 of them).

I've been driving this 670 for like 130k miles now and I could really use the extra space 780 provides. And since it's gonna be my truck for a while(hopefully), that is not something I should just ignore. It is a bit more pricey, but if you look at it from another angle, I'll get pretty much the same difference if decide to sell out. Any thoughts on that? Is there a significant difference in mpg since 780 a bit heavier?

Now, the more important things. If I go for 780, what would be better, Cummins or Volvo D13? Reading a couple related threads, I came to a conclusion Volvo is more reliable and gets better mpg, but the bad thing is nobody but Volvo can fix it. Did I get that right?

Transmission - This is where I'm confused the most. I-shift or 13 speed? Some say I-shift is better, you can't possibly do it better then the computer mpg wise, smooth ride, never had a problem etc... The others are more like "GO MANUAL FOR THE LOVE OF GOD!", talking about $20.000 I-shift breakdowns. Is this really inevitable or its a sorta thing that happens on every 10th I-shift?

Keep in mind I will probably have to go with a used truck but with low miles as possible. I don't have any insight on Internationals so any thoughts on them are also welcome, it's an option for me too. Appreciat it in advance. Stay well and drive safe.

 

Thanks, I was thinking the same. $2-3k for a clutch sounds way better the $20k for a tranny... On the other hand, even 0.2mpg is a big chunk of money anually, especially if you drive like I do, LOL. And if your dad goes 68 all the time that is really awesome mpg, with the tendency to go up if you go down a couple mph.

Prostar I was talking about has ISX 435 13 speed frome the Lone Mountaing Truck Lease. They seem to be ok, truck prices are not much higher then the marker value, plus you get all new tires and APU... I'm just worried those trucks are too abused by the mega fleet company drivers

 

When I first started at this company, they gave me a 387 for a couple weeks and after that I switched to Volvo. Since it had a CAT engine, it was super fast and strong but I clearly remember getting 190 gallons for the same distance Volvo did for just 160. 30 gallons less, same load, same distance, pretty much the same wind resistance... I've seen Pete's with ISX 450 engines, maybe that's a good combo.

Anyhow, there is a lot of contemplating in the next 2, 2 and a half months. Hopefully, I'll make up my mind and make the best choise by then

 

If I got my math right, after all the living costs by the end of Feb(I'm on a vacation untill then), and a downpayment, I will still have $10k+.
Seeing a couple guys borrowing money for down and barely breaking even for the whole first year, I've decided to keep driving my company truck before my savings account has five figures. Appreciate any advice, tho.

My first option for now is 780, but I won't go for it untill I do massive research both online and live about all the problems it may cause. I'm not giving extra $10k a year to Volvo shops for a stupid "work-station" and a microwave.