So I'm signing on to CRST Malone. Ya ya i know. I'm there to dip my toes into the o/o world and save money to put a downpayment on a truck.. not to buy one of their ****ty freightshakers :P

Anyway i need advice from the guys actually experienced in running trucks for a living.
They assign trucks but they'll get you a better one if you make it an issue. What do i look for. right now my criteria are GOOD clutch and tranny, check service logs, no leaky windows/loud truck (a sign of cab leaks), good steering etc, no engine leaks. What else?
It's flatbed and they have a rep for some pretty ****ty flatbeds. What do i look for on a flatbed other than air leaks? I can peek at the breaks but most break problems you cant really see.
Im thinking of loading up with tools etc in a couple weeks and buying a full set of lights, hoses and belts. I figure one $200-300 breakdown because of a hose and all that is paid for.
Chains etc - is there a way to keep this stuff so that it's not a giant pile of rusted wet dirty junk? Especially tarps?
Im planning on buying duckt tape and roll plastic as "keep this crap dry" supplies.
Is there any maintenance i can do on the truck beyond the normal to keep it in better shape. Bedbugging taught me to check oil/fluids/belts/hoses daily. Should i do more frequent oil changes or anything (i could do this myself during layovers).

CRST lets you book your own loads.. a lot like landstar. They have their board + agents + dispatchers plus you can book off outside load boards and send it through crst. I plan on trying to do a lot of the third. THIS and flatbedding are the things i consider most important to learn beefore i buy my own truck. Good load boards? Tips on booking your loads ? ANY advice here please this is actually the only thing im nervous about.
Any areas to Absolutely avoid (It runs mostly midwestish. Say east of the misssissippi to central NC and up/down. No northeast!)

Doubt they have apu's. Should i rig up a redneck apu in a couple weeks? How does the DOT look on a semi with a honda generator tucked in between the drives etc?

Any tips would be helpful. I really am doing this so ill have freedom, learn to be an O/o without that scary jump and can save 10 or 20k for a truck dp. thanks a lot in advance.

Btw if youre one of the guy who wants to talk smack based on stuff your truckstop cowboy ass read on a trucking board i dont wanna hear it as i dont have respect for you or your opinions.

1. dont knock a freightliner.

2. just listen to the trans shouldnt be any odd noises.. the clutch if it picks up well and dont slip i say its ok. make sure it dont pull to one side, no shakes etc. i know 0 about flat beds.

as for a home made apu.. i was going to do one and had a pretty damn good setup in mind.

Generator Box | HAPCO INC (with that generator), a small space heater with a piece of plywood under it. for the ac. Amazon.com: Koldfront PAC801W Ultracool 8,000 BTU Portable Air Conditioner, White: Home & Kitchen or simmilar.

I think that CRST Malone has Freightliners and Internationals. You won't have a choice on which truck you can lease. You can check out the truck. The problem is that you don't know many company drivers have been in the truck or how well they took care of it. The interior is a good indicator of how the maintenance was done. If the interior is in good shape then there is a much better chance that it has been well maintained than if the interior is trashed. If you want to pay for a dyno and oil sample, that can give you the best picture, but if you have no intentions of completing the lease, it may be a non issue. I believe the company offers a warranty on all engine and drive train components. Freightliner has been around for many years and help up well with fleets for decades. All trucks are basically the same when you take off the skin. I have never owned a Freightliner but would consider one if I were looking for another truck. If you are leasing it with no intentions of ever owning it, then it is really a non issue. If it were me and I was planning on doing a lease purchase, I would go in with the intention of actually having the title in my name. I would then drive the truck for at least a year or two while I saved my money to trade up to a newer truck and use the saved money to pay cash for the new truck. The old truck could be used to trade in on the new truck or you could sell it and use the cash as part of the purchase price.

Unless you want to spend the money for a nice headrack or tool box for the trailer your chains will be exposed to the weather and subject to rust. You could get a plastic storage bin at Dollar Store that would be large enough to store your chains in and throw a strap over it on the trailer. The same can be said for your tarps. Unless you have one of the large enclosed headracks or tool boxes on the trailer, you will need to stow them on the trailer. Some of those large headracks can cost well over $2,000. I have seen some that top $3,000.

I have known some owners who keep spare alternators, starters, etc., but I only keep spare lights, belts and a few other items on my truck. Anything else I can buy on the road. I would not buy too much starting out. You can sometimes repair a hose with duct tape long enough to get you to a service facility or parts store. I do usually keep a gallon or two or antifreeze and oil. If you do a proper pre trip you can avoid many problems on the road. It is usually cheaper to replace a belt or part before it is completely worn out.

CRST Malone has newer trailers. There isn't usually too much to the maintenance on trailers. I believe they handle all the maintenance on the trailers that they lease. Unless you curb a tire or bend a rim, you should not have to worry about their trailers. Your weekly trailer rental payment should cover everything other than abuse.

Most of the newer trucks use LED lights and they don't usually need to be replaced that often. If you want to have spares, I would have one of each style and perhaps some extra wiring, connectors and electrical tape. You can always buy lights at most truck stops, if needed.

I have seen some generators on the catwalk of trucks. I recall one that had an aluminum cover over the generator. The owner ran an extension cord into the cab to run whatever he had inside. I don't think you should have a problem with dot as long as the generator is properly secured and that it will clear the trailer when it turns.

@firebird_1252 Whoa thanks a LOT man. That gen box is sweet. So is the AC but man.. that is some massive overkill. 8000btu will cool your house :P

Thanks as always gman that's exactly the plan. I wont go so far as alternators etc but way cheaper to have some hoses and hose pieces and some coolant in the truck than to pay $200 for a service call + a few hundred more for a mechanic to replace it on the road. and its always good to sell lights. Hoooked up an o/o or two who had lights out when i ran a company truck. I love the box firebird showed me.. and if its expensive i have a friend who can weld up an aluminum one. Maybe i should combine that + a chain/tarp box somehow. Thanks a lot for your advice as always. Whether i go to crst or somewhere else and buy my own truck outright your advice is going to make a huge difference.

i can tell you that the box is not cheap. but its locking and has a fan to keep the gen cool.

I called and they said it's $995.

hm thats not terrible i remember it being more.

I used to lease a truck from CRST Malone out of Rock port In. Thier lease is not a bad lease with one overall exception and that is the maintenance fund .10 cents a mile over the period of the lease will loose approx 12 to 15000 dollars if you run good because at the end of your lease that money stays with the company you can spend it on the truck however for maint. and upgrades but as i found out it was hard to spend all of it on the truck and i used it for new seats airdryer etc. as for flatbedding just remember that load securement is of great importance and always do more than what is required and you should have no problems.I.E. if one chain is enough put two on ESPECIALLY COILS DO NOT EVER TRY TO UNDER CUT TIE DOWN ON THEM. lumber is easy but heavy and i criscross straps in front of load then trow one over top at front so as to help prevent forward movement with load. pine lumber will slide easy drywall i do not hual it doesen't y well enough for the stress to trck and tarping it sucks. if you have the means I would suggest you try to buy out write and lease with mercer trans you will be much happier and crst will let you book loads but they will have to run credit checks on broker then you do not get paid until they get paid big hassle.

Renegade im having the opposite experience you did. Ya the maintenance fund seriously pisses me off. But the truck is in the shop now. 2 bad injectors, "side blower" which i assumes means the blower, filters .. oh and the oil problem (dropped to 25psi while driving out of the blue) which the idiots working on it seem to think is just.. magic disappearing oil. I guess i was supposed to have it actually gurgling out of the dipstick hole instead of covering 75% of the dipstick (yes that high). I imagine theyve FINALLY got a n estimate. Also: i had to trade out for a **** trailer with almost no securement on it. I need 13 winch straps to laod out of asheville this old rusty pos has 7 working ones i think and one broken one. Yay. Not gonna run this trailer its a CSA nightmare. Havent told the company yet. They will be paying for at least 4 more winch straps before i do anything with it and im going to tell them they need to take it oos. This trailer just screams "inspect me" to dot.

Money has been fine so far or would be if **** didnt keep going wrong. I absolutely love how the company works. I honestly sortof miss the pressure to run though.

I oversecure EVERYTHING. I actually annoy the crap out of shippers because of that. (im not exactly fast). Also i avoid coils like the damn plague.

RE this thread and freightliner: it's in the shop. Its a piece of garbage like all freightliners. I know a lot of you have spent a lot of time in them or only driven them. The difference in quality between them, international, peterbilt is just mindblowing. Its the difference between a yugo and a lexus. The bloody KEY broke off in the door. Seriously. Every freightshaker ive ever seen the oem keys bent like hell. Seirously theyre saving a penny on making keys by using potmetal and you think theyre not shortchanging the rest of the truck? Id rather drive a 6 yo pete than a 2yo freightshaker any day. Bet ill have fewer breakdowns too. If i can keep this POS running for 1 month + however long it takes to make up this lost repair time im buying a truck from loan mountain. This thing has done nothing but cost me money its a nightmare.