WHY SO MANY COMPANIES JUST RUN FREIGHTLINERS AND INTERNATIONALS

It would be pretty cool to do wheelies in a truck.

 

Do you have a permit to haul that much reality on those axles?

 

Some internationals out of the late 80s into the 90's were really bad. The one I had I don't even know the model or year. It's basically a box on the front wheels and tires for the engine, another box for the cab and everything else was as short as possible to save space and money.

When you hate a truck and have to drive it, you physically do nothing for it. Sometimes to be a little nutty, trucks know when they are hated. So they break. In the shop you go. Vicious circle.

There is one BIG difference. When I was assigned such a truck in Little Rock about late 30's it broke and how. Not just break but collasped trying to kill me at least once.

The company bosses displayed the true colors and extent of their not caring a whit for truck or employee when they say... you don't know how to run it, you broke it. No wonder. I knew instead of arguing it was time to just quit leave them with a crappy tractor that will not keep employees very long.

And it's a shame when I enjoyed some of the older Autocar mixers that they had. (Don't tell that to them bosses, lord forbid the earth will have to pause in it's orbit for such a thing)

Now if you loved a truck enough to be wrenching on it for free to make sure it has the best while your girlfiends stews at home wondering if she totally wasted her life on you... you have a problem at home. However in trucking once you got into your pride and joy, the object of your love you are happy again. No problems eh?

Poor girl...

 

Boss at company Im leased onto used to buy Volvos, he had multiple problems with Volvos. He has bought several Freighliners and so far he likes them. He's looking to buy more in future.

 

What they taught me in business school was that only one thing really counts: total cost of ownership. Add up depreciation, maintenance and repairs, fuel consumption, etc, and divide by miles run. The end.

Of course, business school doesn't know squat about how expensive down time is, or how it chases customers and drivers away.... but that's why accountants are so good at running businesses into the ground.

 

Besides, Freightliner’s are good Trucks period. Deep pockets for R and D. Low cost per mile. I’m not sure I’d buy a new one, if planning to trade every 3-5 yrs. because of lower resale, due to market usually being flooded with them. I’m on my 2nd Classic since 2000. Total cost of Ownership,even if I scrap it tomorrow, hard to beat.

 

Personally I like the Freightliner Cascadia especially the newer ones. I use to drive one OTR back in 2000..it was a '99 Freightliner Century "72 bunk with a N14 Cummings. It ran extremely well with about 400k miles when I got it. I must of put over 110k miles that year and never had any issues with that truck. These Internationals & Volvos are no comparison IMO.