Semi.
Trying to figure out $-$ if it's worth it or not, lot's of variables to take into consideration.
I don't want one of those ugly ass aerodynamic plastic space ships I see driving around now, so I need to figure out the difference in fuel mileage.
Need to find a carrier with good rates and determine what I want to haul before picking which type of truck to buy also.
Essentially looking at 2008-2012 peterbilt 389's would want to keep it under 100k for first truck.
Not sure on cummins or cat need to do some asking around to see what people had better luck with.

I'm sure only a handful of people here work directly or indirectly with semi's or would even have a clue

Ofc its not worth it.

unless you like truckstop bathroom sex, lot lizards, illicit drugs, and being targeted and harassed by the DoT regularly.

NUTTIN WRONG WIF DAT

on the real tho hit up JDH or wait for him to post

it cost a lot of money to keep one on the road. ive also heard that if you are an o/o that you come last to get loads to run. you might want to be prepared to have to switch who you contract with if they are treating you like crap.

i dont have any experience with cat but usually its all good. ive had a cummins isx in 2 different trucks and have had good luck but our 2012+ cascadias have nothing but problems with their cummins. we had one threw a rod through the block with less than 20k miles on it. if i were you i would stay with 08 or older because after that is when exhaust regen and def tanks became mandatory (im not a fan of those i think thats why our cummins have problems). i drive for the company ive never owned my own i cant really help there.

also as far as aerodynamics if you are going to be pulling a box i would get the air dam or fuel mileage will suffer. flat bed, tankers, and buckets you dont need to worry about an air dam. you can make more money hauling haz mat but remember it costs more on your license and you have to worry with placarding and all the right permits for every state you go through. same with beer you need your bootlegger permits.

e/ koj has a buddy or something that owns his own rig you can ask him about operating costs and stuff like that.

This post was edited by JDH on Jun 22 2014 06:16pm

Also apparently(at least in oklahoma) if you have a CDL any traffic violations whether in the truck or in your prius become escalated over the fines non CDL drivers pay.

few months ago my dad got a ticket driving his pickup and it was something like $200 and when he got to court the judge informed him it was actually around $700 because he had a CDL

i swear the government is trying to ruin the trucking industry lol

this, I remember reading this awhile back. What a load of shit that rule is huh?

Yeah things run a bit different up here than in the states with licensing/permits that's for sure.
As far as o/o getting loads last, that doesn't really make sense, loads worth x $ no matter what lol.
My brother-in-law is buying a brand new pete this year some time, I just can't seem to figure out what's better, buying something a few years old for half the price with a bit of warranty left, then all maintenance/repairs is out of your pocket, or go brand new and be risk-free for 5+- years 800,000km+- but have a 2000-2400 payment a month.
I know a lot of guys buy brand new, run it for a few years, sell it, buy brand new again, don't think buying brand new would be smart for a first truck, something about locking myself into something that is 150-170k makes me uneasy.
Then again I hear a lot of horror stories with constant break downs, making o/o's go broke real quick.

Yeah Canada doesn't do that shit, USA has a lot of issues it seems lol..

Funny thing is he doesn't even drive anymore. He's a diesel mechanic only anymore and simply didn't see a reason to not keep the CDL until he found this shit out lol.



When my dad drove cross country trips he basically got harassed and ticketed for shit that basically boiled down to an opinion.

I'm not saying he didn't do illegal stuff now and again but i went with him out of boredom one time and he forgot to update his log book cause it was hot as fuck and we kept having to deal with a load of just awful to be around onions in cali heat.

basically ended up grounded for 24 hours due to a log book violation and the officer wouldn't allow him to move the truck somewhere out of the direct sunlight so the onions wouldn't be excessively damaged.

if the company uses o/o and they have their own trucks also then they will give priority to their own trucks. ive been told that by people before i dont know that for sure or anything though. like i said ive only drove company trucks.



that must just be in oklahoma because ive gotten tickets and they werent any higher than they were before i got my cdl