I would like experienced owner operators opinions' on how much money a new owner operator should for maintenance/emergency repairs. I have been driving 3.5 years. I have been approved for by a well paying company. I have been approved for a 2012 FL Cascadia under 400,000 miles. What would be a good amount of money in the bank to have for repair and unexpected break downs?

 

at least $15k especially with an emissions truck.

 

Ideally, you should have enough set aside to do an inframe, which is usually your most expensive repair. An inframe can run from $10-20,000.

 

^^^ this. i know a company that bought a fleet of 2012 t800's with a cummins.. bought them new.. EVERYONE has had a inframe already. i was talking to someone they said just to do a DPF service is $4500. thats not to mention the basics. hell tires could be $4000. my AC fixes have never been less then $400.

 

On a per mile basis, I would bank around 15 cents a mile for maintenance, more if the truck has recurring issues. This year, on my 2013 FL with about 593,000 miles on it, my cost has been around 13 cents a mile for all maintenance. But I am very proactive when it comes to maintenance. I could probably have gotten by with spending less, but I demand my truck stay in peak form all the time. No letting things slide.

Having a good chunk of change already in the bank to start off would be very prudent. Seems when buying a used truck, there will almost always be issues that crop up right out of the gate. $10-$15k would be a reasonable amount.