Mack Doctor Jr. Posted December 25, 2011 Share Posted December 25, 2011 Well I went off and got a loan to fix up the old Mack and put her on the road. Yep thats right I going to be a selfemployed truck driver. Scariest move I think I will ever make, but worth it in the long run.So on the other note! I will post up some pics of the old girl getting painted up and ready for the road. Wish me luck... Quote Link to comment https://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/22305-dumb-move/ Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Posted December 25, 2011 Share Posted December 25, 2011 Let's see some photos of what you are starting with. Nothing wrong with trying to better one self no matter how it's done.Rob Quote Plodding along with no job nor practical application for my existence, but still trying to fix what's broke. Link to comment https://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/22305-dumb-move/#findComment-95290 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mack Doctor Jr. Posted December 25, 2011 Author Share Posted December 25, 2011 I will get tons of photos up... I'm going to enjoy this adventure I hope! Quote Link to comment https://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/22305-dumb-move/#findComment-95300 Share on other sites More sharing options...
vision386 Posted December 25, 2011 Share Posted December 25, 2011 Best of luck! a decent living can still be made with a truck if the proper planning and thought are applied,just make damn sure all your ducks are in a row! and dont short yourself start-up money,i have owned/operated trucks 34,soon to be 35 years with no regrets other than being away from home most of my life!.....................Mark Quote Mack Truck literate. Computer illiterate. Link to comment https://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/22305-dumb-move/#findComment-95301 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Superdog Posted December 25, 2011 Share Posted December 25, 2011 Good luck,just don't figure on getting rich or ever having enough money to retire. Quote Link to comment https://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/22305-dumb-move/#findComment-95323 Share on other sites More sharing options...
superc3 Posted December 25, 2011 Share Posted December 25, 2011 Yes good luck, in these trying times it is a gutsy move. I did it for 11 years and have no regrets. My grand father told me when i was having the same doubts, better to try and maybe not suceed, then to not try and never know! I have two trucks now, 69 dm mack and 79 long hood freightliner. I am now a hobby trucker , piece of advice, don't over spend, put away for rainy day break down. My two sents. Quote Link to comment https://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/22305-dumb-move/#findComment-95326 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olivetroad Posted December 26, 2011 Share Posted December 26, 2011 Good luck,just don't figure on getting rich or ever having enough money to retire.Sounds like farming during the Carter administration Quote Link to comment https://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/22305-dumb-move/#findComment-95502 Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobo Posted December 26, 2011 Share Posted December 26, 2011 Making a dumb move is the first step to making a smart move! Just make sure you know whats its gonna cost or pay before you move! best of luck! b0bo Quote Link to comment https://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/22305-dumb-move/#findComment-95538 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mack Doctor Jr. Posted December 27, 2011 Author Share Posted December 27, 2011 Hey Rob the pics are of the MH in my gallery. I need to find the drivers side front fender piece (by the step) and try to order all new cab rubbers for the old girl. I'm thinking dark blue frame with a baby blue cab and some wti fiberglass full fenders.What u guys think? Quote Link to comment https://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/22305-dumb-move/#findComment-95583 Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Posted December 27, 2011 Share Posted December 27, 2011 Good luck. I have your cab parts. Call anytime 919.932.3344 Quote Link to comment https://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/22305-dumb-move/#findComment-95592 Share on other sites More sharing options...
dirtywhiteboy Posted December 27, 2011 Share Posted December 27, 2011 im dumb right with you,..fixin to buy truck to run my self....figure its time to climb ladder or get of it one... Quote Link to comment https://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/22305-dumb-move/#findComment-95593 Share on other sites More sharing options...
bulldog man Posted December 27, 2011 Share Posted December 27, 2011 Dont feel alone . after not having my own truck for 7 yrs come Apirl of 2012 & driving for a buddy who owns a RECAP Shop Since my pop passed . I'VE GOT THE ITCH Of owning my own Dump Bucket again come spring!! these ole are not only my name sake but in my blood . its a fever i guess ill never get over . later Quote You Cant Fix Stupid. But You Can Numb It With A Sledgehammer. Link to comment https://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/22305-dumb-move/#findComment-95601 Share on other sites More sharing options...
mackdaddy1911a1 Posted January 2, 2012 Share Posted January 2, 2012 If you can lay your hands on the Maintenance and Lubrication manuals for your truck they will be a huge help. I know they have come in handy more than once over the past few years that I have owned my CX-613. Keep a spare for every light In the truck including Head lights, Stop, turn and Marker and for the dash, an extra 30/30 brake chamber, pan cakes, oil, coolant,fan belt, and anything else that your gut tells you to have handy. Shops charge up to $120.00 an hour these days and doing it yourself (If you can) beats the heck out of letting the truck stop guys have it. Extra fuel filters, Filter Wrench and Nitrile gloves are a must also. Oh and FORGET getting your MACK serviced at a TA they NEVER have all the filters...NEVER!. Petro or Speedco or a GOOD dealer are much better choices. Best of luck to you. Better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it. Quote THE GREATEST NAME IN TRUCKS MACK TRUCKS Link to comment https://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/22305-dumb-move/#findComment-96437 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Posted January 2, 2012 Share Posted January 2, 2012 If you can lay your hands on the Maintenance and Lubrication manuals for your truck they will be a huge help. I know they have come in handy more than once over the past few years that I have owned my CX-613. Keep a spare for every light In the truck including Head lights, Stop, turn and Marker and for the dash, an extra 30/30 brake chamber, pan cakes, oil, coolant,fan belt, and anything else that your gut tells you to have handy. Shops charge up to $120.00 an hour these days and doing it yourself (If you can) beats the heck out of letting the truck stop guys have it. Extra fuel filters, Filter Wrench and Nitrile gloves are a must also. Oh and FORGET getting your MACK serviced at a TA they NEVER have all the filters...NEVER!. Petro or Speedco or a GOOD dealer are much better choices. Best of luck to you. Better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it.Nice to see you post again Matt.Rob 1 Quote Plodding along with no job nor practical application for my existence, but still trying to fix what's broke. Link to comment https://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/22305-dumb-move/#findComment-96439 Share on other sites More sharing options...
mackdaddy1911a1 Posted January 2, 2012 Share Posted January 2, 2012 Thanks Rob..it's been awhile. Been trucking and doing stuff on You Tube. Quote THE GREATEST NAME IN TRUCKS MACK TRUCKS Link to comment https://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/22305-dumb-move/#findComment-96442 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Posted January 2, 2012 Share Posted January 2, 2012 Thanks Rob..it's been awhile. Been trucking and doing stuff on You Tube.Yes it has been awhile. I was asking how you were and getting along as we haven't seen you in some time. Hope all is well and the truck holding up for you. Glad to see you again. Stick around for a spell.Rob Quote Plodding along with no job nor practical application for my existence, but still trying to fix what's broke. Link to comment https://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/22305-dumb-move/#findComment-96444 Share on other sites More sharing options...
mackdaddy1911a1 Posted January 2, 2012 Share Posted January 2, 2012 Mack Doctor Jr. contact Owner Operator Independent Drivers Association better known as O.O.I.D.A., they can help you with the whole process. From insurance to permits business plans everything. 1-800-444-5791 or www.ooida.com . Remember this when you put that truck on the road IT IS A BUISNESS. Not a toy. Have an realistic Idea before hand of it's Fuel economy, Preventive maintenance costs, Tires, Tag, Permits, Insurance, ect. Then you have Quarterly taxes to the I.R.S., Yearly heavy road use tax(2290) ect. I imagine that since you went to a bank to borrow the money to get Her up to par that you were required to have a business plan and that is good. If you need help call O.O.I.D.A. They have helped me a whole lot and Advice is free. Good luck Brother. 1 Quote THE GREATEST NAME IN TRUCKS MACK TRUCKS Link to comment https://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/22305-dumb-move/#findComment-96446 Share on other sites More sharing options...
mackdaddy1911a1 Posted January 2, 2012 Share Posted January 2, 2012 Yes it has been awhile. I was asking how you were and getting along as we haven't seen you in some time. Hope all is well and the truck holding up for you. Glad to see you again. Stick around for a spell.Rob Yes the Truck is doing good she has 1,076,000 mile on her now. It was a pretty descent year but as usual the freight nearly stopped in December. Doing good though. How have You and Otherdog been? Quote THE GREATEST NAME IN TRUCKS MACK TRUCKS Link to comment https://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/22305-dumb-move/#findComment-96448 Share on other sites More sharing options...
other dog Posted January 2, 2012 Share Posted January 2, 2012 Yes the Truck is doing good she has 1,076,000 mile on her now. It was a pretty descent year but as usual the freight nearly stopped in December. Doing good though. How have You and Otherdog been?I've been doing fine, was running like a scalded dog most of the year, but haven't been anywhere since before Christmas. Still talk to Joe periodically, he's already wanting to hit the road again. 1 Quote Producer of poorly photo-chopped pictures since 1999. Link to comment https://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/22305-dumb-move/#findComment-96456 Share on other sites More sharing options...
mackdaddy1911a1 Posted January 2, 2012 Share Posted January 2, 2012 Glad to hear you did ok last year...been real slow my way since Thanksgiving too. I need to call ole Joe. Heard he went back to local work. I hope the freight picks up this year. I did ok last year but still hard to find GOOD freight. Quote THE GREATEST NAME IN TRUCKS MACK TRUCKS Link to comment https://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/22305-dumb-move/#findComment-96458 Share on other sites More sharing options...
bullhusk Posted January 2, 2012 Share Posted January 2, 2012 If you can lay your hands on the Maintenance and Lubrication manuals for your truck they will be a huge help. I know they have come in handy more than once over the past few years that I have owned my CX-613. Keep a spare for every light In the truck including Head lights, Stop, turn and Marker and for the dash, an extra 30/30 brake chamber, pan cakes, oil, coolant,fan belt, and anything else that your gut tells you to have handy. Shops charge up to $120.00 an hour these days and doing it yourself (If you can) beats the heck out of letting the truck stop guys have it. Extra fuel filters, Filter Wrench and Nitrile gloves are a must also. Oh and FORGET getting your MACK serviced at a TA they NEVER have all the filters...NEVER!. Petro or Speedco or a GOOD dealer are much better choices. Best of luck to you.Better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it.Matt, Thats the best advice ever, when I had my 89 Superliner I kept a spare fan clutch in the side box! Maintenance records are a must now a days, when I bought a couple of trucks from Penski 3 years ago they both had less then 100,000 mi on them but they had all the records on line!! It's all Good!!BULLHUSK Quote Link to comment https://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/22305-dumb-move/#findComment-96464 Share on other sites More sharing options...
RowdyRebel Posted January 2, 2012 Share Posted January 2, 2012 Well I went off and got a loan to fix up the old Mack and put her on the road. Yep thats right I going to be a selfemployed truck driver. Scariest move I think I will ever make, but worth it in the long run.So on the other note! I will post up some pics of the old girl getting painted up and ready for the road. Wish me luck...While I'm at a point in my life where I'm rather against borrowing money, a lot of people seem to think this excessive government spending & debt will send interest rates through the roof while inflation and the world getting away from using the dollar as the reserve currency knocks the bottom out of the value of a dollar.....in which case, you'd be sitting pretty with a fixed interest rate on that loan.im dumb right with you,..fixin to buy truck to run my self....figure its time to climb ladder or get of it one...If you've got work for the truck, go for it. If not, buy a truck you can pay cash for. No sense in buying something you can't pay for, right?If you can lay your hands on the Maintenance and Lubrication manuals for your truck they will be a huge help. I know they have come in handy more than once over the past few years that I have owned my CX-613. Keep a spare for every light In the truck including Head lights, Stop, turn and Marker and for the dash, an extra 30/30 brake chamber, pan cakes, oil, coolant,fan belt, and anything else that your gut tells you to have handy. Shops charge up to $120.00 an hour these days and doing it yourself (If you can) beats the heck out of letting the truck stop guys have it. Extra fuel filters, Filter Wrench and Nitrile gloves are a must also. Oh and FORGET getting your MACK serviced at a TA they NEVER have all the filters...NEVER!. Petro or Speedco or a GOOD dealer are much better choices. Best of luck to you.Better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it.I buy the filter kit from Mack....has 2 oil filters, 2 fuel filters, the centrimax filter, and the coolant additive packets (or spin-on, if your truck uses the spin-on coolant additives).I do my own oil changes, because I want the Mack filters on my truck and have yet to find a place willing to knock the cost of the filters off their price. When I first bought the truck, T/A wanted the same outrageous price whether they use their filters or the ones you supply, so I told 'em to go back to sleep, I'd do the oil change myself (it was 3AM and their shop was D-E-A-D!) Shouldda seen the look on counter-boy's face when he saw a truck driver choose to work on his own truck vs. run it through their shop at their ridiculous rates.....probably doesn't see that very often.Anyway, back to the OP....congrats and good luck. Been a long 4-day weekend for me (back to work tomorrow) because I've been too broke to work. Paid my truck off last month and it feels real good....hope you too can enjoy that feeling someday. Quote When approaching a 4-way stop, the vehicle with the biggest tires has the right of way! Link to comment https://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/22305-dumb-move/#findComment-96465 Share on other sites More sharing options...
other dog Posted January 2, 2012 Share Posted January 2, 2012 Matt, Thats the best advice ever, when I had my 89 Superliner I kept a spare fan clutch in the side box! Maintenance records are a must now a days, when I bought a couple of trucks from Penski 3 years ago they both had less then 100,000 mi on them but they had all the records on line!! It's all Good!!BULLHUSKYep, I carry most all of what Mackdaddy said, i've put a fan belt on on the side of the road a couple of times. Not hard to do, but paying for a service truck to come out and do it is. At the first hint the alternator might be going bad Jimmy would give me an alternator to carry along too. I tried to put one on at Newcomerstown truckstop a few years ago but I couldn't get the bolts out so I had to put it in the shop, but at least I didn't have to buy an alternator on the road. Quote Producer of poorly photo-chopped pictures since 1999. Link to comment https://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/22305-dumb-move/#findComment-96470 Share on other sites More sharing options...
mackdaddy1911a1 Posted January 2, 2012 Share Posted January 2, 2012 I do the same thing most of the time but I have found a few MACK dealers who don't have the filters in the box. I let MACK know about that when they sent out a customer service questionnaire. Can you imagine going to a dealer (Robert's International/Volvo/Mack) and they don't have All the filters. No Centrimax oil filter and none of the fuel filters...If memory serves. I had to tell them about how my local dealer has them all boxed up specific to the engine. Their parts guys probably thought I was high on crack. Oh well. If I have the time I Let MACK do all my P.M. so I have a record for the company so they don't whine to much. They got HAMMERED by the F.M.C.S.A. this past year. F.M.C.S.A. = SS or maybe the GESTAPO or maybe the K.G.B.. I can see a day when a driver runs over a nail at a job site gets to a scale with a low tire and they shoot him/her in the head. HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE. Quote THE GREATEST NAME IN TRUCKS MACK TRUCKS Link to comment https://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/22305-dumb-move/#findComment-96471 Share on other sites More sharing options...
RowdyRebel Posted January 2, 2012 Share Posted January 2, 2012 I do the same thing most of the time but I have found a few MACK dealers who don't have the filters in the box. I let MACK know about that when they sent out a customer service questionnaire. Can you imagine going to a dealer (Robert's International/Volvo/Mack) and they don't have All the filters. No Centrimax oil filter and none of the fuel filters...If memory serves. I had to tell them about how my local dealer has them all boxed up specific to the engine. Their parts guys probably thought I was high on crack. Oh well. If I have the time I Let MACK do all my P.M. so I have a record for the company so they don't whine to much. They got HAMMERED by the F.M.C.S.A. this past year. F.M.C.S.A. = SS or maybe the GESTAPO or maybe the K.G.B.. I can see a day when a driver runs over a nail at a job site gets to a scale with a low tire and they shoot him/her in the head. HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE.A coworker was placed OOS by a cop who pulled him over for a random. During the walk-around, cop heard hissing from a nail the guy had just run over a few miles back (tire pressure wasn't any different from any of the other tires yet). He had to have a guy from a local tire shop come out and patch the tire before he could go anywhere....so I bought a patch kit that had some radial patches and rubber cement. I also bought a rounded grinding wheel to scuff up the inside of the tire to prep it for the patch. I already had an air-powered drill to put the grinding wheel into, and carried a pair of 30" tire spoons, a 20 ton bottle jack, a 40" breaker bar with a 36" cheater pipe, and all of the necessary sockets and valve stem tools in my side box to remove any tire that needs to be fixed. I figure if that ever happens to me, I can REALLY piss off the cop when I start digging out my tools to patch the tire myself right there on the side of the road. If he insists that I call a "professional tire guy" to come out and fix the tire, I'll tell him straight up that I'm not about to get raped on price by his buddy at the tire shop up the road just so that HE (the officer) can get his kickback from the tire shop for sending them business. I've got the tools and know how to use 'em, and I'm going to fix the damn tire myself.Luckily, it hasn't come down to that because the day anyone tells me that I cannot work on my own damn truck...that I HAVE to pay someone else WAY too much to do work that I'm more than capable of doing myself....is the day I probably will end up in jail after sending someone to the ER choking on their own teeth. 1 Quote When approaching a 4-way stop, the vehicle with the biggest tires has the right of way! Link to comment https://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/22305-dumb-move/#findComment-96474 Share on other sites More sharing options...
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