What's new

This is interesting

MikeJ

MikeJ

TB Veteran
Credits
198
So today I was talking to another beer delivery driver at a stop this morning and he said that he was in a newer truck by his companies standards. The truck he was in was like a 1995 L8000 like this actually exactly like this:



This particular company is unique as they have a very very old fleet of trucks lots of Ford L8000s from 20 years ago and a lot of 12 bay straight body trucks, exactly like the truck in the picture a lot of old soldiers.

The driver said that his company doesn't buy anything newer then 15 years old! Said that I guess it's some kind of tax write off or something for having really old trucks. I've never heard of that my self, but it might be true this company has the oldest trucks on the street and they do they literally will try and gobble up any Ford L8000-9000 series straight body beverage truck they can get there hands on from 20 years ago it's true you will see an old Ford 12 bay with a temp tag on it, like they literally just bought it.

I said to the driver, you guys are the only major beer distributor here in Cleveland that uses straight bodies. He said "Yeah and we can cram as much into a straight body as you can on some trailers. One day they crammed 600 cases into a 12 bay straight body."

I've seen this companies trucks and he's not lying, these guys cram 1.5x's the amount of cases in a straight body 12 bay then I've had in a 14 bay trailer. One day I almost said to one of there drivers "Man they sure cram those trucks full for you guys."

Actually though I like that this company uses old Ford L8000 straight body trucks it's unique to them. They used to have a cool logo on there doors too, but they switched it to something more generic and not as good.
 
I'm sure that properly maintained older fleet will be cheaper and have less headaches for them than the new overly sensored, overly computerized new trucks with more wires and gizmos looking for reasons to shut the truck down, also the new trucks need to be out on the freeway running to keep the emission systems clean, probally more than a route truck does, and when it comes to DEF its only what you get driving some of the old stuff.
 
When I started driving in 1998, I worked for an Allied agent. I worked in the Commercial Moving division of the agent. We had the old trucks. The household division had all the nice, new, shiny trucks. I asked one of the drivers there why we got the "junk". His answer," The older the trucks, the more we make per hour. What would you rather have, newer trucks or a high hourly rate?" Guess which one I liked, I learned to drive on a 1984 cab-over, LOL.
 


Here is one of there old soldiers I ran face to face with yesterday. We have some newer emissions trucks where I work and you have to regenerate them on routes and it's an absolute nuisance. DEF is not good for route trucks that are always going slow and up and down city streets and being shut off all the time and don't see a lot of highway time.
 
Personally as long as the truck works fine and is in good shape it doesn't matter if it's new or old to me.
 
Give me a Freightliner Argosy, or a big ol Penisbuilt cabinover, 2 8 inch straight pipes, a big sleeper for the lizzards to get lost in, my big ol CB and I'm a truckin, lookin cool on my stool, com com...LOL!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top