Lease to Someone or get authority and go for it?

Just wondering who you were insured through your first year? We didn't get a drop till I turned 23 and the only reason it dropped again at 25 is because we changed insurance companies. Just wanting to see if the company has all that much to do with the premium or the driver

 

Progressive the first time around as bad as I hate to say it. Then I don't remember after that but I had gotten my insurance to like $4k a year. I went a couple years with my authority inactive then they got me again with high prices. Currently I have national indemnity for liability but that may change here soon if they can't compete on price.

 

I gave up my authority last year after running About 8 years. Main problem these days are the DOT. They love to inspect older trucks and pick on small carriers. I was inspected 8 times in 12 months. Pass all except for the last one due to trailer brakes not working. The trailer wasnt even mine and it was a drop and hook load that i had for 1 hour total. My truck don't look that bad and i always have new tires, brakes and make sure things work. I have over 30 inspections in 8 years. I finally stop having inspections because i bypass them.

Having one truck with 1 out of service will kill your business because that will show as 100% out of service on level 1 inspection. In the East coast, the DOT troopers will not do a level 1 inspection unless they already see an issue with your rig. I've begged officers to do a level 1 inspection and they refused saying they dont have time. Therefore, even with 10 good level 3 inspections and 1 out of service level 1 inspection, my safety rating is bad because on that 1 level 1 inspection due to trailer brake lights out, my carrier safety rating is at 100% out of service.

This will prevent you from booking loads in tight areas because the broker will say that your carrier safety rating is not good.

 

I know your pain. I've had worse than progressive before but of the major companies pretty sure they are the worst for commercial insurance.

 

All i can say is that DOT cops are either racist because I'm asian, or stupid ######## that hate truck drivers. In the last 5 years with over 20 DOT inspections, all the inspections i passed with nothing wrong were deemed level 3 even though they checked my brakes, engine compartment, just as a level 1 yet refused to give me credit for a level 1 inspection. Now when my trailer brake lights or any turn signals fail, they will write it up as level 1 inspection and put me out of service.

 

Don't feel too bad buddy, driving since 2011 I only had 2 inspections as a company driver. One of them was because I was speeding thru the bypass lane in Kentucky. Doing 55 in the 35 in a Werner truck (something like that 35 in a15??) Funny story it's posted on here but anyways failed because my fire extinguisher had a latch undone.. second time years later failed because the pig tail was chafing against the sleeper. Became a O/O in 2015. 3 months ago I got pulled for an inspection.. first one with my truck. Dot officer sniffs around my truck.. sees illegal tint doesn't say anything but my abs trailer light isn't turning on when I hit the brakes.. 14 CSA points. Last month I get pulled into the SAME SCALE. Immediately different dot officer grabs his window tint meter. 10% light visibility.. illegal windshield tint. Dude acts around the trailer inspection. Comes over and says I'm Out Of Service for no brake lights working.. it was my pig tail. It Had wiggled loose on one of my companies pos trailers that has no cap with the lock. It had worked all night. Wrong place wrong time. Anyways he wrote me up for the tint, brake lights, marker lights, abs light.., threw the whole book at me for every light on the trailer and put me OOS. 2 mins after he wrote the report I showed him every light worked it was just the pigtail.. ready... 55 csa points. $375 fine from my company. Tough out here in these streets bro. How many drivers do you know were put out of service for 2mins????

 

10% that's some dark windows. How do you even see at night? I had 35% before and still didn't like it at night. Lower the number darker the tint I believe?

 

question: a friend started to lease with a company, who pays the following, please tell me what is right and wrong and what is best for him to do...

he had as expenses:

admin charges -GPS 50.00
ins - 150.50
maint fund - 50.00
admin charge - 1st weekly admin fee - 35.00
Log books - 2.00
Escrow - 50.00

total miles - 1251
@ 97 per mile
fuel card advances - 902.29
take home was - 597.

 

You don't really see anything but headlights at night. I understand how it's not safe but growing up in Florida I've had cars with double 5% tint. Don't wanna say "I'm used too it" but yeah. In reality it makes me feel safe, looks cool, fights against interior degradation, and keeps my cooler cold... really cold. Needless to say. The law wins. I just dropped her off to get it removed an hour ago. Maybe one day I'll just do the 70%. I just wanna get used to fish bowling for ahwhile so 70 is a come up. Should of bought a classic truck and got drop down visors everywhere.

 

There's really isn't a way to achieve 70 since factory glass only allows 85% light transmission to start with. Any tint no matter how light will be less than 70% light transmission. I did the ceramic stuff in mine which is legal and helps some but I'd rather have tint.