[MTRINC]

I've been "lurking" around here for a couple of months and have found a wealth of information that has been very helpful as I plan my transition. Thanks to all you "pro's" out there who reply regularly to folks like me. Now let me get to the question. I have been an O/O leased with a local courier co. and found that to be rewarding financially, although you have to work extremely hard to get the $$$$. I found expediting while looking for opportunities after i got out bin on the local staples deliveries. Anyhow, I will be using my van to start as it is paid for. I have the intention of upgrading to a d unit in the next 12-18 months depending on cash flow. This weekend, i went truck shopping w/my kids.(They love the rigs!)The salesman suggested a stretched class 8 unit. (Just happens to have some very affordable units with reasonable miles) After doing some homework, I found that I could stretch the unit and add a 22' box for somewhere around 3k. Does this make sense for this industry? Can add a 15' box w/o stretching possibly. Is that better? Keep the twin screws or opt for single with a pusher? And many other Q's. Point is that i want to make the best choice possible without spending more on a truck than i did on my house!!! The above setup was based on a freightliner century class with the detroit series 60 pwr plant. Initial estimates are that i can purchase and modify this particular truck for 25k to 30K. At that price most of it will be paid for with cash (15k) I do not plan on doing this until i have some experience in the industry. Just looking at options and planning right now. Any advice is greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance guys!:)

[Tennesseahawk]

My opinion is, don't base the potential of a D unit on what you'd make in a van. The two are apples and oranges.

As far as you stretching a tractor, read the archives. There are plenty telling of the perils of having one stretched by companies that don't know what they're doing. Having it professionally done the right way would cost at least 10k, from what I've read here. Do not put a box on it without stretching it... it won't work.

As I said, read the older posts. Names of experts at stretching are acknowledged, and perhaps some more will be posted on this thread.

[LDB]

To do a proper stretch job that will last as long as the rest of the truck and put a box on it that will also last that long I'd expect to pay $15,000 combined at the very least. Anything less than that and I expect quality and longevity are going to suffer. As already stated, you can't put an adequate box on without stretching. The most you could hope for would be a small C unit and it wouldn't make sense at all to buy a class 8 to run a small C. Take whatever extra time you need to research fully and talk to those who have already gone through the process. I see more and more stretched 8's so you should be able to talk to them and get 1st hand advice. Good luck.

Leo
truck 4958
73's K5LDB

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

[Broompilot]

Think long and hard, sure you want to give up a profitable courrier business to stay away from home for weeks on end with children to boot? You are in the same line of work, only difference is the miles and now you will start over.

My next door neighbor who just retired and started in the Courrier field is doing good not great but good. His investment nill compared to a D unit. If I were gona do this over I would have investigated the Courrier field.

I like what I am doing very much but if I had young children this would be out of the question. Wish you luck.

[MTRINC]

Unfortunatly, I no longer have a successfull courier business. The rates have been cut to the point that you can't make it. Avg. drop here pays around $10 and the driver only sees 65% gross on that. Under my previous contract, Staples deliveries paid 11.50 per person/ desk delivered to, even if it was in the same building. I had the three Bank of America processing centers and would deliver to them on mondays. Ususally around 50 desks. Took 4 hours to sort, load and deliver. I would also haul pharmaceuticals for McKesson to 15 local pharmacies Mon-Fri. Grossed around 1500/wk put around 1k in pocket after all expenses. Those days are now gone. Companies are underbidding oneanother just to say they have XYZ Co on their client list and the drivers are paying the price. Avg. courier makes about 500 gross now. Thats with a cargo van!
As far as the kids go, they live with their mother and I dont get to see them that much only about 1 wk per month on avg. Aint divorce wonderfull!:(
There are many reputable companies here in town that have experience stretching the class 8's and the cost is nowhere near 15k according to the estimates i've recieved. Still checking them out though. Not looking to compare the income in a van with the income from a class D either. Simply using the equipment that I already own so I can keep my costs down. As far as the class D goes, I wanted to get the info on them too. The replacement cost of a new cargo van w/ the deisel motor is somewhere around 30K. Armed with the appropriate info, I can then decide if it makes more sense economically speaking to replace my van with a new one or put that 30k and some cash into a D unit. I anticipate my van's life to be about 2 more years. Have 50k on new motor and tranny already. Given that background, what would you all suggest. My operations plan is pretty simple, don't borrow what you don't need. Pay cash up front as much as possible. I know that i cant do that on a truck in most cases, but the less overhead the better. One other reason for the class 8 question has to do with an exit strategy, should it be needed. The class 8 unit can be reconfigured with a dump body or back to a tractor. Both have uses locally and are more likely to sell if needed. Just dont want another driveway ornament. Thoughts, comments and feedback greatly appreciated!! Thanks again.

[LDB]

My guesstimate of $15,000 was stretch, cargo box, load bars and straps and whatever incidentals were needed to start working. It's probably on the high side however I've always estimated expenses high and revenues low. If it works with those estimates it makes the bottom line much nicer once the correct numbers are put in. Good luck to you.

Leo
truck 4958
73's K5LDB

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

[greg334]

MTRINC

I just started in this expediting adventure with a cargo van and I really enjoy it.

I too am planning on moving up to a D unit 8 to 12 months out, maybe longer and I plan on stretching a class 8 because of the longevity and economics of the vehicle. I have one on the sidelines (so to speak), a freightliner Argosy, which I have always liked the COE trucks. I know the owner of the truck and the history. Right now the owner’s son is using it until his truck is ordered in the first quarter of 2006, which is good for me.

I did a lot of research on stretching a class 8. Actually with help from Freightliner who actually spent millions designing and researching their chassis’s, I found out a lot of really good stuff that I posted a while back.

I have two estimations about how much a professional job cost, one is stretching the frame the right way and the other is replacing the frame with the proper length frame to hold a 24 foot box. LDB is not too far off with the cost to fit the entire thing; my figures are around $8K for the stretch and $9K for the new frame. The box and other equipment bring the price up to around $12-13K when all said and done, but remember I am not estimating a used box or equipment.

Remember any yahoo can stretch the frame but when you have a load on it and it has cracks or it was welded when it ain’t ‘pose to be, your safety and the safety of others around you are in trouble.

I have to say a lot of shops will claim to do the work and may in fact do a good job, but from a warning I got directly from the manufacture there are not too many shops that will pass their qualifications to ensure the safety of their product on the road. What I would not do is take the truck to anyone’s garage to get it stretched. I heard, even on this site, that there are people that will do the work in their backyard, DUMB!

I my case, when it is all said and done, I will have less than $27K in the truck, conversion, equipment and all my toys and gadgets. Which I don’t think is too bad. I have seen a few trucks with 500K on them for sale around $15K and putting another $15K into it to do it the right way doesn’t sound bad.

[elton10]

I know that LTL stand for "Less than truckload" but what do 3TL and 4TL stand for?

[MTRINC]

I must apologize to you all. (Don't try to write these posts after 15 hrs in the cab @ 95+degrees and no a/c. Makes anyone into an a**. I did not intend to come off so rude.)

Anyway, I have been working with both International and Freightliner centers in the KC area researching this subject. What I have found is that the DOT basically limits the stretcth to 10ft sections. Custom Trucks will do the work in their purpose built jig. Both manufacturers have "Certified" their process so it will not void any applicable warranty. For purposes of structural integrety, the frame rails will be "Sleeved" the entire stretched section as well as 4ft fore and aft of the cuts. I have also requested doubling the frame and additional x-members. This may be a bit of an overkill, but safety is paramount. I have located a gently used 22'van box with lift gate and landing gear for about 1500. (Check out co's like arrow truck sales as they frequently pull the boxes off some of their trades. Could save you a few thousand.) The stretch job as spec'd above is right around 5k. add 1500 for the box and installation chgs, and other "incidentals" and were somewhere around $7000+/-. I found the truck for 20k. (Fl. Century Class w/ 640k miles and a 250k mi. extended warranty) Should be a pretty decent setup and safe too.