Truck Questions

Discussion in 'Questions To Truckers From The General Public' started by Big Ed 1000, Apr 26, 2018.

  1. Big Ed 1000

    Big Ed 1000 Bobtail Member

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    Apr 26, 2018
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    Hi Everyone. First off, let me say thanks to all the drivers out there reading this. I've worked in the intermodal industry for several years now and I never really appreciated everything you guys/gals do until I started in this industry. This country would fall apart without you all!!

    I was hoping you all could help me out. I'm putting together a report on popular trucks and have some questions (probably stupid questions) and was hoping to get some feedback from the people who actually work with trucks firsthand. Any help would be greatly appreciated. thanks!

    - Are the same types of trucks used to haul marine containers and 53’ domestic moves? If different types of trucks are used, what are the differences?

    - What are the most popular/best brands of new trucks according to drivers? What makes them stand out from other trucks?

    - What are most popular features you like?

    - Are there features offered that are good for trucks used in hot climates? (A good A/C system obviously :) but any others?)

    Thanks,
    Ed
     
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  3. lovesthedrive

    lovesthedrive R.I.P.

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    Ed, your opening a can of worms. Everyone is going to give you a different answer on flavor of truck.

    There are two types of truck really. Day cabs that dont have a sleeper and the trucks that do have a sleeper. The ones with sleepers are the ones used for long haul. While day cabs tend to operate a short distance and are better suited for city streets. Though there are also straight trucks that usually have a box mounted and wont take a container.

    Some drivers these days prefer trucks made prior to 2007 as they are pre-emmision requiring them to use the DEF (diesel exhaust fluid). A owner still can buy a new truck with zero miles with a manufacture date of pre2007 by buying a truck from a glider company.

    Most of the trucks that are out there otherwise are not O/O (owner operator) and are actually company owned. Then it is a fleet of trucks that is supplied to the company. What the driver will get will be because of what ever the salesman was able to sell the company.
     
  4. Big Ed 1000

    Big Ed 1000 Bobtail Member

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    Apr 26, 2018
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    Great info lovesthedrive, thanks! So I guess both daycabs and sleepers could be used to haul marine containers and domestic 53's? You're just going to see more sleepers used for long hauls. More daycabs used for local moves. makes sense.
     
  5. lovesthedrive

    lovesthedrive R.I.P.

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    Dont get me wrong. There are companies that employ drivers with day cabs that the driver may have a long distance drive. One of them being NEMF. I have heard that some of these drivers will get a motel room. Some of the runs will have them driving a distance that they would not be able to make the round trip and run out of hours to work.
     
  6. lovesthedrive

    lovesthedrive R.I.P.

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    Another thing some companies will employ are "drop yards". A drop yard may be where a day cab may bring the port load and drop off the trailer. Some of these yards may be at a whare house. The load either stays on the trailer or moves to the wharehouse where it is reloaded on a trailer. After it is reloaded a company long haul driver may get that load and haul it to its final destination. So it may not stay as your cargo container.

    Something that strikes me as odd tho. You refer to a container at 53 feet? Containers I thought were limited to three sizes. Ten foot,, twenty foot, and forty foot lengths. Cargo bays in a port ship are limited to a forty foot gap.

    Trucking trailers are the 53 feet.
     
  7. Colt6920

    Colt6920 Light Load Member

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    1. Any tractor out there will pull any chassis. A chassis is a frame that has locks to secure the container, and wheels, and is what the container sits on. For your different containers (20, 40, 53 ft) they will have their own chassis length. However, any standard semi tractor (truck) can haul any chassis, provided it has enough gross weight rating.
    2. For trucks it really depends on the driver. If it is an owner operator driving his own truck, a lot of them like pre 07 Peterbilts and Kenworths. Pre 07 is pre emissions, and will be more reliable over millions of miles.
    For large fleets, they like newer trucks, the long term reliability doesn't really matter, they dump them at 5 yrs/5-600k miles anyways, and the fuel savings are significant to a large fleet. As far as drivers go newer rigs are more comfortable. If you are running sleepers its nice to have an inverter for fridge and microwave, plus APU for air con at night without needing to idle.
    Things like speed limiters/governors and driver facing cams just piss off the driver. Dash cams that face the road are pretty good, most like them because it could show that a wreck is not their fault. (ie SUV cuts you off, you swerve into a ditch, dash cam saves your ###.) Also bigger engines are nice, lot of fleets will spec the smallest ######## excuse for an engine and they are not fun to drive.
    As for hot weather work nothing really special, most trucks come standard with AC, APU's are nice at night.

    There are now 53' containers, they stay strictly in the Americas. They will never see a ship, only rail.
     
    lovesthedrive Thanks this.
  8. BUMBACLADWAR

    BUMBACLADWAR Road Train Member

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    Ya,someone Out THERE? Has a Kenworth...or a Peterbilt...turned up to 750HP...Thinks it's "The Shiznits,...my Nizzle",but,it isnt....It's a "Hashed out Old Rig...That's On the Verge of "FLOATING SOME VALVES,THROWING A ROD ,OR "Self DESTRUCTION IN GENERAL". I MEAN,WHAT COULD POSSIBLY GO WRONG? THEY HAVE THE FUEL PRESSURE TURNED UP?
     
  9. I glide 47

    I glide 47 Road Train Member

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    Putting lipstick on a pig when you get through you still have a pig
     
  10. skallagrime

    skallagrime Road Train Member

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    As politely as possible, You're an idiot
    1. You don't turn a peterbilt or Kenworth up in hp, it's the engine that matters for that
    2. There are actually practical reasons for speccing high hp engines, heavy haul for instance, would you like to pull a 200,000 lb load with a 325 hp automatic? For that matter COULD you?

    Your ignorance is showing, please go away
     
    mslashbar Thanks this.
  11. BUMBACLADWAR

    BUMBACLADWAR Road Train Member

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    Ok...Ill Leave it with you ,since you Know So Much...Lol
     
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