[mjolnir131]

i don't know, i keep switching what i think back and forth.i guess it's becouse i'm fairly new to trucking and don't have alot to base that distion on. with a single you pay lower tolls and can drive 70 in california also the way some states word it you can use the left lane in a truck resticted zone vs.a smother ride and being able to hual more. and to me it is amuch smoother ride. the truck we have now is a single,i gave it the noble name of Auraria Panthera, Rari for short exept when in a unpaved parking lot then it's Jumping Jenny! I guess the big question is how much differance in MPG is there between the two and would it be off set by running SS on the double or how much off set.

[juliewray60]

Since you are a D unit youve
by now realized you haul far
less than the boxes capacity.
Two maybe three or four skids
on average. Probably hauling
under 8,000 lbs the majority
of the time.If youre like the
majority of us youre hauling
way way more C loads than D.

Therefore adding a second axle
would not be a great benefit for
you. Better fuel milage and go
fast lane benefits.

Lotsa folks are reporting fuel
savings and added driver comfort
when switching to super 80's

Only thing that concerns me is
road service aggravations until
SS's are more wildly adapted.

Personally we went with tandems
because of possible move to O/O
status in the near future. The
tandems allow us to haul 12 skids
and aprox 22,000 pounds.

[mjolnir131]

no i was in a d when we started Dounghtless had two axels and i could sit half way between menphis and nashville and get loads fast being the only d near the two boards now in rori we have to pick a spot

[Tennesseahawk]

Hold out for now, if you're unsure. But think about what you'd be able to do with that extra capacity. And I'm talkin BEYOND the Panther gig. Just started running independent; and both of the loads I've bid on were 'E' loads that would fit in my truck. At the very least, I'd consider a drop axle, if I were you.

[ATeam]

When spec'ing our truck, we went with twin screws for one reason and one reason only: comfort.

In fleet owner trucks we drove Class 8 straight trucks that had lift axles (one drive axle, one lift axle) and twin screws (two drive axles with 8 wheels always on the ground). Without question, the ride on twin screws is smoother and more stable. The difference is huge. The truck does not get buffetted about by wind blasts from other trucks. Body roll is reduced, which keeps stuff on the shelves and in the cupboards. Every bump in the road you hit is less severe.

Because of that, we chose to absorb all the negative aspects and costs twin screws entail. To us, the comfort difference is worth every penny. If we had it do over again, we would again spec twin screws.

[juliewray60]

Originally Posted by Tennesseahawk

But think about what you'd be able to do with that extra capacity. And I'm talkin BEYOND the Panther gig. Just started running independent; and both of the loads I've bid on were 'E' loads that would fit in my truck.

Thats exactly the mindset we used
in buying our new beast. It had to
be a "big boys" truck and it had to
have tandems. We wanted to make
certain to invest in a vehicle that could
actually haul real freight. This half truck
load stuff is cool to haul but who knows
how long our relationship with Fedex will
exist. At least we now are in a position
to make a move in different directions and
our current equipment can qualify for the
needs of an O/O

[spudhead911]

Our last truck was a twin screw, when we spec'd our new truck we went with the single drive axle. We saved a lot of money by not having to pay the 12% FET. We have not noticed any real difference in ride comfort, in fact with the air ride front axle the ride is smoother. We went from a 2000 model year Freightliner Century with a 96" sleeper, to a 2007 Western Star 4900 SA with a stock 82" Ultra High sleeper. We are very pleased with our decision with both the sleeper choice and going with the single drive axle. We also went from a 22" reefer box to a 16" reefer box, both with lift gates. The difference between the two trucks were very impressive, we will never go back to a Freightliner again. Even though both trucks are made by the same parent company, there is a huge difference in quality.

We went from a D to a C unit, we are a TVAL unit. We have not noticed enough difference in loads, including rates and miles, to warrent spending the extra money we would have paid for the 2nd drive alxe and the 12% in taxes we would have had to pay. We also save money because we have 4 less drive tires to purchase, we weight less, so we get better mpg.

We did a lot of research. We talked to fleet owners who ran C and D unit TVal trucks. We also sat down with the dealership owner, and spent hours comparing costs for building a D and C unit. We went over everything from weight, to horse power, to gearing for the transmission and rear end. We went over cost per mile savings vs posssible lost loads going from a D to C unit, our need for room in the sleeper, the 82" sleeper vs a 96" sleeper. Automatic transmission vs manual, which engine would be best for our needs, which extended warranties to purchase, which reefer to purchase, and which APU to use.

We feel we made the right choices. Our revenue has gone up, cost per mile has gone down, lost loads have been very few.

Before you decide if you want a single or twin screw talk to people who have both, talk to reputable dealers. Do tons of research. Our dealer helped us every step of the way, he let us make our own choices, and gave us the pro's an con's of our choices.

One thing I would suggest, and I am a very firm believer in, buy a true CLASS 8 TRUCK. This is just my opinion, and there will be a lot of folks who do not agree with this, but a class 7 truck and even the M2 Business Class class 8 trucks are made for regional use, and are not a long haul truck. I have talked to factory reps of the major truck brands, and they agree with me for the most part, especially for team drivers. The class 7 engines were not made for long haul applications. These engines are not million mile engines, as are the class 8 engines. A lot of expediters and expediter dealers swear by these engines and trucks. I have owned class 7 trucks, and learned through engine breakdowns, and rebuilds at under 300,000 miles, and truck chassis and wiring problems, I will never buy a class 7 truck again. But thats just my opinion.

[Booker]

When we were putting together our new truck, we put tandem axles on it with Super Single tires. It was the best thing we could have done. After driving the same truck in the past with a single axle with a lift pusher axle, there is no comparison in the ride. The new truck rides so much better. If I were to spec another truck it would be with tandems and Super Single tires.

[spudhead911]

Originally Posted by Booker

When we were putting together our new truck, we put tandem axles on it with Super Single tires. It was the best thing we could have done. After driving the same truck in the past with a single axle with a lift pusher axle, there is no comparison in the ride. The new truck rides so much better. If I were to spec another truck it would be with tandems and Super Single tires.

Super Singles will give you a better ride, but if you have a blowout in the middle of the night and are stuck on the shoulder of the road it might be hard to find a service shop who carries Super Singles. I have read this in quite a few truck magizines. I've also read that there might be a problem with traction in snow with the Super Singles. Another issue is the weight of the snow chains, and the difficulty of installing them due to their weight and size. I do think that as time goes by more and more service shops will begin to have Super Singles in stock.

[Booker]

The traction on rain or snow is equal to or better than the other truck we had with the single axle. Availability of the tires is very good now compared to 2 years ago.

[spudhead911]

Originally Posted by Booker

The traction on rain or snow is equal to or better than the other truck we had with the single axle. Availability of the tires is very good now compared to 2 years ago.

I'm not convinced about the traction, the wider the tire the less traction you get it snow condititons. But you are right about the availability, it has increased over the past few years, but it will be a while before you can call for a service truck and know they will have a Super Single. Another minus is that with tandems you might be able to limp to a repair shop because you still have the other tire. With the Super Singles if you have a flat your stuck on the side of the road, or will need a tow, if the repair truck doesn't have a Super Single in stock.

Also the initial cost to switch to Super Singles is very expensive, and the cost might not be worth the savings you will reap, unless you spec the truck with the Super Singles.

Just my opinion.

[greg334]

Originally Posted by spudhead911

I'm not convinced about the traction, the wider the tire the less traction you get it snow condititons.

I don't agree.

Being stuck at the pilot in Eire for a couple days last winter in a nasty snow storm, everyone was stuck but the guys with the super singles. They had difficulty moving around but they moved a lot easier and out than anyone with dual tires. It was a few days of fun.

[spudhead911]

Originally Posted by greg334

I don't agree.

Being stuck at the pilot in Eire for a couple days last winter in a nasty snow storm, everyone was stuck but the guys with the super singles. They had difficulty moving around but they moved a lot easier and out than anyone with dual tires. It was a few days of fun.

I read in one of the many trucking magazines a few months ago just the opposite. The article said that in heavy or hard packed snow the trucks with Super Singles would just spin, while the trucks with tandem wheels would just pull out with little trouble. I don't have any first hand knowledge of it, but I could see it happening, which doesn't mean it would. For now I will keep my tandems and read more about the Super Singles. If we all agreed on everything it would be a boring world.

Just my opinion

[mjolnir131]

thank you everone for imput .i guess the first thing you learn about byig a truck is that you just don't go buy one .you have to think about it,how this effects that ect. as an expiditer you spendmore time in the middle and east parts of N,A. so our still stuck at 55 for il and ohio.CA is big but you only get there every few months or so.and the being able to do other things with the truck struck a cord thats good logic

the problem i have with any type of lift axel is that it reduces your two axel weight limit alot your down below 8000 for most trucks right?

with a D your able to hual more so easier to get back hauls from the west coast on other places

i think if you switched to SS when you got the truck you would be hiding some of that sticker shock maybe whats the weight of the snow chains for those fat boys

well good stuff to think about on the cinn to mobile run i have now

[ATeam]

Regarding tolls and lift axles, sometimes it matters how many axles you have on the ground, sometimes it does not.

For example:

"The PA Turnpike classifies vehicles and charges tolls based on gross vehicle weight, distance traveled and number of axles. Visit the toll mileage calculator on our website for details." (From the PA E-ZPass web site)

The Delaware toll calculator lists trucks by the number of axles only.

On the Ohio Turnpike, our Class 8 truck is classified as a Class 7 truck for tolling purposes. The Turnpike Class 7 is something different than what a driver typically means when saying "Class 7". On the Ohio Turnpike, it does not matter how many axles are on the ground. GVW determines truck class for tolling purposes.

It would be interesting and informative to create two hypothetical multi-stop runs; one with a heavily loaded lift-axle truck (lift axle down) and one lightly loaded (lift axle up). The stops would be such that a number of toll roads and bridges would be used. The tolls-paid difference between vehicle types could be determined by looking up the tolls charged by each tolling entity and comparing the difference.

I started to do this as part of our truck spec decision making process, but abandoned the effort early into it. I found the difference is not great. Given the premium we put on comfort, comfort trumped toll expense, and the tandem axle decision was made.

Regarding tire expense, a fair analysis must also include the possibility of flat spotting your lift axle tires, which is not an uncommon event. Flat spotting may require you to replace your lift axle tires more often than your drives.

Scale fees should also be factored in. We used truck stop scales more often when driving lift axle trucks than with tandem-axle trucks.

Also, a truck built new with a lift axle on it is subject to the same FET as a new tandem-axle truck. If you avoid FET by installing a lift axle later, the lost money that will accompany reduced capacity for the duration of the waiting period (is it six months?) must be considered.

Our tandem-axle choice means we have a C truck that can legally carry D weight (called a "Super C" by some), but that is a happy accident, not a calculated choice. Our choice was made with comfort first in mind.