Lease operator?

I think you just have just have "bass syndrome". Or in this field, "shiny truck syndrome"!

Is a new truck the only reason you want to lease? If so, just go drive for Central and be a company driver. They have new trucks and you won't have to pay for them.

Do you know what one of those new shiny trucks cost a week to lease? How does $1000 a week sound to you?! This doesn't include fuel!

Once you lease you cannot go back to being a company driver. There is a reason they made this rule!

Do you have family or a spouse? If you become a lease operator you will very rarely get to go home. It just cost too much money to do so. Unless you are willing to team or take on a trainee it would be very hard to make any money at leasing. For instance..... It takes 1600-1800 miles a week just to break even! So after you drive more than 1800 miles that week is when you start to make your first dollar. Breakdowns can easily put you in the hole for months! (check out Ladyk's thread!)

Like the other poster said, you really must know how to run a business. Being a lease operator is actually two jobs in one. You are a business owner and a truck driver. IT IS A LOT OF WORK AND YOU MUST REALLY KNOW WHAT YOU ARE DOING AND BE A HUSTLER TO SURVIVE!!!

I think I would run company for awhile if I were you. While you are running company keep track of everything you do as if you were an owner operator. After about 8 months or so see how your figures come out. You may find you will make more as a company driver and that it will be a lot less of a headache.

Personally I recommend you do not lease. From my experience it sounds as if you aren't quite experienced enough to make the jump to owner operator. Maybe while driving company, utilize that time to learn everything you can about the biz and also how to run a biz. Lots of good books on cd and helpful sites and links on the OOIDA website.

 

You have obviously made up your mind. Good luck with your lease and please continue to post. I am just starting out and have chosen not to lease until get some time in the seat.

 

That.depends on the company, the one I drive for has a buyout option of $500 I think it is amd you can go back to being a company driver. We have quite a few who have taken this option.

Personally I have no desire to lease, but I know some people feel the need to try.

 

That has me choking up knee cartilage from laughing so hard.

 

ok but the point of a new truck if you buy it outright is still not a profitable venture just starting out ///
if you go to a dealership it will still cost 120k which i believe to pay that off in 4 years will still put your fixed costs with insurance somewhere close to 900 a week so you will be owned by the bank and most contracts do not pay enough to justify that expense .....but if you just have to do this with a shiny new truck best of luck to you and keep a good bk attorney on retainer

 

He's saying 'all in'. High figures about $2500 a month all in payments, insurance etc. Leased to a carrier in the $1 a mile range will gross about $3000 a week minus about half for fuel and fixed costs.

I leased a truck from my carrier for a while and decided to go ahead and buy it outright from them. In the nearly year and a half since, I've really only bought myself a good paying job for me, truck is gathering fast momentum towards running out of warranty and the pay is not enough to replace the truck down the road. Basically leasing onto a $1 a mile company is running on a hamster wheel.

It's a great place to start and there is lots of support from the carrier, but eventually it behooves the owner of the truck who is also the driver, to spread their wings and look for enough money to pay themselves and replace their equipment every few years.

 

today, while sitting and geting loaded today, the was an INTERSTATE truck and i thought of this thread and called the number
1-800-drive 4 us

67% to the truck which averages about .91 + .52 fsc and between 2000 to 2500 mi/wk = approx $3600 gross revenue - about $1600 fuel net $2000/wk

the ATA or one of those groups says a truck today needs $1.71/mi to be profitable

so why the big difference?