What Would You As Drivers Want In A Truck?

A partner and I are going to start our own trucking company. I have my class A but it is limited to the 5500 dodge and the 44 foot gooseneck trailer we have. Partner has a Full class A.

We are looking to put more people to work with flatbeds and possibly in the oil fields.

My question is what do you as drivers look for in a truck?

The reason I ask is that I see a lot of drivers talking about new this and new that. But I just had the dodge down for 3 days because the shop could not find why the DEF system was messing up and the computer was going to shut it down after 200 miles.

I guess I am a throwback in that I like the old look and not the new plastic look to the trucks. I also don't want driver to be down not making money because of a darn computer. Hey if the driver is not making money, we are not making money.

Does a new truck really make that much a difference in recruiting? Or will a well maintained truck be just as good?

We do plan to outfit the truck with all the creature comforts that we can possible think of and fit into the truck.

Being down for 3 days for no apparent reason really irked me. All they did was unplug and reconnect wires.

Does a new truck really make that much a difference in recruiting? Or will a well maintained truck be just as good?

We do plan to outfit the truck with all the creature comforts that we can possible think of and fit into the truck.

I'd say a well maintained truck is just fine. But more importantly I would say the best thing you can do for recruiting is stay in business in the first place. If you listen to what everyone else wants they'll bankrupt you. It's 2013...there's a million people out there looking to get into trucking. You don't have to wow people with amazingly fancy trucks and features. Solid trucks, steady work, competitive pay, and fair treatment are the four most important things for most drivers.

And I'll add this - you'll keep drivers around longer by treating them well than you will by giving them fancy trucks. No matter how nice the truck, the driver isn't going to be around long if he/she isn't treated decently. But a driver will tolerate a lot of things if they're happy with the way they're being treated and feel the company genuinely cares about them.

Thanks Brett. Yeah we are not going for fancy. I was thinking more of fridge, coffee pot, crock pot, cb, apu , etc. Nothing to break the bank with because I want the truck to be 100%. When I get the trucks they will immediately go into the shop to fix whatever is wrong or I don't like and given a thorough top to bottom check over. Our mechanic is about the most anal guy I have ever seen under a vehicle so I am convinced he will find whatever is wrong.

APU:

Auxiliary Power Unit

On tractor trailers, and APU is a small diesel engine that powers a heat and air conditioning unit while charging the truck's main batteries at the same time. This allows the driver to remain comfortable in the cab and have access to electric power without running the main truck engine.

Having an APU helps save money in fuel costs and saves wear and tear on the main engine, though they tend to be expensive to install and maintain. Therefore only a very small percentage of the trucks on the road today come equipped with an APU.

Pat maybe cause I'm brand new, but that seems very generous toward amenities...You hiring lol... I love your comment about your mechanic..I raced local dirt track for many years and my driver always got irrated at me saying I was too anal about going over everything....But he never had a dnf either. Thank god for your guy and treat him well....As I'm confident you will...Best of luck to you..

I was thinking more of fridge, coffee pot, crock pot, cb, apu , etc

Honestly, I wouldn't put any of that stuff in the truck. APU's are extremely expensive to buy, install, and maintain. A lot of companies have actually gone away from them in recent years for those reasons.

Most drivers would prefer to choose their own brand of CB.

Most drivers will not use a coffee pot or crock pot in their truck.

Now a fridge most drivers will use, but would you want to get into a truck and use a fridge where the last guy was a slob and left a bunch of rotten garbage in there? Because that's what is going to happen quite a bit.

I would just put a decent radio in the truck - maybe satellite radio - and maybe install a power inverter so someone doesn't accidentally wire up their own the wrong way and burn the truck to the ground or fry the computer. Then let the drivers get what they want for amenities. Nobody is going to come work for you or stay with you because you put a few amenities in the truck. They're looking for solid pay, good home time, good miles, and respect. The rest of that stuff they can buy at Walmart.

HOS:

Hours Of Service

HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.

OOS:

When a violation by either a driver or company is confirmed, an out-of-service order removes either the driver or the vehicle from the roadway until the violation is corrected.

APU:

Auxiliary Power Unit

On tractor trailers, and APU is a small diesel engine that powers a heat and air conditioning unit while charging the truck's main batteries at the same time. This allows the driver to remain comfortable in the cab and have access to electric power without running the main truck engine.

Having an APU helps save money in fuel costs and saves wear and tear on the main engine, though they tend to be expensive to install and maintain. Therefore only a very small percentage of the trucks on the road today come equipped with an APU.

APU's:

Auxiliary Power Unit

On tractor trailers, and APU is a small diesel engine that powers a heat and air conditioning unit while charging the truck's main batteries at the same time. This allows the driver to remain comfortable in the cab and have access to electric power without running the main truck engine.

Having an APU helps save money in fuel costs and saves wear and tear on the main engine, though they tend to be expensive to install and maintain. Therefore only a very small percentage of the trucks on the road today come equipped with an APU.

If you put an inverter in the trucks, its a great plus for your drivers....AND then you can put in the cheaper 110 fridges, that I know all drivers would like to have. That is what we did, and we only had to change it out once in 4 years. About cleaning it...when our engine blew, our truck went to the shop for 9 weeks...sitting in locked yard, in the heat. when I got back in it...well, the smell was unbelievable. I took the fridge OUT, hosed it out, washed it with dish soap, then simply wiped it down with 1 part vanilla to 10 parts water...put it back, plugged it in...smelled great, worked fine...But being the lighter 110 fridge, its easier to work with, and they are the exact same size as the semi truck ones that are $500 a shot...I'm with Brett on the crock pot, etc....drivers will have, or buy that stuff, its cheap. Just put a way for them to SAFELY use 110 appliances...We have had 2 friends wire in their own inverters......and burned their trucks to the ground. So do them in the shop...with plenty of insulation and padding. Both of our friends trucks burned, because the wire wrap wore thru, shorted on the frame, and ignited a fire....

I am with Celadon and all our trucks have what they call APUs. They are not actually APUs. They don't provide power except to run the A/C and heat.

You can't hook anything else onto them. Plus they don't have their own power source. Such as an engine. They are run off a second set of batteries. The truck has auto start and when the batteries get low, the truck starts.

Doesn't save on fuel as much as an actual APU would. But tons less upkeep. And I would guess much cheaper.

Now the inverter. I 100% agree with.

Brett is correct about the mess in the refer. But at Celadon, or I have been told, they will hold the driver's last paycheck for a cleaning fee if they leave the truck for someone else to clean up.

As far as what is in a truck. In my opinion. A power inverter so I can put my own refer and micro wave in the truck myself.

And how to keep good drivers. Treat them right and fair.

What I look for in a company. Decent pay. Good benefits. A company that cares about the driver and his family. Allows family to ride along without jumping through tons of paperwork and costing lots of money.

Equipment in good shape. Doesn't have to be new. But kept up and look nice. And last but not least. ROOM. We are in a truck 7 days a week 30 days a month. A truck is small enought without making it smaller just so the company can haul more freight.

Don't get me wrong. I am not talking about having those super sleeper. Just a truck where I don't feel like a sardine in a can.

Keep it safe out here. Joe S

HOS:

Hours Of Service

HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.

APU:

Auxiliary Power Unit

On tractor trailers, and APU is a small diesel engine that powers a heat and air conditioning unit while charging the truck's main batteries at the same time. This allows the driver to remain comfortable in the cab and have access to electric power without running the main truck engine.

Having an APU helps save money in fuel costs and saves wear and tear on the main engine, though they tend to be expensive to install and maintain. Therefore only a very small percentage of the trucks on the road today come equipped with an APU.

APUs:

Auxiliary Power Unit

On tractor trailers, and APU is a small diesel engine that powers a heat and air conditioning unit while charging the truck's main batteries at the same time. This allows the driver to remain comfortable in the cab and have access to electric power without running the main truck engine.

Having an APU helps save money in fuel costs and saves wear and tear on the main engine, though they tend to be expensive to install and maintain. Therefore only a very small percentage of the trucks on the road today come equipped with an APU.