This is why old guys gotta die off....

Welp, I may be wasting lots of money on fuel with my old timey Frightner SD (hood) but you're spending a ton of money ( and don't even know it) when you put your aero truck in the shop. Those aero trucks are such a cluster to work on that it Will take hours more to do the same repair as on a hooded truck. At $100 an hour if doesn't take very many hours to use up all your fuel savings.
With my truck I can open the hood and climb right in and practically walk around the engine. Making a repair is half the time.
I think that is good business sense.

Oh, and I averaged 7.6 on my last IFTA.

So, when you see a hood going down the road don't assume we're all going broke, or lack business sense.

 

Maaan I envy everyone who can reach the back of their engine without taking half the truck apart! That's my biggest gripe with my vulva.

Lousy resale, yep. The way I see it though, initial cost is generally less with an aero truck. I'll take the crap resale in the form of a lower purchase price, and not end up paying 4 or 5 years of interest on the difference aka "premium resale surcharge"

 

Not exactly sure what he meant either, but I think the gist of it was this: if you buy it cheap you can afford to sell it cheap, also an inexpensive truck will shorten your loan and decrease your interest expense, again making it easier to sell cheap without taking a whipping (depreciation not withstanding.)

As opposed to buying a hood for more money and having a larger interest expense (that will have to be added to the final cost) yet it doesn't increase the value of the truck.

So, ya, he can sell a hood for more money but his interest expense is going to mitigate his return on investment (ROI).

Obviously paying cash mitigates this issue.
But that is not always an option for a lot of folks.

 

That's X 1 Heavy

 

I was just "devil's advocating" that I would bet the majority of the difference in resale value is paid up front with the higher price of a new hood. For those who finance their equipment, that 5-8% worth of compounded interest on the 20k (I never specd a paccar truck when I did this one so I don't have factual numbers) price difference of a w9 or 389 over an aero truck with the same meat and potatoes, is gonna minimize the difference in resale values as well (not actual resale value of course, but in total cost of ownership over x years)

I'd love to own a hood (for the record) This vulva has too much life left in it and has been good to me (and isnt worth jack #### haha) so it doesn't make sense to get rid of it yet. Until then.....

 

I never said across the board.
OTR or Regional guys are the intended Target.

no heavy haul, no dump trucks, etc.

Are we on the same page now?

Update;
I had to check that Mack Anthem against previous statement about it's interior and I confirmed the sleeper is the 760 Volvo size, they don't offer a comparable sleeper unit to the 860 Volvo.

You do understand it's not a repeatable business model that any fleets can use right? You also have the choice to pay the government massive amounts of tax money or drive a new truck. Preference.
Yes there are the single digit percentage guys that can make just about anything work, congrats on that old Freightliner accomplishment! Seriously, great job!

the last 780 Volvo spent almost zero time in the shop over the entire 500k.. Can't say that about any other truck I've had, even pre emissions!

6.5 at 70 mph is quite good considering the equipment! The majority norm on a W900 is more in the 5.5 +/- at those speeds.
I know you can be over 7 mpg potentially if you keep it closer to 60 mph too and drive it very easy.


Yeah loving the new 860 Volvo D13 XE-TC getting 8.7 last tank at 72-73 cruise speeds. Light weight loads it's been over 9. Just amazing fuel economy.

Plan on ordering another one for February next year but a 760 with the smart lift axle.

 

You forgot the or you can work less option on the whole you can either pay the government more or drive a new truck statement.
At 60 I'm closer to 5 than 6 mpg, it uses the same fuel to run 1500 rpm at 60 as it does at 70.

 

Wanna bet?

 

On what?

 

it uses the same fuel to run 1500 rpm at 60 as it does at 70.