Hirschbach or JS Helwig

I am really not certain about any of this. Talking to lease drivers is the same as talking to O/O's; it's 50/50. Half say it is mediocre or not worth it and half say they are making a killing. It seems the only way to find out is to do it myself. But I'm getting to old and conservative to want to gamble. Think i'll stick with my guaranteed salary $65,000 company job. Am I just a a wuss with no ambition? Maybe, but you won't see me on TTR crying about how I got ripped off.

 

Ever think of changing the second letter of your name to a "u"?. That would be kinda cool.

 

Not true. I drive Hirschbach. 3400 miles last week take home 1800.00. Some weeks are better 2500.00. Some worse. 900.00. But the money is here.....that's a fact. And as a lease op you can decline loads

 

Oh. And I go home when I want to for however long I can afford to. Payment is still due every week so....

 

I agree with most that you have stated, but as for the take home pay....I have the check stubs online and I have no problems sharing them. And as far as loads I can turn down any pre plan that is sent to me and I can request loads to certain areas that I may want to run. I can ask for short loads or long loads or to only run in Texas for a couple weeks, which I did when my kid had my grandchild.

 

Some things to consider:
1) no subsidized insurance ... deduct about $80 per week
2) tire budget -repair and replacement ... deduct about $25 per week
3) no unemployment or workers comp ... deduct about $30 per week
4) no social security contribution ... deduct about $60 per week
That is about $200 per week in hidden costs for a 1099 lease op.
Also, when truck is in the shop - no money. Some companies have compensation for that. Foe myself, it's salary, so no loss of income for down time.
Further, the weekly averages are for a 7 day week but typically a driver will take at least one day off in 7 so, deduct another 15%
And more: a lease op is responsible for accidents. Even with insurance and warranty, there will be some out of pocket plus down time costs - not so for me.

These are just the extra expenses I can think of off the top of my head, doubtless, I missed something. I do not see a bigger pay check here but I do see harder work, more responsibility and more risk.

 

What exactly is the balloon payment at the end of your lease with Hirschbach?