Straight vs Sprinter vs Cargo

Yesteryear · Nov 17, 2011

A question to the expediter community. Since starting with expediting in 2006 we have driven a straight truck. . . . the straight truck is very comfortable and is like a home away from home. We have always had the intentions of eventually buying our own truck, maybe even more then one. I, however, am a procrastinator! I always have doubts, will we make enough money to be successful, what will happen if the bottom suddenly falls out of the expediter business, how do we start out. . .yada yada yada! Well, lately we have kind of been looking at some trucks and if we happen upon the "right" truck, we will probably make the jump. We have been discussing some other options as well such as sprinter and cargos (my husband thinks we can't make money in anything other then a straight) so my question is do straights make more then sprinters and cargos in the final balance after out of pocket expenses? How do sprinters and cargos compare on load miles to straight trucks (team) and things such as comfort on the road? For instance if your a sprinter and are loaded with 3 skids (or more, point is max loaded) where would the other person that isn't driving sleep? How uncomfortable is it to drive a sprinter or cargo van? Personally I was thinking a van or sprinter would be so much nicer as you would not have to deal with logs, weigh scales, ect and could go places and do things when on down time. In the straight truck there is a lot you can't do as it is "no trucks" or there is no place to park a truck. So what are the pros and cons of sprinters and cargos vs straights?

OntarioVanMan · Nov 17, 2011

You have a lot of variables...I average $1.15-$1.25 ALL miles...I get 3x the fuel mileage, my tolls are a 1/3 of yours....my oil changes are 1/3 less then yours.....a flat tire I change it...FREE or AAA.....tow truck AAA 80 bucks a year..what is yours?
The money is there....it comes down to your personal comfort needs....

jjoerger · Nov 17, 2011

My opinion, for what it's worth, is that just as much money can be made in a Sprinter as a straight truck if you are running for the right company. I've done a lot of cost comparisons on both.
As a team we will stick with the straight truck for the space and comfort.

OntarioVanMan · Nov 17, 2011

jjoerger said:
My opinion, for what it's worth, is that just as much money can be made in a Sprinter as a straight truck if you are running for the right company. I've done a lot of cost comparisons on both.
As a team we will stick with the straight truck for the space and comfort.

And that right there is what it usually comes down to....
Good researching Grasshopper....

greg334 · Nov 17, 2011

Here is the thing.

With the right company, you will forget about having a van or sprinter because they will keep the truck moving. There will always be more freight for a truck than a van or sprinter and because you have more room, you have the opportunity to make more than a $1.25 a mile.

I understand there is a slow down on van freight, I keep hearing this, even with star companies that the contractors rave about but you know vans and sprinters are still at the bottom of the list of things that are used ... just look at how much OVM has been posting in the last month and you can see it for yourself

Yesteryear · Nov 17, 2011

OntarioVanMan said:
You have a lot of variables...I average $1.15-$1.25 ALL miles...I get 3x the fuel mileage, my tolls are a 1/3 of yours....my oil changes are 1/3 less then yours.....a flat tire I change it...FREE or AAA.....tow truck AAA 80 bucks a year..what is yours?
The money is there....it comes down to your personal comfort needs....

Yes, I understand everything is less as for as maintence cost goes. That is a big pro! But do you get enough miles. What kind of miles can a sprinter of cargo team expect to get? Is it harder to get loaded? For instance, if you take a load to say Laredo, El Paso or maybe Phoneix AZ will you be able to get back out or will you have to dead-head back to the mid-West or the East coast? Your a solo so say you get a load that goes from Michigan to Laredo on a Friday and can't deliver until Monday, you are loaded to the max, where are you going to sleep? Do you have to get a motel room everytime you are under load that is not a deliver direct? How is it done?

OntarioVanMan · Nov 17, 2011

Yesteryear said:
Yes, I understand everything is less as for as maintence cost goes. That is a big pro! But do you get enough miles. What kind of miles can a sprinter of cargo team expect to get? Is it harder to get loaded? For instance, if you take a load to say Laredo, El Paso or maybe Phoneix AZ will you be able to get back out or will you have to dead-head back to the mid-West or the East coast? Your a solo so say you get a load that goes from Michigan to Laredo on a Friday and can't deliver until Monday, you are loaded to the max, where are you going to sleep? Do you have to get a motel room everytime you are under load that is not a deliver direct? How is it done?

Carefully?.....LOL....

again circumstances...everything depends on something....Sprinters have a comfortable front seat...it is a long drive...spring for a room cheapscape...LOL or lean back and sleep...lots of leg room to stretch out...

Yesteryear · Nov 17, 2011

greg334 said:
Here is the thing.

With the right company, you will forget about having a van or sprinter because they will keep the truck moving. There will always be more freight for a truck than a van or sprinter and because you have more room, you have the opportunity to make more than a $1.25 a mile.

I understand there is a slow down on van freight, I keep hearing this, even with star companies that the contractors rave about but you know vans and sprinters are still at the bottom of the list of things that are used ... just look at how much OVM has been posting in the last month and you can see it for yourself

So basically you think my husband is correct and the vans and sprinters at at the bottom of the food chain? As for researching, that is kind of what I am trying to do. Was hoping you guys would put enough positive comments that my hubby would say "great, lets get a sprinter" lol which is what I wanted. Just seems so much better and I am always so envious when I see you guys out on the road. No logs, no weigh stations, no "NO TRUCKS" or low bridges everywhere you look! Guess we will keep looking at trucks. Guess if I have to do "truck" I want one with tandems preferrably. Seems like any truck with a decent price tag is too old to put on! Saw a really nice truck in the classifieds but it is a 2005 and doesn't have tandems. HO-HUM

Oh well, got a year and a half to meet our goal. Guess we never know when we will find "the one"!

OntarioVanMan · Nov 17, 2011

Greg is right for once...

Trucks are easier to move...

but then again...it has to move at the right price...

Yesteryear · Nov 17, 2011

OntarioVanMan said:
Carefully?.....LOL....
again circumstances...everything depends on something....Sprinters have a comfortable front seat...it is a long drive...spring for a room cheapscape...LOL or lean back and sleep...lots of leg room to stretch out...

ROFLMAO ummm lets see, I been on here for at least a couple of years now right? I thought it was already established my main motto is "cheap, cheap, cheap, yep that's me cheap as can be" lol

OntarioVanMan · Nov 17, 2011

Yesteryear said:
ROFLMAO ummm lets see, I been on here for at least a couple of years now right? I thought it was already established my main motto is "cheap, cheap, cheap, yep that's me cheap as can be" lol

Yep...I do the front seat thingee as well...don't have to but I just can not see paying for a room...and the wife and I did 5 years in a CV....front seat sleeping was not an option it was a must...

guido4475 · Nov 17, 2011

This week, all miles pay of $1.26.All loaded mile pay average of $1.59.Is that positive enough? Loads may be more scarce for a van, and sitting will be more in a van than a straight, but, in the end, you will make more, because the expenses of a van will be so much less over a truck.And alot less stressful, also!

jjoerger · Nov 17, 2011

Why tandems?
There are a lot of benefits to having just 6 wheels. Such as using the left lane in most states and not having to do 55 in California.
Most carriers will not put more than 13,000 pounds on a straight truck and if you are not running a reefer box or a big sleeper you will probably be able to take the max weight.

chefdennis · Nov 17, 2011

I am in a little bit of a different situation with my Cargo Max because I can and do haul heavier weights then most all CV/sprinters with a few exceptions... As a solo in a "sprinter type" van, Id say stay in a ST....Yes we are the buttom of the food chain...but yes a smart Sprinter O/O can make really good money..Yes our maintainance cost are considerably less as are our total expenses. We can also go anywhere we want as parking isn't an issue. Miles for a TEAM in a Sprinter will depend on the carrier and do they cater to teams...yes some carriers do, some don't....Comfort, heck i have as much and sometime more room then some ST sleepers...but i loose that when I am max loaded, ST doesn't and yes ill get a hotel rm if i am max loaded over a weekend or for more then 1 night..but i make sure that is in my rate also...but i can never be as comfortable as in a big sleeper on a ST..it just ain't goin to happen...

Now all of that being said, the chances of me giving up my Cargo Max and running a ST are slim to none...but what works for me, certainly doesn't work of everyone...But I certainly wouldn't want to team in anything less then a ST...not even with my wife in my current truck...But don't be fooled, you CAN make real good money in a Sprinter/Sprinter Type van...CV, yea you can, but not as much...but then again, each of our wants and needs are different...

bigshow345 · Nov 17, 2011

It depends on what type of equipment you have. I use an freightliner rhl185 and a 30 foot flat and a 30 foot enclosed. I pick up what cant fit in a cargo van but but does not really need a semi. Most of the stuff I haul is tires and medium duty construction equipment.

If you roll under your own authority you can set the rates and companies you lease your trucks to pay for it to be moved by guys like me.

tumbleweeds · Nov 17, 2011

We have averaged 2200 miles per week in our van since May. That is enough for us to put $ in savings every week. The down side is the comfort level. I would rule out a cargo van because it is very difficult to live in full time for a team. Even with the extended van it is tight and my wife is having a hard time adjusting. "IF" you look at vans, stick with a Sprinter or CargoMax/UltraMaxx. They have a big advantage over the cargo van for room. The Diesel in the hightop units get good mileage. Our 6.0 V-8 does well at 17.5-18.0 avg if I keep my foot out of it. We love being able to go through a drive through or park easily but it is hard just to find room to hang up our coats, etc....
Good luck and best wishes on what ever you do.

mcavoy33 · Nov 17, 2011

chefdennis said:
I am in a little bit of a different situation with my Cargo Max because I can and do haul heavier weights then most all CV/sprinters with a few exceptions... As a solo in a "sprinter type" van, Id say stay in a ST....Yes we are the buttom of the food chain...but yes a smart Sprinter O/O can make really good money..Yes our maintainance cost are considerably less as are our total expenses. We can also go anywhere we want as parking isn't an issue. Miles for a TEAM in a Sprinter will depend on the carrier and do they cater to teams...yes some carriers do, some don't....Comfort, heck i have as much and sometime more room then some ST sleepers...but i loose that when I am max loaded, ST doesn't and yes ill get a hotel rm if i am max loaded over a weekend or for more then 1 night..but i make sure that is in my rate also...but i can never be as comfortable as in a big sleeper on a ST..it just ain't goin to happen...

Now all of that being said, the chances of me giving up my Cargo Max and running a ST are slim to none...but what works for me, certainly doesn't work of everyone...But I certainly wouldn't want to team in anything less then a ST...not even with my wife in my current truck...But don't be fooled, you CAN make real good money in a Sprinter/Sprinter Type van...CV, yea you can, but not as much...but then again, each of our wants and needs are different...

I think everyone talking about how you can make as good money in a Sprinter is overlooking the team aspect. I think you are correct in your post.

When I was in a Sprinter, there are no HoS, so you can do the team loads by yourself. If your a husband and wife team, you can probably make more money by being in 2 separate sprinters if your goal is strictly to make money.

Personally I like the comforts and room of the ST and the increased pay as a company driver. But I'd never want to share my revenue in a sprinter. I don't see getting more miles in a sprinter.

I work for a small company and they gave me 1300 mile loads if it was at the start of the day in a sprinter. I can't see a team making more money in a sprinter than in a ST.

I also couldn't imagine having to sleep in the front seat if fully loaded.

A single person can make pretty good money in a sprinter but I don't think a team would make significantly more than the single person would. I don't think there are enough loads that need to go 800-1200 miles that would make it worthwhile.

I also never went OOS when I was in a sprinter. If I drove all night and dropped at 7am, I told them to bid on everything and I went to bed but I never went OOS.

My pay has gone up since being in a ST and my miles are steadier. I'm new but I don't find the logs and the other hassles that bad.

OVM,

Would you say that your total revenue didn't drop significantly when your wife stopped going on the road with you?

OntarioVanMan · Nov 17, 2011

mcavoy33 said:
I think everyone talking about how you can make as good money in a Sprinter is overlooking the team aspect. I think you are correct in your post.

When I was in a Sprinter, there are no HoS, so you can do the team loads by yourself. If your a husband and wife team, you can probably make more money by being in 2 separate sprinters if your goal is strictly to make money.

Personally I like the comforts and room of the ST and the increased pay as a company driver. But I'd never want to share my revenue in a sprinter. I don't see getting more miles in a sprinter.

I work for a small company and they gave me 1300 mile loads if it was at the start of the day in a sprinter. I can't see a team making more money in a sprinter than in a ST.

I also couldn't imagine having to sleep in the front seat if fully loaded.

A single person can make pretty good money in a sprinter but I don't think a team would make significantly more than the single person would. I don't think there are enough loads that need to go 800-1200 miles that would make it worthwhile.

I also never went OOS when I was in a sprinter. If I drove all night and dropped at 7am, I told them to bid on everything and I went to bed but I never went OOS.

My pay has gone up since being in a ST and my miles are steadier. I'm new but I don't find the logs and the other hassles that bad.

OVM,

Would you say that your total revenue didn't drop significantly when your wife stopped going on the road with you?

It did drop because the carrier I was with had mileage limits on solo drivers...so there is nothing to compare with...

LDB · Nov 17, 2011

I will be buying a set of tires for my van. With the huge discount through my carrier my set of 4 tires will cost about what one steer tire costs for a ST. Don't consider anything you can't stand up inside. Also look at the Aerocell models. Good money can be brought to the bottom line using a "van" (all 4 and 6 wheel versions). Good luck whichever way you go.