Just throwing this out there.

What will keep the "know it all" company guys and brokers out of this sub forum you want? 99.9% of everyone here is going by some screen name, not like any type of proof of who they really are can't be manipulated or forged to gain access to it. And what do we do about the "know it all" owner operators? Are they also stricken from this club?

This is typical of an internet forum, there will always be things that push a persons buttons, you just have to learn to ignore certain comments or posters all together sometimes. There is no fix for this, as everyone has a different type of personality.

The thing with the rookie questions that get asked over and over, nine times out of ten you know what's inside the thread before you even click on it, its one of those things that fall into the category of needing to be ignored if its something that truly bothers you.

No matter what Admin and the mods come up with it will not please everyone, its impossible. Will there be some that don't like it and leave the forum, for good? Possible, its a hard thing to come up with where there is a good compromise for all involved, I wish them luck.

 

Crazy D, I don't want to hijack this too much, but the person in reference was no saint as far as behavior. He posted much useful information, and a fair share of erroneous info. There's a whole thread about it.
http://www.thetruckersreport.com/tr...nformation-center/222634-mndriver-banned.html

While the fleece purchasers are a little different animal, the whole "You're not an O/O unless your on own" needs to stop. Some of us chose to contract out parts of our workload, but the basics are still the same. If it gives you warm and fuzzies to lord it over those who aren't independent O/O's, here's your attaboy, but get off the high horse. It's awesome you went that route, and it's a hell of a lot of work, but needing to use that as justification to claim superiority tends to mean a long hard look in the mirror might be necessary.

The idea of a business only discussion section has merit, but are any of ya'll willing to step up and help moderate it? The Boss and crew have their hands full putting out fires, they really don't have time to scan threads for relevant content, in a specialized sub-forum, to keep things on track.

I'll admit I don't post in the information threads as much as I should. I'm guilty of being tired of arguing with inexperienced (and that only partly means driving years,) people who can't even grasp the principles that prove them wrong, all the while confusing the issue so that those who would use the information for good can't discern which is correct. (The chaining and driving in poor conditions arguments are the prime examples.) I could teach a class on the hows and whys of handling dynamics, but I'd spend more time correcting false information that the poster just knows is right, and the useful info gets lost in the trash that can't be picked up quick enough to keep the focus where it belongs. You just get tired of the BS. And I'm not alone. So I hang out with my friends, and only occasionally come out of the clubhouse to tilt at the windmills.

 

FWIW here's my take on on some of the substantive differences between an Owner/Operator (leased to a carrier) and a Lease/Operator-

If you are going to be a Lease/PurchaseOperator, you basically have two issues;

Which carrier will I choose to give me the best chance of actually completeing the lease & gaining ownership of the truck?

How do I manage my relationship with that carrier?

If you are going to be an O/O you havea few more decisions;

What are my needs vis-a-vis a carrier? What commodities do I want to haul? What lanes do I want to run? Hometime needs? My own trailer or company one? Percentage pay or mileage? Truck age & spec. requirements?

With an L/P, I think you pretty much have to take what you are given

Which truck should I buy? New or used? How new or how used? What specs?

With a L/P I believe you little if any choice.

How will I finance the truck? Which lender? How much down?

In a L/P the carrier dictates the terms. The lessee typically has no input or options.

How am I going to manage my money? I won't have a maintenance/escrow account with my carrier so how (& how much) do I save/set aside for repairs?

In a L/P the carrier typically determines an amount to be set aside for repairs, the lessee basically gets a paycheck.

How am I going to maintain the truck? How much work will I do myself? Who will I pay to do the work I can't or don't want to do?

If you're a lease/op can you choose your shop/mechanic for repairs or do you have to use a dealer or repair facility approved by your carrier?

Can I make any modifications or improvements to the truck?

Do you want to spend your hard earned money on a truck that doesn't have your name on the title?

What do I do if the job/company turns to poop before I have the truck paid for?

An O/O just finds another job, A L/O just rolls over and tries to enjoy it.


Let the flaming begin!

 

not getting into details but it should be cleared up,..much of what you are claiming against L/p deals is not true to all leases. They are as vast and widespread on their options as anything else.

 

Name a Lease/Purchase through a carrier that lets you;

1. Change jobs @ will.
2. Lets you choose any truck you want to lease/purchase.
3. Allows you to negotiate the terms of the lease.
4. Gives you the right to perform any maintenance, repairs or modifications you wish yourself.
5. Allows you to choose any repair facility you wish for any maintenance, repairs or modifications that you do not wish to perform yourself (and will pay for those out of your maintenance escrow acct.) And/or
6. Allows you to lease without a maintenance escrow account.

I can come with at least a dozen more, but if you can name one carrier that will offer me a lease/purchase with just these criteria I'll be satisfied.

 

I am required a maint escro, but I can do all the rest of the above leasing with Covenant Transport/TEL. Even if i find my own truck, they will lease it to me. And even if I don't like covenant, I can take the truck anywhere else I want to. They dont even care about mods as long as its legal. I took my truck home and pulled the rears out of it and rebuilt/reground the carrier blocks, did my own 3-axle on it, drilled the frame and installed a bypass oil system, a good chain-box, and a 4kw generator the day after I signed the lease for it.


please, for all of us lower class wanne-bees, step off that high and mighty horse for a while and come back to reality. Its beginning to clutter up the forums

 

My take on it is that if your a legitimately paid 1099 contractor then your a buisness owner, but if you are a W-2 employee, then you are not. It doesn't matter how you started or are maintaining your business, It is that one distinction that seperates 'Owners' from 'Drivers'. The only exception is those few who are paid as 1099'ers that actually only simply drive for someone.

Should there be an 'Owner-only' club? NO! Making different forums and categorizing them is one thing, but disallowing users and making 'Private Only' forums I do not agree with unless there is a single distinction between 'FREE' and 'PAID TO USE Forums'. Paid to use forums will generally weed out all the bored junkies just wanting to comment on everything for no reason but to bring attention to themselves. Every single 'paid-to-use' forum I am a member of has nothing but professionals that communicate in a meaningful way. They paid to be there and therefore expect value in what they have paid for. If I were ADMIN, I would consider taking a vote on how many would be willing to 'PAY' for a O/o business forum where moderation is stepped up and users can have more power over their posts, like editing at any time to update relevant information instead of having to keep re-posting it over and over, and a PM and group message area with invite-only special threads for an extra small fee where the creator of the thread can limit who posts in them and have full control to delete irrelevant banter.

Thats my idea for what its worth, along with what everyone ignored before about having a 'Dislike post' system in place for the more public areas.

 

I'm not being critical of Lease/Operators. Just pointing that there are different issues. Can you give me a link or a phone# to these guys? I'm seriously interested!

 

i put down 10%.

i pick my own shops. i've found it's pretty much all the same rate. but who actually gets me fixed right, the first time. that's what counts. i'll stick with the big names. except KW. if a small shop fixes something. and it's not right. you pay for it again. it's not warrenteed. when your broke down somewhere. you don't really have a choice in picking a shop. i'll look for the closest big name. not a one shop outfit. i paid a lot of money to various one shop outfits last year. and got nothing fixed the first time.

i can go work where ever i want. but the carrier still does the billing. so the truck makes sure it gets paid for. there are options for payment plans.

if the truck breaks. company pays and it's added on to back of loan.

i can go haul van, or tanker. i'm working on a fuel deal right now.

i got to pick my truck. sorta speaking. i wanted a kw, and not an international or FL. but the picks come from what's available.

other then the 10% down. there's no money needed for repairs. there's no credit check. my credit is locked so no one can see it unless i unlock it.

lot's of o/o's got there start through this program. company has been doing it since 1962.

i pull off the company boards. or the same board owners with there own authority use.

my contract is pretty much the same as an actual bank financed contract. the interest is a little high.

so, to say it can't be done without a bank account. IS FALSE. the requirements are 2 years OTR and 1 year flatbed and a decent CSA.

my truck is not a rental that gets turned in every 3 years.

granted it may be true that there is some sort of chain. it's not what some of you think it is.

and wether you succeed with the program. is all up to you. there are sacrifices. but how bad do you want to own a truck. do whatever YOU want to do. and NOT be a company beach anymore.

i first applied with landstar, 6 years ago. at that time they had a similar program. NOT THE SAME. and dealers they recommended. landstar used to help with truck purchases. but it was more of a consigner deal. apparently they aren't doing truck purchase programs anymore.

so, does that make us LEASORS, or PURCHASERS. we may not outright own the truck. just yet. but we're also not force dispatched or confined to one company load board. or paying excess mileage fees and all that crap.

we're paying for a truck. financed through the company instead of bank. and we're doing whatever we want. just like a o/o that owns his own truck. and making the same rates off the boards and paying for the same type of insurance.

only difference between us and a outright o/o. is truck payments and someone else's authority.

now THIS is where the flaming begins. cuz i'm still smoking crack.

 

I would not pay money to be able to access or post on any forum. I can't imagine many would want to pay to post on a forum. There are too many that don't charge. If there came a time where the only way I could access or post on a trucking forum, I would find something else to do with my time.