Hi everyone, I'm new to the industry however I've been doing research for many months now. My brother and I are looking to close on our first vehicle by the end of the week. The options are either a 26 foot box truck or a cargo van, but potentially both. We'd like to hear some advice from experienced vets as most of our research has been through so many different mediums that we've come across conflicting information and advice. For the cargo van we've been considering mainly brand new models of the Mercedes Sprinter 2500 170 Extended but nothing older than a 2022 (we would finance this option). We chose that model because it's the largest van, and from what many people have said it's a van that is built for long distance travel and high mileage as long as it's properly cared for. We've had trouble narrowing down to a specific box truck, but some that have caught our attention are the Freightliner M2 106 and the International 4300. For the box truck we have been trying to shop for a used truck with no more than 150,000 miles that is within the $40-$60,000 price range (we would finance this option). We did recently come across a 2003 International 4300 that's in very good condition for sale at a very good price that was used by a local business and I would like some insight on that, and if it would be a good purchase considering its age. If we were to get this vehicle we plan to buy it outright, we're just unsure if we'll have trouble getting loads due to its age. I have a friend who is a certified diesel technician and we plan to have him take a look at it some time this week to make sure everything checks out with it. We plan to use load boards and brokers, but we have also put together a list of most of the business districts in our area and plan to visit a majority of the businesses and introduce ourselves as well as offer our services to them. As long as we have one vehicle we plan on implementing a team drive system. We also have no problem going anywhere at all within reason considering the location and the rate offered. We've put together a pre-trip checklist, we've put together a list of all the equipment we may need aboard the vehicles, we've studied how to calculate CPM, we've put together a list for regular truck maintenance, among a bunch of other notes to help with the journey. This is something that we plan on putting our all into and we would like to at some point have a fleet of different vehicles, but of course that comes with time. Most of everything that is brought in will be reinvested into the business for as long as its needed for us to get where we want this to be. Given this information, I would like to know if you guys have any advice for my brother and I before we start putting money behind this. Is there something I may be missing that I should look into or know about? Please feel free to ask any questions and let me know if I left anything out. Thank you in advance and I look forward to hearing from you all.
Potential start up routes:
Option 1: Preferred cargo van
Option 2: Preferred box truck
Option 3: Preferred cargo van + 2003 International 4300
Option 4: Preferred box truck + 2003 International 4300
Potential start up routes:
Option 1: Preferred cargo van
Option 2: Preferred box truck
Option 3: Preferred cargo van + 2003 International 4300
Option 4: Preferred box truck + 2003 International 4300