Should I buy Another semi truck?

If you never go to California and you don't run heavy loads everyday just keep the truck you have. If you are running fully loaded everyday then it might be worth a look for something with a little more torque.

Consider one of two things:

1) Get a Banks or Bullydog performance gizmo, upgraded intake/exhaust, etc. $200-$4,000. 2) R&R the old engine with another larger and more powerful engine. Sell the good-running original engine to someone else for a premium, as you love to do. If you need a core for the rebuilt engine, you can probably find one for dirt cheap, knowing you. $?

Even if you keep it and buy the newer rig, you'll be ahead of the game with two powerhouses.

Sucha deal!

Buy commercial cheap and flip the real estate. (Just don't get caught with too many pieces when the SHTF tomorrow.)

You'd have to weigh what you do/how much you do locally vs long distance to know the answer to that one.

Perhaps you've already made up your mind and just want to hear it from someone else, eh?

Sorry, none of that here. I'm just an ex-tech.

You're good at math Iggy, just calculate the ROI on that 20-30K spent on a nicer tractor vs. the maintenance on the current one. Don't forget to consider if you will be taxed a lot more on a newer truck as well. My suspicion is you won't see any extra profits as a result of having a newer truck for your local hauling needs.

Vehicles are never an "investment" and having , maintaining, and insuring 2 trucks when one will do doesn't make a lot of sense.

And you could very well buy a WORSE 10 year old truck than the 30 year old one you already own.

I have not been there. But if I were in your business, I would consider bu ying a box type truck. Maybe a stake bed but a smaller trick than the Semi you own. You would not need a CDL to drive it. And it would be able to d o much of your trucking at somewhat less cost than your semi.

It is just a thought. You know your business and I do not. So it may be a bad idea.

Dan

Yes, I need a CDL even for box truck, and a box truck would not solve most of my problem. Maybe only the problem of moving non-ferrous scrap without attracting attention. Plus I do not have a dock.

i

I don't think so. Atleast not if you are under 26,001 pounds and not hauling for hire. Don't be confused that you have to have commercial plates on the truck. Heck I have commercial plates on my 3/4 ton pickup trucks. I don't have to have a CDL to drive them and neither does anybody who works for me.

Maybe build a portable, knockdown framework to support tarps around the flatbed, complete with lid to keep light stuff in?

Perhaps it's time to build a hydraulic lift-gate/floor for the shop. Or dig a ramped pit to create a dock. I can imagine the implications of that at City Hall just thinking about it. (childproof railings, sump pump, engineering permits, environmental impact reports, etc.)

Here in Illinois, you need a class B license to drive straight trucks over 16,000 lbs.

i

If some asshole is attracting attention from the authorities by doing whatever the f*ck it is he's doing stupidly then that attraction is very well deserved.

IOW buying a new truck is NOT going to solve your problem; it'll mean you're a bigger asshole.

You've answered your own question. It's an emotional decision; do you WANT a newer truck? Forget justifying it economically.

Who said anything about attention from authorities? Large quantities of aluminum and brass attract thieves, who are seldom as clueless as you are.

Are you calling someone else an asshole to be ironic?

David

One consideration, the older non ABS brake system trucks are WAY easier to maintain for DOT inspections.

Aound here, many farmers own semis and older easier to maintain units actually carry a slight premium.

My vote, you have no business justification. Get something you just want - is a new truck your greatest desire?

I get stuff i just want all the time, but i don't confuse it with a business need.

Karl

It is good that I did not know that. I drove thru Illinois twice with a truck rated for 26,000 lbs when moving from Washington State to the East Coast. I might have gone further south if I had known.

Dan

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Iggy _wants_ a new truck!!!! :)

Can the business justify it? Doesn't sound like it's a no-brainer on that score from present use, but perhaps more capable truck would allow more opportunities. After all, "time is money" so that transport time if excessive could add up over time (so to speak :) ).

OTOH, if the business can presently afford it and you have the itch, why not? :)

From a realistic standpoint, the only input I have is that this is a farm operation here and use is time-critical (harvest-time primarily, altho to just slightly less degree, planting season) so that downtime at the wrong time is potentially extremely costly. For that reason, we ensure that all production equipment is in shape that it can be expected to perform as needed when needed w/o downtime. Of course, "stuff happens" on occasion, but here we'd have replaced yours as a prime vehicle some time ago in all likelihood and perhaps kept it as backup or for other than "prime time" use or as overflow capacity. But, doesn't tend to sound as though your use is that time-critical.

An auto transport trailer might add a new dimension to your scrap capabilities. A lot of junk cars are now, and will be, available. Flood-damaged alone is huge.

G'luck, PaulS

Don't know about Chicagoland, but up here in Canada you need a "D" licence for a big straight job and an "A" for a semi. Both are considered commercial drivers licences. Then there are the various coach licences,(bublic and school bus) and a "Z" endorsement for air brakes. The normal "G" (or genereal) is only for cars and light trucks

An outside ramp type loading dock is a lot easier to get permission for, and a lot easier to build. Unload with "rough country" forklift.

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Under 26K GVWR probably still requires Class B; most places are pretty consistent.

The small guys are under limits excepting for combined w/ trailers or hazmat or the like so that a 3/4T doesn't isn't really pertinent.

When I was trying to sell the "cookie truck" (an old Nabisco distributorship box that bought when made the move from TN back to farm), local guys kept telling me their guys would need CDL 'cuz it was

24-ft box. But, I think that's folklore as couldn't find anything on the KS DMV site saying so...still wasn't ever able to get it sold locally so finally took it to auction when finished using it for storage after the move and finally did get stuff unloaded and either dispensed with or unpacked/stowed (about a 3-yr ordeal).