Holy Hanna !!

It would have been useless to try and tell that guy anything bad about his business decisions. All that young fellow could see is that shiny new truck and the possibility of him being king of the road someday... No you gotta let them make the mistake before they can learn from it that's how experience is made... The good news is that the fellow he was talking about is apparently young enough to take the hit and come back strong...

If he learns from it that is....

 

We all completed a business plan before we pulled the trigger on it - right? After all is said and done, there are business models out there we did, didn’t or couldn’t choose, more or less profitable than the current one we chose.

@Oxbow - we’re on the same page - if I were to do it, it would be to benefit all, making $$ at the same time, and after 20 years have a Fleet consisting of over 50% loyal drivers, owning their own equipment through a trustworthy model, and singing praises. This must be the ‘B’ business model.

Apparent to me now, is that when all recruiters, managers, etc - are paid, all equipment has been leased, re-leased, sold and resold - and you strictly look at the numbers on a grid - model ‘A’ wins.

At all costs. No ethics, moral fiber, sense of community, nothing. Employees are paid, and drivers are used, churned and forgotten, shouldering the majority of the cost and risk. Strictly within the scope of the law - that’s it.

No idea how they sleep at night . Probably on pillows stuffed with Benjamins.

I stay away from the lease purchase threads - the confirmation bias is deafening. After an associative brush with Prime, the charade of the LP model and what appeared to me as a mix of ‘Jonestown meets Munchausen by proxy syndrome ‘ with their neon lit shop, gym, accommodation, training, and badge and shirt commendations, coupled with the association and infiltration into the industry around Springfield - I learned to leave well alone.

Not to say all these LP businesses are the same - but they all operate on a level within the same scale.

 

Just read yours after posting mine - well said.

 

So the real question is what changed ?
Did the corporate world lose its soul ?
Did the work force change to where they accept such harsh treatment ?
These practices had to always be available , corp execs aren't any smarter then their predecessors .
It is a little depressing looking at this industry for what it has become .
This constant race to the bottom does make me wonder if there's room for a good corp with decent values , that would attract the best operators and could demand higher rates .
It used to be that way not to long ago at a few select carriers

 

How long did it take you to get to the position of being able to get loans or save the money for down payments?

The world isnt what it used to be.. most companies will not hire a band new guy with a cdl, specially no local companies. No matter how you look at it, new drivers have 2 options.. get screwed by a cdl trainig school for $6-10k dollars or go to a mega and get that year's experance.

The lease options at these megas suck, but if you are willing to hustle you can usually make ok money.. Yes you are getting screwed on the cost of the truck, but you also arent putting any money down nor being required to pay for a cdl school or have any experance..

Working as a cents per mile guy isnt any better at most of these megas..

 

Well, not until you fail in that first year. Then you owe the company for the schooling and any debt you collected while in the truck.

 

I prefer the new money smell

 

Respectfully - I’m an immigrant, I’ve been here 14 years next month. I had zero credit in 2004, and had a mortgage of $30k in NZ.

I borrowed money to get here, paid for training, worked hard, met my wife here, we borrowed for a house in 2005, paid it off in 2006.

4 houses , vehicles, a truck, 2 trailers, funded 401ks, an 850+ credit score - 90% debt free, in 14 years. It’s not a lot - this IS the land of opportunity.

I’m not boasting or bragging - I simply can’t accept that anybody - has only 2 options.

 

So many in our profession need to read this post. All you ever hear is slave wages. Then they would not like it when told well it's not going to be given to you. You have to work hard and want it.

 

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