Reasons Not to Lease?

I wasn't trying to be funny, you aren't going to be able to make that house or rent payment while you sit in your leased truck for 4 days a week at some truck stop. They will own you man and won't lose any sleep.

 

Ive heard the same

 

Save up and buy a gently-used 08-11 truck. Never lease. This goes for cars and big rigs. You come out in the end paying at least twice what the vehicle costs in the end. But you're a grown person, decide wisely.:sly:

{A man is only as good as his word.}

 

There are good companies that do a fair lease and drivers do very well, but they are few and far inbetween. I happen to be at a good one. Been at a bad one (JCT) and got ripped off till I drowned and left.

 

Depends on where you go. There are starter companies out there that will push leases on new drivers, tell you there are no trucks available for company drivers (for a couple of weeks,) but plenty of trucks to lease. The owner of CR England has bragged in public about how much money he makes off of failed lease trucks that he turns around and re-leases.

The deck is stacked against drivers jumping into lease agreements. That doesn't mean that you can't win, it's just that you have to do enough to turn things in your favor... before you jump in the deep end. Spending a couple of years minimum learning how the industry works, how to efficiently operate a class 8 truck, and building up some operating cash (to cushion the ups 'n downs of a lease operators settlement) is vital to getting things in your favor.

 

indeed, its a recipe for disaster even if you have no bills. the lease payment+fuel and breakdown can be more than enough to make it so its hard to eat let alone anything else if everything isnt going right. i wasnt advocating leasing, i am totally against it and have been for a long time, especially when it comes to trucking.

 

You need a carrier that's interested in moving freight, not leases. Then, you have to be more efficient at it than the carriers.

 

Lets not forget about what you get when youre done with your lease. Say you get a columbia with 6-700k miles on it as a lease truck. Now if you know these trucks theyre already starting to fall apart, but now you put another 2-300k on it? What are you gonna do with a million mile columbia? Either pay through the nose in repairs or try to sell it, but as far as i know nodohy wants a used up columbia.

ive been a company driver for 6 years now and am just finally in a position where i bought a truck and am ready to go out on my own. Yes, you can do it in much less than 6 years, but the experience ive gInsd in these 6 years is priceless. From breakdowns to getting hung out looking for a load to some of the worst weather conditions imaginable. Truck drivings not easy, maybe get some experience on someone elses dime and then decide if its for you.

just my $0.02

 

exactly.. and theyre making money on every side of the equation so even if you default and trash the tractor and you lost money and are starving they still made money off of every single load you hauled even if you didnt, plus all of the monthly payments made towards the tractor... they will patch up the tractor if possible with used parts and launch another leaseee into it. and then theyll sue you for damaging their tractor even if you have no money and youll have to do bankruptcy if you havent alrdy, if you can even find a job.