My time with JCT... So far

If you want to become an 0/0 thru a trucking company then Cardinal Logistics has a good program and it's not a lease-purchase. On the website, click on "View Current Openings" or "Application" , then when a map of USA shows, click on Alabama. Good pay and hometime with logistics companies.

 

Yup - they talk it up a storm but you're dead right - aint your truck.

I thought they were a company driver only deal, looking at their trucks, until I learned about their "OURS IS SO WONDERFUL" lease program.

I'm done.

 

I love this kind of thinking. So yes, while paying on a lease purchase, you're correct...the truck isn't yours. But lets expand that....is your house truly yours while you're making payments to whatever lending institute holds the title? What about your personal car? Your boat? Here is an experiment, stop making payments on your house, personal car, and/or boat and reply back here how long those items remain "yours". Unless someone is completely brain-dead, we all know the answer to that.....

 

Big difference...with your house..you can do what you want with it, the same with your car...so why not with "your" truck??...that's because it's simply a truck rental. Ol john christener is getting rich of of drivers backs...

 

I think the house example is not a good one. Having some experience with leasing a car I am going to focus on that. With many if not most leases there is an option to buy out the vehicle at the end of the lease. There is also freedom to modify your leased vehicle to suit your needs. However the contract is set up in such away that at the end of the terms the vehicle will retain at good portion of its value. This is done in part by limiting the allowable miles and requiring specific maintenance policies be adhered to. If you go over your mileage allotment you will be penalized financially. If the vehicle is modified that too can cost you. So when a company like JCT leases a driver a truck they do so without the same credit requirements. Between that and the increased cost per vehicle the liability is higher. The vehicle is still an asset and needs to retain as much value for the title holder as possible so instead of opening Pandora's box by allowing this modification and not another one, they require the vehicle stay stock until it is your asset. Reality is wether leasing or company employee driving the turn over in this industry is so high, the idea of chasing down individuals to pay back devaluation for modified and or damaged trucks would be enormous. So it becomes a fact of life with JCT leasing you are not to modify the equipment, but if you are up satisfied you may turn it in with normal wear and tear and part on good terms. Where other companies will allow all sort of modifications but will hound an individual to the ends of the earth if the lease is cut short.

 

That mean greedy John Christner. How dare he give someone the keys to a $100k + tractor with no money down and expect them to actually work to pay and maintain it. How evil to limit what you can do to it before you have the title.

Show johnny whos boss, buy your own new tractor slap your name on it with those cheap lettering kits and hack the wiring up to your hearts content

 

When I did orientation, they told us not to expect to be home on the day we want and that if we want to be home on the say the 20th, to put in for the 19th or 18th. So, they were up front with the fact you won't be home on the day you put in for.

The reason his truck payment is .23cpm (plus $120 fixed truck payment) is the fact that he has a brand new Cascadia Evo with automatic transmission. The ten speed version of that truck would be .22cpm. The maintenance escrow on that truck would be .08cpm.

My truck is a 2012 Cascadia with ten speed transmission. My truck payment is .18cpm (plus $120 fixed truck payment). My maintenance escrow rate is .09cpm. I am averaging 7 - 7.5 mpg on fuel. I also live in a small town where the cost of living is fairly cheap. My break even point (truck payment and bills and food for wife and kids) is 1400 miles per week.

Now, we could debate the pros and cons of lease purchase programs, but the fact is that this lease purchase setup will work for me. Will it work for everyone? No. Different strokes for different folks. The fact remains that there will be people that make this setup work for them and there will be people that can't.

I can't really say anything about the 1700 mile load with 5 days and not allowed to swap thing. Every load I have gotten had enough time for me to get there the day before, deliver and go to next load.

As far as not making modifications to the truck; so what. Why would I would I want to spend on my money on a bunch of crap that won't do much for the truck? Chrome won't get you home. The only thing I have added to my truck on my own aero covers for the steers and drives. Since they bolt on, the shop had no problem with me putting those on the truck.

 

As for myself, I've been doing just fine here at JCT. My truck is working great for me, and I haven't had any issues with any of my DMs (I have a new DM since my old DMs left for other opportunities). No company is right for everyone, just as every driver isn't right for every company. You just have to find a place where you can be happy, comfortable, and profitable. Each driver's experience will be affected by their own actions as well as the company's. When I tell people good things about JCT, it isn't because I'm trying to get a referral bonus...it's because I truly enjoy working with the company. It's a good fit for me.

 

I did ok at JCT, there WERE sometimes when you'd get out to cali and they overbooked the loads and you sat for a day. but most of the time I was rolling and my settlements showed it as well. I averaged around $1400-$1500 a week and I've still got the banks statements to prove it.