Nope - wrong color. They are going to fail in trucking.

 

:lol:

Well, they been in business since, 1944 (I think. Somewhere around there, during WWII).

 

Actually if the truck goes down for a repair it can lose a round. That is more expensive than a truck payment. (for myself and the driver) I do have some O/O's that run older equipment,they lose a few rounds each year to breakdowns.
Quite a few larger shippers require CPA prepared statements to haul their product. You have to meet certain P/L levels ect. That keeps you at a higher rate. They don't want you going out of business. The only danger of a lower rate is to fall below the expected levels.

 

NO way. I would never buy new. in some area's you can buy a few homes for that price. a inframe on a det will run me around 7 grand. over 1.3 mil & still not had one yet. one thing about older trucks.... it is how you learn to think & work on things. just like working on old cars. we knew just what size wrenches we needed for changing an alternator or thermostat. when I first got my truck I knew nothing about the mechanics of it. I had someone come out & put a clamp on the air to air hose that broke. luckily is was a neighbor who I ran with & I called him. just a clamp. but I had no idea. I have taught myself & learned hundreds of how to do things to my truck. I also know what type spare parts I am likely to need to keep on board. it is also good for my kids. I want them to learn, create, build. not sit on a comp all day playing video games. I do not know enough about trucking to buy & make payments on a $114,000 truck. I do know how to say no to cheap freight cause I have no truck payment.








The thrill & the newness of a new truck wears off LONG before the payments do!

 

Curious, do you still drive? Did you ever drive? Whatever, I appreciate the perspective. I'm pretty content doing what I'm doing, poking along with my one truck. Even so, it would be awesome to get into the kind of revenues that justify new equipment. It would be dreamy to have a quiet ride and to know that equipment failure will largely be someone else's problem (while I'm sitting up in a motel someplace catching up on big beds, TV and overstuffed chairs!)

 

gman,
one thing I didn't see in your analysis was the much higher insurance and yearly registration costs for new equipment. Those equal A LOT and definitely need to be considered.

You mentioned that you got a new transmission at 900,000 mi. Can anyone comment on the expected mile life of a transmission? Is there a rule of thumb for those things?

 

I have a shop full of tools acquired over 30 years and I tend to go a little over board. I do my own tire work, body work, engines, etc., but my most powerful tool is my base of trucker friends and I highly recommend all to do this. They have tools I don''t have and we help one another, many times I will call and ask thier opinion and vise versa. My 359 with a cummins 444 avg's about 6mpg, I can do better or worse depending on me. My physical damage is bearable and not worrying about getting behind affords me more choices. One reason I like reading these posts is because I still learn something new quite often here and in this business the more you learn the more you earn.

 

Yearly registration is the same for a new truck as it is for an old one. Insurance costs can differ due to the higher stated value of the new compared to older one. I am talking about collision insurance which is the type of insurance which covers damage to the truck itself. If you have a $120,000 truck that cost will likely be 6 times higher than for a $20,000 truck. Insurance companies use a rate factor which seems to vary from about 3-4 1/2% of the stated value.

As far as the expected life of a transmission, there may be an expected life but a transmission is like a clutch, the driver will determine more the longevity than the equipment. I have known of engines that have had to be rebuilt with fewer than 300,000 miles on it. I have also known of some that have had more than 1.3 million miles and still going strong. I have seen the same thing with transmissions and clutches. If you treat your equipment well and take care of the maintenance, then it should last a long time. On the other hand, if you mistreat it and don't keep up the maintenance then the life expectancy is likely going to be shortened.

I blew an engine on one truck that I owned about 10 years or so ago. It had a Detroit engine and in talking to the Detroit people I was told that the average rebuild at that time was around 750,000 miles. I think transmissions typically fail before an engine. Again, it depends on the driver. I have had good and poor drivers. I can usually get in the truck after someone else has driven it and tell how the driver treated my truck. If you can do some of your own mechanic work then you can save thousands of dollars in repair bills.

 

1.3 million on my trans. never been touched. original from the factory until over 1 mil miles then I had clutch put in it. super 10 trans.

 

CA has 8.25 sales tax on new and used vehicles plus a county and/or city tax may apply. WA has a high sales tax. Don't know if it includes vehicles.