When it rains, it pours. And pours. And pours.

[Mark Rinker]

Without too much groaning, here is the list of repairs I have done to my '01 and '02 Duramaxes in the last ~6 weeks. They gave me great service all year, and I realize that most of these items will happen over time, but...WHY ALL AT ONCE?!!

2001 - Injectors (warranty), replaced glow plugs, thermostats while under the hood. ~$650 and two lost days of service
2002 - Injectors (warranty), replaced glow plugs, thermostats while under the hood. ~$650 and two lost days of service

(Two weeks goes by...)

2002 transfer case, ~$1500 and three lost days of service
2001 water pump, ~$500 and two lost days of service

Total out-of-pocket and lost opportunity cost? Lets call it $6K. Thats conservative.

(BTW, dealer called when 2001 water pump was fixed, the transfer case is 'weeping/leaking' as well...but still full of fluid..."do I want it fixed, he asks???")

AAAARRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGHHHHHHH.

[speeddrive1]

Hey Mark, sorry to hear of your misfortunes but as far as spending money- thats trucking. I pull a bulk tank for Bay&Bay Transfer out of burnsville Mn. Two months ago my blower that is pto driven overheated while unloading at a foundry in mpls. There was 6 grand with all new piping and pop off valve. One month later the transmission input shaft bearing locks up. So off to freightliner we go . Lucky fo me my father inlaw owns a towing co, the tow was free, but the trans cost me another 6 grand. They couldnt tell me why the bearing failed but said all the gears still look like new. Also as long as the trans was out might as well do the clutch and rear main seal. Thats trucking!

[Mark Rinker]

Yep. All the wear and tear is exaggerated and accelerated over 'normal' use - i.e. daily driver, camper, weekend warrior use. Great trucks, however, and sure glad my repair bills don't usually come in 6K increments!

[speeddrive1]

Seems to be the magic number around here.

[Petrella]

Breakdowns, downtime, spending money on parts.....the list goes on forever. The law for trucking is in order to make money you gotta spend money. My father and I own 13 Peterbilt dump trucks with dump trailers, and 15 Freightliner's that pull 48 foot 4 axle belt driven dumps. I spend an average $40,000 in maintenance alone per month to keep my equipment on the road. Total weight of my trucks when loaded is about 144 to 146000 pounds. Im changing tires every 6 to 8 months on these units each tire being $360 a pop. Fleet uses about 5000 ltrs of fuel a day. Got ADLEAST one truck in the shop every week either gettin the engine rebuilt, a tranny, a clutch, or differential which is never done for less then 5g's. Turbos has been a big issue lately ive had 3 kick the bucket in one week, ive just about changed the turbo on every unit. Turbos for a caterpillar go for around $1800, plus $2100 for the core because caterpillar always denies the turbo core you give them because the fins let go and damage the housing, so they keep your $2100 because they say your core is junk. This morning had to drive one of my peterbilts back to my yard that was stranded 2 hours away cause the driver said the clutch was gone, turned out when i got there that the clutch was ok, but the first 7 gears in the transmission let go, only 8th and 17th worked (on an 18 speed) so had to start the truck in 8th redline it, then shift it into 17th, didnt sound nice at all, but made it home on two gears :) did countless number of repairs on the side of the road most being flat tires, driveshafts falling down, wheel bearings, and turbos even been struck by road debris cuttin my leg open, and almost runover by non alert drivers. 4 mechanics I got including myself always have our hands full, there is never a time where we got nothing to do. sometimes wake up at 3 in the morning, dont get home until 10. But aw well its all part of trucking, its the things we got to do to keep the wheels turning. Sometimes its hard to sleep at night because you ask yourself, Darn! did i remember to torque that wheel or adjust that brake? Yes it is a challenge being a owner/operator, but the number one thing to always consider is the safety of the driver and other people around my vehicles. So Mark when you say it rains it pours, im with you 100% cause i know exactly how you feel. But for me its a sigh of relief when all the trucks do their loads, arrive to the yard, and everyone is safe.

Anthony
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2006 GMC Sierra 4x4 CC SB LBZ/6 Speed
305 70R/16 tires on Eagle 16x10 rims
Chrome wire mesh grille
Alpine Stereo, Navigation, and flip down rear screen
Autometer Cobalt gauges
pics of my truck -http://www.picturetrail.com/gallery/view?p=999&gid=12647120&uid=2685617&members=1

[beeler]

The moral of all this is that if you're not putting money away, every time you get a check, to cover this kind of stuff you have a problem. Nearly 25 years ago I hauled grain, just short runs from farm to town. I watched others who thought they knew what they were doing undercut my rates all the time. I let them have the work because I knew the were spending their upkeep money on living expenses. When they needed tires or that clutch, rear end, engine overhaul, etc. they didn't have the money and the bank soon had their truck. You have to know what your cost are long term and budget and charge accordingly.

[Mark Rinker]

Exactly.

What would you consider to be a healthy percentage spent on fleet repairs/maintenance vs. gross revenues? In other words, what percentage of your gross would you set aside into that fund?

[Petrella]

It changes every month due to fluctuating fuel prices. Parts are the same way. Sometimes the price of rubber will go up or down, and especially this year the price of steel. When Tires are cheap ill grab 16 rather than 8 if they are expensive that month. Same with steel, do i buy a skid of 12 brake drums, or do i only buy the 4 that i need, because steel is expensive this month. 40 to 45% of my income goes directly to fuel, and another 20%For maintenance such as tires oil changes, grease jobs, brakes etc...the normal wear and tear items. Employee wages is another 15%. So really i only end up with 15 to 20% of what the truck makes in one day. That is the percentage
that goes to the costs of repairing engines, trannys, turbos, clutches and so, on....so yeah I definately have to hold on to the 20% because it is considered the backup funds when something goes KER POW!

[Mark Rinker]

Update: 2001 back on the road Wednesday with new water pump. Took it out for a 500 mile trip, ran great with 2002 ECM and all the updates applied.

Today did about 100 mile roundtrip, thought I smelled coolant at one stop, nothing visible, engine temp fine.

On the final leg home, the LOW COOLANT light comes on...

[DmaxMaverick]

The coolant smell, then low coolant light is normal. Happens when the tech doesn't bleed the system properly after it's been opened or drained/filled. The air pocket in the system allows for greater expansion, which pushes coolant out the overflow. After some hard running (part of proper bleeding), the air is purged, and the level goes down. Watch it, but don't sweat too much. Keep the level in the middle, and add coolant as the level decreases. It may take some time/miles, but it will balance out.

That's the optimistic aproach. I think you know the other story.......

[Mark Rinker]

My plan is to refill and see what happens. Suprised it took this long to purge, but will be glad if its that simple.

The truck never has been hot, just leaking so its more of nuisance than an issue. MUCH better than white smoke out the exhaust...