Input from swift L/O

All Cool bro. I'm not worried about you.

Renting a truck is the same thing as renting a hole in an industrial park.

Been there, done it.

Not going home every night tho and less pay.

Just buy a truck. Its yours.

Only the IRS can take it from you.

 

There are several Swift L/O's here that are very successful, even being solo.
And many more that have gone under.

Personally I think it has to do with the desire and ability to run your own business.
Ability being the main factor.

I won't do it, simply because I am too not interested in devoting the time that is required to run my own company - which is what I would have to do in that situation.
When I get done driving for the day or the load, I just want to veg out for a few hours.
20 years ago that might have been different.

But if you have experience in running your own business and the will to invest the time to do it correctly, if you are intelligent and smart enough, you can make the lease deal work in your favor.
There are too many here on this forum doing just that; too many to deny the fact.

 

The best way to be successful, do not listen to the naysayers. I have been around the smoking table at different terminals and listened to the l/o, and heard stories about why they are failing, and it all comes down to them. I will admit that I am probably one of the laziest ones here on this forum, run my little 2800 miles per week, probably have a decline rate of close to 80%, but still all in all, I still manage to get a check deposited into my account most weeks for about $1300. I remember that when I first got this truck, I actually had a DM tell me that to make it, either team or train, since I could not get that 2800 miles per week. What was strange, he was the same DM that I had when a company driver and getting over 2800 miles per week.

 

Yep ... that's the terms of the lease, either party - it's a 2 way street - can terminate at anytime.

In regard to our vlogging friend ... all we have is his side of it, presented through his filter. I take his info for the self serving BS it is.

I've already completed one lease and am purchasing my current truck. I've consistently run 125,000 miles a year every year I've been here.

My interpretation Brocolli's question is not whether he should lease or not. But more along the lines of why/how are Swift O/Os succeeding ... because despite the prognostications of you and others - whose only real exposure to leasing with Swift, is well none - there are many here who succeed with varying degrees.

Keep in mind that Swift has over 4,000 O/Os. That's larger than most companies. Given the absolute lack of any real negative feedback on this site, compared to other companies, Swift must be doing something right with their leasing program.

Brocolli, if you want to post up the numbers you are looking at, it might be easier to pin point what we are doing vise what you think it may be.

 

Alright. Your at the mercy of the dispatch.

You have no control over that except the option to refuse load.

You still make payment.

They are in complete control at all times.

You are still an employee.

Expendable.

It may work out.

Go for it.

What have got to loose?

 

Plant, you brought up Landstar. Last night I was with one of their drivers and he flat out told me that to be successful there, own your own trailer or pull over sized. The 100% FSC is not all that great like it sounds. The FSC is what the customer wants to pay. I have been that route before. What haul a load down to FL with a FSC from that one customer for about .45/mi that week, and to get out, hauled for a customer that was only paying .23/mi. the Landstart driver, he has a younger brother, works for Swift, been here 9 years, and now is in the process of picking up his 2nd new truck. There must be a reason that he does not want to follow in his brothers foot steps, even when his brother was going to help him purchase a truck. Different strokes, different folks.

Going along with what Mystic said, there is a trainer, company, that is always at the PHX terminal. All that he does, bash L/O and even tells his students if they ever ask, bad deal. He says that he gets this from the ones that he talks to that are not doing that great. Last time that I was there, he was at a table with 4 of us, all successful, and he would not even listen to us. He would just harp on the bad.

 

Answered above ...