Why do people pick sleeper cabs over day cabs?

[Storx]

I am researching HDT trucks to maybe use one in the future as my hauler, but i was curious why people dont go with day cab models over sleeper cabs..

I ask this because i was looking at adds in my area just to check out the pricing on some models i found to be popular among the community and i find that you can get a day cab model for literally half the cost of a sleeper cab model with less miles in most cases...

Example... there is a local truck, 2006 Volvo, VNL64300 w/ 436,131miles for $9,995

 

I mean am i missing something?? the truck is really just to tow it from A to B, then it sits tell next time to move... you could easily just sleep inside the RV sitting behind you....

[Guest THE TRAILERKING]

Extra seating and storage........................and the "Cool Factor".

It is more like a "Toter" (like if you started with a day cab and build a box and attach it to the back of a cut open cab).

I just don't see the love why a lot of people rave over the VOLVO. There is a lot nicer looking stuff out there.

[Star Dreamer]

It is also easier to convert to a motor home, as it already has sleeping accommodations, if your state allows it such as MN. This allows us to drive it with our regular drivers license. If we had a day cab, most likely we would need a CDL. In addition it allows us to use it as an extra bed while camping and also used for one of us to take a nap while the other drives.

Dave

[GlennWest]

Day cab can't be a motor home. Where is the bed, cooking device, etc

[SIBERNUT]

You'll wish you had one when wife hits the outlet malls...................................

[Deezl Smoke]

I am researching HDT trucks to maybe use one in the future as my hauler, but i was curious why people dont go with day cab models over sleeper cabs..

I ask this because i was looking at adds in my area just to check out the pricing on some models i found to be popular among the community and i find that you can get a day cab model for literally half the cost of a sleeper cab model with less miles in most cases...

Example... there is a local truck, 2006 Volvo, VNL64300 w/ 436,131miles for $9,995

 

I mean am i missing something?? the truck is really just to tow it from A to B, then it sits tell next time to move... you could easily just sleep inside the RV sitting behind you....

 

There has been some discussion on this in the past. Some of it may be too far back and the threads locked, but it might be worth trying a search if you have time and see what you come up with. As I recall, but dont quote me on it, you might be able to use a day cab as an rv as long as you do not drive it solo. It must be hitched to the trailer or have the camper on it at all times. Even to go to the store for groceries. May have been a california thing, not sure. But in most states to get rv plates, the truck requires several amenities such as sleeping and electricity, water, waste disposal etc,.

[redcrzr]

I've read it here in the past and it made sense to me, so I bought one. If your parked somewhere with the 5'er & want to make a overnight trip to a different destination or somewhere that doesn't accommodate the entire combo you still have something to cook & sleep in. I'm still waiting for my house to sell so I can buy my "fulltime" 5'er and have used the HDT w/sleeper cab to practice the camping life. Microwave, sink, refrig. & double bunks, all with room to stand up and move around and a bonus dinette when not using both bunks.

Todd

[RickW]

Registration. Private Truck vs Motorhome. By being registered as a motorhome my registration is 40% less then if I was registered as a private truck. Same with insurance. It was cheaper as a motorhome vs a private truck.

[Shallow Draft]

Where else would the dog and cat ride?

[budeneighe]

Yeah. This issue has been batted back and forth since the beginning and LarryZ. If you know who he was, he had a lot to say about why not a day cab.

 

However, I won't open that old wound. I will say that the reasons are different for different folks. Here are some from past threads (arguments?_)

1. Most day cabs come single factory axle and that axle is higher rated than the tandems and rides harder... usually
2. Day cabs are designed for local delivery where the drivers spend more time out of the cab than in it so the cabs make no pretense in serving comfort during travel.
3. Yes, many states allow conversion of a condo to MotorHome (Housecar) by having 4 out of the magic 7 items:
   1. Cooking
   2. Water supply
   3. Heating
   4. Sleeping
   5. 110vac power
   6. Toilet
   7. Refrigeration - (might be something else. Brain fog this morning).
4. Yes, condo makes a nice mini-motorhome for multi-day trips.
5. Day cabs are almost never insulated for noise or climate.
6. Since we have been living Full time (since 2007) we have not used the VOlvo as a mini-motorhome except to sleep extra people a couple of times. However, it makes a great traveling storage shed. it is amazing how much you can store in there if you do it right and safely. Makes it easier to efficiently use the RV basement areas if yours are not cavernous.
7. On long trips, it is really nice to be able for the non-driver to stretch their legs, get in a different position for a bit to be well rested for their next turn driving.

Even a mid-height condo, like the 610, is much better than a day cab. Yes, smaller bunk area but still a bunk or other seating area and the space to stand up to move around.

 

Other than price, there are few if any benefits of a day cab over an MDT.

[Storx]

Ah ok, makes a lot of sense.. just was trying to figure out the reasons behind it

[Randyretired]

My thoughts are a little different than some. In Colorado a day cab can be registered as a RV. This is a state by state rule and may be different in your state. However, I like a shorter truck for turning and parking. The shorter truck also helps keep the length in check. In the 10 years we have had our truck we haven't used it as a camper. I am not ready to redo our truck but if I was it would be a day cab. Our truck has the small 420 sleeper so the sleeper is smaller than most but a day cab would be shorter yet. I would like that.

[Phil D]

Randy, I agree that the Recreational registration classification is the way to go for a privately owned HDT in Colorado, but your statement that ". . . a day cab can be registered as an RV" may be confusing to folks in the other forty-nine states, since Colorado's Recreational use classification is not the same as the Motor Home/House Car/Recreational Vehicle classifications that many states allow, if a stipulated number of certain items or systems are present.

 

It's my understanding that the Colorado "Recreational" registration is simply based on the owner's declaration of intended usage, and not on meeting any particular configuration or requirements. In that respect, it's more like the states that allow a privately owned retired truck tractor that is operated only for non-commercial use to be registered as a private truck, not a Recreational Vehicle. When I worked out there fourteen years ago, I noticed that many folks there had REC plates on their pickups, which led me to believe that it's more of a "non-commercial truck" registration than an RV registration.

[Randyretired]

Phil, Your right that you can declare usage in Colorado. It is called a recreational truck. It lowers the registration cost and doesn't require a CDL. Colorado also allows a MH registration by meeting the MH requirements but registration costs are very close or the same. As I mentioned in my post it is a state by state thing. Hopefully my post didn't cause confusion. My intent was to point out some states permit day cabs without penalty and some might like that option. The short turning radius and shorter truck appeals to me.

[Refuzn-To-Grow-Up]

We have used ours for a weekend trips.

 

On one of our trips, we stopped, for the night, in a Casino parking lot. It was pouring down raining, the parking lot was dirt (now mud) and we have three pups who would have had a blast running through the mud. We slept in the cab.

[Dennis M]

Most issues have been covered above, but I will add two points:

 

Day cabs are often geared for local delivery use rather than over the road use. Make a big difference in fuel mileage and comfort (noise).

 

Day cab or sleeper, in the majority of states you will need an upgraded operators license. In IL for instance if the truck is rated over 26k you need a class B license, if your trailer is over 10k with that truck you need a class A license. Both of these are non-CDL in IL. The regular operators license is a class D.

[Pappy Yokum]

Phil, Your right that you can declare usage in Colorado. It is called a recreational truck. It lowers the registration cost and doesn't require a CDL. Colorado also allows a MH registration by meeting the MH requirements but registration costs are very close or the same. As I mentioned in my post it is a state by state thing. Hopefully my post didn't cause confusion. My intent was to point out some states permit day cabs without penalty and some might like that option. The short turning radius and shorter truck appeals to me.

 

 

******************************************************************************************************************

 

See - Stae by State registration in - The Guide.

 

South Dakota - "Private Truck" is non-commercial. SD does *not* have provisions for converting an HDT to a Motor Home - although a few have managed to accomplish that .

Unfortunately, some of those have received a blessing as a MH, - but at a later date notified the classificatin is/was incorrect.

 

Previous posters haven't included......

 

A "plus" for MH registration (and another negative for a day cab) is *resale*.

Often an HDT to MH conversion is a "slam dunk" for purchase and *registration* as a MH in (whatever) state.

Not so for an HDT as a (non-commercial) "private truck". ..

 

Buyer beware - and plan ahead!

 

 

.

 

 

[stolpsaddles]

Day cab trucks are usually used for local delivery and short runs. The accumulated milage is harder miles than long hwy miles.

[Star Dreamer]

Also they are just like a standard cab pickup maybe worse in that they lack any extra space in the cab for stuff like ice chest, snack bag, laptop and shopping item when you go to a store.

[rickeieio]

Summing up what others have said, do your homework in your own state, and see what's allowed, as in licensing for you and the vehicle. A day cab may work for you. Yes, if you're going to travel long distances, a day cab has some draw backs. But if you only intend to do a couple hundred miles per day, so what. I have a day cab Mack with 840k on it. It will run 80+ if you mash the loud pedal, but why?

 

That said, we have a Volvo 770 for our camping needs. Looked at a lot of trucks, and this one was the one with all the features we wanted for the price we were willing to spend.

 

You'll find plenty of folks who would only have a "Brand X", and plenty more who would never have that brand. It's too bad they are so closed minded. It would be like only drinking Dr. Pepper.

[RickW]

 

You'll find plenty of folks who would only have a "Brand X", and plenty more who would never have that brand. It's too bad they are so closed minded. It would be like only drinking Dr. Pepper.

 

I advise avoiding Harris County, TX for the foreseeable future or until he is distracted by a squirrel.

[Big5er]

You'll find plenty of folks who would only have a "Brand X", and plenty more who would never have that brand. It's too bad they are so closed minded. It would be like only drinking Dr. Pepper.

HEY!! Whats wrong with only drinking Dr. Pepper?

 

Genesis 2:2 New International Version (NIV)

By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work.

Genesis 2:2 and a half Phil's Version (PV)

And on the eighth day he invented Dr. Pepper

 

I advise avoiding Harris County, TX for the foreseeable future or until he is distracted by a squirrel.

Squirrel my butt. Right now I am in Louisiana, distracted by a whole lot of pretty Cajun women. Speed on....

[rocksbride]

Hi Storx,

 

Just some thoughts... we've had a Volvo 770 since 2009. We full-time. I'm the one that started the conversation with my DH HERO Maker about an HDT, and I wanted the 770 from the first time I climbed in one.

 

You asked why people pick Volvos. When I did the initial homework on the HDTs back in '08, there were some specific safety features that appealed to me. What I remember most was that the engines were designed to drop and slide under the cab in a head-on. I hope I never have to find out if that's true. Perhaps that's an industry standard on all truck brands, but it gave me peace of mind as I considered an HDT lifestyle.

 

Another point that influenced my choice at the time was the majority of HDT drivers on the forum had Volvos. The available experience and knowledge base within the group was a lot broader. We've also shared parts, etc., with other Volvo owners. For instance, a couple with a truck the same color and within just a few VIN numbers of ours removed a part of their truck for their bed build, and gave it to us because we'd just crunched that part. It was a perfect match. Now there are so many different kinds of trucks within the HDT group, I'm sure there is a lot of help available no matter what brand you choose.

 

Many people have already shared great reasons to choose a large condo. Here are just a few more to consider.

 

• We've been separated from our fiver a few times when it had to go in for repairs and we weren't allowed to stay in it overnight at the shop. We had the option of staying in our comfortable truck in a nice park, or paying 5 times the rate for a hotel. Not all hotels are cat-friendly.

• While I love the luxury of being able to snooze on a long drive, having a bed in the truck made travel possible after surgery and other medical procedures. Without it we would have been grounded for another week or two waiting to recover enough to travel in that front seat.

• In our 770, we usually travel with the work station set up. It's nice to be able to have one computer to search for road amenities or satellite maps and a second computer to track radar when the weather is dicey. Smart phones have taken the place of the second computer, but there are times that the big screen on the laptop has made all the difference. That table in the back easily accommodates two computers, snacks, and the cat if she insists on helping.

• The upper bunk, the truck bed storage boxes, and the drom box all have made full-time life on the road a little easier. While I store a few things in that upper bunk, there is still room for me to sleep in it.

• Last, but not least... I don't think anyone has mentioned this - sometimes you just need some space that's safe, quiet, and comfortable to get something done. The truck has become an extra room when we're parked. If I need to make a bunch of phone calls and Rock's working or on the phone, too, I can head to the work station in the truck. It's my own sound-proof booth. When you live in close quarters, that can be a real blessing.

[roadfitter]

HI STORX

 

In our case here in IL we started with pickups and moved up in truck size over time (started in 1976).

Our International MDT's license plate was over $1000. year to cover our truck/trailer GVW and our insurance was considerably more than for our class"8" Kenworth. by a factor of 2.

So Mdt $1000.+ verses Sleeper class"8" $102 a year. with motor home insurance once a year, less than 1/2 a years cost of the MDT. So for us it was a no brainer. After 7 yrs. with ALL costs and expenses which include all maintenance costs, including 10 new tires and up fits to the truck we are still less than half the cost of a new pickup which still couldn't do the job, and we feel much safer and comfortable on the road.

@ 40,000+ LBs. traveling 63 mph anywhere in the country we get a solid 8 1/2 to 9 mpg.

Hope this helps at least a little.

 

roadfitter

[Bigtrailer]

Some day cabs may have less miles, but many have hundreds of hours on the motor because oif some unloading operations, such as hauling a tanker that has to be pumped off, loading cement, flour, cold weather idling for heat and to keep engine at operating temperature. . You can pump up idle speed by using the cruise control some trucks have just for this. A diesel engine needs to be running about 800-1000 RPM to carry oil pressure and water temperature.

 

Bigtrailer