We are running a 10 wheel straight truck in wheat right now.  One benefit we have is that being alongside the interstate, the DOT boys just wave the farmer straight trucks right on through, but stop every semi.  Another big reason we have kept the straight truck (we also have several tandem tractors and hopper bottoms) is that the insurance is so much less for a single unit hauling about the same number of bushels.  There is also a benefit with the straight truck in that you are dumping out the rear instead of the bottom, depending on your grain set up.

You will be fine with either direction you decide to pursue, as long as the straight truck has a diesel engine, air brakes, and a nice grain tight metal bed and hoist.  An automatic is nice as well, but not necessary.  Life is too short to fool with a old school gas tandem.

We sell a lot of single axle road tractors and short hopper bottoms.  Almost without exception, the buyers come back a year later wanting a tandem tractor, and a longer hopper.  Just keep that in mind if you go with the tractor/hopper combination.

The truck we are using has a empty weight of 17,400, so we can legally scale 610 bushels of wheat with it, and our tandem tractors/hoppers are legal at about 900 bushels.

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