Big Truck Class 8 vs class 7 pros and cons !
- Thread starter 19Billythekid72
- Start date
I am a 15+ year plus almost 2 million Accident free mile Walmart company driver looking to enter expiditing industry with my wife who has grown tired of her admin job ! We are mty nesters and wanna persue a career we can enjoy together ! We are committed to a debt free business plan and looking for as much info as we can gather to make a wise purchase that will be most profitable as well as comfortable ! Love the info on EO and will continue our research ! Thank you
Short version, based on almost a decade expediting 2004-2012, comparably equipped class 7 / 8 will cost about 20-25% more for class 8 and will give 50-70% longer service life. It's been about 10 years since I was buying trucks so things may have changed but that was how it was then. With your experience you may be fully aware already but be sure you are an expert on IFTA and know whose $20 it is.
I would highly recommend going to a fleet owner truck.
At least for a year.
Be sure this is a good fit for both of you before you spend $$$ on a truck.
It’s easier to give notice if you don’t have to loose major money on a truck.
It will also help you figure out what you want, or don’t want in a truck.
I’m partial to class 8s. All I ever used. Went over 950,000 on first truck, over 600,000 on second with very little in repairs.
At least for a year.
Be sure this is a good fit for both of you before you spend $$$ on a truck.
It’s easier to give notice if you don’t have to loose major money on a truck.
It will also help you figure out what you want, or don’t want in a truck.
I’m partial to class 8s. All I ever used. Went over 950,000 on first truck, over 600,000 on second with very little in repairs.
Another big issue can be lack of insurance.
Personal stuff.
You’re used to medical and possibly dental. Quality insurance is costly in a self pay system.
These guys bragging about the tax benefits of being an IC are often in the 30-40 k arena.,
If you run hard , and are smart/lucky, you and your wife may be in the $100,000 range. You cover all the tax burden.
Personal stuff.
You’re used to medical and possibly dental. Quality insurance is costly in a self pay system.
These guys bragging about the tax benefits of being an IC are often in the 30-40 k arena.,
If you run hard , and are smart/lucky, you and your wife may be in the $100,000 range. You cover all the tax burden.
Agee’s good sir . We had considered the fleet owner option but my wife and her lack of verifiable experience could be an issue ( she is very familiar with heavy trucks as a farm girl and impresses me sometimes as a professional ) legit experience not withstanding she is more than capable and has a Class B . I would also agree that the insurance calculation is also being evaluated as her admin position is with Blue Cross Blue shield . we are exploring all options and our business model is one without any debt so if we don’t feel the time is right for us we have the luxury of time to alter plans . We aren’t willing to expend that amount of resources without kicking a few tires and having food info ! I have noticed that a majority run the M2 or Cascadia Freightliner sand I’m experienced at Walmart with the latter! Appreciate the insight you gents are wishing Wells if vast knowledge ! Thanks
There is one other pretty huge advantage in running with a fleet owner first....
It will help you buy a better truck.
A fully tricked out class 8 could potentially cost $200,000...depending on what kind of expediters you want to be. That's a lot of money to spend and then in 12 months figure out you really wish you would have specd it differently or gotten different creature comforts. If you get it wrong or not to your liking that's a hell of a financial hit to take or a long time to spend in a truck you don't like.
A year in a fleet owners truck will allow you to make a pretty solid wish list of things you want, and how important each one is. That way you can decide properly when you do buy if certain things are worth the price to you specifically. It also gives you time to talk to others and see their trucks and their experiences good or bad.
Ya....it's nowhere near as fun sounding as your own truck right away....but it's smarter.
Talk to some fleet owners too....your wife's inexperience may not be the hurdle you think it is.
Best of luck
It will help you buy a better truck.
A fully tricked out class 8 could potentially cost $200,000...depending on what kind of expediters you want to be. That's a lot of money to spend and then in 12 months figure out you really wish you would have specd it differently or gotten different creature comforts. If you get it wrong or not to your liking that's a hell of a financial hit to take or a long time to spend in a truck you don't like.
A year in a fleet owners truck will allow you to make a pretty solid wish list of things you want, and how important each one is. That way you can decide properly when you do buy if certain things are worth the price to you specifically. It also gives you time to talk to others and see their trucks and their experiences good or bad.
Ya....it's nowhere near as fun sounding as your own truck right away....but it's smarter.
Talk to some fleet owners too....your wife's inexperience may not be the hurdle you think it is.
Best of luck
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Closer to $300,000 for a nice reefer.
Wife’s inexperience should not be a problem.
Wife’s inexperience should not be a problem.
Actually we are looking at a budget of 100-125k and must me a great deal ! We will have operating expenses in reserve so we hope to start slow and she can gain experience as we progress ! We are blessed to have paid off our home and wish to start small and move to a more expensive truck later if we wish . We have done the same with our personal vehicles and it’s allowed us to have paid for late model vehicles which will be the same approach we wish to take with our new adventure . Your advice is informative and greatly appreciated !
I’m thinking 2010 or newer class 8 tractor tandem axle with refer and lift gate with a 22’ foot box should allow for the most applications ? Hopefully my expectations and budget can become reality in this price range !
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Sent you a pm.
Also, the truck you need will vary depending on the carrier you choose and type of freight said carrier has available dobyou. A reefer and liftgate are not ideal if you are going to haul auto parts. And a reefer alone can keep some shippers from loading you. Consider what you will haul before commiting funds to a truck purchase that will not fit your customers needs
He’ll be able to haul 95% of dry loads and probably most reefer loads.
The dry van can haul most dry loads, but almost no reefer loads.
A tandem reefer, with a team, is at the top of the food chain in this industry.
At a top notch carrier, there’s the potential to do well.
With the jobs they have know, I’m sure they’ll qualify at the carrier of their choice.
They’ll give up a lot to get in this industry.
If they thrive on being together, and can tolerate the sacrifices , they can prosper.
Being fiscally responsible, if it’s not for them, they can bale, lose a minimum, maybe break even, and say “That was interesting. “
And life goes on.
The dry van can haul most dry loads, but almost no reefer loads.
A tandem reefer, with a team, is at the top of the food chain in this industry.
At a top notch carrier, there’s the potential to do well.
With the jobs they have know, I’m sure they’ll qualify at the carrier of their choice.
They’ll give up a lot to get in this industry.
If they thrive on being together, and can tolerate the sacrifices , they can prosper.
Being fiscally responsible, if it’s not for them, they can bale, lose a minimum, maybe break even, and say “That was interesting. “
And life goes on.
That is exactly our perspective. It’s like you read our mail At 45 and no kids at home we are young enough to recover should we change paths . Again our new adventure is only a small portion of our overall portfolio and wouldn’t be able to be here without previous fiscally responsible decisions . We intend to do a LOT of research before committing to this venture . We both have a terrible habit of insisting on being successful at whatever we do or we simply don’t dabble in it ! We are certainly welcoming the advice !
19Billythekid72 couple thoughts on this. Your wife might get out here and hate living on the road or you might find out you do not like Expediting. Personally, I think you both will love it but there is always that chance. I think running for a fleet owner would help you a lot to decide what truck you need. Like Greg said before you buy a truck you need to know what company interests you. Each company out here has different requirements or uses equipment differently. At some companies, a lift gate is a liability or you would have to take it off the truck and at other companies, you will struggle a bit if you do not have a lift gate. Same goes for a reefer, why buy a reefer and carry around all of that weight if the company you go with does not have reefer freight? So first research the different companies and see where you would like to fit in. For us, we have never wanted to do reefer freight so the decision was easy, no reefer. But we like liftgate work so we wanted a company where we did liftgate work as well as inside pickup and deliveries. We have had both Class 7 and Class 8 and I will say this there is no way we would ever go back to a class 7 truck after having our Cascadia.
If you have a walk in closet and want to test the waters take a week off everything else. Empty the closet. Put a cot in there. Put a chair outside the closet door. Decide on a 12 hour shift schedule, preferably one that splits the hours of darkness like 2-2 or so. During the 12 hour shifts one of you is driving the truck (sitting in the chair outside the closet) while the other is on sleeper time sleeping to be ready for your shift.
Decide ahead of time how you want to handle pit stops as far as waking the sleeper occupant or not. The one driving has to manage time as far as pit stops, meal stop, fuel stop etc. to make the delivery time. You can cheat and use your kitchen for the refrigerator and microwave rather than moving those things into the closet. No stove or oven since you won't have those. Be sure you have adequate groceries, clean clothes, hobby supplies, reading material, etc. to last the week. Walking out to the mailbox can simulate going into the shipper/receiver. At least a couple of the days can simulate the "hurry up and wait" between jobs so the "driver's seat" can be moved into the closet to simulate waiting together in the truck.
With your experience that should be enough to get you started and it will give at least some indication if expediting is for you or not. It is different than other types of transportation. There is more waiting. When working it can be significantly better but when waiting it's no different. Good luck.
Decide ahead of time how you want to handle pit stops as far as waking the sleeper occupant or not. The one driving has to manage time as far as pit stops, meal stop, fuel stop etc. to make the delivery time. You can cheat and use your kitchen for the refrigerator and microwave rather than moving those things into the closet. No stove or oven since you won't have those. Be sure you have adequate groceries, clean clothes, hobby supplies, reading material, etc. to last the week. Walking out to the mailbox can simulate going into the shipper/receiver. At least a couple of the days can simulate the "hurry up and wait" between jobs so the "driver's seat" can be moved into the closet to simulate waiting together in the truck.
With your experience that should be enough to get you started and it will give at least some indication if expediting is for you or not. It is different than other types of transportation. There is more waiting. When working it can be significantly better but when waiting it's no different. Good luck.
Sounds like your decision is made already asking what truck to buy. You've been trucking long enough to know what you are getting into. AS far as the truck, back in 2007, we went class 7, single axle, 22 dry box M2 repo w/ 75k miles w/ a Cat C9, a 335 horse mid range engine no longer available, and still driving it today. Today I would recommend a Cascadia for drive train longevity and fuel economy. Watch out for the 2010 to 2013's when dpf's were substandard and cost a fortune to repair/replace. My wife and I jumped out of admin type careers 11 years ago when she was 45, me 50, to see the country, and see the country we did, visiting friends and just plain adventure from Anchorage to New Foundland, west coast, east coast, southern half of Canada, all of the USA. Went w/ Panther, no experience, drove for a fleet owner 1st yr, then bought our own, still w/ Panther today, no reefer, no liftgate, knowing that we could make good money equipped like this, (grossed 230k 1st yr, slacked off some after it was paid for w/ more home time). Know your numbers, cost per mile. Dispatch seemed to negotiate better w/ the Mrs. so I let her do the negotiating and went w/ her on most decisions, happy wife=happy life. Get your gov't clearance, hazmat, passports. The gov't team has really made it much more pleasant at Panther for us, even paid to fly the wife home 1200 miles when we couldn't deliver on time once.
Fast forward to today, even tho we have Donvel air ride and keep the shocks fresh, the bouncing and long term driving started to take a toll on the Mrs., but, she used her time wisely, audio books on health and self sustained gardening, farming, along w/ ideas from pinterest (IK) she has now earned a well deserved retirement to spend more grounded time w/ the grandies at home gardening, making jam, art etc. as I continue to happily support her running solo and enjoy what I'm doing. The travel in the big city traffic (she drove most days, me nites) has grown our appreciate for the small town atmosphere where we have owned a home for the last 30 where as before, she wanted to move back to Dallas whence we came, not any more. I can take off when I want, for as long as I want. I turn a lot of wrenches on the ole girl and keep her polished, but this I enjoy and has paid us well. You would be wise to make things comfy for the Mrs., i.e; minimum 98 in sleeper, sleepdog matress, get a ultra quiet Honda EU2000 (no sales tax in OR) w/ a quality install in a side box, UL listed wiring, schumacker battery tender so you can shut the inverter off (recommend a 3000 watt Xantax? inverter when driving, lasts forever) . In the other side box carry a 2 gallon safety metal gas can w/ spring cap, because you will want to be "on-the-grid" when doing a layover. A gallon in the genny and 2 in the can will last you 30 plus hours.
Str8's are accepted at all the state parks we've parked at so far, use them when you know Friday your pickup isn't untill Monday, drive on the beach in TX, take the back roads when you have time, even stopped in British Columbia and panned for gold and found a speck, floated the ferry for 8 hours to New Foundland, and get paid well, especially when going way out. Panther has always paid enough to get back to the primary areas after going way out. It is what you make of it. We have seen so many landmarks most can only dream of seeing in a lifetime. Best of luck! Oh, forgive me for a double take at your wife, ck out this photo of my little sister here; Diane Beckett: An iron lady whose faith rebuilt her family
Fast forward to today, even tho we have Donvel air ride and keep the shocks fresh, the bouncing and long term driving started to take a toll on the Mrs., but, she used her time wisely, audio books on health and self sustained gardening, farming, along w/ ideas from pinterest (IK) she has now earned a well deserved retirement to spend more grounded time w/ the grandies at home gardening, making jam, art etc. as I continue to happily support her running solo and enjoy what I'm doing. The travel in the big city traffic (she drove most days, me nites) has grown our appreciate for the small town atmosphere where we have owned a home for the last 30 where as before, she wanted to move back to Dallas whence we came, not any more. I can take off when I want, for as long as I want. I turn a lot of wrenches on the ole girl and keep her polished, but this I enjoy and has paid us well. You would be wise to make things comfy for the Mrs., i.e; minimum 98 in sleeper, sleepdog matress, get a ultra quiet Honda EU2000 (no sales tax in OR) w/ a quality install in a side box, UL listed wiring, schumacker battery tender so you can shut the inverter off (recommend a 3000 watt Xantax? inverter when driving, lasts forever) . In the other side box carry a 2 gallon safety metal gas can w/ spring cap, because you will want to be "on-the-grid" when doing a layover. A gallon in the genny and 2 in the can will last you 30 plus hours.
Str8's are accepted at all the state parks we've parked at so far, use them when you know Friday your pickup isn't untill Monday, drive on the beach in TX, take the back roads when you have time, even stopped in British Columbia and panned for gold and found a speck, floated the ferry for 8 hours to New Foundland, and get paid well, especially when going way out. Panther has always paid enough to get back to the primary areas after going way out. It is what you make of it. We have seen so many landmarks most can only dream of seeing in a lifetime. Best of luck! Oh, forgive me for a double take at your wife, ck out this photo of my little sister here; Diane Beckett: An iron lady whose faith rebuilt her family