The Good, The Bad, The Honest Truth of a New Roehl Lease Operator

But they don't pay as good as Schneider's Choice board. There are 2 programs at Schneider. Choice which is percentage and where you are your own planner/pick your own freight (you do have a ICA to assist when needed) and the mileage board where you have the usual dispatcher/planner doing your freight for you. Two ways of doing business.

 

I deliberately left out the Choice board, tanker also pays better. I was just comparing apples to apples. The only 2 programs I have found that allow you the freedom of self dispatching are Schneider Choice and Landstar. Both programs are big boy/girl systems and only for those who are serious about running their own businesses. My biggest issue right now is load selection and being able to take a chill pill once in awhile. I'm still new at this, doing a lot more sitting, yet making more than I was at the time I left Roehl. I'm really looking forward to what happens when I figure this out. Better yet, I'm looking forward to what happens when my wife quits her job and takes over the dispatching. I lost out on 3 loads because I didn't have the time to stop and play dispatcher.

 

Ah yes, the main problem with the Landstar system is having to calling agents for the load. That is the part I hated when I was trying their system years ago. I like the use of a load board. Any time of the day or night it is available. Find load, check it all out (times, weights, etc.), point, click and the load is assigned to me. I've been beat out of a few loads now and then but for the most part have gotten the load I wanted. Just ran 2 loads that both paid over $2.00/mile. One was over 350 and the other one over 700 miles. Had to dig through over 200 loads to find the gems but it was worth the time. Definitely making more than with Roehl.

 

TexasPhoenix and I are a great contrast of how different goals lead you to different decisions. Schneider Choice is a system where you have the benefits of running like a lease driver, but without the aggravation of a dispatcher. It's a great system for someone who is one driver, one truck. Landstar is a system where you are basically your own trucking company running under someone else's authority. This is a system that fits best if you want your own full fledged trucking company. When I decided my goal was to eventually run multiple trucks Landstar became a better fit for me than Schneider. An Illustration of the difference in outlook is what T.P. referred to about load rate. I have learned very quickly that I need to focus on gross revenue to the truck per load and per week. Those on Schneider Choice can still look at the rate per mile. For me rate per mile is only one measure of how efficiently I'm operating my truck. I also need to focus on dollars per day. I have a lot more work because I have to build relationships with agents, yet I have more upside when it comes to building my business. One more point is that with the tools such as load alerts, I am constantly getting phone calls from agents trying to move loads. This is why I need someone who can handle the phones and load board while I drive.

Again, these are both good programs and I don't understand why more companies don't adopt something similar. What is important is to use the one best suited to your individual goals and personality.

 

Excellent info from you both. My only complaint with Roehl is that they don't offer more of a choice of loads like the SNI choice system. I can see myself wanting to move in a similar direction at some point in the future.

 

Slightly off topic, but those pushing for self-driving trucks aren't looking at eliminating the drivers. They are looking at eliminating dispatchers. If my truck could drive itself down the open road, I could spend the time booking my next load and doing paperwork. This will also reduce driver fatigue that comes from boredom. At the end of the day it looks like self dispatching could be the future of trucking.

 

I looked at SNI Choice when I left Roehl, but wanted to keep open deck truckin', looked good to me. Landstar wasn't an option as I don't own my truck. Wound up L/P through Sammons, same type of deal as Schnieder Choice and Landstar. Best move I have made in a long time.

 

These rates are beyond bad. They are insanely bad. You cannot run a trucking business on these craptastic rates! I will do more than wizz on the plan....I would add a dump truck load on it!. Obviously the fleece purchase sales mongers got inside your head and filled your head with a massive amount of raw sewage.


BTW...Fleece purchase is nothing more then a scam. You pay for a truck and the expenses that is not even yours. You overpay on almost everything else. Many of these large fleece purchase companies make more money off the lease purchase end then the freight. They love double dipping on the drivers. They have you and the truck! DUH!!!

You cant take the truck with you because its not yours. If something changes or there is some sour grapes that develop with the carrier....you are stuck! Get it!! You cant take the truck with you (unless you buy it from them outright). You are not owner operators!

 

Moglar if you went through the entire thread you would have experienced the life of about 4 real life lease/purchase drivers. Lease purchase can be a disaster, or an opportunity for someone with a dream to give something better a shot. If you want to rip on lease/purchase in general than you should do so in the owner/operator forum. This is the Roehl area and I think most who come here want to know about Roehl's program. I have actually gone through the entire program and came out the other end with a truck. I could be wrong on this, but it seems I have more firsthand knowledge than you do.

Frankly many of your statements are either distorted, or flat out wrong. The idea that they make more on the trucks than they do hauling freight is way off. The money they make is by moving drivers from company to independent contractor. They save on taxes and insurance and this works out to about 30% of a driver's gross pay. In my case I paid fair market on my truck and the total including interest was about what I would have if I had gone through a third party. I got really nice discounts on tires, parts and labor for the work I had done. You are correct that in a lease program you are renting the truck, but this is common practice in many industries. The only problem is that you can't take the truck if you chose to leave unless you buyout the lease. The final point I would like to make is that the truck is not your business, it is a tool you use to conduct business. When I paid off my truck, I still had an agreement to haul freight for Roehl.

The problem at Roehl wasn't the rates, but the inconsistent miles. Depending on the fsc drivers should see an average of about $1.36 a mile for all dispatched miles. This is low, but workable if you can get at least 2500 miles a week. The problem is getting the 2500 miles a week. What I have found since moving is confirmation of what I had long suspected, the rates many drivers brag about isn't what they are really making. I have written a spreadsheet in order to calculate the actual rate to my truck. For years Landstar driver's showed me these great rates on the load board. The problem is that they only get a percentage of that rate. I don't care what the total linehaul is, I care what the total to the truck works out to.

(Sorry, I guess I rambled a bit.)

 

Yes, rates are terrible right now. Just got to work a little bit harder at what you set up. Run smarter and a maybe a bit harder. For those of us that have decided to eliminate dispatcher/planner from our business it is all part of the challenge of running a business. It is not going to be a bed of roses all the time. I have been in a different line of work that had it's ups and downs also. Had to plan when times were good and hunker down and hold on when things were bad. If you can't take the times when rates are low then stay as a company driver. You apparently aren't someone that would enjoy the challenge of managing his/her own business.