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[rollingstock]

Hey Guys and gals,

I am new here and need some answers. I don't even know what question to ask really. I am interested enough in expediting, though, to pursue this and ask for advice here. I sent an email to PanterII and hope they are as good as they look. I have been reading posts for a while and think I get the picture of what the job is. I think I would be best suited to drive a cargo van. Probably a 3500 (would a 2500 be sufficient?)series with an alumibunk sleeper. I possess my CDL, but don't really want to drive OTR in a big rig. I did for about 3 months and just never really felt comfortable with it. I drove midwest to TX, OK and over to Birmingham driving a flat bed. Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks
Bob

 

[X1_SRH]

Hey Stock, there are a lot of factors to consider here... the main one, at least in my opinion is the setup that you propose. Nowadays the van market is TIGHT. If you are dead set on a van, I feel that a sprinter is the way to go. The 2500 series Sprinter is plenty sufficient for what you'll need. The sleeper setup scares me. (you wanted an opinion, so here's mine!) By adding a sleeper you take away cargo space. The ability to haul 3 skids instead of 2 gives you the advantage over the next guy sitting beside you. Look into fold down style bunks that give you the comfort for nappy time, but let that truck max out it's capacity for generatin' revenue. If you have at least a 'B' CDL, I'd seriously consider a straight truck over anything I've mentioned so far, just by the fact that (I've said it before) you can put a van or sprinter load in any straight truck if you need to, but you'll never fit a straight truck load into a sprinter, not to mention that you don'r sacrifice your sleeper space when you are under load. Versatility and flexibility are how you help keep your wheels turning with freight in the box. Give yourself every advantage possible. Thanks and best wishes, Scott

"My Old Ride"
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[rollingstock]

Thanks for the reply!

I ahve been doing a great deal of research, not just the expetiter research, but retirement options, tax questions and what type of business to set up. I realize the sleeper addition to a cargo van will limit the freight space. The sleeper I looked at is from phoenix and will deduct 40" from the cargo area of a 2500 GMC extended van.

I recently heard on the radio that oil might rise to $80 per barrel. That will generally tend to increase a gallon of gasoline by .88 to as much as 1.00 per gallon. That is a huge increase in operating expense. I wonder if the current surcharge system will respond quickly enough to allow an O/O to recover.

Just food for my thoughts
Bob