‘I’ll Never Get Rid Of It’: Man Bought An 18-Wheeler With 28 Miles On It. Then He Reveals How Many Miles It Has Today

The average truck driver covers many miles every year. According to data from the American Trucking Associations, a trucker in the United States averages 100,000 to 110,000 miles yearly. 

That’s more than four times the circumference of the Earth, as per Encyclopedia Britannica. That means there are many durable trucks on the road with mileage levels a passenger car could never survive.

The Facebook account for Chris Kuna Drive, a platform for trucking jobs across the U.S., posted a video featuring an interview with a driver who has an impressive mileage count on his truck. "He bought it brand new," the account captioned the video, right before starting the interview. 

The trucker begins by saying the truck is a 1999 model year. "How many miles on it?" the interviewer asks. "3.5 million," the trucker responds. 

"Wow, did you buy it brand new?" the interviewer asks, before turning the camera toward the Peterbilt in question. "It had 28 miles on it when I bought it," the man says. "Caterpillar engine, same motors as when I bought it. 

"How many overhauls?" the interviewer asks. The trucker responds, "Three." 

For context, an overhaul is a "rebuild" of a vehicle, in which professionals disassemble, inspect, and refurbish its major components. 

The interviewer also asked about the truck's transmission. "18-speed," the trucker says. 

"How many more miles are you gonna put on it before you get rid of it?" the interviewer asks. "I don’t know, man. I’ll never get rid of it. I should retire this year, but I don’t know. Let’s see how it goes.

Commenters Were Impressed

In the comments section, viewers were not only impressed by the man’s high mileage but also by his age. 

"Dude is making bank off that truck probably bought it for $80,000 brand new plus $60,000 for 3 overhauls $140,000 and it probably made $2 million profit," one user calculated.

"For anyone curious about how many miles a year he did it’s 129,629," a second said. 

"You know how many old people I truck around that tell me they are going to ‘retire this year’ and they never do," a third stated. "I honestly think that’s the biggest lie truckers say is that they are going to quit or they are going to ‘retire this year.'"

"The real question is: how old is this man, and why he's still working?" a fourth commenter asked. 

How Many Miles Can A Semi-truck Survive?

Semi-trucks haul heavy items for long stretches of miles, day after day. As such, they’re built to last much longer than the average passenger car would. 

According to a report by Beltway Truck Parts, trucks typically last 750,000 miles with proper maintenance, but can easily hit the million-mile mark depending on the make and model. 

The site explains that several factors will determine the longevity of a semi-truck, including things like maintenance, whether it’s long-haul or city driving, and the type of freight. 

Many truckers online have reported similar impressive mileage on their semi-trucks. 

"My Australian-built 1980 KW in my profile pic has around 6 million kms (3.75 million miles) on it," one Redditor wrote on r/Truckers. 

"Work at UPS," another shared. "My building has a couple old Mack's and Sterlings over a million miles."

"My city tractor is an International 9900 and has 1.79 million on the Cummins ISX," another trucker said. "I don’t know the complete history on the truck but I know my company is [too] cheap to replace a motor especially on a tractor with this many miles. She’s still running strong!"

Motor1 has reached out to Chris Kuna Drive via email for comment and additional details. We will update this story if they respond.