Salesman is critical in a truck purchase
Recently I read that aerodynamic trucks yield higher profit and more than offset the resale value of more stylish trucks in fuel saving alone. Aerodynamic trucks can and do get better fuel mileage than some “stylish trucks,” but that is not a given. I drove a 9400i for a Wisconsin fleet for 400,000 miles. It had full fairings, an ISX435 and a 10-speed, and I averaged 7.9 mpg most weeks with seven to ten stops per day. Other trucks with the same specs in that fleet, however, had a hard time getting above 5 mpg. Aerodynamics alone wasn’t getting the job done.
I’ve also heard often that aerodynamic trucks yield greater load capacity. Yet my 2005 Peterbilt 379 short hood has a C13, a 13-speed transmission, a 70-in. sleeper and several weight-saving options. It has a wheelbase of more than 20 inches and is more than one ton lighter than the 9400i, weighing in at 16,250 lbs. Claiming a greater load capacity on the aerodynamic trucks isn’t always justifiable.
Buying a profitable truck has to do with the total truck, not the hood’s slope. More than anyone else, the truck salesman can help – or hurt – an inexperienced buyer. Many truckers would do well to spend more time checking out their sales associate. Do associates know the business of trucking? Are they asking questions about what you haul, your weight and distance? Or do they seem to know instantly what you need, which, it turns out, is the truck with the extra commission spiff on it because it’s been on the lot too long?

RANDY MUNSON
La Crescent, Minn.
— Owner-operator Filiberto Cervantes in the Los Angeles Times talking about clean-air guidelines that began Jan. 1 at the Los Angeles-Long Beach ports.
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