Truck Leasing

I haven't heard anything good about any of them,...I would steer clear and not do ANY lease purchase of ANY kind,......

 

There are probably more horror stories regarding lease plans, if it were me Id think long& hard about it.With freight volumes as down as they are I would be afraid to do it now,3years ago maybe!Why are you looking into lease programs ?Just wondering!

 

It was just an option I was looking into thanks for the advice. Another I was looking into was buying one and getting that financed. A buddy of mine is a freight broker and can get me some work but I need the truck. Been a company driver like I said but unemployed right now. Just exploring options right now, but I need to do something soon being unemployed and all. Job market right now is so bad, nothing here in FL been trying to find something local without going into the big companies but nothing so far.

 

Sounds like youre doing your homework on this,personally I bought my own truck&trailer got my authority ,its a hard road but you can do it!If your friend can help with loads thats a plus,but go slow and check all the details some can come back to bite you down the road!!So good luck and if it all checks out alright I say go for it & dont sweat the small stuff !!

 

if you can swing it buy the truckyourself dont lease, if you do the lease purchase, you have to sign on with an outfit and chances are they wont let you haul for your freind. They might have a small problem with you making money with their truck and not getting any of the cut ya see !good luck compadre

 

Does anyone here lease their truck?

What are the pros and cons?

 

The pros are that you aren't under forced dispatch and it is possible for a good business operator to make slightly more money than a good truck driver who is a company driver.

The cons are mostly risk: you pay for everything a company would pay for if you were a company driver. Hit a deer and need some grill work, run over something and lose a tire or three, get jerked around by a repair shop for thousands of dollars and its all on you. A company driver might lose some time, but you lose time and money.

If you aren't willing to change your driving style to emphasize efficiency over total miles your best bet is to remain a company driver. If you can focus on the bottom line and operate it as a business that happens to operate using a truck, you can do well for yourself.

Good luck,

Jim

 

OK that BS about "NO FORCED DISPATCH" is just that BULLS**! You need to realize that the economy is way down and these "fleece" companies are hurting for loads! WTF is the difference between loads? OH, You're one of those Madonnas that "I don't go there" if you "don't like the load"?

Today a mile is a mile! There has NEVER been any such thing as no forced dispatch! I drove for one of those "no forced dispatch" companies for 9 years! I was sent a dispatch and I took it as if I didn't I/we would get put to the back of the dispatch line!
Unless they send you several dispatches for you to choose from it ain't "no forced dispatch!" and that's an exception NOT a rule!

It's best these days to take the load and thank your lucky stars that you actually got something to run to pay the fleece you're on!

It's funny even when I was an O/O (I've never done a fleece!) I never turned a load down if my broker had one but then I had a few great ones who knew how to get actual paying freight when I couldn't turn any up on my own.

As a company driver I never turned any down as my dispatchers knew what I was capable of and knew I didn't cry about loads as a mile was a mile and when needed I would get the cream of the crop loads because I was RELIABLE!

Fleece programs are just that! You are NOT an O/O! Just someone that didn't read the fleece and think you ARE an O/O! You are NOT an O/O until you pay off the fleece! Turning down loads is not good business these days! Until you own that truck!

And we ALL know that fleece drivers are only COMPANY drivers paying to work for someone! Keep reading the posts in here and you'll learn!

 

To each his own, I suppose. I myself turn down an average of one or two loads per month, primarily because I know with the patterns of our freight I will get stuck someplace undesirable for a while which would put me further behind than just waiting a bit for something different.

Since I don't run my business based on averaging 3,000-4,000 miles per week minimum to avoid going out of business, passing on a load doesn't really hurt my bottom line much. It does help my logbook cool down a bit and provides hours further along that cycle that I may need to cover a load.

At the very least it does help keep my blood pressure in check and this driver rested and relaxed for my upcoming loads.

Good luck,

Jim

 

LongbedGTS
I have to ask. Did you used to be a brokey south of McDounagh, GA?