The Good, The Bad, The Honest Truth of a New Roehl Lease Operator

Actually read the thread you posted on and you will answer most of those questions.

 

Notezbngrn- According to my interpretation of the lease you can hire, but Roehl still has to approve your hire.

Pattyj- By law Roehl cannot force a driver to take any load. The IRS sets forth several clear cut rules that if the company violates them, then the contractor must be treated as an employee. If you lease a truck from the company you pull freight for, then you actually have two leases. First you sign a lease agreeing to haul freight for xyz company. This lease only requires that you have a truck that meets the company's standards for appearance and road worthiness. Some companies such a Roehl give drivers the opportunity to lease a truck from them if they can't get a truck through other means. Most of these company leases are scams, but not all. While we grouse about things, even those who have ended their leases early would probably agree that Roehl's lease doesn't fall into the scam category.

To some of your other issues, What do I care what Roehl gets as a rate from their customers? As a mileage based driver, I have a set per mile rate and set my business budget accordingly. I set my hometime and it is based on a balance between my need to be around my family and a need to provide for their financial needs. For the record, I am an Owner/operator who is leased to a company. I own my own business, I have taken 100% of the risk and get 100% of the reward. If you are talking about those with their own authority, then yes they have more freedom, but they have a greater chance of failure. They also have a lot more work. They have to deal with the federal government in ways I will never even have to think about. As far as my truck being governed, I can drive 75, but I make a lot more money by keeping the mph down since it keeps the mpg up.

 

In case anyone wants to know. I'm driving for a family owned company now out of Lexington tn hauling auto parts dedicated. Home weekends and throughout the week. I'm done with ttr now so its been fun but I have found better ways to waste my time.

 

929..cool glad you found something good...btw i seen ur old truck in mshfield...

 

That's only bout 2 hours from where I live they doing any more hiring?

 

OK PattyJ: Let's take each question one at a time. I am an O/O private owned truck leased to Roehl (not leasing through Roehl, have private bank loan).

So let me ask you leasees something,why do you want to lease? Why lease? Some can't swing a private loan or loan through a dealer to finance a truck. Some company leases are a good way to learn the ropes of business with having a "safety net" of being able to return to the company driver side if you find out being your own boss is not for you or you don't manage money well. I lease to a company because I don't want to deal with all the hassle with the govn't for my own authority, brokers who want you to haul cheap freight, etc.

Can't be the freedom becuse companies govern your trks,you still have to go where they send you don't you? Roehl does not govern O/O trucks. A smart O/O knows how to govern their foot thereby impacting the bottom line. We don't have to committ to every load offered but there better be a good reason if you don't. Refuse too many loads and you will be on the bottom of the list with the planners and you will not be very popular with your dispatcher (Fleet Manager). We can also state what part of the US you wish to operate in. I don't do New England (high fuel costs main reason).

Do you have more rights then a company driver? Yes we have a few more rights because we are Business Owners. However at the same time we have an obligation through a business contract to perform a job. As a business owner I own this truck. If weather gets bad I can shut it down and not put my business at risk. Time off at Roehl is my decision. It is not "earned" based on time out on road (Crete has a earned time off with their O/O). Roehl does not get into how we operate our business unless it interferres with the contact and what is expected of the job.

You don't get hometime when u want do you? I state what day I would like to be home. Freight what it is you might not be in right on the day but within a 24 hour window. I can stay home as long as I feel I need to but the truck loan and other bills still have to be paid so each one of us has to determine the right amount of home time.

Bottom line is you're nothing more then a company driver making their trk payments. This statement depends on your business goals. If it is the first time you have ventured into the business world then it is a good starting spot. If your goal is to take the next step into a 2nd truck, completing a lease with a company shows the next lender that you know what you are doing. A friend of mine, after 7 years of leasing several company owned trucks (kept upgrading as he went) got a brand new truck last year. Financed through a dealer. How he got it? He proved that he could run a business through a company lease program at profit and did it several years running. If your goal is just to keep from putting up with all the crap of being a company driver, then "yes" you might be just renting a truck and being a glorified company driver.

I imagine what you drivers pay is higher then what the company pays out for trk payments.
Truck payments depend on age of truck, amount borrowed and length of loan. You can't compare what a company pays for a truck since they deal in volume. A single owner is going to pay more just because it is on one truck with higher interest rates.

When you get a load do you know how much it pays and how much of the seetlment you receive versus your company?
I know exactly what each load pays. At the end of the week I can tell you within a few dollars exactly what my take home check will be for the week. We are not privy to exact truck load rate the customer is paying. We have the cents/mile and fuel surcharge on the load. How you manage the money (fuel purchases) is up to the O/O.

I imagine O/O have alot more rights then a lease operator. I have no more rights as a full O/O than the lease operator has. The only difference is that if I want to change companies I take my truck and leave. Lease, you leave the truck behind and start all over again if you don't have the truck paid for. I almost became a lease operator with Roehl a few years ago but I had an opportunity to secure private funding (bank). Otherwise, I would have had to work my way up to private ownership like my friend did. Doesn't matter if you are a lease O/O or private. It takes work and a good head for business.

Hope I answered your questions. Would I become an O/O again? It has it's moments that being a company driver looks good but presently I enjoy being the captain of my own ship even with all the financial headaches.

 

Yep reeves brothers trucking in Lexington. We haul auto parts. Give Cathy sisson a call any time. You can get our website off Google. They are really good people all family ran

 

Gonna miss you on here 929.... Stop by every now and then to say hi and let us know how you are doing.

Take Care and by safe!

 

This is just me ranting at the moment so give it all the attention you feel it deserves. Have you ever noticed the people that have never experienced what you have, yet they know more than you. The latest on this thread was Pattyj. She came in, made a quick sucker punch and then disappeared. I guess just one more person looking for affirmation of their own preconceived beliefs rather than information that would lead to understanding and wisdom.

Times like this are so hard to stay with my business plan. I told them two weeks ago that I needed to be home today, yet here I sit in Ellenwood with no preplan and they have no idea how they are going to get me home at all, leave alone at least by tomorrow. Schneider has sent me an email reminding me that I am approved for anything including a new truck. To all of this watching as lastrebel, and roehl929 decide to hang it up and are able to go local. Then a missing fuel stop that I didn't notice was missing showed up and my settlement ends up $540 less than I was expecting. There have been so many issues this time out and frankly I just need to go home and decompress. Every business owner goes through this and I know that, but it is still frustrating and discouraging.

 

6 years ago I was lease operator. I found that doing it just to do it was not the right answer. I wasn't with Roehl at the time, but I ran hard and smart for the company I was leased on to. I parked that truck and did some local things as well as two stints at Roehl and now I am happy being a company driver at Roehl on this 3rd time being hired by them. My stress level is much lower than when I ran for myself and with my experience I actually make more money. I did like the feeling of making my own decisions and being responsible for my business, but I like being free from the stress much more. Just a thought. We all do what is best for ourselves.