[flood]

Originally Posted by RockyMtnProDriver

I looked at them. they look good, I am just not sure that they heat the engine coolant to assist in cold weather starts. That is important to me as I will be laying over in Edmonton Alberta and it can get to -40 here in the dead of winter.

I emailed the manufacuterer for more info and will post it once they get back to me.

i know it gets cold, i had a friend that lived in stoney plain ab that i would go see every year (in feb) love west ed mall. a block heater pluged into the APU would work to keep it warm

[firebird_1252]

you are missing nothing with the jake brake.. almost non existing.. then again i drove the truck a whole 15 miles.

[RockyMtnProDriver]

did you have the one with the jake, or the engine brake?

[no_worries]

Maybe they've gotten better but the automated 18-speeds used to be pretty "shifty". It didn't take much of a change in rpm's for the tranny to change gears resulting in lost efficiency and increased wear-and-tear...not to mention the annoyance factor. Pulling regular weights, a 13-speed would do the trick, though you would probably need a lower rear-end ratio. Maybe those 18-speeds have improved, or you could just put it in manual when need be. As somebody who enjoys having an automated transmission, a good driver will be able to get better fuel economy with a manual.

[RockyMtnProDriver]

Originally Posted by no_worries

Maybe they've gotten better but the automated 18-speeds used to be pretty "shifty". It didn't take much of a change in rpm's for the tranny to change gears resulting in lost efficiency and increased wear-and-tear...not to mention the annoyance factor. Pulling regular weights, a 13-speed would do the trick, though you would probably need a lower rear-end ratio. Maybe those 18-speeds have improved, or you could just put it in manual when need be. As somebody who enjoys having an automated transmission, a good driver will be able to get better fuel economy with a manual.

That was one of the things I was wondering. More than likley I woul drive it in Manual mode for most of the time and downshift manually when I wanted. I would still like to have control of the truck, but with a buton and not a clutch/stick.

[firebird_1252]

Originally Posted by RockyMtnProDriver

did you have the one with the jake, or the engine brake?

engine if i'm not mistaken. very very very very quiet.

[GMAN]

Originally Posted by RockyMtnProDriver

I think that it is a Darwinian thing. Those that can think they make a buck in this business by underpricing their services fail. Werther they are a single person or a huge company. The single person does it because they want to be "truckers" first, and business men second. The company's fail because they make bad business decisions.

Those that understand that there are two sides to this. The business of hauling freight and the freedom of being an independent trucker and do those in balance (sometimes it is 50 / 50 and sometimes it is 90 / 10 or 10 / 90 )are the ones who do well.

I know lots of independents who fail miserably, but I know more who do well. It is the same highway, the same trucks, the same hours, the same fuel price. The only variable is how they see the business side of what they do.

But that goes in all business's. Some people belong as business owners and some belong working for those business owners. Not everything, is for everyone.

I have owed several companies over the years. I have NEVER used price as a selling feature with any of them. I feel that if the only thing you have to sell is a cheap price then you have nothing to offer. Those who make it in business don't do it by being the cheapest.

Most businesses have a high failure rate. This industry is no exception. I think the difference between this industry and others is the low cost of entry compared to most other types of businesses. Not everyone is cut out to run a business. Some people should never own a business. But, you may never know if you are one who is cut out for it until you try. 90% of businesses fail. But, 10% succeed. I think the difference between those who make it and those who fail is commitment and perseverance. You have to commit to being successful. You need to commit to doing what is necessary to be successful. And the most important thing is perseverance. You keep at it until you are successful. One other thing is being flexible. Some people keep doing the same thing the same way even though what they are doing is not working for them. You must remain flexible and be willing to change to meet changing market and economic conditions. That doesn't mean that you need to give your services away, but if something isn't working for you that you need to try a different direction. I don't recall hearing of any company who has become successful by giving away their services or selling them for less than it costs to offer those services and without making a profit.

It is easy for some to sit on the sidelines and criticize those of us who are in business. I find that those who are most critical are the ones who have never made it on their own. They are the ones who have never been able to make it on their own. Yet, they can tell those of us who have managed to survive for several decades through good and bad economies how we should run our businesses. They could not make it on their own, yet they know how we should run our business in order to be successful. I have had drivers who would run cheap loads just to keep moving (I pay percentage). It doesn't make any difference if it is profitable or not, only that they keep moving. There are owner operators and carriers who have the same attitude.

We hear a lot of criticism from drivers and some owner operators about brokers and cheap rates. What they don't realize is that the reason some rates are cheap is because of an owner operator or carrier who is willing to take that cheap load. With all the criticism it isn't the shipper or broker who determines the rate, but the carrier. When an owner operator or carrier takes a load then he is setting the rate. If he sets that rate at or below his operating cost then he will ultimately fail unless he changes the way in which he does business.

[no_worries]

Originally Posted by RockyMtnProDriver

That was one of the things I was wondering. More than likley I woul drive it in Manual mode for most of the time and downshift manually when I wanted. I would still like to have control of the truck, but with a buton and not a clutch/stick.

It's definitely nice not having a shifter in the middle of the floor; makes the cab roomier. I usually manually shift through the low range, but with a 10-speed, that's only a few shifts. There will be many more shifts with an 18. I have the pad as the interface and I'm not terribly confident in its robustness. They aren't cheap to replace. Always a trade-off when you let electronics take over.

[YerDaddy]

KISS - keep it simple, stupid!

auto shift trans cons - extra wires and moving parts to wear/break

Computer controlled engine cons - see above

Warranty doesn't pay down time or lost revenue.


Keep your old truck and drop in a mechanical CAT. Best advice you'll get on this board.

Good luck with those payments.

[RockyMtnProDriver]

Originally Posted by YerDaddy

KISS - keep it simple, stupid!

auto shift trans cons - extra wires and moving parts to wear/break

Computer controlled engine cons - see above

Warranty doesn't pay down time or lost revenue.


Keep your old truck and drop in a mechanical CAT. Best advice you'll get on this board.

Good luck with those payments.

Lets run the numbers

Mechanical CAT 4 mpg on a good day

Electronic engine 8 mpg on a good day

150,000 miles per year

Total cat cost for fuel $110,000 per year

Total electronic cost for fuel $55,000

$55,000 more to run cat

total payments per year for brand new tractor

$35,000

Ancor for tractor once engine has been installed (beacause the Jake is non-existant

$1,000

Hireing a wreker to pull you up the hills becaue you dont have enough power to pull them

$5,000

But I can see you logic

I am going to take it a bit further

I am going to sell my brand new motorcycle and get a mid 60's Harley AND sell my new truck and get an old one.

It might me KISS (keep it simple stupid) but it should never be YCBTS (you cant be that stupid)