How to buy a used semi truck for your truck company. Semi truck minimum budget (for good used quality) $69-90K retail
1. Buy the Best truck you can afford, without going broke (retain at least $5-7K in reserve. You want to buy a Truck as close to or under 500,000 miles as possible. If you figure the average truck has a usable lifespan of 1,000,000 miles, you want to get a truck that can offer 3-4 years of usability and reliability.
The most important aspect and detail to note in your quest to buy a used semi truck …is the mileage. Most decent engines will go to one million miles, and more, if they are treated right, always try and get a truck with a Detroit or Cummings engine. These engines are easier to find parts for and reliable mechanics nationwide.
You need to be clear on what type of work the truck will be doing. This is important as the specs of the truck will give you the truck that you need. For example, it’s unnecessary to have a double frame if you’ll be hauling general freight.
Nor is it necessary to have an overpowered engine if your payload won’t be grossing over 80,000 lb.This will also save you money as you won’t be paying for features you don’t need.
The truck only needs to be as versatile for what you intend to use it for. Unless you know the original owner and the maintenance history, I recommend dealing with a reputable used truck dealer, rather than a private individual.
Generally speaking you have different forms of financing, so you can preserve your cash flow.
The dealership will most likely offer a short warranty, should something break shortly after
Should you Lease or Buy?
If you have excellent credit 740 or better, consider leasing. This will get you a newer truck, with a warranty built in, and the dealer will replace the truck within 24 hours in case of a breakdown or mechanical failure….and this is more suitable for running Teams (2 man driver group). The down side is this is more expensive and you have to return the truck after the end of your else period.
Buying is the next option obviously, but the biggest downside is you are responsible for all repairs. The upside is you have an asset that you can rebuild after 3-4 years, or you can sell the truck outright and buy again.
2. Buy or Lease Automatic transmission trucks only… unless you are the driver and prefer a Manual transmission. Most Truck drivers that you will hire, will prefer an automatic. If you are running Teams (2 man driving crew), you most certainly need an automatic. The person in tieback sleeping, wont be able to sleep with the jerking of a Manual transmission.
Remember this too, small block engines (13 liter) are far better in terms of fuel economy. Most of today’s diesel engines, can reliably get up 450 and 550 horsepower which is probably more than adequate for your needs. The larger (15-16 liter) engines look and sound great, but soak up fuel as well. Don’t over buy!
3.
What Brand of truck to buy?
My first choice is–> The most versatile (affordable) and easy to fix, maintain is the Cascadia (Freightliner). These trucks tend to be lighter, hence offer better fuel economy.
If you plan to haul heavy equipment like cranes, car hauling, heavy boulders, or reticulated dump truck trailer I would suggest Kenworth, Mack or Peterbilt trucks.
Volvo are good and reliable.. when they are running well, but can be hard to find a reputable diesel mechanic that can work on them. That being said, if you have a breakdown on a Volvo, it can be weeks before you get back on the road, even for a simple part.
International trucks tend to have emissions and mechanical issues ever since they began manufacture! It’s always something with these trucks, so stay away from them….unless you are like me, and got one cheap from the auction and had it totally rebuilt from the ground up. So, for this reason, I would stay away from the International (Prostar) trucks…save yourself the grief.
4.
Always buy a truck with a sleeper cab. This allows you to keep your driver out longer and save you money (and make you money). A sleeper is like a tiny hotel attached to the back of your semi truck. Some sleeper cabs come with a refrigerator, microwave and other amenities. Don’t over do it here, you don’t want your driver too comfortable that they don’t want to get on the road and drive! (Lol). A clean and sturdy mattress is a must, make sure the compartment is clean and sturdy. Always disinfect between drivers. It’s better to buy a truck with the sleeper already attached, than buy a day cab…and add it on later (unless you are getting a super discount).
5.
Not a requirement, but if you can snag one, get a working APU system in your truck when you buy it, or install it as soon as you can. An APU system (auxiliary power unit) is basically a power generator for your truck. The APU provides the energy to turn on the heater, the AC, and even the TV without having to keep the truck in idle mode. This keeps you from having to keep the engine on for heating on cold nights and a.c. unit on hot nights when your driver is sleeping in the truck. Saves you alot of money during the year…you will even see the savings on a week-to-week basis if you did a comparison to having and not having an APU…so, this is an optional but almost “must have” for over the road driving (for fuel economy). If you have one installed after market, they can run $6-15K….but will pay for itself within 9month -12 months in terms of fuel cost savings.
Gerard Fairley (470) 569-0099