Quote:
Originally Posted by roadhog
Mackman, Mack2, marylandkw, floored all are people to talk to for advice.
I am not sure if I am charmed or insulted.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Fredog
this isnt what you want to hear, but you REALLY need to drive for someone for at least a year and see if its really for you. pretend like its your truck and see what kind of income you would have, you will probably see that it wont be much different. if you buy a truck with no experience, you will pay dearly for insurance and will have a hard time getting work
Fredog is only partialy correct. He should have said REALLY REALLY REALLY :lol:
A dump truck is alot different than any other beast on the road and it is super easy to do super bad things to it really quick if you are inexperienced. Now everyone has a first day, but wouldn't you prefer to do it in someone else's truck? Even if only for a year, you will gain insite and knowledge much more valuable than costly mistakes on a start up business.
Now lets say you got it in your head to do it. You gotta have that truck, you might succeed. But are you prepared for how much money you are going to need to embark on this endeavor? Perfect example, I picked up my nice new truck last week. I hit a deer the second day and had a flat tire on the third day. Not to mention you will need to pay for fuel yourself until your settlements start to filter in. Are you prepared for tax and tags? If you decide to buy a dump truck, IMHO, you should have at least 40K in reserves before you start anything and that is after you buy your truck.
Now what I am about to say will likely get me banned from this board and shunned for years but.......Macks are strong reliable trucks that ride awful, have even more awful power and even worse cabs. There I said it. Before you buy a Mack, make sure you drive a few others, KW's Internationals, and even Peterbilts. Get a feel for what you could put up with as far as noise and ride. I can't even hear my jake break in my cab and I can stretch my feet out (no small task at 6'4")
You really gotta be careful about buying a used dump truck, they can have the life destroyed outta them. The first thing I think when I see a low mileage dump truck for sale is "why" and most low millage dumps my friends and myself have put on the block are full of gremlins.
I am not saying you can't do it, but it sure would help to get some time in someone else's first.