Lease/purchase program w/6 months experience?

I know the whole lease/purchase thing is risky (maybe even stupid), but I'd rather be a lease/operator for $400 a week than treated like crap even for $800! (I was with Swift and I refuse to be a company driver again for ANYONE!!)

Anyone know of any companies that will let you lease/purchase a truck with 6 months or so OTR experience?

I know TransAm requires only 3 months, but I think they only do reefers and I'd like to haul dry vans.

I know Swift is 8 months, but I don't like them.

Hopefully I posted this in the right section.

 

Not certain about any John Christner Probably has the best one, not sure about the time in you need but also be very open minded about reefer in this day and age, just because you're pullin a reefer doesn't mean they're always on and they are much quieter now-a-days than they ever where, they're actually quieter when you're pullin it than parked next to one if that makes sense, like I said in todays market you can't be as picky as you want

 

JCT, requires 1 year from what i have read before.

 

The only difference between a lease op and a company driver is YOU GET TO PAY THE BILLS ON THEIR TRUCK.

 

Are you really ready to take that leap?? my advice,get some more time under your belt,there is more to it than you think! Save your money and buy a truck if you really want to do the O/O thing.

 

I'm reasonably sure that there are companies that will treat you like crap for $400 a week.

The name/title changes, but the crap never does.

 

Thanks, I'll check out John Christner.

I'm just used to drop and hook because that's mostly what I did with Swift, but I can probably adapt to reefers if I need to (and it looks like I may need to). I realize there are benefits, too, like not having to deal with lack of freight certain times of year (so I've heard), etc. Thanks!

 

Thanks, I'll check them out and maybe they'll accept less, because I don't have a full year.

 

I don't know much about the trucking industry, I admit, but from what I've seen with Swift, what you say is not always true. I trained with a lease-purchase o/o guy and I've talked to a bunch of them and they are treated a LOT better. Swift company drivers are treated like CRAP, man, seriously, and the l/p guys are pretty independent. They don't get yelled at and threatened if they refuse crappy or inconvenient loads once in a while, and they don't get written up when they idle their trucks. Plus they get a lot more miles, even the solo drivers. The way things were at Swift for company drivers ... I will NEVER drive for one of the big companies as a company driver. I'd rather starve. I'd rather chop my genitals off and throw them in a fire. I appreciate your input, but you don't realize how determined I am not to be treated like an animal!

 

Get more time under me belt where? No one is hiring people with 6 months experience and my past driving record. (The last five years are clean, but beyond that I had a lot of accidents and tickets when I was younger.) Besides, after driving with Swift I'd rather work at Burger King than be a company driver for a big company (no small companies I can find will hire me).

The only major company that would even look at me was JB Hunt, and that was only IF I had in mind to be a company driver for 6 months to get the year experience they require to do the lease purchase thing.

I appreciate your input, though!