Gman, you have a lot of experience with International trucks the way I see it. I posted in "Maintenance" about this ... did you ever have a ticking/tapping noise in one of your trucks that couldn't be tied up to anything specific in the engine? I had the engine checked out more than once, did top set, fixed manifold clamps, had a couple of actuators and sensor replaced and still - my 2004 Cat C15 ACERT is ringing like an old telephone. Performance and horse power are there ... just the noise that drivers me nuts.

Brotherman, I believe God helps those who ask. I also think that God sends people into our lives to help us. I think that having a big payment starting out with limited resources is not in your best interests. There are a lot of good used trucks you could purchase and have a payment under $1,000/month. Having a smaller payment would take some pressure off of you as you learn the business. There is much more to running a truck than buying fuel and making payments. Ultimately, the final decision must be yours. Whatever you decide, I wish you well.



Tracer, I have not noticed any noise such as you describe. My engines are 3406E's. It could be something related to the asert engine. You may check with CAT to see if it is something they might help find.

you better ask your lower back if it wants to drive
in a daycab for 2000/2500 per week

if you want a daycab
get the widest one you can
so you can stretch out if needed
you want to be able to just stick your elbow out the window
turn your head
and back in
stay away from those narrow trucks where the stack is in the way
and you have to "open the door" to back in
I always laugh at those guys

if you own your own truck
you could really use one where you can tilt the seat back
for a quick nap
and
raise your hands up without touching the ceiling
stand up without hitting your head
you want an electronic engine with cruise and a Jake
500 hp is nice but 430/470 is good too

if you buy an older truck
make sure you put plenty of Holy Water in the radiator

Thats funny..... i always here much the same about a Cummins. Now I cant remember the last time I heard anything good about a CAT since they went to the twin turbos and ditched 3406. I think all the newer epa engines are much less reliable than the first generation electronic ones. What gets me is they worry about the emissions hurting everything, but what about all the extra fuel the new engines are using? Do they not think about the extra depletion of fossil fuels? I really get sick of all the govt. propaganda. Seems like trucking always takes the hardest lick from the gov.

you annot beat an emodel cat hands down. pre emission 550or 600 will be a walking talking fool and yank whatever you put behind it. sounds like you're gonna go haul trash with bill gorman!

I love my "twins"! 8) 335K 7.01mpg average, don't even split across PA on I-80 with under 40K in a box. I've had 3406E 550 in my previous truck for 8 years, can't complain, but this one feels even better... :roll:

Why do you need 500+ hp? Personally, I will buy an older truck every time. This is not a time to go deeply into debt. The economy is soft and so are freight rates. I know of a 2000 W900 with about 50M miles on an overhaul that can be purchased for less than $35M. Of course, you will spend about 20% more on fuel than with an aerodynamic truck. I also looked at a 2000 379 Peterbilt the other day that could be purchased for $29M. My point is that you don't need to spend $45M or more to find a good truck. I could have bought a 2002 Classic the other day for $32.5M with 556M miles. It is about setting priorities and deciding what is important in your business. I prefer making a profit rather than looking cool. You can buy a less expensive truck with small payments and make more money or buy a more expensive truck and make less profit. ALL trucks break down. It costs a lot of money to repair them, regardless of the age. It is much easier to repair a truck with smaller payments than large ones. If it were me, I would go with a less expensive truck, pay it off and trade up until I had the truck I wanted. It feels a lot better driving around in a truck that doesn't have any payments. You can survive in a slow economy when you have small truck payments. You may not be able to make it in a slow economic downturn when you have big truck payments. One reason rates are so low is due to so many owners having to run to make their big truck payments. In the end they wind up losing their trucks anyway. Don't try to have it all starting out. Buy what you need not what you want. You need a good dependable truck. You want a big hood. There are some good older hoods that can be purchased for a lower price. You will still spend a lot more on fuel. Only 1 mpg can mean thousands of dollars in lost revenue. In the end you will be the one making the payments and buying the fuel. My advise is to buy a truck and not spend more than $500-800/month for your payments. Build equity, learn the business, save your money and trade up. Rather than having a $1,600 or more monthly payment, try making a $500 payment and saving the difference. After a year or two you can buy something better and pay cash or keep the payment at around the same level. If you can't save the difference then you would not have been able to make the larger payments anyway.

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thank you g-man for taking the words right out of my head. this is exactly what i would have said. saved my hands from typing. :lol:

:mrgreen:

I am glad that I could help, heavyhaulerss. :wink:

Brotherman,

I agree w/GMAN, I would not spend $70K on a truck with a $1,500 truck payment and you are just starting out. I know you are anxious to get your own truck but once you have purchased your own truck and whether or not you are leased on or have your own authority, you will go from company driver to business owner. I have been telling my husband that for the past 2 years and it's taking him a long time to understand that, which makes it a little difficult to run the business like we want to.

Continue to save your money, build up some cash flow, improve your credit situation, buy a good used truck for $30K or less and you will be much better off. I'm giving you the same advice that I took and I'm glad I chose that route because I still have options of how we run our business. I'd much rather choose to stay or leave this business than have someone make that choice for me by repossessing my truck for not being able to afford the payment. You will also need money for expected and unexpected repairs.

Case in point, we had to purchase a new tire the other night and on the way to purchasing the new tire, some asshole threw some rocks at the trucks passing by and broke our front windshield. Double expense in less than 1 hour. We have the money to make the repairs but there are some guys out here that can't afford to repair because they don't have enough cash flow or don't have a credit card. I've seen some really bad looking trucks on the road and have talked to some guys who say they just don't have the money to keep their trucks up. You don't want to be in that situation. I also believe that God is the source of my supply but God has also given us freewill to make good & bad choices. I also believe that when we are seeking information that he will supply us the answers through other people that may touch our lives.