Question about Semi-trucks:

[Dan J]

I've owned a Kenworth and a Volvo to haul my Racecar transporter around the country

Currently rent from Ryder who has Volvo's, International corn binders, Freightshakers

The Volvo's are head and shoulders above the others as far as being nicer,quieter, less vibration and generally much more pleasant to drive

But if you breakdown you really want a Shaker with a Detroit as the tire guy can probably fix it
The Volvo's going on the hook to the dealer

[motion]

Ah yes.... its my secret fantasy to be a truck driver some day. I'd haul stuff around and have 4-5 race bikes with me at all times so I could stop by race tracks and do trackdays. I could also pickup new bikes for the collection around the country... ahhhhh to dream

[tcar]

Originally Posted by manbridge 74

Two words: Compound turbocharging.

Detroit Diesel (Daimler Benz)...

[craigster59]

I drove in the early 80's. Peterbilt was the preferred truck, then Kenworth, Freightliner and IH, in that order. I'm sure things have changed a lot. I've heard Western Star is pretty nice.
Things have really changed. Going to the driver's area at the local Flying J is like being in the International Terminal at LAX.

[afterburn 549]

Its OK to be a hobby trucker,
There is no way you could ever pry me into a cab for much else.......NOT worth it !
I keep thinking go get a B model and have some fun.....put some modern stuff under it, air ride and all

[pete3799]

Originally Posted by motion

Ah yes.... its my secret fantasy to be a truck driver some day. I'd haul stuff around and have 4-5 race bikes with me at all times so I could stop by race tracks and do trackdays. I could also pickup new bikes for the collection around the country... ahhhhh to dream

Make you a hell of a deal........truck and trailer. You'll be rolling in money shortly


So......here's my Pete

I know it's kind of apples to oranges (over the road truck to a dump truck)
but check this out.

[URY914]

A few years ago during the depths of my unemployment, I went to the local trucking "school" to see what it would take to get my CDL. I thought why not it may come in handy some day. I sit down with a guy a few years older than me and I ask a few questions and he gives me the sales pitch.

The cost is $4,000 and takes two weeks. If I'm a vet I can get Uncle Sam to pay for it, if not I can a 'scholarship" from one of a half dozen national trucking companies who's posters line his walls. I'm guaranteed to be hired. But you have to sign a contract to drive for one year for them. Break the contract you have to pay it back. And driving for one year means you are on the road THE ENTIRE YEAR! Because they know if you ever get home you won't come back.

So I start asking a few more questions and I'm beginning to realize they're just a feeder to the truck lines and the truck lines are paying the school for drivers. The school is probably owned by one of these trucking companies. No one really writes the school a check to go thru the classes. He begins to feel that I'm seeing thru their scam and I'm not buying it. He kinda leans in and he tells me that this probably won't workout for me and he recommends I go to a local trade school for my CDL.

Thank you, have a nice day.

As I walk out there a two guys in their 20's walking in the door. They will buy it hook, line and sinker.

[afterburn 549]

You "CAN" make money transportation work.
You can make good money at it (when the economy is up and going )
You have to have a NITCH such as haul something no one else would haul.
Something that takes special equipment.
Usually High and wide loads such as boats.........how ever the econmy being on the rocks,,,,,,,,I no longer even do that.
Dont ever get caught in a bidding war that any monkey can do.

[sc_rufctr]

I've always considered semi drivers professionals.

I could never do the job. To hard and the hours are ridiculous. Locally the only way to make money is drive for extended hours but even that is getting harder to do because of speed/time cameras.

A trip from Sydney to Adelaide is about 1400 Kms. The truckies normally do it with one or two stops. About 17 hours driving total. They may get some sleep and then turn around and do it again the next day. Some guys work 7 days a week for weeks on end.
I don't know how that compares to you guys but that's hard work expecially considering the money they make.

[onewhippedpuppy]

Interesting thread. My brother in law has been driving trucks for 5-ish years, he does food delivery in the DFW metroplex and makes in the $70k ballpark. It's hard work, but what blue collar work isn't? He makes pretty decent money with benefits and has never had trouble finding a job. He is home every night doing local deliveries, but could easily be making $100k+ if he was willing to go over the road and be gone most of the week. He's a good dude and totally straight arrow, which gives him a big advantage over many of his peers.

[BeeMaster]

The best truck? It depends on what your doing and whether or not you have to pay to fix the truck or not. Personally Mack's are my favorite. If you have to go off road dump truck, logging or cement mixxer etc. you can't beat a camel back Mack with double
Reduction axles and a Mack triple counter shaft transmission. If you are just going
Down the road that setup would not be ideal. To low of gears bad mpg, heavy and a very rough ride. Air ride is useless off road. Takes to long to respond and other solid suspensions work but are still softer. Mack has the best parts department I have delt with. International parts depo suck!!!!! Never dealt with peterbuilt, kw, Fl.
As for the top over the road truck no experience. I spent the last 100+ years dump trucking. If I had to make a list overall
Order
1Mack/ western star
2 Peterbuilt/ kw
3 Freight liner
4 International

[speeder]

Originally Posted by onewhippedpuppy

Interesting thread. My brother in law has been driving trucks for 5-ish years, he does food delivery in the DFW metroplex and makes in the $70k ballpark. It's hard work, but what blue collar work isn't? He makes pretty decent money with benefits and has never had trouble finding a job. He is home every night doing local deliveries, but could easily be making $100k+ if he was willing to go over the road and be gone most of the week. He's a good dude and totally straight arrow, which gives him a big advantage over many of his peers.

He could make $100k+ as an OTR trucker? That's not jibing with what others in the industry seem to be saying here. Elaborate?

[BeeMaster]

Oh and detroits 671 and cats c12 are gutless. Light internals pistons crank valve train
And a bigger turbo so they make power with rpm and have a narrow power band.
Mack's are heavier inside and have a smaller turbo so they make more peak torque sooner 11-1250 rpm. Witch just adds to their off road appeal dump trucks should be strait trucks!!!

[GH85Carrera]

One of my acquaintances hired on with a local drilling company. He stays very busy moving equipment around. He has some real funny stories about some hell hole motels but the pay is astonishing. He is smart enough to dump all his money into real estate. He paid off his house and bought a small ranch and wants to get it paid down or off before the boom goes bust. He does not expect the job to be a long term thing. Oil field jobs seems to go in boom or bust cycles.

[tcar]

Was watching old episodes of "Ice Road Truckers"... drivers are nutcases (some, anyway).

Think the trucks themselves are interesting. Carlile (Alaska) uses all KW it looks like.

Some huge wide loads over narrow, icy roads, pick up a broken down cement mixer for a back-haul, etc.

There are KW, Volvo, International, Western Star... another logo I could not figure out... Navistar?

Jacknifing is not uncommon. Chaining up often.

They all talk about making bucketloads of $$$$.

[wdfifteen]

Originally Posted by URY914

The cost is $4,000 and takes two weeks. If I'm a vet I can get Uncle Sam to pay for it, if not I can a 'scholarship" from one of a half dozen national trucking companies who's posters line his walls. I'm guaranteed to be hired. But you have to sign a contract to drive for one year for them. Break the contract you have to pay it back. And driving for one year means you are on the road THE ENTIRE YEAR! Because they know if you ever get home you won't come back.

So I start asking a few more questions and I'm beginning to realize they're just a feeder to the truck lines and the truck lines are paying the school for drivers. The school is probably owned by one of these trucking companies. No one really writes the school a check to go thru the classes. He begins to feel that I'm seeing thru their scam and I'm not buying it.

Where's the scam? An industry needs workers and it is willing to pay for their education. It seems to me we need more of this and less of "get a college degree and hope." We've got kids with art history degrees and no prospect of any kind of job that are $100k in debt for their "education." If you can learn a skill that will lead to a guaranteed career and it only costs you a year of OJT that sounds like a good deal to me.

[afterburn 549]

Originally Posted by tcar

Was watching old episodes of "Ice Road Truckers"... drivers are nutcases (some, anyway).

Think the trucks themselves are interesting. Carlile (Alaska) uses all KW it looks like.

Some huge wide loads over narrow, icy roads, pick up a broken down cement mixer for a back-haul, etc.

There are KW, Volvo, International, Western Star... another logo I could not figure out... Navistar?

Jacknifing is not uncommon. Chaining up often.

They all talk about making bucketloads of $$$$.

Is a Make believe drama show

[afterburn 549]

Originally Posted by wdfifteen

Where's the scam? An industry needs workers and it is willing to pay for their education. It seems to me we need more of this and less of "get a college degree and hope." We've got kids with art history degrees and no prospect of any kind of job that are $100k in debt for their "education." If you can learn a skill that will lead to a guaranteed career and it only costs you a year of OJT that sounds like a good deal to me.

It only takes about 3 week to learn to drive a trk.
Most is common sense
Us old guys did not get that much.
Just do it.

[wdfifteen]

Originally Posted by afterburn 549

It only takes about 3 week to learn to drive a trk.
Most is common sense
Us old guys did not get that much.
Just do it.

Who hires an unskilled, untrained kid to "just do it?"

[afterburn 549]

Mayflower
Most any of the hard labor camps will train for free .
(at least they used to)

http://joinswift.com/landing-pages/student/google-lp/

http://www.primeinc.com/paid-apprenticeship-cdl-training

Looks like dozens still will