Some basic questions about truck, processes, procedures, etc.

JCT is on my short list of Lease Purchase options, and I had a few questions that I can't find the answer to (or a clear answer), even after reading as many of the thousands of pages as I could. If anyone has input, I'd appreciate it.

1. What types of trucks are typically available when newly signing on?
2. If, after 90 days, you want to switch trucks, can you actually get into a brand new truck?
3. Are the trucks governed? Require radar or other collision mitigation systems?
4. Do all trucks have an APU?
5. Do they install any other limiting items, such as idle limiters, or opti-idle, or...?
6. Is it a true walk-away lease? If you do decide to leave, what's the process? (30-day notice, turn in at terminal, costs taken out of escrow accounts or bills charged)
7. Do they issue you one fuel card that you use for everything?
8. What happens in the event of a maintenance item that exceeds your maintenance account and isn't under warranty?
9. Are tires covered under any form of warranty? Or are they 100% your expense (even if it blows driving off the lot as a new truck?)
10. Is the truck yours to do with as far as taking it home for hometime? PC miles in between loads? etc.
11. How do they handle accidents? Are they forgiving with not dismissing drivers for fault or not-at-fault? (I've heard some horror stories about other companies dismissing drivers for not-at-fault, but that's of course hearsay).
12. I guess this should have been towards the top, but I'm typing as I remember them: Is it a true no-money-down, no-credit-check lease? Can you get into it with no upfront cost or risk?
13. Where do you have to go for on-boarding and orientation and how do you get there? Are all the trucks there? If not, how do you get to where a truck may be?


Thanks in advance guys. You've provided a metric f#ckton of information already and some very in-depth data that's invaluable.

 

@scottied67 works there. He will be here eventually to answer

 

1. What types of trucks are typically available when newly signing on?
Frightliner peterbilt or possaibly a KW (not many of those anymore) First done with PPW gets first choice
2. If, after 90 days, you want to switch trucks, can you actually get into a brand new truck?
Depends on the truck you get at the beginning. I got a newish truck with 80k on her so I could not upgrade until the truck had almost 500K of course I did not eant to either soooo there is that.
3. Are the trucks governed? Require radar or other collision mitigation systems?
Yes they are set at 68 peddle and 70 cruise (i roll 65 for MPG) they have the lane buzzers but none of that other stuff.
4. Do all trucks have an APU?
Yes
5. Do they install any other limiting items, such as idle limiters, or opti-idle, or...?
Nope at least i only met one guy that had the idle thing and he took it to them and they turned it off.
6. Is it a true walk-away lease? If you do decide to leave, what's the process? (30-day notice, turn in at terminal, costs taken out of escrow accounts or bills charged)
Yes it is. As long as you return to the yard they just back charge for the repairs and cleaning of the truck. they then send you whats left after 90 days I think. it could be 60 but not sure on that.
7. Do they issue you one fuel card that you use for everything?
Yes. Its an EFS card. You can also get your own card if you wanna search around just have to send in the receipts so they pay the correct fuel taxes.
8. What happens in the event of a maintenance item that exceeds your maintenance account and isn't under warranty?
You go into the negative and have to pay it back. Most everything is covered up to 700k miles so there is that.
9. Are tires covered under any form of warranty? Or are they 100% your expense (even if it blows driving off the lot as a new truck?)
the tires are 100% your cost. each tire will have at least 75% tread.
10. Is the truck yours to do with as far as taking it home for hometime? PC miles in between loads? etc.
As long as its in a secure area. You get 2 hours of Line 5 per day but when you pay for fuel you arent driving around willy nilly LOL
11. How do they handle accidents? Are they forgiving with not dismissing drivers for fault or not-at-fault? (I've heard some horror stories about other companies dismissing drivers for not-at-fault, but that's of course hearsay).
Depends on the accident. One of my buddys got let go because of hitting black Ice and jack kniveing and another is still there after releasing his brakes and the ice under his truck caused him to total his rig.
12. I guess this should have been towards the top, but I'm typing as I remember them: Is it a true no-money-down, no-credit-check lease? Can you get into it with no upfront cost or risk?
Yes.
13. Where do you have to go for on-boarding and orientation and how do you get there? Are all the trucks there? If not, how do you get to where a truck may be?
Sapulpa OK. JCT pays for a greyhound bus ticket however if you wanna take a plan they will refund you the cost of the bus fare toward the ticket. I flew in and paid 290 for my plane and the bus was 200 so they cut me a check for the 200 so a i basically paid 90 bucks out of pocket.
If you deced to come to JCT message me I can help you with any other questions.

 

Thanks for going through and answering that for me! I'm sure I'll think of more. I've seen tons of info from different drivers about their earnings, whether good or bad, and fuel economy, etc, so I won't ask about those.

But if I may ask, what truck did you choose and are you planning on completing the lease? Then what?

 

I started with a 2014 cascadia and i recently upgraded to a 2017 cascadia with automatic. I had 480k on my 14 when she retired from jct. At this point yes i plan too finish my lease.

 

Even though I dislike the Cascadia overall, I really liked the automatic version of it. I'd weigh it versus a KW if available when the time comes. Don't want the Pete because I want to bring my SO at times and the Pete's sleeper is a bit smaller with the upper bunk.

Once you finish the lease, will you stay with JCT, or sell it/trade it, or go elsewhere?

 

Probably stick around. They treat me good. Only reason i would leave is for a local gig. Cascadia has great mpg and better mpg is more money in my pocket lol.

 

I'm just a company driver for a small no name company. But anything that is no credit,no money down is probably gonna be worked out in the companies favor. And as with any job and especially business there will always be risk. I wish you good luck if you go thru with a lease. Read everything before you sign and if you can , have a lawyer take a look.

 

str8t10 I would hope the company is smart enough to make sure any endeavor it enters into benefits said company. That being said just because it benefits them does not mean in the right situation it can also benefit the potential lease operator. I personally spent over 8 years at JCT and leaving them was an extremely difficult decision on a personal level. They treated me very well, paid and did what they agreed to pay and do. In the end it was time for me to go out into the world and take more control of my business both the risks and the profits. Best of luck Phantaztix in whatever you decide.
Terry

 

Thank you Terry. And well said. Of course it benefits the company. If it didn't, why would they do it.

I'm just looking for a lease because I want to attempt to be a business owner. And I may fail at it. I'm not delusional in thinking that just because I drive a truck and think I'm a smart guy, that I'll be the world's best business owner too.

I'm not about to tie myself in a truck purchase only to discover I'm not a good business owner. A walk-away lease is the way to go, in my opinion, to learn how. And it appears that with JCT, you at least will profit what a company driver would. So why not... Since there's nothing to lose but time.