First, let me say, I actually do need advice and I'm not just fishing for prospective buyers, ok?

I haven't posted in a long time, I haven't had my own truck on the road since last year. After an 8 month layoff, I took a local job which hub is three miles from my house. I don't get back weekends much like I want but I do get home frequently without asking. But, there's this issue of this tractor in my driveway.

No plates on it and I can't drive it, supposedly something about solenoids in the transmission that went bad AFTER I parked it. May be something wrong with the key switch or whatever, too. Truck was running a couple weeks ago, and running well, though I think the mechanics jumped the starter solenoid, or whatever.

So, here's the deal, I let this go for cheap or, I don't know, have it towed to Freightliner, have it repaired- but how am I going to do all that without plates?

The mechanics want to tow it away, they'll give me 4k for it. The question now is whether I should just take that and be done with it or spend another 2, 3, 4 thousand dollars on it and I guess try to get more.

2001 Century class ST. Condo. Just over a million miles. Cummins ISX 470 hp. 140 gallon tanks. Chrome outer rims. Autoshift. Pump, compressor, hose rack, 5 hoses, fifth wheel riser, axles lock both ways, $400 brand new air bags, Espar (new, though it's not working, maybe a fuse), side door to sleeper, spotlight, new kingpins, new batteries, very good xza3s in front, Bridgestones in back are good. tilt. Some engine work at 650,000 miles, needs no oil between 14k mile change interval.

Needs a new driver's seat, new fender mirrors, as well as the above mechanical problems.

What do you guys think? Anyone have any idea what scrap value is? I'll check truck paper but what are these things actually moving for when they're running? As I said, truck was running great when I parked it.

It's possible to hang onto it in case I decide to go with my own truck again. That said, I'm just enjoying the break of worrying about all the extra. Like I said, home a lot, all north/south lanes, 2010 company tractor...

Sometimes I just get tired of buying at retail and selling at wholesale all the time. I can't really say that, though, I got a good deal buying my sister's used lease car (good deal for everybody). Still, the pump and all those modifications alone cost me $7800. Truck has $400 of diesel in it. On the otherhand, it won't get better sitting in my driveway another winter.

Lastly, perhaps most important, I never did find a local mechanic with the knowledge, talent, tools and shop, to take care of my truck, at significantly less than dealership prices. That hasn't changed and I haven't had any interest in working on it since I tried changing slack adjusters and an exhaust elbow a couple years ago.

Thoughts? Advice? TIA

 

try ebay. i did it with my dad's old volvo. did a 10 day auction and at the end it was gone for more then what he wanted. be dead honest about everything. even talk it down a bit. take pics of everything as well.

 

Woah, now there's something to think about. I could 'splain everything and a lot of people would see it. One guy hasn't much mechanical ability and he's completely skeered. Another guy, he's confident he can fix it and the mechanical problems are a minor hurdle.

Has a really good engine. Is a complete truck. Lots of extras... Not the truck for everyone but a bargain for somebody... I'm going to have to think about this one. Thanks!

 

My thoughts are if you don't think you will use the truck then there is no use in keeping it and allow it to deteriorate. There is nothing worse on a truck than letting it sit. It would help if the truck were running, but there are some decent mechanics who would love to get a deal in a truck that they can tweak and get going again. You won't need plates to have it towed to a mechanic. It could be risky to drive it home once it was repaired. Ebay or Craigslist are a couple of options should you decide to sell. You could sell it and put the money aside to use toward another truck should you later decide that is what you would like to do. If you wanted to part it out yourself you could get much more than selling it for salvage. You would likely get more by selling it to someone who is very mechanically inclined. If it was running when you parked it then it should start now. One thing about those autoshfts, if you didn't put it in neutral prior to shutting it off that could be the reason it won't start. If that is the case you might try moving the truck slightly and that could get it to start. It would also be much less expensive than having it towed.

 

How have you been, Gman? And, thanks for the reply. They got the engine running (no one pressing the clutch) so I must have done what I always did and put it in neutral.

Not sure which way to go. I hate to break up a good truck, but what would guys pay for a couple 140 gallon tanks on Craigslist? Then you look at everything else that could be parted out- like I said 400 bucks worth of diesel just sitting there. You've got me thinking, the parts ought to fetch quite a sum.

Well, this guy was supposed to bring $4,000 in cash by the house Monday. I've got a couple days to decide. I suspect he'd come up on that, but we had a verbal deal and I'd probably just tell him I decided not to sell it.

Home repairs/remodelling would gobble up $4,000 in a skinny minute. Right now, I just don't know when, if ever I'll want to buy another truck.

Are you keeping busy, Gman? I'm under the impression flatbed has been the hot freight this year perhaps due to finishing up fighting Israel's wars (bringing back military equipment) and companies like Arrow shutting down.

 

I have been staying fairly busy. I could have done more but had to take 4 weeks off with my wife. Rates are not what they should be but we still have freight to haul. Rates are not flat, but there are still many who try to move their loads for $1.50-1.70/mile. I turned down a load going to the Bronx for $2.25 this morning. It isn't enough considering the tolls and deadhead. So far they are having difficulty finding any takers. I don't know about flatbed freight being hot this year. A friend of mine was getting better rates with a van than I was with my stepdeck the first quarter. Initially, I thought that Arrow would have had much more of an impact than it did. When you stop and consider the number of trucks on the road, Arrow was nothing more than a blip. I felt that the psychological impact would have helped, but with the economy being down so low anyway it didn't seem to have a noticeable impact. We have been doing very little with the military this year. I seem to be hauling everything but military lately. Menlo Logistics took over much of the military shipping and killed some of the rates to the point where it isn't worth hauling. Menlo is a division of Conway.

I am not killing myself running, but am having some good weeks. Hopefully, the freight will hold up for a few more months. We usually see a drop off in the winter for flats and steps.

 

It's been dead here today. While I was posting this I had one come through for decent money so I'm off to work.

PS. Some one needs to wipe UTi Solutions off the face of the earth. Their rates are insulting. 1.20 mile freight. :roll: What's worse than that is some one is taking it. :roll: :roll:

 

There are rates for .80 from the North East that Swift and TMC are taking.

 

Install a EOBR and your rates will go up.

 

It isn't uncommon for UTI to take 40% or more off the top. They could not move them at that rate unless some poor desperate owner is willing to run for fuel money. I really wish these people would just close their doors, sell their trucks and find something else to do since they obviously don't know how to run a business. A business should be able to make a profit. If the load isn't profitable for the carrier then it should sit. UTI could not make as much money if carriers turned them down. They rarely call me any more since I won't haul their cheap freight. On the rare occasion that they do call I tell them that our rate for that particular lane is and they thank me and hang up.