to lease and not to lease...

I'm was getting my info from this statement...

 

That was me and I was just guessing that on taxable income of $46,000 that the trainer would pay about $6,000 in taxes. Again, just a WAG. I did my own truck taxes, but I ain't no accountant. Me . . . an accountant . Didn't do too bad, though -- never got audited. Anyway, I apologize if my number was unclear or misunderstood.

 

See my replies above.

 

To each his own ... take home may be about the same as a company driver ... But like someone mentioned it's the headaches. The issue is what causes your headaches ... for me the restrictions of being a company driver are the headache.

 

Ed..you da man...lol I agree that newbies should get at least a year in before thinking about training others or leasing....there are plenty of lessons from the "school of hard knocks" to be learned....but I wish anybody doing the lease thing the best...might try it myself when I determine what my potential is as a company guy first. I think I can get to 40,000 my first full year and probably to 50 my second. Of course that is just a guess at this point...although I am good at anticipating such things. My thought process would be to see what I am capable of and then after establishing that as a fact ..then I will consider what benefit it would be to lease...better be a bigger take home reward than just making about the same loot...considering the many more responsibilities that would go with that decision. Also...after having owned a small business, I realize that a you will work even harder as an owner...or you will fail. Peeps who think they are gonna be on easy street are gonna fail. patience is a virtue that anybody needs to have to be successful in business...and a lot of hard work and determination. If it was as easy as "sign here" everyone would be doing it and making the big bucks. just sayin'

 

Edward, L/O's aren't going to run run dedicated any more.

Good thing is the ones that are mentoring will have to train OTR and the trainees may benifit. Dumbest thing I ever heard was training newbies on dedicated, then dumping them into the seat of an OTR truck.

 

Because if you are training on a dedicated account you may only see a state or two. Most students will go 48 or with a comfort zone and that is allot more than 1 or 2 states. I spoke to a student who was trained on a dedicated account that ran mostly in Texas, he was on his 2nd week of running solo 48. He was going to Peabody, Ma. and was scared poop-less. He has never been east of the Mississippi his whole life!!! I tried to prepare him best I could for where he was going (I knew the customer) and showed him on the map which way to go. He still was scared and wanted pulled of the load, I kept trying to tell him it is not Boston its just north, he still did not want no part of it.

I told him to follow me as I was going to Bangor and that I would get him to where he needed to go. I was the good guy drove about 50-60 miles out of route to get him to his customer (luckily I had the hours). We got there and he said this was not that bad, I said see I told ya this customer is a easy one. He then asked me if I could help him back in the hole, I said sure I will spot ya. Started to help him and quickly realized he has not done much backing. He was panicking and getting frustrated (other drivers where waiting) I told him don't worry about them, they were green once too. He got it the hole and thanked me, I told him no problem be safe out here.

Funny thing is I don't work for Swift and he approached me, thought I was a Swift driver. Guess I look like Swift material

 

Same landscape Edward?? The SW does not look like the NE!! The only way you learn to drive in heavily populated areas is to do it. Also learning to train in the SW does not afford you the experience of twisty WV. and NE 2 lane roads. Also winter driving is allot different in the NE & NW. My post above can not convey how scared this driver was. He was really scared said he heard allot of bad stories about the NE and the way people drive up there. I asked him what was the biggest city he has ever been to and he told me Dallas. Dallas don't have $%^& on NYC and New England. I am not faulting the mentor as he is running a dedicated account. I am faulting Swift for training in a limited area, but as Rug stated they have done away with that, atleast for the L/O's

 

So my truck broke down again... Heater control valve thing from a coolant hose disintegrated. So the 2 mechanics who came out from 100 miles away hacksawed it off and bypassed it so I still have heat, just hot heat, no control over temperature. Pressure tested system with water, drained and refilled with coolant total charge-- $1016. Going to Lathrop to put into shop *again* so they can put a new heater control valve on which I'm sure will have to be special ordered etc, doesn't matter, have some other issues that will need to be looked at and fixed as well. Leasing is not for sissies.

 

The driver I helped was trained on a account out of Texas. He had no heavily populated area driver training. That was my point. He also had no mountain driving training. Driving in the NE is allot different than driving in the cities you listed. You just can't substitute mountain driving, and heavy city street driving, you have to do it to know how to do it. I can tell you till your blue in the face how to drive down donner, but it is not the same as actually doing it. There is not substitute for first hand experience.

Example: I have been told and shown how to chain a tire, guess what I couldn't do it on my own the 1st time. I was out there for over 45 mins fighting with the #### things. I had to get another driver to walk me thru it as I did it. That cost me 50.00. He did not ask for the money but I felt that I should pay him as it took another 45mins to get the chains on in -20 degree weather on the side of the interstate. Oh how I love CO.

As for him being scared you are correct he should of been scared. Just not to the degree he was. I remember the 1st time I went to Boston I was with a trainer and we were going to the university there. He made me drive (as he should of) and I was scared poop-less, but I did it.

I guess the way I look at it is you should have to drive all 4 corners with a trainer before they let you lose. If you don't agree it is your right as we are all aloud to have are own opinion's