Considering Landstar as a next step

I have been with a mega carrier for the past 18 months now after getting my CDL with them. I started as a company driver and then leased a truck with them. The quality of their lease program is beside the point, but I'll just say that I've done reasonably well. I've learned more than I would have as a company driver about the business side of things and I've made enough money to live pretty well and put a sizeable chunk in the bank. At the end of this year, my lease term will be up, and I'm thinking it would be a good time to purchase a truck from a dealer with traditional financing and lease on to a carrier that's better suited to O/Os than the mega I'm currently with. My single biggest grievance against the company I'm leasing from now is their lack of options when it comes to dispatching/load planning. They send me a load, and all I can say is yes or no. If I turn it down, there's a decent chance that they'll send me a lousy one. There's also no way for me to even see a load board to get an idea of the big picture for rates. That worked fine when I was brand new and didn't know enough to dispatch myself anyway, but I've gotten to the point where I think I could benefit from self dispatch, and landstar seems like a great option. My lease is a rental lease and not a lease purchase, so I will need a truck. I'm leaning towards buying through a dealer with financing, but would be open to Lone Mountain or other similar arrangements. As far as my financial background, I have a high credit score (750+), I should have $40-$60k in the bank by the time I'm ready to go to Landstar, and I have minimal personal expenses (I have no wife, kids, or car payment and crash with a relative when I'm home). Thoughts?

 

My only concern about that plan is that if I'm getting a truck that's old enough for me to pay cash for it, I want more than $10k in the bank for repairs. It seems more sensible to me to finance the truck so I can get something that's newer and also not have to wipe out quite as much of my savings.

 

I don't disagree that my setup has been pretty much identical to company driving. Was that sarcasm when you said good luck with Landstar, Mercer, and ATS? It's very hard to pick up sarcasm on the internet.

 

What about buying new? On trucks with a DPF, that warranty can be a real help.