New Truck, or Used Truck?

My question: With not so recent experience, doing what's asked as far as refresher time, and deciding to sign on for a Prime lease, does a person have to take a used truck, or can you go with a lease on a new truck? And at this point, what are the tractor choices Prime actually offers Just the Cascadia and the Pete? New, those would be pretty expensive per week for a solo driver, but so is breaking down a year, a month, a week, or a day after you lease on with someone else's used truck, and I don't have $10K sitting around just in case, maybe $3K.

When I told my Dad I wanted to drive again, and maybe lease, maybe with Prime, his advice and his habit for all the time he drove was: New Truck!!!! You stop rolling, you stop earning. Don't get a used truck. Don't rely on luck, don't think you can read a maintenance record and know what's going to happen. It's not a crystal ball.

That was paraphrased. It was more like NEW #$#%)*(*_(*%^$W$ TRUCK!!!! Don't be a #_$%ing IDIOT! Maintenance record my !##$#!! After I said, "OK, Got it." Then he explained his point of view on this for the 23rd time. My Dad was a driver for about a hundred and two years, mostly hauling timber. I drove my first 1968 Cornbinder log truck at 14. I have a little over a year of OTR about 7 years ago. Dad can't kick my ##### anymore, but he could still put a hurting on me.

I know people will offer advice about the point of going either way, and that's just fine, Dad will never read this, the only computer he ever used put squiggly lines on a little round piece of paper while he was driving. LOL

thanks folks.

 

Thanks for the responses folks. Waterloo, I've been looking at Prime a while now, plugging in the cost per mile numbers and fixed costs, based on company information, and on "testimonials". I gotta tell ya it doesn't look so great at that rate for a solo driver.

There's some money to be made, maybe a little better than a realistic $800 net, or so a week!! (It's POSSIBLE to stretch the limits of credibility to get it up to say $1200-$1400 a week, depending on how gullible/optimistic you are.) To be fair, I believe the guys who say that IF you follow the company line, run slow and watch your fuel and costs, run it like a business, be a model driver, develop and manage a good reputation and relationship with your FM so you get runs that pay and make you money, keep the doors closed and wheels turning, and ALL the variables go your way ALL the time it can be done.

As much as I need a lease/operator, lease/purchase situation like this to get my trucking career going again, (for my own reasons) that high lease cost gets in the way. I'm not saying that some might do well, in fact, that I MIGHT even do pretty well there, I'm fairly bright, and hardworking, willing to stay out at least 3 if not 4-5 weeks at a time, (I've run my annualized spreadsheet on almost every likely scenario) and I really like the idea of a pretty, reliable new truck, even if I have to drive it slow.

I have to say that price stretches the odds out a bit. I'll keep working the numbers until something makes sense. Emotions and Faith are good for application to my wife and kids, but money talks louder than anything I hear ANYONE saying about THIS lease. Not that I would discourage anyone from doing any thing they think is a good idea.......but I would advise knowing how to set up a good analysis of the smart fixed and variable numbers before you make ANY decision. Business is business.

As for a used truck, I can get a $1250-$1450 per month lease on a 5 yr old truck with a company that will take care of my taxes, accounting, maintenance and permits, and get me on with a carrier that will run me 2200-2500 a week and reasonably net $1400-$1700 a week even running SMART cost per mile numbers..... now if I can just find someone doing that.... and get some background...... that's more likely, and there's a LITTLE room for down weeks, etc..

thanks again guys.

 

Yep. I've been doing my numbers with about a 4 month sized cushion on the maintenance costs going in, and building with say $.05/mile going to the maintenance account, with a separate tires budget. I'd like to go in with more, but that's about the best I can possibly swing. I'd want to be able to diagnose a used truck like Dr. Gregory House to feel at peace about it, but... no balls no blue chips. The best things in life are dangerous...

Well, I ain't skeered to change my own filters, belt, glow plugs, etc.. but anything catastrophic would put me in a motel pretty quick without the luck of having it run a full year without a breakdown to get the account mostly topped up. That $1250/month lease is lease PURCHASE at 24 months, too. No buy out costs.