Working for a mega carrier then quitting after training.

Hiring teams right out of CDL school:

ODFL
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Get all the endosements; those are money in the bank

 

I happened to read an article today from I think freightwaves, and it was talking about predatory leasing practices. It said 5-10% of drivers successfully complete their leases. So that 2 out of 150 number you gave is not far off.

 

How are you going to pay off a truck? 30 grand won't get you anything but a piece of junk. You'll need 3 times that to get a half decent used one with no warranty. 7 times that for new. You're going to spend a FORTUNE keeping an old used truck on the road.

There is a reason that lease purchases just don't work. The only ones that make out in the end are the companies with the leases. Because they can keep leasing the same truck over and over.

 

A decent used tractor is going to be $50k. Insurance maybe $16k. You've already burned through twice your budget and you haven't even turned a key.

Now what happens when you blow a tire and miss your Friday delivery and have to sit through the weekend? And we haven't even started talking about cash flow.

You don't know the industry, so any money you invest is going to get frittered away.

 

The recruiter will tell you the details, but it usually covers things like the cost of your DOT physical, drug screen, transportation/lodging/meals for orientation, etc.

You need to be hauling high-value products / commodities. So your options are:
1.Get hazmat and tanker endorsements. And if you live near the coast, get a TWIC.
2. Hire on with an LTL company.
3. Hire on with a car hauling company.
4. Hire on with a flatbed company that will allow you to work your way up to something specialized, like oversized loads or boats.
5. If you can get a security clearance, hire on with a company that hauls radioactive materials, DoD freight, arms/munitions, etc.

Get the restriction removed so that you won't miss out on opportunities that require proficiency with a manual transmission.

 

Why not buy a truck and lease on where they are then? Seems like the best route here. I have a feeling you're going to be very disappointed after you've spent all that money on a truck though only to find out those guys and/or the carrier have been lying to you. Trucking is full of BSers. From the lunch counter to the forums... lots of tale tellers.

 

It's a bad idea entirely. Why waste your money when a company will train you to get your CDL. Having a month experience your insurance will be insanely expensive, even if you lease on to your parents authority, and that is even if they will insure you. Lastly the spot market rates are very low, garbage in fact.

 

wait until you get an insurance quote as a new driver driving one’s own truck. There’s posts on here about 30k plus/year