Just some tractor questions

[ATCO]

I am starting to look for my first semi-tractor... yay
lol, actually I've been looking for awhile...

My operations will be almost exclusivley regional to California if not the southwest.

I intend to go mostly after internet loadboards and hopefully draw up some customers of my own... The freight I want is Expedite and LTL originating and ending in California...

The tractor I am looking at are mostly mid 90's Volvo VNL's with small integral sleepers

So yeah main question,
Whats gross for a tandem class 8? 80,000 right? so roughly a 48,000 payload?
Whats gross for a single axle class 8? What payload roughly?

I am actually looking for the old LTL linehaul tractors setup for Jifflox (ie: Roadway)... I have located a Jifflox dolley, and hope to maybe get a tractor set up for it... What would I be able to gross with that set up? Rough payload?

More questions to come, but thats where I want to start

[ATCO]

Boy I've really got everyone talking...
I found out basically a single screw is gonna only gross 60,000

so max it at 28,000?

I still want to know, do I want to run the risk of loosing this amoutn of payload.. advantages disadvantages of running a single screw?

[Big_Dave]

As far as gross weight,here's what I've found out with my tractor. (95 Pete 379).

Dry weight is 17,095 lbs. Add 2025 lbs. of fuel and 10 gallons of oil, plus all my crap that I carry along on the road.

Figure around 20,000.

Add 53' dry van at about 15K lbs.

So, I'm sitting around 35K lbs. EMPTY. :wtf:

I tell dispatch that I can scale 44K legally. That way it gives me a little room for adjustment (sliding axles to get legal).

Buy a lightweight tractor, hook the trailer to it, fill the tanks and put the average amount of 'junk' that a driver usually has onboard.

Then go scale it.

With all the different options you can get on any tractor, ya almost have to have it in possesion before you can figure out how much it'll weight.

The data plate in the door frame will give you the 'dry weight' (no liquids & totally empty of 'driver junk') only.

[ATCO]

Buy a lightweight tractor, hook the trailer to it, fill the tanks and put the average amount of 'junk' that a driver usually has onboard.

Then go scale it.

Nah I figured out that payload is a variable based on actual curb weight... But, I guess I'm wondering:
What are considered light weight tractors? I am looking for something with a 48" sleeper or so...
Is the Volvo VN light?
Also bobbing a tandem into a single, surely saves some weight? yes/no?

I honestly like the shorter tractor, but don't want to loose out on payload... besides I believe taxes are based on axels, or was it weight capacity (basically comes down to axels anyways)

Whats do you guys think about adapting the use of Jifflox? give me versatility... gonna see if I can find jifflox info...

[Big_Dave]

I would think that a Volvo or Freightliner Century with the smaller sleeper would suit you just fine. There's a bunch of Volvo's for sale near Columbus OH. I seen them sitting at the R&L Carrier's terminal there last week. They got a whole mess of sleeper trucks and daycabs.

Those trucks are already spec'ed for LTL work. Definately worth checking out anyways.

I don't know how CA works taxes for big trucks, but the Fed 2290 taxes are based on GCVW. Heavy Use Tax (2290) is $550 per truck licensed for 80K lbs.

Licensing a truck that size should be around $1,800 per year (tractor only, I don't know about HUT for trailers), depending on how many states you license it for.