Face it: Trucking is a business, and no matter how fancy and glorious your rig, you'd better be able to turn a profit at the end of the day. So if you're smart, you'll take a good look at what fleet managers choose to buy. Fleet trucks are set up for efficiency because they must make money in this low-profit business.

That's one reason we looked around for an outfit running a stereotypical fleet tractor, International's aerodynamic 9200 series. The builder suggested McKelvey Trucking Co. in Phoenix, which runs 320 tractors in its dry van operation. Founded in the late '50s, the company's management seems to have a handle on the business and has pretty much standardized on the medium-nose conventional. Most of these are International 9200s, and the latest is the 9200i.

"I had never thought much about Internationals until I came here" a bit over a year ago, said Brad Gasser, the general manager, who came from a world of Kenworths, Peterbilts and Freightliners. "But I have been impressed with them." Any fleet wanting to attract and keep over-the-road drivers buys nicely appointed tractors, and so does McKelvey. "The drivers like them," Gasser says of the Internationals, with their premium interiors and roomy sleepers, "and we don't get any complaints on lack of power."

Now standard is a 430-hp Caterpillar C-12, which is gutsy even on upgrades and turns in good fuel economy. The fleet average while pulling a variety of paper products, food stuffs and building supplies regionally and long-haul is just over 7 mpg.

So it's a respectable fleet truck, but it suffers some at turn-in time. Gasser didn't get into numbers, partly because McKelvey negotiates guaranteed residual values when it buys its new Internationals. But the "medium-block" Cat, as powerful and reliable as it is, is not what the typical second owner looks for in a used truck , and this affects those values.

So he's talking with Cat and International people about going to the big-block C-15 (the successor to the popular 3406E), which would necessitate buying the long-nose model 9400i. That's still an aero model, and the traditionally styled 9900i would bring even more money, but then you get back to fuel economy, and aerodynamics do mean something.

Wouldn't the C-15 use more fuel? Not necessarily, and with a moderate horsepower rating it can be more economical than the C- 12 or one of its competitors, Cummins' 11-liter ISM. Experience at another Phoenix-based fleet saw the C-15 pick up a few tenths of a mile per gallon over the M11, the ISM's predecessor, he said.

"I still think if you gear it right, a big-block engine can be more economical because it can loaf while the smaller engine has to work harder," Gasser said. Then again, both the engine and chassis would weigh more than the current setup, so it'll take some fine-point pencil figuring.

A decision on that will come soon, but meanwhile McKelvey is taking delivery of brand-new 9200i tractors, and we had one of 'em assigned to us this day. "This'll be its first run," Gasser said.

The other half of "we" was driver Dave Cossentine, who had been at McKelvey just over six months. He came from the same fleet Gasser did, and Gasser is one reason he changed jobs. Others: "It had gotten too big, and I just didn't know anybody any more," and "The different departments were playing power games, and sometimes the drivers got caught in the middle. Like if operations wanted the load there, so you tried to help them, but then you got into trouble with the safety department over your log book."

It's "so far, so good" at McKelvey, Cossentine said. He gets a good mix of regional and long-haul runs, and gets home every few days if he wants to. "The money is good, and the bonuses add up," he declared. The company pays for loading and unloading and accident avoidance, and pays higher rates for miles run over a weekly threshold.

McKelvey's metallic medium-blue Internationals and Freightliners are familiar sights along Interstate 10 between Phoenix and Los Angeles, and we were part of the parade this day. We pulled a 53-foot van with a light load of pallets and dunnage to be left at a shipper's yard near L.A.

From the southwest side of Phoenix it's less than six hours to the L.A. Basin. We had left by 2 p.m. and the load wasn't due in 'til later that evening, so we took our time.

Cossentine is a cautious, conscientious driver who walked the talk of fuel economy. "Sixteen-fifty is the magic number with McKelvey," he said as he upshifted at that point on the tachometer. "They like to keep the revs down." He also shut off the engine whenever we left the truck to limit idle time - a pet peeve of Gasser, who can't stand to see engines idling needlessly.

"You can drive whenever you want to," Cossentine said, and I drove a short stretch while still in Arizona, then the last 80 or so miles into Ontario. He got the worst of it, keeping the lightly loaded rig in hand while traversing the windy approach to San Gorgonio Pass north of Palm Springs, where all the windmills are.

So what do ya think of the truck? we sort of asked each other. Well, "There isn't much room for storage back there," he said of the sleeper. Its 72-inch length and medium-height roof were taxed by addition of an upper bunk, which left little wall space for cabinets. More storage could've been added, and that's a matter for the order sheet.

Like other medium-nose conventionals, the 9200i has a small doghouse that protrudes into the cab. It covers much of the floor near the firewall, and limits movement of the passenger's left foot and, after he sets the cruise control, the driver's right foot. Cossentine said it didn't bother him, but it bugged me.

Those two things were about all we complained about. We both liked the visibility through the big windshield and cut-down side windows - one of the 9000i's improvements over the previous 9000 series. Gauge and switch design are as good as in any truck. There was plenty of belly room and, because neither of us is tall, enough stand-up room under the medium-high roof.

The engine was quiet and the 10-speed transmission shifted okay, though it was stiff from its sheer newness. With our light load, we could start out in 3rd and even 5th on a slight downgrade. The truck was quiet and rode well, even over the bowed concrete that I-10 in Fontana is infamous for.

And the 9200i's setback steer axle and tight wheel cut made it nimble when needed. We missed our intended turnoff when we got into Ontario, so I made my way through several tight city streets to return to the freeway, then exit again closer to where we wanted, then do several tight right turns before I found the desired boulevard near the airport.

That's where I bailed out of the truck and Cossentine drove off into the night. A decent truck and decent pay and treatment will probably keep him on with McKelvey, and the next owner of this truck, perhaps four years from now, will have a bargain if unfortunate depreciation befalls it.

The 9200i Niche

The International's 9000i series is the latest iteration of a line of conventionals going back to the 1970s Transtar 4200. The aluminum cab has been greatly improved, with the i-for-"innovation" series getting more glass, additional belly room and a high-output heater/venting/air conditioning system. The chassis now rides smoother and quieter than drivers 30 years ago would've believed possible.

This model range includes the long-nose "large car" 9300i and extra-long-hooded 9300ix, which can be ordered with high- horsepower big-block diesels; the aerodynamic long-nose 9400i, also with big-block engines; and this medium-nose 9200i, which comes only with medium-block 10-, 11- and 12-liter power. The 9200i (and its similar-sized competitors) is ideally sized to pull the typical 53-foot trailer while offering excellent maneuverability, decent comfort and power. Yet most second buyers want Big Power and long hoods, so this size truck suffers some at resale time. So if you're looking for a used truck bargain, put your emotions aside, your business cap on and grab something like this.

World Traveler

Dave Cossentine, 55, is in trucking because many years ago he grew tired of running a cable TV installation operation. "I was the manager and the chief tech, but I got fed up with the office politics," he said. "And I like to travel. My wife and I have traveled the world."

In their younger days, Dave and wife, Mary, journeyed from Alaska to well inside South America. They visited parts of Asia, Africa and Europe (where they lived for two years, including time running an import business in Greece). They picked up several languages, and are comfortable enough with Spanish to enjoy frequent jaunts to Mexico.

Why not bring Mary along on his runs? "I tried to talk her into getting a CDL," Dave said, "but she doesn't like sitting in one place." He doesn't like a long commute, either. They recently bought a new house less than a mile from McKelvey's home terminal, and he rides a bicycle to work.

Caterpillar C-12 delivers ample power and fuel economy, but second owners usually want a big-block, big-power engine.

Taking a new 9200i on its shakedown run, Dave Cossentine was pleased with its visibility, quality of ride and quiet operation.

McKelvey Trucking has added comfortable, fuel-stingy International 9200i tractors to its fleet to attract and keep drivers - and improve the bottom line.