Old School vs. New School

Old School vs. New School

Recently, my husband and I were talking with his sister about her plans to buy a vehicle. She’s looking at a newer used SUV with plenty of bells and whistles. Some people might consider that extravagant, while others appreciate the extra comforts. In her case, she believes this may be her last vehicle, so she wants to get the features that matter most to her.

That conversation got me thinking about how we make similar decisions when purchasing a semi truck. Do you buy new or used? Which manufacturer do you choose? Do you stick with the basics or add extra features? And how do you know when it’s time to replace your current truck because the cost of keeping it on the road no longer makes sense?

When we bought our first expedite truck, it was a used Freightliner Cascadia. We knew very little about expedite trucks at the time, and there weren’t many available, so our options were limited. We quickly discovered that the truck wasn’t built the way we would have designed it. Every time we picked up a load, we had to pay close attention to the weight and how the freight was distributed in the box.

It didn’t take long before I started hearing Dave say, “When we build our next truck...” Apparently, he had already started designing it in his mind.

When the time came to order our next truck, we knew we wanted a double frame for added strength and stability. We also wanted to avoid the weight issues we had experienced with our first truck. At the time, Volvo was the only manufacturer offering the double frame we wanted, so that helped make our decision.

We also chose an automatic transmission. Some drivers might say that makes us less of a truck driver, but we’re perfectly fine with that. Anyone who has spent time crawling through bumper-to-bumper traffic can appreciate the convenience.

We added several safety features that were available with the newer trucks, even though they were unfamiliar to us at the time. Other drivers we know chose not to include some of those options, and that’s fine, too. Everyone has different priorities when building a truck.

Then there’s the monster sleeper we added. Some might consider it over the top, but we often find ourselves waiting out secure holds over the weekend. Having the extra space makes those situations much more comfortable.

Our truck was also built during COVID, when availability was a challenge. That led us to add a larger liftgate than we might otherwise have considered.

I’m not sharing our choices to justify how we built our truck. We simply made decisions based on our experiences, needs, and what we thought would work best for us.

Every driver has a different idea of what makes the right truck. Hopefully, sharing our experience gives you something to think about as you plan your next purchase.

Here’s to millions of safe, profitable and SCHOOLED miles. 

Kelly Plumb