your idea of best truck under 10,000#

miker

Seasoned Expediter
to all of those who are currently running vans or something else under 10,000 gvw if you could put together a straight truck and stay under 10,000 gvw what be important to you? cargo box size etc.
all thoughts welcome
 

Moot

Veteran Expediter
Owner/Operator
all thoughts welcome

Do you really mean that?

My first thought was just say no to drugs. Yeah I know that isn't very original.

My second thought was ban the van. Or at least those pesky little under 10,000 GVWR things.

My third thought came back to the drug thing and my wondering what exactly it is you are asking.

My forth thought was that I should get out and rotate my tires and let others weigh in on this subject.

My fifth thought was that I don't rotate my tires but that I have some more thoughts on this subject but I should probably log off and shampoo my dog or alphabetize my CD collection.
 

Doggie Daddy

Veteran Expediter
I don't have any thoughts on this,but I would love to see some pictures of a straight truck under 10,000 GVW.:D
 

miker

Seasoned Expediter
I was asking , what would your ideal size cargo box be? is dock high something that one may find important or non important to them? just any thoughts on what someone might consider to be their own personal perfect truck under 10,000
and please no wise cracks about anything that has nothing to do with the question
Thanks
 

miker

Seasoned Expediter
ok! I can take a beating and laugh with the best of them, just looking for some real opinions on the matter
 

mrgoodtude

Not a Member
Do you really mean that?

My fifth thought was that I don't rotate my tires but that I have some more thoughts on this subject but I should probably log off and shampoo my dog or alphabetize my CD collection.

Here's your sign..
:rolleyes:

Miker please don't take me wrong as I love the van.
I lost my virtue in a apparatus similar to the van.
I However would be remiss in my duties as a D unit expedite mentor type if I didn't ask what your objective was..
I can move 16k of temp control freight yet I sit in Vegas for a week.
What promises have been made to you and more importantly have you researched any archives?
Better off at this juncture painting Dominoes Delivers on your mini van and being glad you have a paying gig,
**** I feel like I am having an Adam Sandler moment..
Bro you might hate me now but love me later.
Investigate the options a little closer as there is NO golden ticket.
Sorry to be so blunt but you need to rethink this.
Mike
 

Jack_Berry

Moderator Emeritus
straight truck under 10k#?

no such animule.

plenty of van options like, chevy, ford, sprinter vans then aerocell and vision mfg for larger than std vans.

no dock high unless you use ramps and certainly no forklift entry truck. the first dock high might be some npr/isuzu/ud truck. i am guessing they go over 10k so logging and scaling is required.

like mike said do some research and ssk again.

check out the thread rev;s ride 1 for an option.
 

miker

Seasoned Expediter
to all of those who are currently running vans or something else under 10,000 gvw if you could put together a straight truck and stay under 10,000 gvw what be important to you? cargo box size etc.
all thoughts welcome

My mistake , I was under the impression that when a load is posted for a small straight 12-14' that this is what they would be asking for
thanks for the lesson
 

mrgoodtude

Not a Member
My mistake , I was under the impression that when a load is posted for a small straight 12-14' that this is what they would be asking for
thanks for the lesson

Mikey don't take it so personal.
Its the end of the world as we know it.
But back to the original question "what do you want to do?"
Some of us want to help.
 

miker

Seasoned Expediter
I'm not taking it personal, I can have fun with it. No seriously, I was just curious if anyone had any ideas on how to come up with a way to have it all. no logs-no scales-more load opportunities-as much revenue as possible. Hey a fella can dream cant he? see what happens when your not working and bordem sets in
 

CharlesD

Expert Expediter
I have a pretty good idea what Mike is looking to do, so I will try to clarify a couple things here. Sometimes people say straight truck when talking about those small box trucks like you can rent at Ryder and whatnot that have small boxes on them and aren't always dock high. Some of those things are under 10,000.

If I was looking at something like that, my first concern would be the curb weight of the truck. The gross might be under 10k, but if it's a fairly heavy vehicle, your cargo capacity might not be any better than a van. The size of the box might provide access to a lot of those loads that are listed as 12'-14' straight truck loads on places like GPS and the Panther bid board because many of those loads are simply too tall for a standard cargo van. I have hauled quite a few of those in my Sprinter.

I guess the ideal box for a vehicle under 10k would be something 6' or taller and able to take two skids wide and three deep. I don't know what something like that would weigh, but I can't imagine it being any lighter than a van, so you might be sacrificing some weight capacity for the extra size.
 

Crazynuff

Veteran Expediter
I'm not taking it personal, I can have fun with it. No seriously, I was just curious if anyone had any ideas on how to come up with a way to have it all. no logs-no scales-more load opportunities-as much revenue as possible. Hey a fella can dream cant he? see what happens when your not working and bordem sets in
Now we want to know how you figure more load opportunities .
 

Crazynuff

Veteran Expediter
I was asking , what would your ideal size cargo box be? is dock high something that one may find important or non important to them? just any thoughts on what someone might consider to be their own personal perfect truck under 10,000
and please no wise cracks about anything that has nothing to do with the question
Thanks
I see the problem . You're in the wrong forum . You might have better luck in Truck Talk .
 

Moot

Veteran Expediter
Owner/Operator
Sorry Miker for the flip response to your question. But you did say all thoughts welcome. When faced with carte blanche... I guess I just have no self control.

Charles' post help clear things up. Most expediters would consider a straight truck to be a dock high vehicle, over 10,000# GVWR and suitable for over the road use.

Generally anything under 10,000# GVWR is considered a van. These include cube vans like U-Haul and Penske rent, Sprinters, Aerocell and of course the scourge of the industry, the basic Ford or G.M. van.

There is a gray area. There are vehicles with dual rear wheels, a GVWR over 10,000 and are not dock high. Check out the recent post in the Newbies Forum titled Need Direction by Markin 8342.

There are no perfect truck set-ups. What works for one may not work for another. A husband/wife team may trade cargo space and weight capacity for a larger sleeper with more amenities.

Another might choose greater freight space and weight capacity over sleeper size and opt for a cabover and a large box.

The same is true for the van segment of the industry. Although it may be more difficult to put together a unit that offers a large freight area, living accommodations and the ability to legally haul 2500# all while staying under 10,000# GVWR.

So to answer your original question about putting together a (straight truck) I will use the term van, here is what I have been mentally building:

G.M. cutaway with single rear wheels, 12' box with inside dimensions 72" high and 74-76" wide. Something along the lines of a Bay Bridge, American Cargo, Rockport, etc.

The trick is that for my purposes it must weigh less than 7000# with all my junk. I would like to be able to haul 2500# legally and G.M.'s SWR chassis is rated at 9600# GVWR.

I'm still in the research phase and have at least a year before I get too serious.
 

FIS53

Veteran Expediter
Ideal truck under 10000# would have to be along the lines of the Sprinter cab chassis only with the frame made out of aluminum rather than steel. Bent frame, higher in the rear so close to dock height and a dock leveler can work with it. The body should be of the aerocell design so as aerodynamic as possible, over 6' high inside and near 84" wide as well as being about 12' long minimum.
Now the cab would have to be extended so a nice little bunk area can be built in and not sacrifice cargo space.

Now you have an aerodynamic cube, good fuel economy, roomy enough and can haul a reasonable amount. By using aluminum and carbon fibre and other materials that are lighter than steel you have a very light curb weight and keep gvw to a minimum.
Rob
 

classadriver

Seasoned Expediter
my first straight was a chevy w-4 with a 16' box
it wasnt quite dock high and I think it was a 12,000# gvw
but could scale 4k.
no sleeper,cab over with a 4 cyl isuzu.

i tried my hardest to find one under 10k that would give me 8 skid spots and could never find it.if you do come up with something please let me know.never had a problem with it as far as the dot and at that time got $1.25 per mile with it at panther.but that was 1997 did real well with it went all over the country only got pulled into 1 scalehouse the whole time it was leased there about 18 months
unit 3266
 

MSinger

Expert Expediter
Ideal truck under 10000# would have to be along the lines of the Sprinter cab chassis only with the frame made out of aluminum rather than steel. Bent frame, higher in the rear so close to dock height and a dock leveler can work with it. The body should be of the aerocell design so as aerodynamic as possible, over 6' high inside and near 84" wide as well as being about 12' long minimum.
Now the cab would have to be extended so a nice little bunk area can be built in and not sacrifice cargo space.

Now you have an aerodynamic cube, good fuel economy, roomy enough and can haul a reasonable amount. By using aluminum and carbon fibre and other materials that are lighter than steel you have a very light curb weight and keep gvw to a minimum.
Rob

Daimler screwed that up when they raised the gvwr of the Sprinter cab/chassis to 10,200 in I believe the 2005 model year. I think the newer ones are rated at 11,030 (not that it matters). You can find some early model Sprinter cab/chassis that had the 9990 gvwr like the 3500 Sprinter vans had but they are few and far between.
 

Jack_Berry

Moderator Emeritus
aerocell cannot make a walk thru for you. they do not have that in their agreement with dc. you can only get a box added. unless you can get an aero kit for the cab roof expect to take a gasser sized hit on fuel mileage. fella i talked to said he was getting 15 with a 6 ft tall box on his sprinter and no aerocap.

 
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