Honest Question

Hey van driver don't pick up at leggett&Pratt this folks are full of sh$t I picked up in Winchester my got there at 11am didn't leave till 5pm at my delivery in Carthage no.appt at 3pm I'm still here its 640pm they take more breaks than work ####.....

 

I'm glad I'm in the minority. I'm not glad their is a minority that can succeed, but if I'm glad I'm one of them. Even people I thought have been doing well with it, I found out they are struggling to make ends meet recently. It boggles my mind since my personal bills are more than most people's and I'm not struggling, but maybe it's the drive in me to also push and do better and failure is not an option. Don't get me wrong, I can drain my bank account (like an idiot) with the best of them, but then I immediately build it back up. I try to stay 2 weeks to a month ahead of my bills so that slow weeks, or dead weeks like when I was out in CA don't hurt. All that being said, my pride wouldn't allow me to turn my truck in, therefore, until it's paid off if I need to run for a month or two at a time I will. I don't like to and I try not to, but when it becomes necessary, you make sacrifices. I think people, in general, have forgotten how to make sacrifices.

 

As a whole I have to agree with you. The "quality" LP didn't work here like it doesn't at most places. But I blame that more on the individuals then I do Quality or Mercer.

I too was regrettably happy when Mercer put a stop to the Quality trucks from signing on. I have been pro LP for a long time, mostly because I was able to successfully acquire 2 trucks via that route. I had maintained the delusion that if I could do it anyone could do it. However, even when I was doing LP back with my mega I did realize that most failed. Those that can make it seem to do very well. The problem is how many fail.

I do believe a lot of it is about attitude. For some failure is not a viable option. For others a "walk away lease" tells them that they can quit at anytime. Unfortunately most people that do LP are just company drivers and as such they act like it. But a few are not and although I am more anti Quality then I was I am not totally anti LP. And I still believe that the right person can make almost anything work. I just think they should have to prove themselves before coming here LOL

OP, do your homework. Try not to let us discourage you or rag you about quality. We all have a bad taste in our mouths because of recent events with many of their drivers right now. But I do realize that those are individuals and not everyone. And I can point to several that are managing well. Best of luck to you.

 

Very well said.

I am happy that you are succeeding. Dont let up and stay focused.

One of the problems is drivers that get involved in fleece purchases get their advice from the CB radio, truck stop lunch counters and crooked recruiters.

The recruiters really get in the drivers head and try to convince him that he owns a trucking business and he is an owner operator. Moreover, the recruiters try to paint a rosy picture of big money and the independence of running your own business. Totally false!

The problem is the drivers fall for this. Actually the recruiters take their tactics right out of the play book pyramid scheme companies use.

To really have fun with the fleece purchase companies ask them to send you a copy of the Lease Purchase Contract and the Carrier Contract to review. Guess what......THEY WONT SEND IT TO YOU. Or they want you to put in an application first......but wont let you look at it until you get to orientation LOL. Basically they dont want you to do your diligent research first and see through the scam.

I dare you to find one carrier that will let you review the paperwork first before you consider applying.

Now there are finance companies that will provide the financing to lease a truck with an option to buy out at the end. I am talking about companies that are not in any way connected with any carrier. You can even use the PACCAR target lease program to lease a truck and turn it back in every 4 years. Better have good credit to do this. You also get the title. Better have decent credit to do this or a real sizable down payment. This is TOTALLY different from a carrier sponsored fleece purchase.

 

Oh I'm not a quality guy. I came here with my original truck paid for. I feel that's the best way to come to Mercer and wish that everyone could come here that way. However, I am not anti LP and do believe that if it can be done it can be done here. But I do not consider Quality a LP company.

 

Schneider allows you to see the lease contract and the icoa before going to orientation and what not.

 

Success has nothing to do with where someone got their truck. Just as many fail that use conventional financing. .

 

Agreed. It's all in you personally. It's your mindset, work ethic, drive, motivation, etc combined. To think that it has to do with where you bought the equipment is essentially shifting the responsibility of whether a business fails or not. That is the business owner's responsibilty, not the dealership's, regardless of the means used to acquire the equipment.

 

Please dont consider a carrier based lease purchase program a form of financing lol. It is nothing more than a trucking version of share cropping lol. Far as equipment goes....the vast majority of fleece purchases control what you can and cannot do with the equipment......why....because the equipment is not yours lol. Now I am not discounting lease purchases entirely. The real devil is in the details. Most drivers get so giddy about getting a truck they sign their own souls away without knowing the full implications of their decisions. They dont care if its good or bad.....they want a shiny truck and will sign for it LOL. However.......Skateboard man is correct is his assessment about the business owner taking responsibility . The key word being RESPONSIBILITY

 

Fact is the quality deal wasnt a carrier based lease, they Are a subsidiary of celadon. The facts are there was a reason the flood of quality guys occurred, it was very simple, the guys at mercer had the greatest success rate. They came in droves. Some of these guys needed help and mercer wasnt set up for hand holding. Quality also repoed some trucks where payments had been deducted , it got squared away but caused the drivers trouble. And the eagle side would broker loads and not pick them up, this all played into it.