Leasing at Prime

You can purhase a 3-year-old lease truck, and keep it on. You have to pass a yearly inspection, and make required repairs to keep it on.

 

I'd suggest requesting a fleet manager from the Springfield group too.

They quoted me $1300 per week for a full-size Cascadia last summer. That includes plates, permits, insurance, Qualcomm rental, etc.

I'm sure there is, but I couldn't tell you what it is... mostly because I haven't asked recently. I'm at $3950 per week since last July... and I've taken quite a bit of time off in the last 6 months. For my three-year lease that wound up last June, it was $4044 per week. These are averages of course, solo, reefer-division. In full disclosure, this board has always been one of the more profitable ones in the reefer division. I haven't had many "in the hole" settlements, but comments in the lease thread concerning having a cash cushion definitely apply to smooth the ups 'n downs.

It's a 350,000-mile "powertrain" warranty which means everything "that makes the truck go." At least that's how Success characterizes it. Additionally, the engine is covered by Detroit Diesel for 600,000 miles... you won't put that many miles on the truck in a 3-year warranty. I lost a turbo at about 80,000-miles, and everything but $130 in shop costs was covered, including the tow for the tractor and loaded trailer for example. I've had a couple of injectors replaced, 100% covered by the engine warranty. You are responsible for "comsumables" such as tires, windshield wipers, light bulbs, PMs, etc. Additionally, because of the volume of work Prime has some special deals... mostly through vendors in the Springfield area. Overheads at the Detroit Diesel shop, cleaning DPF filters and such. I feel they took very good care of me, and both Freightliner and Detroit Diesel stand behind their products.

You'd need to check your copy of the lease, but the batteries are the weakest part of the warranty. They go out from under warranty at 2-years, so be advised that you should have an electrical system check before then. Get any weak cells replaced at that point.

The contract does include "dealer downtime pay" that kicks in after your tractor has been in the shop after the first full 24-hour period. $175 per day, I think, the last time I got some. I will help cover your fixed costs, but it doesn't do anything for lost revenue. Another reason to have a bank account. Also, I highly recommend establishing an emergency fund, the weekly contribution is up to you and it does earn interest. You have complete control of the funds, and it can be used for any purpose.

If you've read the lease thread, then you know pretty much where I stand on how to manage a lease. The biggest thing I can tell you is the fuel bill is the king of your profit/loss sheet... not just how much you use, but how you go about buying it. It will make you or break you. Feel free to shoot any questions you may have this way. Silent Eagle is another good source, and you might want to shoot a fella who goes by the TTR handle "Sazook" a PM as well.

 

There's a number of DC outlets in the Cascadia that are wired into the truck's batteries. The electrical controller does shed loads as the batteries discharge, so the APU needs to run in order to keep everything powered up. The TriPack I have came with a 1300W inverter installed. I couldn't elaborate on what APU system Prime is currently installing, but it does have an inverter.

Diesel fuel tax isn't like automobile gasoline tax. You have an escrow account that is tied to your tractor... it's funded by your contributions made at individual state tax rates that you pay a the pump. IFTA diesel fuel taxes are calculated based on your fuel economy and miles run within each state... so your fuel tax is calculated on how and where YOU run. The escrow account funds pay that tax... if you overpay at the pump you get a refund. If you don't have enough in there, they bill you for the underpayment weekly.

With auto gas tax, everything you pay goes into the government's kitty. There's no refund.

So... what you pay for diesel fuel tax is what YOU pay. Consequently, when you buy fuel, ignore the state taxes, and... pump price - tax = base price.

You choose the lowest base price in route. That's the key.