[GMAN]

You will see a lot of cab-overs on the west coast. One advantage is that you can get into tight spots more easily than a hood. If the frame is stretched you can hang over farther on the front and still be legal. I have seen some beautiful cab-overs with about a 300" wheelbase on the left coast.

[LOAD IT]

This 17 year old's ideas are better than my business plan and how I run my trucking company. Notify the wife/girlfriend...yeah so she can put the other guy out, or so Double L can come over. Double L, good luck and you have the right ideas and you have plenty of time to perfect them. Your posts have a lot of things that could be addressed but you have your dream and I think if you stay single and start trucking intrastate at your tender age you could be a successful gray-haired millionaire by the age of 27. GO FOR IT!!

[heavyhaulerss]

o.k. i have to weigh in here.. as folks here know. i drive a cabover. the benifits to me as follows. bought in early 99' for 15,000 cash while the hood's were going for 32- 35,000 thou for the same year & same mileage. i can get into tighter spots. & backing... i dont have to stand on the running board. i just look out my window, like looking out of a pick up truck & can see the whole side of truck & trailer. did i mention my cabover is lighter than a hood? i have a all steel trailer & can still haul 50,000 lbs legal. one time while in delta ohio there were 6 of us running together & all needed to get back to northern al. the lightest load they had going to decatur al was 49,500 lbs. no one could haul it except me & my cabover, & with the snow coming down i wanted out now! the rest had loads going places they didnt want or sat until the next morning. i am still driving my cabover with over 1 mi miles & getting over 6-6-1/2 mpg. no work done to engine trans rears. it still has the original clutch. i will say money has always comes in second.. the freedom of being an o/o is 1st.


but now i'm the kinda guy who if needed transportation just to go to work & back i would be the one to buy an ole station wagon. why? because nobody else wants them. they dont look cool like an suv & they will be inexpensive. so when we all pull up together making the same money.. i'm usually in a lil beter mood cause i'm not paying to look good.. :lol: same as my cabover. pulling up behind a trucker with a pymt of $12-$1900 while i have none & we get paid the same it is a great feeling & a relief for me.. but to each his own & my best to every one who at least tries to work for a living...

[Double L]

I keep forgetting cabovers are popular on the west coast. ops: Now you do got a point about getting into tight spaces. That is one of things I'm still trying to work out is the weight/comfort issue. I really like the Columbia's with the 48"-50" sleeper. Them things were pretty comfortable and I think they only weighed like 17,000. The company I was with had half Columbia's and half 9400's. The Columbia's had the 70" midroof XT with the exception of a few and the 9400's had the 51" hi rise. Some of the drivers had an all aluminium Manac that they pulled while the rest pulled the combo flats. I'm gonna work out a spec sheet and when I'm done I'll post it and get your opinions on it!

[GMAN]

Cabovers were very popular during the 1960's and 1970's. They were used to run the left coast with the longer 45' trailers. That seems like a short trailer today, but back then they were just coming out with a 45' trailer. The only way companies could pull them was with a cab over due to California's length law at the time. When they changed their length law companies started buying more hoods. I have always liked the cabovers. The second truck I drove was a cabover. Perhaps is just nostalgia. I believe I read somewhere that they were planning on starting production on them again. It could just be a rumor.

[DaveP]

Speaking of light trucks...

I'm in a International 9400i with 51" hi-rise sleeper pulling a 48' aluminum Reitenour.

Me, all my gear and full tanks...28,850lbs.

51000, no problem.

[dteam270]

The only problem I have with cab overs is, No room between you and the scene of the accident.

[rank]

wot i life,
I am trying to give the kid a break but he is not making it easy. My question was not to you it was to the kid. it's obvious by your avatar that you know coe.

Double L,
As mentioned, cabovers let you haul more weight legally and they let you haul long beams legally because they usually have a shorter wheelbase than hoods. This eliminates some of your competition and that means those loads pay more. And yes they do get into tighter spaces are yes they are (were) cheaper than hoods but now I think they're making a comeback. But you already knew that I'm sure.

Best advice anyone can give you is to not come off like a know-it-all punk. Someone tries to help, shut up, listen and say thank you.

BTW, I got my doors blown off by a nice classic Freightshaker cabover today. He received more than one compliment on his truck as he was rolling EB hwy 401.

[Orangetxguy]

Originally Posted by GMAN

Cabovers were very popular during the 1960's and 1970's. They were used to run the left coast with the longer 45' trailers. That seems like a short trailer today, but back then they were just coming out with a 45' trailer. The only way companies could pull them was with a cab over due to California's length law at the time. When they changed their length law companies started buying more hoods. I have always liked the cabovers. The second truck I drove was a cabover. Perhaps is just nostalgia. I believe I read somewhere that they were planning on starting production on them again. It could just be a rumor.

The first truck I drove was a cab over. A 1973 Freightliner, pulling a 45 foot Wilson Bull-wagon!! That was in 1974 !!!

Of course..I only got to drive it on the dirt roads..not on the paved!

[wot i life]

Originally Posted by rank

wot i life,
I am trying to give the kid a break but he is not making it easy. My question was not to you it was to the kid. it's obvious by your avatar that you know coe.

.

My apologies. ops: