Central Refrigerated Truck Stop III

Hi everyone! I've been a company driver with central for about five months now and would like to get some feedback on the lease operator program. I was told that you can earn 40-45 cents a mile after expenses. Is this true?

 

Do the math at 1.05 a mile, it's a lie. You'll make the same if not less than what you're making as a company driver, and have to pay for anything that goes wrong with the truck. I urge you to not do this, but you're going to do what you're going to do, and in the end it's all up to you.

 

No. And I strongly recommend you do a full year before you decide if you want to get in any deeper with any company (not just Swiftral) by leasing.

 

That would make our jobs too easy! I just love babysitting someone else's problem, don't you? Nothing like losing an entire day to a trailer that needs some love and attention

 

Thanks everybody for the feedback!

 

I'll play the devils advocate on this issue. If you have a little business sence and are disciplined enough, yes you can make it work at .42 to .45 a mile. I was a lease op with central and ran on the coors dedicated fleet and with careful observation of my non essential OTR and truck expenses I routinely netted .48-.52 a mile the lower numbers were mostly winter months and the higher was during the summer or winter running the southern states. Obviously this is before tax so it's right up there with a company driver of the same experience that I had. then you have the fuel surcharge which will make you the most money if you can maintain optimum fuel mileage and low idle%. Poor fuel economy will wreck you regardless of you cents per mile rate. There is a ton of responsibility that comes with a lease because you are effectively self employed. These include paying your own taxes, truck maintenance, fuel, and paying full price for your health benefits if you choose to have it. As you can see it is a lot more than just driving a truck from point A to point B. Business experience is a real advantage and if you're as thorough as I am you'll know exactly what your operating cost is per mile, day, week,month and year. Knowing what your expenses are will definitely motivate you to make the better money or give up. Also home time must be planned in advance and financially prepared for as the truck expenses do not stop just because you're at home chilling on the couch or the lake.as a company driver if you stop for a day or so you're not making money, as a LO or OO if you're not rolling not only are you not making money, you're losing money. Anyhow this is my .02 worth and like was said before by another, give yourself some time to get acclimated to the trucking "lifestyle" and learn the industry. Some say it takes at least a year but really it all depends on the person. A well prepared, safe, disciplined and motivated person can't be stopped from succeeding. Good luck...

 

Thanks Ice Train for your two cents! At this point I think I will wait to get some more experience before jumping into becoming a lease operator.

 

Ice Train laid it out very well, and I'll add to it by giving you an idea, Lockjaw:

If you are thinking about becoming an owner-op or a lease-op, start right now being a lease-op on paper to see if it's profitable.

Starting today, keep a notebook with you. Keep track of all the expenses that Central pays for a load. Then ask yourself, "If I did that load as a lease-op, then would I have made more money than as a company driver?"

Keep that notebook going, and you will see a trend that can help you make the decision for yourself.

 

Don't second guess, don't look back. Leave, the grass really is greener elsewhere.

 

If it is it's LOW, plus there is the opportunity to owe them money at the end of the week. Remember out of that 40-45 cents you still have to pay your taxes which will be higher because you have to pay self employment tax. If you've been reading this thread and others on the board about what some have experienced since Central got swifted you won't even think about doing it.