My uncle told me to never trust a contractor who drives a brand new truck - he was right

My uncle Dan has been framing houses for 40 years, so when I needed a new deck last summer, he told me to look for a guy with a beat-up work truck, not a shiny new F-250. I ignored him and hired a guy with a clean truck and flashy business cards. He bailed halfway through the job after I paid him $2,800 upfront, and I had to eat the loss. Now I always ask to see their rig first. Has anyone else had a gut feeling about a contractor that ended up being dead on?

3 comments

3 Comments

drew6901mo ago

Used to think the truck thing was just old man talk. Thought a nice truck showed a guy had his life together. Then I hired a guy with a brand new F-150 to redo my bathroom. He left a hole in my wall and never came back. Uncle Dan was right, beat up truck means they're spending money on tools not payments.

eva9081mo ago

Honestly just check the truck bed before hiring, tools beat shiny paint every time.

kevin_dixon1mo ago

Read something similar on a home improvement forum once. A guy said he only hires contractors with rusty old trucks. Said the new truck guys are always paying off loans and cut corners to make their payment. @eva908 is spot on about checking the truck bed. Saw a post where a dude's bed was immaculate, no scratches or dust. Turns out he was a YouTube handyman, never actually worked with tools. Beat up truck bed means they've dragged lumber and drywall around, know what they're doing.