Considering a lease purchase with Comtrak or Roadlink for local work, any advice?

I am considering doing a lease purchase with either Comtrak or Roadlink and pull containers locally out of Atlanta, Ga. I have been driving trucks for over 2 years and have a business background prior to trucking. I initially got my cdl to become an O/O or an Independent contractor after a previous business went under (due to the economy AND poor personal decisions) and after being humbled and learning from my mistakes, I am looking to create for myself again. After a huge financial setback my wife and I have drastically minimized our lifestyle to be able to enjoy life without the fancy clothes, new cars, and steaks every night and have become very frugal. We have paid off a lot of our debt, though we still have some. Our Credit is not very good right now, but understanding how money works, I'm looking at a lease purchase with Roadlink or Comtrak as a way to get into my own truck and finish the process of financial freedom. I am local and am looking to continue that for my famlily. Any advice?

 

From what I understand so far, with the trucks I am looking at (2006-2008) I will be looking at approximately $400/wk as a fixed expense including tags, insurance, etc. My biggest worry is it realistic to expect to be able to fund my personal maintenance account before dealing with a major issue. I know this is a crapshoot but has it been done? Even though I've run into several drivers that say they are grossing $2,100-$2,700 after expenses, I'm looking at my worse case scenario as a base line and am expecting approx $1,500-$1,600 after expenses, which is fine for my fhousehold until we have the system down. From the net I am looking to pay myself around $850-$1k a week, with everything else funding my maintenance, tax, and personal savings account. I have a good understanding of controlling my fuel costs, which to me would be easier because I am local/semi-local, and I feel that being home every night will cancel alot of the road expenses other than the truck. Is there anything I don't see?

 

Thanks for the replies sor far guys. The trucks I have been looking at so far are the Freightliner Columbia or the Cascadia. I'm really not into the "truck", to me it's just a tool. I have driven both at other companies and I have gotten 7-8.5 mpg. I have had my own business before so I understand I won't be working 40 hrs. I currently work my full 70 every wk working in LTL so I figure to trade in my $17/hr for $40-50/hr. I didn't realize that Comtrak did credit checks, I hope not. A good buddy of mine just went to Roadlink and he likes it so far. The biggest thing with me is to learn what runs work, and to control my time to reach my goals. If someone else can do it, I know I can as well.

 

I also have found some reputable mechanics who are certified with small shops, and I am Planning on doing an complete oil change and fluid check every 10-15k mi (whichever is feasable). I'm also going to get my drive chains/ bearings etc. (I'm no mechanic lol) every week or two, using the same shop so that they can help me spot any issues with the truck that I may not catch in my pretrips. If the truck is working, I can make the dough.

 

daf105paccar I am will be running containers out of Atlanta,GA. I have based my calulations off of 34-40 moves (or 17-20 round trips) and I will finish my week when my goals are met. I have adjusted my lifestyle in such a way where I will be able to save enough so that when I have a slow week, it's just that, a slow week and a part of business.

 

Thanks Classic for the info, I will look at First Coast as an option. I would really like to PM you and get some info on the company and working strictly intermodal if you don't mind.