Question:
Once I obtain a CDL and get some hours on the road, I'm entertaining the idea of one day purchasing my own truck and trying to get on with a company like Landstar. I see older COE (International, Kenworth, Peterbilt) all of the time and absolutely adore them. My question is this: Are older (but well maintained) COE a feasible solution for a starting O/O? or would it be a better solution to simply lease a newer truck?
Forgive my ignorance,
CCDiary of a Swift Driver

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CaboverChris any truck if well maintained will do you good service just make sure every thing is.

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Thanks for the reply, Carbonite. Are there any common restrictions on older trucks as opposed to newer ones?Diary of a Swift Driver

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Cabovers can be found in decent shape and at very good prices.
The only downside is that sometimes parts are hard to find since these trucks were not as popular for the last 10+ years.My truck is an 89 IHC 9670 that I use ona daily basis.I'm lucky that the local IHC dealer has good parts dept people with years of experience.
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Thanks for the reply, CaboverIHC. May I ask what company you run with? And are there any kinds of restrictions on what you can and can't do because of having an older truck?Diary of a Swift Driver

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I'll suggest some years before entertaining any idea of ownership.

Due to the fact they're less than desirable concerning comfort and obsolete.
Cabovers barely rate as throw away 'can haulers" today.
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I'll suggest some years before entertaining any idea of ownership.

Due to the fact they're less than desirable concerning comfort and obsolete.
Cabovers barely rate as throw away 'can haulers" today.
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That's the plan. I should have been more specific when I said, 'hours,' I meant thousands of them.
Thanks for the reply, Rebelam.Diary of a Swift Driver

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These are both good points.
I was a truck mechanic for 28 years.The last ten I owned & operated a truck & trailer repair shop.Due to changes with some good customers and just being tired of the business I decided to make a change.I had the 89 IHC to pick up & deliver customers trailers.I put some work in the truck(which already was in good condition)obtained my own authority and began delivering used,new & rental trailers for various rental companies & dealers.In June 06 I got out of the repair business & began trucking fulltime.I have been fortunate that I have customers from the repair business that use me now for their transportation needs.
As far as age restrictions on equipment-I had entertained leasing on to a company.I checked into & applied at Jones Hotshot Express in January of 06.They did not have any problemm with the age of my truck however they did require that their recruiter verify that it was in good shape.Jones rejected my app. only because I didn't have 2 years OTR.The other company I looked into was Towaway Inc. They didn't have a problem with older equipment but like Jones they wanted to see the truck.
As much as I love my old cabover it will probably be the last one I'll own.There is no comfort if you have to stay out overnight and very little useful storage.I'm getting too old to climb over the dog box to get into the bunk.Luckily I rarely stay out overnight and most times when I do I'll get a motel room.In 06 I only slept in the bunk 3 nights.1 of them was due to bad weather.
Cabovers played a big part in trucking.Many of the members here probably learned to drive in a COE.But like chain drive Macks,butterfly hoods and automatic sanders their becoming a part of the history of trucking.
Answer:
I would discourage you from buying a cabover and leave these to the rail and harbor container haulers. I had been informed by the manager of WestTrux in Montebello, CA a few years back that cabovers had becomed obsolete because they were a lawsuit waiting to happen. Statistical data on driver injury shows that injured drivers were mostly hurt from climbing up or down from a cabover trucks. On an accident, your body is thrown forward and your waist gets caught on the steering wheel, resulting in spinal cord injury and being paralyzed from the waist down. On a roll-over where the tractor is upside down, you're immediately crushed because you only have the doghouse on your right side; as opposed to a conventional where you can duck in the middle between the driver and passenger seat area as the roof collapses. The final negative side to a cabover is the likelihood that you're always getting a DOT inspection every time you pull into an enforcement scale. DOT will always pull off older trucks because they have the likelihood of increased component wear and failure from age. If you insist on starting out with a COE, strongly advice you go with Freightliner's Argosy series, which has the look and feel of a conventional on the inside. The only complaints I've heard on the Argosy is that the driver staircase will sometimes malfunction and will open while you're driving down the road, so some O/Os disabled the deploying staircase to avoid this malfuntion.

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I disagree on the DOT inspection.
In close to 3 years of having my authority I have only been DOT inspected once.That time I probably would not have been singled out BUT I was pulling a 53' trailer with the tandems slid back (young & dumb).I was fined 50 bucks for the tandems.Had a level 1 inspection done and only 2 minor things were wrote up.1)fire ext. not secured 2) oil leak
I keep my truck clean & run with the lights on.I've had dot eyeball the truck as I went thru a scale or check point but never have I been pulled over.
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Thanks for the insightful replies, fellas. Diary of a Swift Driver

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You would need at least 2 years OTR before a insurance company would write a policy.

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I figured as much. Diary of a Swift Driver

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A cabover??
I have 1 question..WHY? A COE is a pain in the butt.. litteraly! They will launch you into the ceiling when going over rough roads.. and just generaly shake the crap out of you.. You want storage?? How about head room?? I'd look for somthing a LOT newer..
If your looking to get one and become a O/O in a couple of years.. that'll make any COE you find even OLDER.. parts will be even harder to find.. Working on those COE is not fun either.. Jacking up the cab to do routing maintaince.. change filters, belts..ect..
I drove COE in the 80's and hated the dam things.. IH, KW whatever.. they all were pieces of junk in my opinion.. I lost count how many times I bounced my head off the ceiling in that KW.. Get yourself a decent conventional.. One with some kind of warrenty, a engine and truck that dealers actualy still stock parts for when you break down (You WILL break down)!
Because they "look cool" is not a smart business decision, being a O/O means you need to change your way of thinking.. You must make smart business decisions.. NOT because it's "cool" or is "fun"... You won't last as a O/O with that mentality..