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Has anyone started in Cargo Van and gone to Straight and been dissappointed?

T270_Dreamin

T270_Dreamin

Veteran Expediter
Owner/Operator
Just wanted to get some feedback. Thinking of selling my sprinter this spring and getting into a class 7 straight or volvo.

Anyone here that has gone to straight as a owner operated and didn't like it or is it all around a better move. I know you loose you freedom but do you guys ever sit for more then 48 hours in a straight when in cities like Atlanta, NYC, PHilly, LA, Denver, KC, CHicago, Detroit etc? Wondering what the longest someone has had to sit in a straight in a Major city? Also are the rules and everything worth the extra money? I hear you can earn 2 bucks a mile opposed to .90 to a dollar a mile in Sprinter.
 
Opel2010

Opel2010

Veteran Expediter
Owner/Operator
I switched from TT to CV and I'd rather do pizza delivery than switching back to big trucks. Don't misunderstand me, I love big trucks, but all those DOT regulations are keeping me away from them. I prefer freedom, even if the income is lower.

Sent from my Samsung Galaxy Note III
 
redytrk

redytrk

Veteran Expediter
Charter Member
Its ying or yang... You can be happy/unhappy either way. I`ve done both. Its all a trade off. Give up the freedom of a CV, and take on the aggravation of weight scales, logging etc. You just have to make the choice and deal with the ups an downs.
P.S. its true straits sit around less, but that will reverse when financing of trucks loosens. Then there will be a glut of straits, and you will sit.
 
Rising_Cow

Rising_Cow

Active Expediter
I'm going back to a cv from a tt and can't wait. Not all the regs and freedom to go where u want little caesars, shops and points of interest when latex over for weekend. But that's me, and the space is not a factor to me. All I can say if you feel that it's you, you are not going to know till you do it and good luck.
 
OntarioVanMan

OntarioVanMan

Retired Expediter
Owner/Operator
T270_Dreamin said:
Just wanted to get some feedback. Thinking of selling my sprinter this spring and getting into a class 7 straight or volvo.

Anyone here that has gone to straight as a owner operated and didn't like it or is it all around a better move. I know you loose you freedom but do you guys ever sit for more then 48 hours in a straight when in cities like Atlanta, NYC, PHilly, LA, Denver, KC, CHicago, Detroit etc? Wondering what the longest someone has had to sit in a straight in a Major city? Also are the rules and everything worth the extra money? I hear you can earn 2 bucks a mile opposed to .90 to a dollar a mile in Sprinter.
Click to expand...

your fuel is almost DOUBLE what you pay now.....how's that big $2 look now?....your tolls if not pay almost double...how's that 2 bucks looking?...your new steer tires are over double of a vans....feeling better about that 2 bucks?....Not to mention your TRIPLE the cost oil changes....I could go on...but you get the point..there is a lot to consider when changing...

oh and about that sitting..you've read about the new restart rule....minimum 34 hours of sitting at one time...not to mention the manditory 10 every day...
 
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Rising_Cow

Rising_Cow

Active Expediter
Oh don't forget even with $120+ services the break downs do to the EPA junk added to the new engine like, egr vales going out costing in the thousands, egr bypass and recircaulation junk. It's down time and money, always something in these new trucks. Spent my time at the KW service center. Not trying to scare you but he made a very good point of the cost, and he is right, sad to say very right, there is a lot to consider,
 
xiggi

xiggi

Veteran Expediter
Owner/Operator
Rising_Cow said:
I'm going back to a cv from a tt and can't wait. Not all the regs and freedom to go where u want little caesars, shops and points of interest when latex over for weekend. But that's me, and the space is not a factor to me. All I can say if you feel that it's you, you are not going to know till you do it and good luck.
Click to expand...

I don't want to know what your doing on the weekend. :eek:

Sent from my - Fisher Price ABC - 123
 
LDB

LDB

Veteran Expediter
Retired Expediter
As mentioned, costs rise dramatically. Beyond the question of new steer tires that each cost as much as a pair of van tires there are those pesky drive tires, four of them at around triple the cost of van tires. Yeah, they last longer but when that bill hits it's a big one. Fuel at least double the cost if not more unless your van is really awful on fuel. Solo or team? Solos sit a fair amount of time. I know of one that was stuck a week in San Antonio last week. More comfort? Definitely when fully loaded since no freight goes in the sleeper. Not necessarily the rest of the time. If you don't already have the free OOIDA spreadsheet get it and plug in numbers to compare the two.
 
R

rymilburn

Active Expediter
I'm going from driving a straight to a $printer. Main reason I'm doing that is I want to be my own o/o.

I want to go where I want, when I want. I'm learning the hard way when it comes to a few things, but hey, that's life.

If you get a call from home, and your 500 miles away, it will cost you half the money to deadhead home in a CV than a straight.

It's all about what you want out of life, straights were great, made a killing, but it's not what I want to do the rest of my life. Lots of regulations and not a lot of freedom.
 
Moot

Moot

Veteran Expediter
Owner/Operator
It took me 20 years to work my way up from a tractor/trailer to a cargo van. I'm a little slow, but the wait was worth it.
 
T270_Dreamin

T270_Dreamin

Veteran Expediter
Owner/Operator
Glad this topic is conversational and sparked some interest. Enjoy hearing the comments. I'd say we have a lot of sprinter drivers here and I feel ya on the perspective. I think we could get a little more feedback from some owner op straight truck drivers if possible? How much money should one have in the pocket to get a straight truck? I know you should have at least half of the truck cost up front for down payment and $5k in the pocket encase something breaks... Talked to Rush truck center and they said they would finance to me in house if I had half of the cost of truck. Lately I'm competing against people taking loads for .85 and 90 a mile. I saw a load two weeks ago go for .75 from LA to Seattle, and that seems to be the norm in Texas now! I think they work for carriers that take 10% or something. Most carriers take 20-40% if not half of the $ in the load depending on the customer I've heard. Dollar a mile doesn't even get the load anymore... I think I need a better carrier but with that comes forced dispatch and huge insurance and QC fees. The big P is a forced dispatch company. The company I work for now I can turn down or overbid 10 loads a day and I don't get penalized or get thought of as a bad person by dispatch or relations! Sorry for going off topic. :)
 
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Rising_Cow

Rising_Cow

Active Expediter
What mean by turn arounds load up and bring one back, dedicated runs r boring to me. Good pay but not May thing. I do that all week can't wait to get my van lol
 
Rising_Cow

Rising_Cow

Active Expediter
Did that for FedEx CC when I was with them they asked saying a company needed help and was good pay ,said yes. Boy I have a short memory.
 
aquitted

aquitted

Veteran Expediter
Retired Expediter
All the straight truck owners are trying to go to vans and sprinters but its hard to get rid of your straight because the market is saturated with them i don't suggest anyone buy a straight but go to sprinter if you are in a straight get out while you can.
 
skyraider

skyraider

Veteran Expediter
US Navy
I was under the impression that most drivers in here do not own their vans, sprinters or straight trucks. There is not much fussing by o/o imho. IMHO, this business is best to do when you have a pension coming in from retirement and expediting is a sideline for awhile...imho that is. With turnover at 99 percent, why buy anything, a driver won't be in business long enough to pay for it.
 
xiggi

xiggi

Veteran Expediter
Owner/Operator
skyraider said:
I was under the impression that most drivers in here do not own their vans, sprinters or straight trucks. There is not much fussing by o/o imho. IMHO, this business is best to do when you have a pension coming in from retirement and expediting is a sideline for awhile...imho that is. With turnover at 99 percent, why buy anything, a driver won't be in business long enough to pay for it.
Click to expand...

Just running names in my head fast I would say a good percentage of van drivers here are o/o


Sent from my - Fisher Price ABC - 123
 
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