older truck vs newer truck

[389driver]

This topic is right in my wheelhouse...I have a mix of older and newer (de-mandated) trucks. There are pro and cons to both.

It all boils down to your operation. Period.

If you're going over-the-road, then an older truck probably isn't a good idea. Short of replacing EVERY SINGLE THING during a rebuild on an older truck, you are going to have problems arise - and often. Little nickel and dime stuff, but problems nonetheless. If you want to run an older truck (well, really any truck for that matter), you MUST be willing and able to do most repairs yourself. Downtime and labor for repairs will eat your lunch. OTR is also where a long hood can and will break you. The rates are typically lower, and you're running more miles, so fuel mileage becomes VERY important. Racking up the miles quickly on an already older truck can make for headaches too.

Now, if your work is local/regional, then an older truck may be a wiser option. My operation is pretty much all within a 200 mile radius of my yard, with about half of my freight running within 50 miles of home. All out and back. So, my trucks are never too far away if they have problems. 99.9% of the time I can fix a truck in the evening when it gets back, or have it swing by the shop in the middle of the day if need be. In 14 years I've only had to have a truck towed 3 times knock on wood. I'm running 10 trucks ranging in age from 1997 through 2009 and ranging from 350,000 to 1.6 million miles on them. There is ALWAYS something wrong with one of them. Hardly a week goes by that I don't have a small list of things to take care of on a Saturday when the trucks aren't running. Now, part of this is because I am picky about maintenance. I think Rawze would be proud of me for my maintenance practices if for nothing else. If something is broken - no matter how small- it gets fixed and fixed RIGHT. Old trucks are OK - IF YOU KEEP THEM UP. It doesn't take long to have a pile of junk on your hands if you let the little things go. I've only ever bought 1 brand new truck from my Peterbilt dealer, but they love me from the huge parts bill I rack up every month.

My operation is also why I can get away with running 379/389 Peterbilts when talking about fuel mileage. The shippers and receivers I work for are usually only open from 7am to 5pm and sometimes not even that long. I do local transfer work, so the name of the game is to get as many loads in a day as you can. So losing out on a load because you slowed down to gain MPG can cost you more than you saved in lost revenue. As with most local work, the per mile rate is higher than OTR work. If I lose out on 75 miles per day at $2.00+ per mile in an effort to save $40 in fuel then I'm not using my head. My trucks are loaded to 80,000 lbs (sometimes more), and do ALOT of stop-and-go through the day. Factors such as these (and more) can quickly overcome aerodynamics as the major contributing factor in fuel mileage. Case in point: The local Freightliner dealer was trying to get my business and let me use a 2015 Cascadia with a 500HP DD15 for a week t try to prove I could save money in fuel. After a week the Cascadia achieved a whopping 1/10th mile per gallon better than my CAT powered 379's. After you factored in the cost of DEF, the Cascadia was MORE expensive to operate. I must add though that my 389 with a CM871 running M*M@2 gets 6 MPG compared to my CAT powered trucks' 5-5.2 MPG.

My decision to run long hood trucks is influenced by a number of things:

-They do hold up better to harsh environments vs. aero trucks. A 379 Peterbilt with a million miles on it will be in better shape than a Cascadia, Prostar, etc.

-It is MUCH easier to work on a long hood. The engine is right out in the open. No cramped spaces when doing any kind of engine work. I can have a transmission out of one of my trucks in 3 hours. They're just easier.

-It's easier to keep drivers. My experience has been that drivers will tend to give up a little bit of pay to drive a big hood. Plus, they stick around longer. My turnover is virtually zero - not to mention I've got a very good group of guys. Good help IS hard to find, and at least for me - a long hood does help with that problem to a degree.

-They hold their value. I have trucks that are worth as much or more than I paid for them 4 and 5 years ago. If you have a flat top 379 with a 13/18 speed and a C15 that is in any kind of decent shape you can get $40K for it all day long regardless of how many miles are on it. 5 years ago you could pick those trucks up for $30-35K. If it's had a recent Platinum overhaul with the 4 year warranty you can get $50-55K for one if it's solid. Now, I don't see trucks as an investment, but it is a factor to consider nonetheless.


Having said all that, the best advice I can give is to find a CM871 powered truck and do what needs to be done to it. With M*M@2 it'll blow any yellow motor away in driveability AND fuel economy. Plus you can typically get them bought cheaper. Whatever chassis you decide to run should be dependent on what type of operation you are in.