Is fuel costs generally covered by companies or does that come out of pay?

I'll reiterate that and add; I wouldn't think of any lease op/ owner op deal until I had at least a year OTR as a company driver in my rear view mirror. If being your own boss in this business is your dream; that's super. Go for it. But please realize you are new and this is a unique business so practice being an OO or LO on somebody else's dime for the inevitable mistakes in your particular learning curve and experience with the things that happen that aren't your mistake - but still cost. OO's and LO's bear 90% plus of the expenses but should also get 90% plus of the entire revenue - depending on arrangement. Something like that anyway. They are independent business people with some type of contract with the carrier. More gross income, but more expense too. How they balance income and expense is their profit.

A company driver does not have to pay a dime for truck or employment expense (unless they tear something up doing something grossly negligent). They are an employee of the trucking company. The trucking company bears all expenses, paying the driver, fuel, truck insurance, taxes etc.. Either a percent of the load gross revenue (which I don't recommend - too many ways to lowball the driver's pay) or a flat out X cents per mile, is your payoff which is much lower than an OO or LO but you have no equipment or fuel expense, whereas they do.

It's a trade off; like most things in life. It's all about what you want, what you are good at, what you're not, and what you can do with the cards in your hand. Think of it kinda like a game of Poker. What kind of player are you? What are your strengths and weaknesses and how much do you have in the bank to bet on each hand?

Company driver is penny ante. Not much skin in the game and it doesn't take much time, effort or skill to learn the game and come out a little ahead each hand. You can do it till you are ready to quit and still be ahead even after some losing hands, but just enough ahead to be OK. Nothing wrong with that at all. Smaller risk but smaller steady return and payoff.

OO's and LO's are high stakes. They have the most skin in the game but the pots are much bigger. Learn more of the game than a CD, and play your cards right and it's a big payoff. But it's a big risk too. It's 90% your money in the game. A CD has 1% or less and that's just education expense and personal tools like the Map book, cooler, tools, ect, that you own outright and get to take with you if you leave the company. No truck or trailer or fuel or truck, trailer or cargo insurance - all that. Just your personal stuff. OO's and LO's have more to gain, but more to lose also.

This business can and does (every month) change in a New York minute (say "pop" - that quickly). Company drivers drive right on the same - mostly. A speed bump at worst. OO's and LO's it's a steady diet of falling trees and the ones that are a little weak in business skills go under, owe the bank and everyone else their shirts and pants and are done. The medium ones can dodge the trees and motor on. The really good ones make extra money off clearing the trees then go back to regular motoring on. It's all about business skills as an OO or LO.

In the end it all boils down to your personal appetite for risk and drive for return. Gotta learn before you get return; high or low risk/ return ratio.

As a company driver - ANY company wanting you to pay for ANY fuel (unless you burned their fuel going way stupid outta route or on a personal errand) is a SCAM and bending you over in more ways than just that - probably. Almost surely. Yeah they're giving you the fid (maritime reference - Google it, you'll understand) just because you are new and don't know better. Bail and go with a mega, play the game on their dime and learn.

I can't believe I recommended a mega to someone, but I mean it. They bend the newbies over alright, but at least they don't make them pay their fuel bill. LOL.

Best of luck hand.

 

Good post Animal. My company puts the fuel in my tanks, tells me where to get it, and how much. They also foot all the repair bills and handle the preventative maintenance. Sometimes they complain if I leave it idling too long but I just remind dispatch that i can't drive if I'm a meat popsicle.

 

I would be furious only making 1000 a week as a flease driver! When I did it with roehl for 2 years I typically made twice that unless coming in from home time. Same goes if we had to pay for fuel as a company driver surprised some of the mega companies haven't schemed a way to do this yet though lol

 

You learned all that only after 1 year. Man-O-Man you're on the fast track. In 6 months you should be a fleet owner.

 

Yea my future looks very bright, I'm expecting to lease a 2nd truck over the summer, I already found someone to drive for me when I get the second lease truck.

It was ironic, I met him at a used car lot where we were both looking at the same car. Actually became a really good friend of mine.

He ended up buying the car but he has had a lot of mechanical issues with it and he got into debt with the car so he's currently in SLC CR England going to school.

Looking forward to becoming a fleet owner soon.

 

When you're a lease driver, you're not making money, the truck is. After you deduct fuel, payment, insurance and all the other nickel and dime stuff that the company used to pay for, whatever is left is what your business is paying you

 

I know a L/O who pockets over $1k average a week after all expenses so you can indeed make some money, I make close to that as a company driver though with less headache.

a couple knight drivers talked with me about their lease programs and tried to get me to come over saying the lease is cheap etc but I dont know how much truth is in that.

 

Your April's Fools jokes are a little premature.

 

Don't know what they have changed, but CRE is a good place to stay away from. Have they had you start training new drivers yet?

 

dont they make you a trainer after being solo for a month?