Best used semi truck for 15-25k?

Eminaga

Rookie Expediter
What would you recommend? What about milage? I plan to buy it and have a driver drive it and see how that goes then maybe get another one. I figure if I pay the drive 40 cent per mile it should cover its own payment plus lil extra for repairs.
 

Wraytechs

Seasoned Expediter
Depends what your hauling and hiw far but id say for tht price range and generally speaking id get a Freightliner Columbia with a detroit or cat... id stay away from mercedes engines... also would get something with less than 3.90 gears in the back and a 9, 10 or 13 speed eatin fuller tranny.... if ur in town a lot and want an auto shift stay away from the meritor zf tranny.... personally I like the bug blocks with more horse they tend to get better milage if they are driven right.... stay away from volvo as they tend to have tons of wiring issues it seems...
 
  • Like
Reactions: crich

paullud

Veteran Expediter
What would you recommend? What about milage? I plan to buy it and have a driver drive it and see how that goes then maybe get another one. I figure if I pay the drive 40 cent per mile it should cover its own payment plus lil extra for repairs.

How much driving experience do you have? How much experience do you have working on trucks?
 

Eminaga

Rookie Expediter
How much driving experience do you have? How much experience do you have working on trucks?
I would not drive it myself and would have an experienced driver for it. I would just have a local mechanic keep it running right, he is good at his job and alot cheaper then most truck places. He works on trucks on daily basis.
Edit: my plan is to get a few trucks within a year and slowly open up my own company and be the dispatcher. (My uncle, dad, and few of their friends have been driving for 10+ years and they would work for me. I just feel like i need to have at least 6-7 trucks running at the beginning to make it work.
 

Eminaga

Rookie Expediter
Depends what your hauling and hiw far but id say for tht price range and generally speaking id get a Freightliner Columbia with a detroit or cat... id stay away from mercedes engines... also would get something with less than 3.90 gears in the back and a 9, 10 or 13 speed eatin fuller tranny.... if ur in town a lot and want an auto shift stay away from the meritor zf tranny.... personally I like the bug blocks with more horse they tend to get better milage if they are driven right.... stay away from volvo as they tend to have tons of wiring issues it seems...
My dad and uncle have volvos and they say that volvos are best pick due to being confortable for the driver altho they do tend to have issues atleast once every 4-6 months it seems. The truck would be hauling everything possible and all over usa.
 

jelliott

Veteran Expediter
Motor Carrier Executive
US Army
In that price range it is really a crap shoot. I would look to buy one off of someone you know and has it currently running. For a class 8 tractor you will get a starter but maint costs are going to be high. It is really a gamble on the engine. Work to pay it down quickly so if it has a major problem you are not upside down.
 

Eminaga

Rookie Expediter
In that price range it is really a crap shoot. I would look to buy one off of someone you know and has it currently running. For a class 8 tractor you will get a starter but maint costs are going to be high. It is really a gamble on the engine. Work to pay it down quickly so if it has a major problem you are not upside down.
Yup thats the plan. I think i will put down 5k on it right away and do 1-1.5k per month to pay it off quick. Looking around at the ones for sale now I will probably have to find one in the 20-25k range. would 700-800k miles be considered towards the end of its life? My dads volvo has 1.5million but he has had few major problems over the years that he had to fix, never a complete engine failure tho.
 

jelliott

Veteran Expediter
Motor Carrier Executive
US Army
Yup thats the plan. I think i will put down 5k on it right away and do 1-1.5k per month to pay it off quick. Looking around at the ones for sale now I will probably have to find one in the 20-25k range. would 700-800k miles be considered towards the end of its life? My dads volvo has 1.5million but he has had few major problems over the years that he had to fix, never a complete engine failure tho.

All depends on the motor. at 700-800k without a rebuild it is a gamble. Might get 50k miles might get 250k or even more.
 

paullud

Veteran Expediter
I would not drive it myself and would have an experienced driver for it. I would just have a local mechanic keep it running right, he is good at his job and alot cheaper then most truck places. He works on trucks on daily basis.

So does that answer mean no experience with driving or fixing?
 

paullud

Veteran Expediter
Correct sir but like i said i wouldnt be doing either anyway.

The next issues are trying to make money in a cutthroat industry burdened by huge amounts of regulations, very expensive operating costs, finding a good driver, and doing all that while handicapped by a lack of experience. I guess if you have several thousand dollars after buying the truck to back you up then you might have a chance. This industry has left many people that were going to do the same thing as you crying at the kitchen table because they lost everything. There are huge pitfalls for fleet owners and it's not as simple as saying, gee I should buy a truck and have my money work for me.
 
  • Like
Reactions: rollincoal

Eminaga

Rookie Expediter
The next issues are trying to make money in a cutthroat industry burdened by huge amounts of regulations, very expensive operating costs, finding a good driver, and doing all that while handicapped by a lack of experience. I guess if you have several thousand dollars after buying the truck to back you up then you might have a chance. This industry has left many people that were going to do the same thing as you crying at the kitchen table because they lost everything. There are huge pitfalls for fleet owners and it's not as simple as saying, gee I should buy a truck and have my money work for me.
I will have funds to keep the truck running until it starts making money to keep itself on the road. Right now my biggest problem is finding a good truck, it seems like most around here are being sold because they are getting close to 1m miles and people are dumping them before big issues or some already have issues. Then there is ones that need 2-3k in maintenance to get them on the road. Plus its always gonna be hard to find a good driver but I decided I will give it a try and see what happens.
 

davekc

Senior Moderator
Staff member
Fleet Owner
I would agree in that price range, you are looking to gamble. Odds may be better in Vegas? On that age vehicle, you will at a minimum need 10k in quick access cash. Why? One major tow bill and repair could easily burn that up. If running the US, no guarantee that breakdown will happen close to home. Whole new deal happens when out on the road and two thousand miles away. Not unusual to have a few repair bills in excess of 10k on a older truck in a matter of a week. Ask me how I know. lol. Also remember, all your other costs are still coming while the truck is down.
 
  • Like
Reactions: crich and Treadmill

paullud

Veteran Expediter
I will have funds to keep the truck running until it starts making money to keep itself on the road. Right now my biggest problem is finding a good truck, it seems like most around here are being sold because they are getting close to 1m miles and people are dumping them before big issues or some already have issues. Then there is ones that need 2-3k in maintenance to get them on the road. Plus its always gonna be hard to find a good driver but I decided I will give it a try and see what happens.

Given the price range that you are looking at you should expect that you are going to be doing some work on it. If you buy a $20k truck and only have to do $2-3k worth of work to have a completely legal, road ready truck then that could be a good deal depending on mileage. As long as oil samples come back clean and you have things like the air to air tested you should be pretty safe even on a higher mileage truck as far as the expensive stuff goes. The rest of the items like the clutch and tranny are easy to check. I would stay focused on Freightliner trucks in your search.

Obviously the price range that you are looking at will mean that the truck won't be running in California unless you spend money retrofitting emissions equipment. You just need to make sure that the bank will approve a loan which I believe 10 years old is the standard maximum. It is also the age that many carriers require for equipment so that should keep you safe on both fronts. What carrier were you leasing it on to?
 

Eminaga

Rookie Expediter
I would agree in that price range, you are looking to gamble. Odds may be better in Vegas? On that age vehicle, you will at a minimum need 10k in quick access cash. Why? One major tow bill and repair could easily burn that up. If running the US, no guarantee that breakdown will happen close to home. Whole new deal happens when out on the road and two thousand miles away. Not unusual to have a few repair bills in excess of 10k on a older truck in a matter of a week. Ask me how I know. lol. Also remember, all your other costs are still coming while the truck is down.
I agree its a gamble. My father and uncle are both truck drivers and they bought older volvos, i believe one is a 02 and another 04 and they have been running them for a long time. I know my dads has close to 1.5m miles and he still takes it from iowa to florida often. He dis have some issues with fuel injector and clutch other than that it has been pretty good to him for the past 5 years. I think I should be fine with getting a truck and having 5k for repairs on the side. From talking to people it seems that the truck after all bills (fuel, driver, insurance, etc) can bring in around 1000-1500 a week gross which is not bad and would help me save for repairs on it. These numbers were given to me by a trucking company owner who has 10+ of his own trucks. It seems like this is all about luck. I was told if things work out its a good idea to get another, that way one pays the repairs while other pays them both off.
 

Eminaga

Rookie Expediter
Given the price range that you are looking at you should expect that you are going to be doing some work on it. If you buy a $20k truck and only have to do $2-3k worth of work to have a completely legal, road ready truck then that could be a good deal depending on mileage. As long as oil samples come back clean and you have things like the air to air tested you should be pretty safe even on a higher mileage truck as far as the expensive stuff goes. The rest of the items like the clutch and tranny are easy to check. I would stay focused on Freightliner trucks in your search.

Obviously the price range that you are looking at will mean that the truck won't be running in California unless you spend money retrofitting emissions equipment. You just need to make sure that the bank will approve a loan which I believe 10 years old is the standard maximum. It is also the age that many carriers require for equipment so that should keep you safe on both fronts. What carrier were you leasing it on to?
Before buying the truck i will have it checked out by a mechanic that has been working on trucks for a long time so it should be fine as long as he says its ok. I am not sure who i will lease it to yet, possibly M&D transportation or maybe even Warren which is pretty big around here. The main thing is to keep it on the road so it keeps bringing in money.
 

paullud

Veteran Expediter
I think I should be fine with getting a truck and having 5k for repairs on the side.

You will need more than that. As a fleet owner you have a responsibility to have money ready to make repairs. You have not only your financial well being on the line but that of your driver's as well. If the truck is towed you can be out several hundred dollars before a wrench is ever turned. The last year that my brother ran 2 trucks with a couple of bigger issues he spent $25k in repair and maintenance. All it takes is a few small issues and that $5k is gone or one issue like a tranny. The trucks you are looking at are just getting to the age and mileage where they will nickel and dime you to death.

From talking to people it seems that the truck after all bills (fuel, driver, insurance, etc) can bring in around 1000-1500 a week gross which is not bad and would help me save for repairs on it.

After expenses your net pay probably won't even be $1k per month in the beginning. There are lots of costs that you will need to get caught up on like plates and insurance before you even start to earn money.

It seems like this is all about luck. I was told if things work out its a good idea to get another, that way one pays the repairs while other pays them both off.

It's about being a smart fleet owner and not leaving things up to luck. Being prepared to cover costs with proper funding has nothing to do with luck at all, it's business sense.
 
  • Like
Reactions: cheri1122

paullud

Veteran Expediter
Before buying the truck i will have it checked out by a mechanic that has been working on trucks for a long time so it should be fine as long as he says its ok. I am not sure who i will lease it to yet, possibly M&D transportation or maybe even Warren which is pretty big around here. The main thing is to keep it on the road so it keeps bringing in money.

Having it "checked out" doesn't mean having some shade tree mechanic come over and poke it with a stick. There are some very important tests that need to be run like taking an oil sample that can tell you if there is abnormal wear in the engine or other problems like bad injectors that will cost thousands to replace. I would also highly recommend running a rig dig report at www.rigdig.com because that will give you valuable info from DOT inspections to let you know if the truck was maintained. None of this is free but it is very cheap insurance.
 

Eminaga

Rookie Expediter
You will need more than that. As a fleet owner you have a responsibility to have money ready to make repairs. You have not only your financial well being on the line but that of your driver's as well. If the truck is towed you can be out several hundred dollars before a wrench is ever turned. The last year that my brother ran 2 trucks with a couple of bigger issues he spent $25k in repair and maintenance. All it takes is a few small issues and that $5k is gone or one issue like a tranny. The trucks you are looking at are just getting to the age and mileage where they will nickel and dime you to death.



After expenses your net pay probably won't even be $1k per month in the beginning. There are lots of costs that you will need to get caught up on like plates and insurance before you even start to earn money.



It's about being a smart fleet owner and not leaving things up to luck. Being prepared to cover costs with proper funding has nothing to do with luck at all, it's business sense.
Man you sure are giving me lots to think about!
 

Eminaga

Rookie Expediter
Having it "checked out" doesn't mean having some shade tree mechanic come over and poke it with a stick. There are some very important tests that need to be run like taking an oil sample that can tell you if there is abnormal wear in the engine or other problems like bad injectors that will cost thousands to replace. I would also highly recommend running a rig dig report at www.rigdig.com because that will give you valuable info from DOT inspections to let you know if the truck was maintained. None of this is free but it is very cheap insurance.
Thanks I will check into the oild test also.
 
Top