Linden Bulk Transportation Lease Purchase - ST Gabriel, LA

Linden Bulk Transport – Lease Purchase Review (St Gabriel Terminal)
4220 Geigy Access Rd, St Gabriel, LA 70776
Main Terminal: 4200 Tremley Point Rd, Linden, New Jersey

Overview

This is a review on Linden Bulk Transportation (LBT) Lease Purchase program and my experience there trying to become an owner operator. This review is for anyone that may have a thought of signing on with LBT or wanting to know more information about LBT. This review will be very discrete and very simple but include need to know information. When I get a chance I will post settlements and other things like the lease agreement if anyone would like to see them.

About Linden

Pros
· Brand New Truck
· Discount Fuel (1.40/gal purchased outside of Louisiana)
· $2.20 loaded miles (basically $1.10 both ways)
· $0.90 back hauls
· $1.40/gal fuel
· $36 Demerge
· 8hr Layover pay
· $6000 Sign on Bonus ($1000 paid every 60 days)

Cons
· Est $2000 for hoses & fittings (contractors fee)
· Est $100+ for PPE (contractors fee)
· $10,000 Escrow
· $1.40/gal fuel (subject to go up or down every year)
· 10% Fee (known as handling fee, normally $10)
· Sign on bonus paid back to LBT if you quit
· 2 weeks in the hole (paid 3rd week after 1st pay week)
· Up to $600 deduction just for hose, fittings, contractors & escrow fee if you net over $1800 (after hoses, fitting, contractor fee is paid off, then its $300 a week until escrow is paid off)
· Charge you for taking truck home, up to $30/wk
· $5 fee every time you swipe comdata card
· $10 cash advance fee ($100 max advance)
· Favoritism in dispatch
· Still in stone age/all on paper/everything
· No backhauls (always out & back)
· Average 750 to 1300 loaded miles week
· Average weekly settlement $900 - $1200



About me

34 y/o male
5 years trucking
2.5 years driving Vans
2.5 years driving Tankers (2 yrs fuel, ½ yr Chemicals)
Clean MVR record all away around

Like most people you start thinking that working for a company is getting old and you want to be your own boss. If you don’t know, LBT is a tanker chemical transportation company. I worked for LBT for 2 months before I quit. I am a hardworking individual and will easily drive 700 to 800 miles any given day, if able and capable. Unfortunately the way things are setup at LBT that will never happen. You will average 750 to 1300 loaded miles (1500 – 2600 total miles) a week.

The reason I decided to work for LBT was simple. They had a Lease Purchase Program that was good when you looked at it on paper. They gave you a brand new truck no down payment. The terminal was 30 minutes away from my home. And I found out through a friend who works there that if you broke the lease agreement, they did not come after you or put it on your credit. Being that I don’t have the money to buy my own truck, this was a great idea in my opinion. So my plan was if I didn’t like the way things were going at LBT, I could leave and go elsewhere in my search of becoming an O/O.

Orientation

Orientation is 4 days and you are paid $400.00. Like most trucking companies orientation is almost the same. Three days of paperwork, videos and safety training videos. On the 4th day you have pump off, air off training and you sign your lease. They try and get you a load out on your 5th day (Friday) that will be local and deliver Saturday so you that you will have orientation pay and at least one delivery on your first check. Their billing date ends Saturday at midnight. It doesn’t always work that way. I didn’t get my load until the following Monday because I had to take my truck to the dealership to be check out for a calibration issue.

Lease Details

· 2015 Peterbilt 579 80in sleeper
· 13sp 600hp Cummings ISX Engine
· $498/wk
· $742/wk for 384 weeks (7yrs, includes plates, insurance, etc.)
· $10,000 Escrow ($300/wk if NET > $1500, $200/wk if NET > $1200, $100/wk if NET > $1000)
· Est $2100 Contractors Feev($300/wk if NET > $1500, $200/wk if NET > $1200, $100/wk if NET > $1000)
· Up to 10% handling fee if they have to do anything you could have done

Quitting time

My last two weeks at LBT, it was becoming apparent that I was not happy at all with my decision to work there. So I only ran one load each week. When I was home I was searching for a new job. I wasn’t expecting much money but I was expecting at least around $400 for one week and $600 for the last week. Remember they keep you 2 weeks in the hole.

My last week at LBT, I turned in my keys on that Friday. I cleaned the truck and I returned hoses which by that time I paid $1100 towards the contractors fee(which included PPE & hoses/fitting). I also paid $800 towards Escrow. I was told I would receive a $1300 credit for hoses & fittings. I already assumed I would not be getting escrow. So in my mind I was OK with that. But I did expect to be paid for my last two loads and received my credit. Not exactly!

The first week after quitting when I was expecting $400 check, I received $0.00. The first $1000 sign on bonus payment I received was taken back. They paid me on paper but then deducted the sign on bonus so my NET for week was $0. I didn’t even remember signing anything saying I would have to pay it back but of course, I did. Typed on the sign on bonus sheet under the payout portion of the page was another paragraph that said if you didn’t complete 12 months at LBT then you would have to pay it back. Luckily I quit a few days before I was dues another bonus, but now that I think about it I should have stayed, got bonus then left…. hmmm

The second week after I quit I was expecting my final pay of $600 plus $1300 credit for returning equipment. Wrong again! I NET for the week $0.00 again. This time LBT charged me over $1900 for parts and labor.

· $300 windshield
· $500 mattress (which I took since I paid for it)
· $1100 misc charges and oil change

I’m not going to sit here and complain about how I was treated in the end. I knew they were going to do some things I wasn’t going to agree with to keep some of my money. Every business does and will continue to do so. I didn’t think it would be to that extreme. But in the end when I quit LBT I should have received at least $2300.

Two weeks after that they sent me a letter saying I owe them $897.00 and to call them within 10 days to discuss payment.

Any question please feel free to inbox me and I will respond on the forum or to your inbox asap.

Updates:
*updated cons 10/16/15 3:00PM CST

Links

Linden Website: http://lindenbulk.com/
Other Complaints: http://www.ripoffreport.com/r/Linde...g-Scam-DONT-SIGN-ON-Linden-New-Jersey-1044040

 

Well being new to being an O/O and inexperienced, all of it! Thanks for your sarcasm! I appreciate it! A lot of things listed above was not all known until I quit my previous job and was with them.

 

There reason for charging us to take truck home was because we received discounted fuel so if you stay far away from the terminal they have some type of way of figuring what you should have paid per mile, which is ridiculous. Comdata card is used to buy fuel at at truck stops and to get your advances. And you are right about company driver comment!