Stevens Transport FAQ

I've said it before, I'll say it again..(my kids say it's alzheimers)....
Getting started at Stevens is like going thru boot camp. If you have ever been thru boot camp, you'd never choose to do it again. But then you are glad you did go thru it.

 

Great! I'm a 50 something who has surpassed others by knowing how to work w all the depts in a co. Work on solutions & what you can control. Can control the impression I convey to fellow associates. We know cos. have different cultures within same industry. At this stage of my career that means something. I've worked about everywhere w all groups. Just determining best possible fit. Can get the tangibles, it's intangibles y'all help me with! Can smell BS a mile up wind from dodge city! have recruited but have been straight. Waste of money to bring in people w false info. Just sayin!

 

All of us can smell BS a mile up wind from Dodge City, and Holcomb, Liberal, and a whole host of other places in the meat patch.

 

Worked cattle dwn there. Now gonna haul em!

 

Thanks for the quick reply Corp but now you've got me wondering if it's best to do the lease option that keeps you in a newer truck continuously or buy a truck and own it outright. I already know not to do a lease-buy option with trucking companies and either take a loan with a bank or HELOC (best option to me) perhaps the truck you were in, if it treated you right. Have you seen other L/O just continually re-up their lease or buy a truck eventually? I guess one of the major cons of leasing is that you can never take your business elsewhere. If the company is treating you right, then that might not be that big of an issue.

 

Tax wise depreciation is another difference. If a you are leasing the truck the Leasing Company will get to deduct the depreciation on the truck. Purchasing it will allow you to depreciate it unless the company accelerated the depreciation and already deducted the full value. Have to check with your tax man.

 

A couple notes about the lease.
If you negotiate the purchase price up front BEFORE signing the lease, you can purchase the truck at the lease end for that price. I know, I did. (but didn't express the option, due to my coming inside)
This is a straight lease with an escape option.
As for taxes, I am not a tax expert and you need to confirm anything I or anyone else says on this board with an expert, but generally speaking, you can deduct all costs of running the truck from your gross income. That includes lease payment, fuel, repairs and operating costs such as parking, washes and such.
As for purchasing? There are parameters in which the company allows you to purchase. You'll need to discuss these with Bonnie Dorsey for a straight up answer. Generally speaking, you will be required to lease from the company for two years first, and learn the operations, while demonstrating the ability to run a small business.
In the past, they have allowed drivers to purchase a truck from the company (many will purchase the truck they have been leasing) and will finance it. The purchase program has been very successful for those that participate. As of a year ago, only one buyer had not completed his purchase. (that is to say many were making payments, but only one had turned his truck back in, defaulting on the purchase)
For new drivers, there is a lot to learn about the trucking industry BEFORE worrying about being a L/O or O/O.
Stevens will allow you to move as far down this line as you wish. Driver, L/O, O/O and then finally O/O with your own authority. It's not for everyone, and it's not without it's bumps in the road.

 

Have you moved into your truck yet?