Company asking for $2500 down payment to be on their insurance

Since no one asked, what is your record like?
I could see these prices if you had a very naughty record.
Otherwise 20% should cover insurance and trailer.

 

I thought it was a bad deal but decided to reevaluate before jumping to conclusions.
They want you to pay your portion of their liability insurance and charge you for the trailer. So when you sit home and don't work, you are no cost to them. 20% should include at least the insurance. With $1800 for the plates you don't lose anything cost-wise. I pay about 2000 for mine every year. I'd still prefer to have my own, leased on or not.
$150 per week for the trailer is nothing uncommon. However, if it is a van, you might as well buy a new (if can find it), finance it and the payments are about $600 per month.
Now, it all depends where they get their freight from and what their run it for to be sure how much money is left for you. But if they take loads only from load boards only and you don't get to pick your own freight, then most likely it is a bad deal.
I can only speculate that if you can gross $200 000 per year on 80-100K miles - that's a busy mode, you'll be left with about 70-80K to take home.

 

WAIT. HOL UP.

Are you talking about lease purchase? Because that sounds like what some lease purchase companies charge, I think it was super ego that had something insane like that in their contract.

 

They must be a fairly new company. Charging you over 20k for insurance?!?

heck man just get your own authority and keep 100% at those rates for insurance and trailer. I highly doubt they pay your IFTA, tolls, or anything else.

This sorta thing frustrates me because I offer 2/mi and pay everything but people don’t even consider because it’s not percentage.

 

So the 20% is what you pay to have the privilege to use their carrier platform, the rest of the costs are on par with what an average independent o/o pays for to be in business. Still your insurance cost is on a higher end but as a newbie, you'd never get anything cheaper or even close to it, if you could or decided to get your own authority. My previous estimate stands, you gross from $200 000 total revenue is going to be $160 000 then you are left with 50% to take home - as a rule of thumb.

 

2 per mile sounds good to be leased on. I am surprised you don't get applicants.