swift and the lease purchase

I really appreciate the advice. I remember telling my DM about the possibility of getting on this guy's truck back in September and she was doing her best to talk me out of it. She said I would lose all my Swift benefits (which I don't have anyway-- I don't subscribe to the health care trick over there) and if I want to ride as a team they offer $0.16 CPM. Well this guy is offering to do much better than that thank you.

 

If you are having trouble getting a decent mile amount now as a company driver...why would you consider doing a lease and not be getting the same "so-so" miles. If you are keeping yourself available, hours up to date....all the little things Swift requires...it sounds to me like you need to change DM's or terminals that will get you better miles.

Bottom line...you need to trust "your gut" as they say. It seems you have the foresight of the "possibilities" lurking ahead....just CYA is utmost!

 

So it's kind of about timing now, former mentor is having a run of bad luck with his students not finishing their training, wrecking, quitting or being fired. He's offering me a pay per mile that is a substantial bump up from what I am being paid now. I'm a little less worried about it 'gut' wise because I just saw two handwritten ads in the terminal lounge asking for co drivers for lease operators.

 

Dude Swift medical for me is dirt cheap and better than my last job.

A word of advise. Sounds like his is a bad business man. My mentor had a co driver he hired. His co driver was making more than he was. That is why he went to mentoring. He is doing good now.

Cali from what I heard is dead for freight right now.

Welcome to the slow season!

You will have to match your SS money, stuff the company did.

You sound very uninformed. Don't get in a hurry for his sake. Do your decisions for you!

 

i agree with 123456 but u have more freedom as a L/o or o/o yes u can make around $800 as a company driver, if u thinking about the L/o u might want to consider being a mentor or find some one to run team

 

Great advise! Mentors are also suppossed to be a priority on the dispatches.

 

I was starting to consider l/P here until reading this thread. First, I will say that I remember years ago when Swift first started leasing trucks, they actually had their contract up on their web site so that you could read it and decide. Back then it was after 12K miles in a month, you paid a penalty. that was what stopped me then. Now I see that it is 11k miles per month. This is something that I do not like. You are somewhat being stopped from getting some good miles. Yes, it is only .09/mi, but if it is costing you .73/mi to operate the truck and you have some good weeks and you end up running lets say 13,500 miles in a month, do you really want to give up .09 of your profit, for the miles over 11K. Other than the FSC, it is like you ran those 2500 extra miles for .10/mi.

Also now looking at their web page, they only show 2 types of trucks that they are leasing right now, KW T2000, keep them, and the International. I might still think some about them some. I would really like to know what they have to offer as far as the lease and actual miles, and their freight lanes. I am trying my best to avoid the SE and NE as much as possible

 

Doing simple math.

600gal a week X $.35 discount = $210 a week Swift keeps.

Do you get the full fuel surcharge or is something skimmed off that?

What could you do with $210+ a week? Not have a student?

 

lets look at it again, Rug. Lets just say a L/O is getting 3,000mi/wk. and if they average 6.5mpg (which i'm doing, and when not really even TRYING to watch my MPGs) thats 462 gallons. Now your fuel surcharge you get is off LOADED miles. Dont matter...........if you get a load that says "Loaded: 900 Empty: 100"....you're going to get (if the rebate is .35) you're going to get $315 paid to the truck for just that load. NOW....you and i both know, there is a difference between paid miles and actual miles. that 900 mi run, you'll end up driving 1000. and add 125 MT miles....so that 900 mi run, you'll end up driving 1125 miles. (lets just say) 1125 miles at 6.5 mpg, you're going to need 173 gallons....at $3.45 is almost $600. so you're forking out $290some bucks out of your own pocket for fuel. you'll get $828 for loaded mi pay, and 80 some bucks for MT pay....$900 in pay + 315 - $290 fuel = net $900 and change (ballparking the numbers)

the fuel surcharge is figured off loaded miles. right now, its up to .35cpm, and swift dont skim anything off that. They do, however, have negotiated with the big truck stops what they'll pay, but the driver still pays full price, but whats negotiated is kicked back to swift, not the L/O (and it says it right there in the lease)...


like someone said, if you fuel at a terminal, the company is making a KILLING off the fuel there...since they buy it dirt cheap, and sell it for a 'bargain price' of .10c under local truck stop prices. And actually, the last few times i've stopped at terminals, the price at the truck stop is cheaper.
heck, once the price was almost .25c cheaper on the kansas turnpike than at the Edwardsville terminal. how F-ed up is that???

 

I think I'm going to ask about this.....

....now, I'm curious.