Sprinter / Chev Cost Comparison

[Chad]

>Here are my particulars: 1 Jan 2001 thru 31 Dec 2004
>
>miles driven : 374,751
>Corrective and preventive repair costs : $10,992.65
>Repair cost per mile : $.0293

HI.
I am new to the board but not new to expediting. I leased on my first van with Landstar in November of 1998.
It was a '99 Chevy 3500 5.7 liter.
I just bought a new '05 Chevy 6.0 about 3 months ago.
I sold the other van which was still in good running condition and no major mechanical defects.
I ran the van from nov '99 to march '05 and it had approx 580,000 miles on it. With all repair cost and maintenance cost I totaled just under $10,000. ($.0172 per mile)
By that, It seems to me your cost are a quit a bit higher than mine and may not be the norm.

Edit to add: this may be do to the fact I never had to replace the transmission.

 

[geo]

i've had my sprinter almost a year now running with egl in norfolk va
area, dependting how i'm load heavy or light, running from 21 mpg to 35 mpg and avg about 28 all the time and using tk7 is boosting my milages, and just running local able to carrie four pallets and
3100 lbs try to keep weight around 2500 lbs as it uses more fuel
with egl they pay for weight you are able to carry
and if i was running a ford or gmc i wouldn't be doing as well
bigest pieces i have had on my sprinter was 13'4" and 2100 lbs
and strap it to forklift and load the van and off the same way
guy's at egl station looked at me and said how are we going to get it
off , sameway i got it on' at almost 42,000 miles, will have to buy tires in fall sometime, but they will cheater than last set i bought
at 2100 for the star

for the 3500 sprinter if wheel are fixed with taking 4 " out from each wheel make sure it is done by auth body shop so won't void
warranty
remember there are no free lunch's if they want you to carrie more weight that's more money not less
so if they pay i will haul if not firgure how to get out the load
with not costing a refused load offer

 

[Robert Finney]

…in questioning my use of yesterday's fuel prices. I did so because so many van operators do not keep accurate records of this info. (I have asked dozens and never had even one van operator give me anything but a guesstimate of actual per mile op costs.) And, as…

You’re kidding, right? These guys are running a business, nyet? I don’t run expedited freight in a van because I can’t get on where I want yet, but I bought a Sprinter (2500 SHC) the 6th of this month (May) so I could have some time to set it up how I want before the company I’m looking to get on with gives me the nod. I purchased that vehicle on the strength of my own personal research, on my observation that they are going to become more and more popular and thereby easier and easier to find parts and service for (I know it’s new to the US market, but look at Sprinter sales: as far as I could determine as of this post, they’re up 73% from last year. 73%!!! That’s a big number and Dodge doesn‘t have anything else in its lineup that’s even close. I don‘t mean nearby close, either. I mean this one‘s on the charts with a bullet and out of the ball park.), the fact that UPS and all sorts of local service industries (cottage and National) is moving to them in a big way, and the fact that I can stand up in the damn thing. It’s got as much personal space in it as my truck does. I ought to buy some Chrysler Group stock 'cause I just bet the US Postal Service is lookin' at 'em real hard.
But I didn’t buy it to just drive around in and see if I can find a load every now and then so’s I can pay some bills occasionally. It’s a business venture. I assume it’s the same for everybody out there, so I’m having a really hard time believing that out of ‘dozens’ (that means at least 36 people, I would guess) of van OO’s, not one could tell you his CPM? Come on.
Once I get started doing this, I might not have the figure immediately available right off the top of my head current to that moment, but let me get to my book and I’ll be able to give it to you. That’s probably the second most important thing you need to know when operating a commercial vehicle.
That was one of the more flabbergasting type of statements I’ve heard for a while, and I’m still not quite sure I believe ya. Not that I think you’re lying or anything, but that maybe you’re usin’ a little… uh… artistic license.

finney

PS I know this is off topic, but I just couldn’t (can’t) believe what you were sayin’ there.