Interesting CR Unit (3 Photos)

RichM

Veteran Expediter
Charter Member
My inspections stayed at the same 6 month level as the rest of the fleet.I was not required to come to Ohio or do anything different then when the truck was new.
Performance and overall reputation is what counts.
 

grog111

Seasoned Expediter
Um...Thank's Phil...i think.....(clear as mud). The reason i ask, is because i have an FL106 which some would say is a class 8. Other's say it's not. Frankly i don't care much other than how it effect's your entrance qualification's. It's a 2001 so it would'nt meet the 5 year cut off as a class 7 , but as Davekc mentioned, the shortage of truck's,or what have you, has seemed to loosen up some carrier's. On thier printed literature they state 5 years, but when talking to recruiter's the primary concern seem's to be the over-all condition of the truck. Just wondering how fed-ex viewed thing's.
 

ATeam

Senior Member
Retired Expediter
Other drivers I have talked to with older trucks have reported higher inspection standards. Best thing is to talk to FedEx people and get the information that is then current and then correct. As anyone who has been with FedEx for a while knows, the rules and practices change from time to time. When questions like this come up, the carrier is always the best place to go for information.
 

x06col

Veteran Expediter
Charter Member
Retired Expediter
US Army
Grog: Don't make any difference what we clowns on this site clasify your truck a 7 or a 8. Your carrier will give you the golden rule of if the truck is a class 7 or 8. And will either keep you or throw you away. Nobody here can help. Sorry.
 

grog111

Seasoned Expediter
No, that's cool. It's just something that A team said back in post #8 that caught my attention. I thought maybe Phil or somebody else may have had direct information. Personally i kinda feel like you and Dave and Rich said earlier. It's my truck, and if i keep it in good condition...and it has no problem passing a DOT inspection...and no service failures...not out of service constantly for repairs, heck, i don't think it should matter if my truck is 30 years old. The age of a truck,(or class for that matter), is an arbitrary rational for restriction.
 

ATeam

Senior Member
Retired Expediter
In addition to getting current info from carriers, practical considerations also apply. Most people agree that a well-maintained class 8 truck will go a million miles or more. Can the same be said for class 7's?
 

RichM

Veteran Expediter
Charter Member
Yes it can be said for class 7's. I have known of several Internationals that did well over a million for Roberts. My own FL 70 was retired at 906,000 and still going strong. I think the fact that 98% of the million miles are highway miles plays a large role in longevity,plus the same individal behind the wheel is a major factor.

Dot inspectors would not believe me when I told then that the original brakes were still in use and at 905K they still had 50% left.
 

x06col

Veteran Expediter
Charter Member
Retired Expediter
US Army
On a serious note - - Attention all you jackrabbit starters and stoppers, that is a bar to attempt to hit.
 

lanier1

Seasoned Expediter
No kidding, that is impressive.

They require my 99 FL70 to be DOT'd twice a year and they want to do a visual once a year. I was told as long as the truck was up to par in appearance, maintained, inspected and not afflicted with an abundance of service failures due to breakdowns just keep on truckin.

The big trucks look great and I would love to have one but as a solo driver trying to put money in the bank all I can tell you is "I loves me my 99 FL70"!!
 

terryandrene

Veteran Expediter
Safety & Compliance
US Coast Guard
Let's not forget that the reputations of many, if not all, true expedite carriers rests on the fact that time specific pickups and time specific deliveries occur with a 99+% frequency. They have built their reputations with frequently inspected trucks and routine validations of maintenance procedures and schedules.

I suspect that the aim of reputable carriers is not to maintain a fleet that just does not have an abundance of service failures, but to keep a fleet that has as few service failures that they are capable of managing. Over time, they should be able apply several parameters to a forecast that determines the age of any given truck type that they want to lease.
 

x06col

Veteran Expediter
Charter Member
Retired Expediter
US Army
But Terry, ya got the clowns in the trucks that cause the stats. Equipment don't for the most part be bad, cept for the lemon line.
 

ATeam

Senior Member
Retired Expediter
>Yes it can be said for class 7's. I have known of several
>Internationals that did well over a million for Roberts. My
>own FL 70 was retired at 906,000 and still going strong. I
>think the fact that 98% of the million miles are highway
>miles plays a large role in longevity,plus the same
>individal behind the wheel is a major factor.

So, just to be clear, you drove your class seven truck for 10 years and 906,000 miles, or an average of 90,600 miles per year in a team-driven truck for most of those years. Is that correct?
 

ATeam

Senior Member
Retired Expediter
>That was always my attitude,work for yourself and not for a
>truck.

I would say, work for yourself, yes. Also make sure your truck is working for you. A truck is not a master to be served. It is a capital investment that should produce an acceptable return.
 

davekc

Senior Moderator
Staff member
Fleet Owner
I think a million miles on a class seven is quite common if maintained correctly. We have had quite a few over the years that have been high milage. Just this year we sold a reefer truck with almost 700,000, and a KW with just under 800,000. Both of these trucks had the original engines and could go much longer Only reason we sold them early is to replace them with pre-07 models.











Davekc
owner
22 years
PantherII
EO moderator
 

lanier1

Seasoned Expediter
So, in your opinion Terry, if data shows trucks should be pulled at a certain age then that should be applied to all regardless of personal stats? As was relayed to me by FedEx they look at it on a case by case basis as I think it should be. I have enough in my life that I have to put up with because of others mistakes and bad decisions. One bad apple don't spoil the whole bunch comes to mind.
 

arkjarhead

Veteran Expediter
my dad has a 86 model fl 120 he still runs that has 1,750,000 miles on it and it still runs great. then again he bought it brand new ans he is a stickler for maintence. he has that truck and a freightshaker like nitecreature's. except dad's is a blue.
 

grog111

Seasoned Expediter
Exactly! My reference to a 30 year old truck was from an article done in the connections magazine you see at truck stop's. Seem's there was a fellow who liked the astetics of 70's era kenworths. Custom paint and lot's of chrome made it a beautiful truck. He had gone through several motor's and transmission's, changing them before he ran into service failure problem's. Now...not to beat a dead horse,but, i seem to recall that the major selling point of the T-300 was listed right on kenworth's literature stating the bigger motor and tranny were qualifier's for class 8 distinction, much as international's 7400 model makes the same claim, as does sterling's 960. Apparently the bigger motor and tranny and differential, reinforced frame work and sturdier suspention, and bigger brakes on a smaller, lower chassis were designed to give you the million mile durability with a cheaper and easier to handle vehicle. Now the cat 3126,(as well as the MBE900 which is'nt mercedes at all, but rather a barely modified detroit deisel series 60 built at the allison engine plant just outside of detroit), are both industry rated at B50, which means; at least 50% of these motors have made it to 500,000 miles without needing any major work. Take that for what it's worth. My point being, i think that, such as the case with the T-300 up at the top here, should'nt necesarily be considered class "7" out of hand.
 
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