Don't Buy a PeterBuilt, Kenworth or Freightliner...Until You See This

All right, stop. Before you buy a Peterbilt, a Kenworth, or a Freightliner truck, watch this video because there's something those guys do not want you to see. I absolutely promise you this video is going to be worth checking out. Without wasting any more time, let's head on in and see what I'm talking about. All right, guys. I'm with Craig. Before we get too far into this, what makes Autocar unique and different and better, specifically, than Freightliner, Kenworth, or Peterbilt? Frame. Everything starts with the frame on this truck. You're still going to have this in 10, 12, 15 years. What makes the frame different? Why do we care about the frame, Craig? It's heat-treated, double-baked, if you will. So, what does that mean? So, it intensifies the tensile strength of the frame. Unlike a Kenworth, Peterbilt, Freightliner, or whatever, this is which is going to be at 120 KSI, this frame, after baking it, is going to be at 160 KSI with no liner. No liner? No liner. And the other guys are lining their frames? >> Correct. And the thing that these guys may or may not know, and you guys Some of you probably know this, some of you don't, but when you double frame it, you get that rust jacking in between them, and that actually makes a frame weaker, not stronger, and it makes it heavier. Mhm. But so now, tell me about this 160 KSI. What does that mean? >> Your pressure of the frame. And now, without the liner, some guys are saying, "Hey, so is this thing going to twist up on me then?" No. Kenworth's going to be at about 2.4, 2.6 RBM. That's resistance to bending motion. Okay. >> And that's like 2.6 million, is how they rate it at. Okay. >> This frame, after the heat strengthening treatment, if you will, double-baked, however whatever call it, goes to 4.4 million. You're not going to bend this up whatsoever. So, you're almost 2 million higher. >> Correct. What about weight? How's the weight on this frame in comparison then? That's That's the special part. No liner, you're saving yourself a couple thousand pounds of frame rail right there. So, instead of having it on the frame, you put it in the box, make yourself some more money. So, the truck is lighter than a Peterbilt or a Kenworth with the same setup. >> Correct. That Quint axle dump truck right there, on the scale, will come in at about 2,000 lbs less. So, that's 1 ton. And for you guys that are hauling by the ton, which is not a fun way to make a living, but some guys do, every ton hauled is an extra ton in your pocket at basically at that point. I know cuz I've done it. It's kind of sucks. Okay, but now is this frame made in China? Are we compromising anything in in materials? Or what about that? Great state of Alabama, Birmingham. So, this truck is the whole truck made in Birmingham? Or is it just the frame made in Birmingham? Or what what about it? >> Put together by hand, no automation. The entire truck? >> truck. Goes on a big horseshoe roller line. They manually flip the frame over, obviously with crane, put the axles on, flip it back, put the air lines on. They also have they We'll show you up front, the air lines are put on after the paint the frame is painted. So, you can actually follow your color codes and whatnot. So, if I'm understanding this correctly, the frame is lighter, Correct. it's stronger, >> Yep. and it also has a a higher RB What did you call it? >> RBM, resistance to bending motion. >> Okay, but that's not just where Autocar stops there. Correct. >> There's something about the proprietary information that we want to go over because this is where the other guys make their money, right? >> Correct. So, on Autocar, it's 74% non-proprietary. Okay. >> Meaning in else's parts. 74% non-proprietary. >> Correct. And what are the other guys? Like a Kenworth 78% proprietary. So, let's make sure we understand this. 74% non-proprietary on an Autocar and seven versus 78% proprietary on a Kenworth. What about Peterbilt? About the same. Kenworth. About the same. But and that basically means that you're stuck with a Kenworth or a Peterbilt parts system. So, when you're broke down, you are forced to get 78% of your parts from them. Back at the dealer. But with Autocar, 74% of their parts are non-proprietary, meaning you can go to the Chevy dealer across the street and pick up a part. >> Go to Love's, go to NAPA. Pick up your grody headlight anywhere that sells any type of lighting system. Trailer marker, trailer marker. You're not buying a $1,200 headlight system cuz you have a burnt out bulb. $45, you're back DOT compliant again. All right, guys. I'm jumping in right here cuz we're going to next jump into diagnostics, but this proprietary versus non-proprietary basically means you're not stuck being married to buying overpriced parts because these dealerships do not make a lot of money on selling the actual truck itself. Where they make up all of their profit is in the repair of that truck. And this is how they get you. This is an absolute gouging moment that the other guys, that's why they go with these proprietary parts in the first place because this is where the profit is made for these big dealerships. They want you stuck married to their parts, but that also means you're beholden to them on their schedule. You've got to go in and you've got to get the diagnostic through them. Then you've got to wait for their parts to come in, and you are paying through the nose for something that be back in the day when I was growing up, we would be able to go out and get on our own. And Autocar has never changed. They've held that same model that uptime is profit for you guys, and you're not stuck buying overpriced parts. But, the next step that we're going to get into is the diagnostics, and this is where Autocar does something I've never seen any other vehicle anywhere else do ever. It's absolutely huge. Okay. What about There's something else that does Autocar does different that nobody else is doing. You're also going to know what's wrong with your truck. Everybody's truck's going to break, no matter what. >> Yep. This truck will tell you what's wrong with it right on the dash. So, the schematics are inside of the dash. This is a huge thing, if I'm to understand this correctly. >> Don't have to hook up to a computer. You don't have So, a guy can be broke down, yep, he can bring it back to his own yard. He's not forced to make an appointment. He's not forced to go into a dealership just to find out to be charged $400 for them to hook up to a machine to find out what's wrong, where then they can then charge them for a proprietary part that they can't get through anywhere else because then the company can mark those parts up. Right. A guy can put himself back in operation. That's how I did it. When I was growing up running these trucks, On your own. I was wrenching every single night on my own. It wasn't fun. I didn't enjoy any part of it, but it was the way I was able to make or break it because that's where my profits were made or lost. Cuz dealerships can eat up a lot of profit. >> But, I want to see it. I don't want you to tell me, I want to see it. So, let's go in, and I want to see exactly what you're talking about with this thing, Craig. And oh, by the way, guys, this is Craig from Universal Hi. Sales. So, I never even introduced him. Okay, so now we're in the dash of the Autocar. Right on your screen. Here's the wiring harness for the headlights, we'll say. Goes across. Everything you need there. Okay, great. I got the schematics for it. I don't know where that goes. Press another button. There's There's your layout for all your wiring for that. >> actually see the layout of the wiring on your dash. Correct. Right here. >> Sometimes a schematic doesn't make much sense to you, so it helps you out extra and shows you right where it And it color codes. It color codes it. Correct. And that's for all functions of the truck. And then it also has all your vehicle diagnostics. Engine schematics. Right on the dash. Fuse blows, shows you picture of the fuse box and what fuse is blown. Now while we're in here, Autocar kept it very simple and straightforward, right? >> Correct. So as we're looking at the actual cab, I don't see it it's not an ugly cab, but I'm not seeing I'm not seeing a lot of fluff. Yep. You're not going to have dingle balls and leather heated air ride seat. But you got a steel cup holder. Bolted in dash. Bolted in dash. So a guy can take his dash out without wrecking any fasteners. >> Correct. He can just pull it straight apart. >> Correct. But it doesn't stop there. But wait, there's more, right? >> Right. Cuz as this was something that I noticed before Craig even pointed it out to me, the color coding on the lines. When you buy a new truck, all these are painted over. They're always They're always black. Yep. Everything's black. Yep. Not on Autocar. They put them on after they paint it. So you're not peeling away paint to figure out what goes where, try and put connectors on. >> So you You trace any one of these lines to where it goes throughout. Like if you need if you're looking at this line, you can follow this line exactly underneath it without trying to to figure it out. >> Exactly. All the wiring harnesses are all nylon Deutsch connectors. Anything that's Autocar is nylon Deutsch connector, not plastic weather pack. Okay. Okay. Okay. So that wiring So the wiring is modular. >> So you're not replacing from the fuse box to the tail lights. You get your 5 10-ft section and you're done. That's it. So if if just a section of it gets crushed, >> you just find that one section and the diagnostics dial it straight into where it's >> Correct. where it's crushed. >> Yep. And now you're back in business. >> plug it in, and done. And then the maintenance itself They've got everything I mean and all of them are going to have a good layout for maintenance, I'm going to assume, right? I mean this is not where Autocar really shines. It's in the lightning with >> frame, but it's helping you. All the dipsticks outside of the frame rail. Got a nice little light there in case it's dark. But now you said Autocar You said something off camera that Autocar doesn't give it all to you. All that weight. So you lose you they give you more weight in the frame, but what did you mean by that when they say they don't they they take some of it back? Steel cab. Okay. >> Not aluminum. That's steel cab and not galvanized galvannealed. So it's basically double galvanized. Galvanized. Once the cab is galvanized, it's coated with zinc, baked again. It's galvanized? Galvannealed. Galvanized twice, basically. So like I said, So it's like one of those galvanized trailers. Yep. Yep. So you got a heavy-duty cab to go with your heavy-duty frame. The whole idea is they they kind of This is built after mining background. Everything's just heavy-duty on it. Okay. Now, at this point of the conversation, I'm a little taken aback because the galvanizing process is an insanely abusive process. And to galvanize, they basically have to take this steel, they have to acid etch it, and remove every compound on this thing to create this bonding process. And then they take it, and they dip this cap cab in zinc in molten zinc at 840°. And what that does is this zinc then adheres to the metal. But these guys aren't doing this once, they're doing it twice. And the reason I'm down here in the gym is if you're anywhere familiar with who Wolverine is, it's like taking normal metal and making it an adamantium layer on top of it. It's the protection is unreal because the zinc that they adhere to this cab does two things. One, it's a sacrificial layer. So, on top of it, so they put the adamantium on top of on top of his skeleton, it strengthens it and reinforces it, but the zinc itself creates this sacrificial layer. And then they take it out of the bath, they air-cool it, but these guys at Autocar aren't satisfied with doing it once, they then do it a second time to put another layer on it. And during this process, they're monitoring the thickness of the actual dip itself, they're monitoring all of these different components. This is to hear that they did this with this thing, this cab, is it's just unreal to me. To when you understand the galvanizing process and what it takes to do this, This is not next-level stuff. This is the upper echelon of all processes to take normal steel and turn it into something superhuman. If that makes sense. I hope it does. Now, is that still Is that adding weight to the truck over the the empty weight now since we've got a steel cab versus an aluminum cab? Are we going to lose that in the payload capacity of the truck? That's already factored into what we spoke about earlier, the 2,000 lbs later. That's including the steel cab. What about options on this thing? I'm understanding Autocar doesn't give you options. Nope. You get Cummins engine, Allison transmission, a steel cab. That's your options. That's it? >> That's it. I love it. Personally, you guys, I would I If I was going to spec out a truck, the first things I would want would be a Cummins engine. I would want an Allison transmission. I would want a Hendrickson suspension. Yep. It's a Hendrickson It's a Hendrickson suspension, Meritor axles. It's the best of the best. >> Everybody else's parts. Everything you need to know to keep in operation. Exactly. Things you can get anywhere. Everybody's a Cummins dealer. Right. So, don't have to go back to the Peterbilt dealership 200 miles away. Yeah, and I Trust me, I had a Peterbilt. I've had I've had a couple Macs. I've had all these other trucks. Currently own a Freightliner. Mhm. I would I wouldn't buy another one. Yep. I would not buy another one. >> You're married to the dealership. Yeah, and those dealerships are not always the best thing to to to be married to. Absolutely not. So, what What I'm understanding is If I need a part, you see that Chevy dealer over there? I could get a part for this Autocar over at that Chevy dealership if I wanted to. >> there's an NAPA behind it. Frick. Remember when I said stop? Remember when I said there's These are things you're going to want to know from an actual trucker. I started out as an actual trucker. That's what I did. I built my entire business from being in the cab of this truck day and night and wrenching on it. But now, Autocar has done something completely different. >> does it? They've got a different truck set up that removes the CDL requirement, meaning any guy, any Tom, Dick, and Harry out there that's got some common sense that you feel comfortable enough as an owner putting behind the wheel of a truck can drive a truck without going through the hassle of getting a commercial driver's license. And also the hassle of all those commercial inspections that that go along with that. Is that correct? >> Yep. And Trevor's going to take over this part, right? >> Yep. All right, guys. All right, guys. This is Craig. We're going to go next to Trevor. Trevor, what are we looking at with this one now? So, this is the Autocar ACMD. It's a class six or seven truck, depending on what you want to get. Okay. It's a cab over unit. It's under CDL. So, like you were saying, every Tom, Dick, and Harry can drive one. Okay. >> Um they're very versatile truck. It's a It's a truck that that you can put anything on the back for. What we have on it right now is a Swap Hog system. Okay. >> And it's a roll-off system, so you can lift it up, drop the bed down, and put on a flatbed or a water tank or >> Are we compromising though, since we don't need a CDL? Are we compromising on the frame? Have we changed the way that they make these frames? Are we still getting all of the same quality we're getting with the heavier duty truck with this system? Or where where what what are we missing with this thing? So, you're getting the exact same thing that is on the AC or on the DC64. You have the same frame. The only thing that's changed is this frame is made out of Ohio. Okay. >> So, it's still made in America. >> Yep. So, the entire truck, both of these trucks, everything Autocar that Autocar manufactures is made by Americans in America. >> Yes. One is made in where Oh, this is made in Ohio. >> Ohio. >> And And the other one was made where? >> Alabama. Alabama. Yep. So, they're both They come off of American soil. Now, is it Are we still stuck with the Cummins engine? Are we still using the same Allison transmissions? Are we still Are we still with those same category of component? >> Yep. So, this truck has a Cummins 6.7 L engine in it and you have an Allison transmission. You still have the same base cab. It's a steel cab. Um steel frame. You have your Wabco ABS system on it. Um They do all of the same assembling with the airlines, the frame rails, the harnesses going through from cab chassis to basically the back of the truck. Meritor axles. And yeah. So, they haven't just because we've got a smaller truck that doesn't require a CDL, doesn't mean that they've compromised on the quality of this unit. >> No. What about the schematics? What about the ability for a guy to diagnose this on his own and to keep himself operational? Does this truck have that capability as well, Trevor? >> Absolutely. Throughout the cab, you can go in and it's a simple cab. Now, you can actually stress You You guys were saying you can actually hang off the mirrors of these cabs. >> Yep. So, the doors are very sturdy. You can swing on them. You can bounce on them. I'm only 140 lb, but if I get a couple more people, it'll still work out. And then I mean it it's just a very heavy-duty cab, very basic. Now, Craig, was it you or Trevor One of you guys was telling me Autocar is not compromising on price because it's they're not a Volvo. They were asked why you know, during the during the tough times to drop price. Was that Was that it Was that the story? You tell me. >> you know, the the vice president president of Autocar has been asked, "Why aren't you dropping prices? Why Why don't you stay with the fluctuate with the truck market?" And he said, "We build the best the heaviest dutiest the heaviest duty truck possible on the ground. We keep our price higher because we have the best truck on the road." Okay, so that brings me to the point of resale value. I asked you about resale value. What is the resale value? How How is the resale value going to hold on these things? The conventional cab's only been in production for 5 years now. Okay. I won't know what the resale is for another 15. So, you're telling me that they build these trucks not to flip them in 5 years. >> need a new truck in You're not looking for a new chassis for your dump body in 5 years. You know, you don't have the rust jacking. It's not falling apart. You're still driving the same truck. Can we look under the hood on this one, Trevor? >> Absolutely. So, let's see what makes this one tick. this. >> attention that the doors are open as well right now. >> I was just going to say you don't have to close the doors on this to do this. Where was this truck 20 years ago when I was buying dump trucks left and right? That's the thing with that this and you got one truck and 15 different bodies. So now this truck you can put anybody on it. You can put a flat deck. They've got a flat deck on it. What What kind of bodies can you put on these things, Trevor? Look at the space you got underneath here. Well, you can basically put anything that you desire on the back. The world is your oyster. You can put a flatbed on the back. You can put a roll-off system on the back to make it very…