Apply Now!

Tractor & Pup Vs Straight Truck

T

Tuck

Expert Expediter
Having been in trucking for more years than I care to admit , and am just looking into Expediting ( what we use to call HOTSHOTING ) for the first time with a great deal of interest . I have not seen anything posted as to my question so far and I went back a Long way .

My question is Why not a Tractor & Pup trailer for expediting rather than a 'city truck ' ?

As I have said I am a newbie here and I would like to thank EO for all the great help and Information so far .

Thanks


Tuck
 
G

Glen Rice

Veteran Expediter
That would make an awesome "Super D" unit. You could go to a 20 foot sleeper and a 27 foot reefer pup with liftgate and have a really slick piece. Down side would be getting into some tight spots just like a big rig. Also the jack knife factor would be something to consider. Maybe a set of limiters on the fifth wheel and absolutely use anti-lock brakes on tractor and trailer. Have fun specing this one.
 
W

Weave

Veteran Expediter
Charter Member
Check with your intended carrier(s) before committing to this, some carriers for whatever reason do not allow this setup. I think it is a good idea, and am giving it some serious thought for my next go-around. Most carriers want the air ride, and that is not easy to find on a used pup trailer, though I have found a few, mostly used food service reefers.
-Weave-
 
Twmaster

Twmaster

Expert Expediter
Wow. What a nifty old photo. What is that truck? The cab looks like an old old model Mack. Also what is the URL to the site with those shots please?

As a side note I have been around big trucks since I was quite young and remember seeing many of those older rigs in the terminals my father worked out of. It's amazing how much trucks have changed and become so much more driver friendly. The first truck I remember of my fathers was a '58 Autocar. Oh my if somebody had to drive one of those OTR today....

Pop thought he was styling when he replaced the Autocar with a nice used 73' Transtar CO4070 with a 903 Cummins. ;)

--
Mike N

Faster than a speeding poulet.
 
A

ATCO

Expert Expediter
http://www.hankstruckpictures.com

They have a vast array of truck photos. It looks to be a Mack F, however as I understand it Brockway used the same cabs, and verywell could be one in this photo. Europe still runs truck combinations like what shown today.

I respect to the question about tractor and pup. Aren't tractor and trailer set-up subject to defferent taxes (such as FET) in addition to GVW? I figure if you do it right, you could have a sharp turning unit with a larger box (28' vs. 22' or 24'). Heck I thought of a great (IMO) combo. Get a class 8 tractor, stretch it and bob the rear axle (make it a single axle). Add a LCS of about 240" (Big RV sleeper!). It might look a little like the truck shown in the photo. However in this case it wouldn't use a dolly, instead directly hitches up to the 5th wheel...

Something a little like this, but with a pup instead of this step deck.

http://www.hankstruckpictures.com/pix/trucks/bill_banks/july17/bb_07_028.jpg

-Joe Bohannon
Bakersfield, CA
 
A

ATCO

Expert Expediter
Ok, there are some concerns about authority to post on subjects.
Well here is mine, None.
I do not own either a Class 8 or even a Class 7. I just wanted to ask the question about the tax defferences. Also thought some Class 8 tractors look sweet with some LCS's. Anyways thats it for now.

-Joe Bohannon
Bakersfield, CA
 
T

Tuck

Expert Expediter
Thanx for the apt. on wheels but that is not the Idea I had in mind when I ask the question . I have been in one of those " HOMES ON WHEELS " and as Mr. Rice pointed out in the first responce It is a Little Long .

TO get back on track My thoughts of a single axle tractor with a regular sleeper < I hve one with a 48" sleeper > and a pup trailer either reefer or dry van with a lift gate .

The milage might be lower but life would make up for that as you wouldn't have to have as much mantainance on the truck and trailer.

Thanx for all the great responces and I am learning a lot with ya'lls help

Tuck ;-)
 
W

Weave

Veteran Expediter
Charter Member
Sorry Joe, sometimes we foagies go off on tangents:)
That is the idea many have in mind, and single or tandem drive tractors pulling pup trailers have been utilized as far as I know by RichM as "Super D" units as expediter trucks by FedEx and possibly others. I have asked my carriers, and they they would welcome that type of unit. But I think the reason many tractor operators don't go that route is this. For the super D pup, the cost of owning, running, and maintaining the pup is that of the owner.
To go the 53' E unit route with a tractor, the carriers who utilize them will supply the contractor who owns a tractor (tongue twister) with a leased trailer and the carrier will pick up the trailer's operating costs. More bang for the buck for the contractor that way. I checked into it, and now know why there aren't more super D's running expedite.
-Weave-
 
LDB

LDB

Veteran Expediter
Retired Expediter
I have thought about it a lot and may do that for the next unit. I'd go with a 10 wheel tractor for resale value. I'd probably go with about a 132" sleeper to have all the comforts but not as huge as the 20' someone mentioned. With a pup with a liftgate and maybe a reefer there wouldn't be much you couldn't carry. I don't think maneuvering would be too difficult either, probably no more than a 40' straight truck. You'd also have a smaller vehicle after dropping the trailer if you needed to go to the store or whatever. Still way too big but not as much as the 40' truck.

Leo
truck 767

Support the entire Constitution, not just the parts you like.
 
A

ATCO

Expert Expediter
Just asking more questions.

If I remember correctly some toll cost are based on axles, so this would be one disadvantage, right? No one said anything more about taxes, so I don't know about that either.

Ok, someone mentioned additional costs associated to the pup. I have no idea what the typical costs are for a pup (aside from tires), but couldn't you rent or lease a pup, and have it's problems taken care of that way. Say through someone like Penski, so they could take care of you at any location. Perhaps the Carrier would be more inclined to pay the cost associated with a lease. I know how Fed Ex doesn't communicate with it's seperate devisions, but It'd be interesting if FED EX CC could aquire a small fleet of FED EX FRT's pups (A lot with liftgates). Would that carrier even chew on the idea a little? What about traditional LTL's. Old Dominion advertises on their trailers that they do Expediting, but I have yet to see anything that looks defferent from their normal operations.

Good Luck Guys!

-Joe Bohannon
Bakersfield, CA
 
W

Weave

Veteran Expediter
Charter Member
Very few people to this point have pursued the super D platform up to this point for expediting Joe. I hope someone doing it can come along and answer your latest questions, because I don't have any other than expedite companies would want air ride pups, and many of the pups the LTL's use are springers. It would be a novel idea to present to the major expedite carriers to lease air ride pups to tractor owners to go this route, but of course in their cases for tractors bigger is better prevails, and for their costs the 53' E unit trailers make more sense.
-Weave-
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top