Class 8 truck Info

[jclark5810]

Can anybody recommend a good forum for Class 8's, big trucks:-laf I'm looking to buy a truck in about 3 years and want to start doing research. Any advice for some good reading material? Thanks!

 

[Bob4x4]

The truck world may not change as fast as the light trucks,but I would guess the rigs will change in that length of time

 

[mwilson]

Can anybody recommend a good forum for Class 8's, big trucks:-laf I'm looking to buy a truck in about 3 years and want to start doing research. Any advice for some good reading material? Thanks!

Are you looking to go truckin' to make money (the words "make money" and "truckin'' are rarely used together in a sentence for good reason) OR are you going to tow an RV with it???



There are many ex and current Class 8 jockeys on this forum, plus there are active and retired Class 8 dealership personnel that haunt this forum as well.



Give us some idea what you are looking to do and we will try to help.

Big Trucks, although they pretty much look alike, are very custom with many options depending on what they were specced to do for a living.

Don't go shopping unassisted.

You could spend a lot of money for something that might not do the job all that well.



Mike.

 

[Nigel]

Joe

If you are wanting to use it for a motorhome or pull and rv I suggest starting here www.rvnetwork.com (HDT section) and http://www.jackdanmayer.com/.



Nigel

 

[BIGNASTY]

Mike Wilson Quote

Are you looking to go truckin' to make money (the words "make money" and "truckin'' are rarely used together in a sentence for good reason)



THIS IS ABSOULTLEY NO B. S. :-laf



To make money as O/O you have to haul something that NOBODY else wants to, or something that FEW HAVE THE BALL'S TO HAUL to make money. Specialized is the name of money today in trucking.

 

[Wayne M.]

A picture is worth a thousand words. Here ya go.

This is what's behind the cab of a current production Mack LE with the MP7 engine. DPF AND SCR systems all laid out. The same truck from a few years ago just had one stand off the right frame rail mounting a muffler.

 

[BIGNASTY]

Wayne



Is that because of the aux equipment that is on the truck? I have a buddy that runs Mack's with MP8 motors they are the Pinnacle model trucks and they dont have that behind the cab!!!! They have a bunch of Crap under the passenger side door and the floor gets pretty hot at times

 

[Wayne M.]

The LE is the low cab you see as a garbage truck, and this is how they make it work. It's not a good picture but the air cleaner is near the turbo, where the muff used to be. Then the exhaust goes across the engine where the DPF Is on the left. Then it crosses over the engine again and if you look close you can see the SCR dosing injector right over the engine. The SCR unit is on the right side next to the air cleaner, then the exhaust crosses over AGAIN to a heat diffuser.
BIG, we have MP8 Granite's with the setup like your friends, but the system is a scoch different and is packed under the right floor and really heats up the cab. I might have a pic.

 

[Wayne M.]

MP8 Granite right side.

left side showing SCR and fuel tank arrangement.

 

[Bill Stockard]

Are you looking to go truckin' to make money (the words "make money" and "truckin'' are rarely used together in a sentence for good reason) Mike.

Pay attention!! Mike speaks the truth!



Bill

 

[jclark5810]

Haha wow took way too long to get back to this, and my apologies I should have specified. So here is my plan, and somebody please slap me if necessary... sooooo, I started a business a few months ago, a logistics business and I currently have one contracted company. Because they're in CA and I'm in TN I do OK taking care of the Mrs. and I while I'm still finishing school. Here enters the question (I'm still desperately searching for the "short version" of it).

I have the opportunity to channel part of my supply chain business into trucking. I'm keeping an eye on 2016 for obvious reasons but there's reason to believe 2014 MIGHT be an open door, it all depends on the EPA and what other transportation/business regulations stay or go. So I want to consider becoming a broker, having my dad own a truck, and me brokering his loads at pretty much zero commission, maybe 1-2% just to cover my licensing. It would help me out by being able to diversify my transport abilities. It would basically just be planting a seed and seeing if anything could grow. Worst case I could keep my dad running without so much of a scalping.

So the question lies; If I can determine what some good trucks are, is it worth buying a couple up and diversifying into transportation as well? Is the idea of becoming a broker, and working with maybe a handful of reliable carriers worth the risk? If upon purchasing a truck, is it worth having on hand, along with the wheelbarrow load of regulations, just to catch some work during hard times? Every now and then the opportunity arises for some good money for lowly ol' shipping containers with this company, it'd be nice to be able to "help" them out in time of "need". I'd need a truck at the ready to do that. So, I want to learn about the big trucks and see what the good ones and bad ones are and what to look out for. On top of many other things as you can see.

 

[jclark5810]

P. S. , Wayne that looks like a nightmare! Is that an NY thing or a Fed thing? Either way I feel sorry for that truck.

 

[NIsaacs]

I'd need a truck at the ready to do that.



On top of many other things as you can see.

A big truck can't just sit in hopes a haul will come around. As far as the "other many things"..... ?? sorry can't help... .



Nick

 

[jclark5810]

Well they'd be "moving" doing other stuff if I could get the loads, the option is what I'm looking at. Just even being able to do it. The possibility exists to enter the industry, It just seems to me that margins are incredibly thin and you'd have to keep it on life support for a long while? In a magical utopia, fuel would someday be in the low $2's again and then it could be viable. The other part of me thinks it's all relative and nothing's really changed, if fuel goes up the cost to deliver goes up accordingly so it balances back out. Is that right?

 

[Wayne M.]

P. S. , Wayne that looks like a nightmare! Is that an NY thing or a Fed thing? Either way I feel sorry for that truck.

I guess I should say welcome to the nightmare... I'm quite sure it's standard US 2010 standard stuff. The rear of cab picture with the final exhaust diffuser/ squirrel cage might be NYC spec. A lot of work has gone into diffusers because they're worried about setting garages on fire if a truck goes into regen.
Actually, this 2010 setup is less problematic then the 2008 setup with just a DPF and no SCR. If you want to get a new truck, this is what you're up against. Over the last ten years, the cost of the identical truck has pretty much DOUBLED.
There are others on the board here that can better advise, but I recommend getting a pre emission truck and going over it. That may restrict where you can go with it in CA though.

UPS I see is slick, I see they have widened the variety of package cars around here. I see different body styles, hear different power trains and technologies, BUT they STILL have the oldie but goodies running around- with the ford 300/6's and manual trannys. I will put money down that those are the best running, cheapest overhead units in the barn. Some have to be 20-30 years old. I chuckle when I hear the kids clashing gears... :-laf

 

[Wayne M.]

Back to what mwilson said, he is absoulutley correct that it's up to you to be honest and spec the truck out with your purpose in mind. We have a whole separate office that does nothing but float specs and bids, and inspects what comes in to check compliance. Our rear loader is a real specialized truck. Lots of research and many years into it. When we switched to mack, it took a LOT of work on both parts to get a good piece. Compare a Waste Management truck to ours, and theyre both the same make/ model truck, but the differences are astounding. Not just with the chassis, but the body too.

 

[jgillott]

I have 2 friends that own trucking companies... . one large and runs nationally and one with just a few trucks. Both have the same complaints, fuel costs, overhead, changing regulations, and finding good drivers. You can make a good go of it, but it is a very hard and stressful life.

Best of luck with what you decide to do and I'm happy to see that you are doing your homework now.

 

[BIGNASTY]

The last paragraph first sentence or two. You said you could buy a couple of trucks? so your looking into the WILD WORLD OF DRIVERS a good driver is a hard commodity to come by if your Dad is into trucking as a driver then he can probably help you out, but to just hire a driver and put him on a truck I dont see how some of these companies do that. Drivers of yesteryear and the drivers of today ARE MILES AND MILES APART. Most of the drivers where I spent working as a driver of someones else's truck I wouldn't let more than half of the 50 drivers we had in our yard DRIVE MY LAWNMOWER!!! Its not that any are worse drivers most just dont care!!! And some just should not be driving PERIOD.



I kind of did it backwards I started out as an Owner Operator and did that for 8 years then went to work for someone driving their equipment. I knew how much cost to repair how much was involved in the repair and drove their truck as if it were mine , that's how I started and didnt change. The mechanics KNOW IF YOUR A COWBOY they fix the stuff enough they know if your hard on THEIR TRUCKS. I always made it a point to be on the good side of the Shop they can make your day hard or easy depending on your attitude and how you DROVE THEIR TRUCKS I say that because they are the mechanics trucks and they just let me drive them.



As for your brokering I did some of that. As an O/O service was the issue ANY MORON CAN LOAD THE TRUCK AND GET IT TO THE DROP POINT EVENTUALLY!!! But to take the load and get it to the drop point ON TIME and IN ONE PIECE was what I sold, my truck was clean ran great and didnt break down. I had several other O/O buddies that were of the same cut of cloth. Some of the companies that we picked up from asked if I could haul for them? I got my authority and did just that. They needed more loads hauled than what I could handle myself so I asked a few of the other O/O if they wanted in on this. At first I didnt charge for anything most made it a point of buying lunch/dinner/breakfast and a few gifts. After all they were making 10 to 15% more on the same load and same work. The wife has a degree in accounting and did ALL THE PAPERWORK so it started to be a daunting task. I asked the guys if they minded if we took 5% to cover the time of the wife? they gave us 8% AND STILL MADE MORE MONEY so they were happy. Something else we did was to turn over money to the other O/O faster its called factoring when the wife got the paperwork they had the option of waiting until she got the money from the shipper and then get paid or take a percentage cut but in turn they would get their money NOW in turn for a cut in pay. We would front the money to them and then take a percentage depending on if they wanted it NOW/30 days or 60 days most would take it NOW not the usual 90 day wait and get the whole amount. Cash flow is good to have as an O/O. And they STILL MADE MORE THAN PULLING FOR THE OTHER COMPANY THAT WE ALL DID AT ONE TIME.



I dont mean to I TRIED TO BY-PASS THE CUSSING FILTER on your parade but TRUCKING IS A HARD WAY TO MAKE A LIVING!! IN THE TRUCK OR IN THE OFFICE. I spent 27 years driving someone Else's truck and when the end of the day came I wrote up a D V I R and turned it in with my other paperwork got paid at the end of the week and had a life OTHER THAN DRIVING OR UNDER A TRUCK. But IT SURE WAS NICE TO SEE MY TRUCK with MY NAME on the door and knowing that my A** was dragging because I WAS WORKING FOR ME!!!



Good luck in what ever path you choose its an adventure for sure.



BIG

 

[jclark5810]

Thank you guys, thank you Big!!! I'm flying back to Commiefornia tomorrow for Christmas so i'll re-read everything again. I have a few more questions but I'll wait until the weekend. Thank you!