swift and the lease purchase

good deal.......I'm glad to see a carrier finally leasing out trucks that will have some resale rather than fleet spec freightliners, volvos, and corn binders that aren't worth much even when they are new..


Best of luck to all of you and be safe..

 

I just wanted to say "Thanks" to all of you that contributed in a positive yet realistic way to this post. I have been "interviewing" L/O's every chance I get at the terminals, got to see some settlement sheets and the like. I have decided that when the spring gets here I will be getting into the program myself. I printed the latest contracts off of the driver portal and my atty has said that they are restrictive but no more so than a standard Independent Contractor agreement. I have talked to my accountant and he said that he isn't versed in the way of trucking but would be willing to work with me. My first question is does the service that the company recommends, ATBS, provide year end tax preparation for the $15 a week service as well?

A couple of other things that I have received differing answers on and would like clarification:

Can a L/O install an APU at their cost on a leased truck?
Can a L/O install an inverter without voiding warranty or contract?

As always I look forward to more lively discussions.

 

As far as ATBS, I can not help. I have a CPA that charges me less than them and they have some issues and rules that I do not agree with, for what they are charging.

As far as APU, yes you can, but before you do, better calculate how much you have been idling and see how long it will take to pay for itself. I figured that between the cost and keeping this truck for 4.5 years, it would never pay for itself. I probably idle all of about 8 - 10 hours per week. I use the Espar heater in the winter and a/c in the summer

Invertor, yes. I have a 2000 watt one that was installed by KW in PHX. Figure that if you get a new truck and take it to a dealer where there is a Swift terminal, you can be sure that they will know what is and what is not allowed. Good luck on your future endevour, and feel free to PM me with any questions.

 

My prayers of wisdom and for thought will be for you tonight about your new path for next year. Please keep us up to date on EVERYTHING !! As my son is thinking the same thing . GOD Bless . .................................................................................................................................

 

I agree, squeak is spot on vis-a-vis an APU. I don't have the Espar cooling that they have on the KWs. But even with the few times I idle for extended periods of time in the summer, I can't justify an APU. If ever do anything it will be passive auxilary battery system.

Now as far as ATBS. Here's my take. To make it as an LO you need to know your numbers, where your money is coming from and where it's going, that includes your taxes. You should be able to do them yourself. The only cost justification for using the services of an accountant or firm is that you can make more profit in the time you would spend vs what you would pay someone to do it. Even then you still need spend the time reviewing and validating the numbers that someone else does for you ... at $15 a week ATBS or any service is not saving me any money. It takes about 10 minutes a week to organize and track my expenses over the course of a year. Then I spend about 2 hours inputting my data into my tax form come tax time.

 

Thanks for the input on the APU, I will certainly scratch that from my list.

As far as ATBS - I have done my own business taxes in the past and was wondering if they offered anything else of potential value. Otherwise like you said I will just do it all myself.

I was wondering about the passive cooling on the KW's - it is called the cool pack or something like that right? Does it do a decent job? I can use the aux. heater anytime when it is cold it doesn't bother me. But south Texas in August tends to make me just a tad uncomfortable.

 

THe Espar system runs off a thermostat, just like in a home. I just set the temp, and let it go. In the summer, what I do is a couple of hours before I shut down for the evening, I turn on the Air in the bunk and close the curtains. That gets the temp down to about 72 back there. Then when done for the evening, I just turn on the cooling fan, close the curtains, and it pretty much stays at the 72 degrees that I have it set at. Also to help I have a small fan which I place on the upper shelf. The truck stay cool all evening.

 

I don't want an APU either, too heavy. I swapped with another lease operator recently he had an APU, he gave me the CAT scale for the load, his steers were 12500. That is the main reason I don't like them is the weight, otherwise they are a brilliant idea. I do have a 2000 watt Honda generator and 8000 BTU air conditioner on board which together weigh about 120 pounds. The generator will run almost 8 hours on 1 gallon of gasoline otherwise on a really hot day I have to set it to high idle and it goes about 5 hours. I would love to have a 2000 watt inverter on board though. I have a coffee maker, crock pot and rice cooker but unless I have the generator out already for the air conditioner (ie going to be out for several hours) I am too lazy to pull it out and fire it up for a meal when I can just go into the Iron Skillet buffet. The other day I pigged out on 3 heaping skillets of spaghetti and was worthless for a couple days after.

 

Popeye, there is one thing that I forgot to tell you, and this was told to me by a DM and FM at the Cols terminal, and that is, for some reason, a solo L/O will not make it at that terminal. They actually told me awhile back, that to make it, need to either team or become a mentor. They are more geared for that. At the time, it did not make any sense, as I was getting a avg of 2800 miles/wk, and when became L/O, miles dropped to a avg of 2200. Something that you will want to talk to your DM about.

 

Blsqueak, what are the issues with ATBS that you dont agree on?
Also, what is the formula you guys use to pick your loads (weight wise) to ensure your mpg stays profitable. I also spoke to an l/o the other day in phnx terminal. He explained to me that if my deadhead miles are more than 10 percent to turn down the load, reason being it'll eat up your fsc, and you'll lose money. Is this correct?