Question:
Hey all, it's nice to have found a place with so many truckers to ask questions to.
Anyways, a quick background, I've been driving for about 2 months now and never had even seen the inside of a big truck before that.
Right now the company I started with is really pushing their lease program, and I am trying to figure out if it's really worth it, or if it's just a bunch of hype.
I am teaming with a buddy of mine who has a lot of driving experience, but it was all over in Iraq, so he knows how to drive, but doesn't know the industry any better than I do.
We are looking to stay out 4-6 months at a time and run as hard as we can. We're both used to being away from home for long periods at a time, so the hometime thing isn't an issue. We have 100% ontime so far, but our DM still winds up having us sitting a lot for 24+ hours at a time waiting for reloads.
Is this normal or do we have a crap DM? My friend and I are interested in the lease thing, but it seems like it will be hard to make money at it with all this sitting still we've been doing.
Anyways, like I said, we're both pretty good drivers, but we're brand new to the game and any advice we could get about how things work out here would be appreciated.
Thanks,
Ian
Answer:
Both of you lack the experience and knowledge for a leasing adventure.

You will find it can be a problem at any Carrier and the Company Equipment /Driver moves before any Lesse/Driver.
Answer:
Do yourself a favor!
Search these boards, the lease purchase thing has been posted before & beaten to almost a certain death in these forums..
Every thread says the same thing.. DO NOT DO IT! Never lease purchase from the company youare leased to... (There are NO exceptions I have seen!)
You are sitting now w/ a company truck... what makes you think they are going to be better w/ a O/O?? They will be WORSE! They will load a company truck before loading a O/O most of the time!!
Of coarse they are pushing the lease purchase thing.. they make more $$ off of "selling" you the truck insted of them having to pay you a wage, benifits, vacation, paid hollidays, health insurance, Occupational Accident Insurance... ect... Guess what YOU get to do all that now!
Oh and ALL maintaince, breakdowns, ect are your responcibility too..
Still want to "LEASE PURCHASE" ??
Answer:
You speak of your driving experience, but say nothing of your experience running a business. Do you have the education and experience to run a small business, if you don't, why would you want to be an O/O, a small business owner? BOL

Answer:
IMonaghan, stay as a company driver.
I want you to think about this!
Why do you think the Company your currently driving for is 'PUSHING" you for a lease deal????????????
There is a good reason. DO you know the old saying:
There is one born every minute:

Answer:
There is a saying which has been around this industry ever since "Lease/Operator" has been in existence, if a carrier could run their own equipment as cheaply as they can run Leased/Operator equipment, there would be no need to own equipment.
For those looking to become and O/O right out of school, the best advice offered on the board is to run as a company driver for a year first to "learn the ropes." That takes at least a year. Then consider investigating becoming an O/O by doing your homework first (which is exactly what you are going now).
Without that first hand knowledge and homework, most will end up having set themselves up for failure prior to ever getting their foot off the ground.
BOL to you and welcome to the TruckNet Drivers Roundtable.

Answer:
Don't even think of buying a truck until you have at least 5 years otr experience. Yes, I said 5 years. Running a business, that is what a owner operator does, is not for everyone. You need to get proficient in driving, trip planning, logging, routing, and all the other aspects of this profession. Run from any lease/purchase program. They are only for the benefit of the company.
As far as running hard, if you can't make a living by running compliant, you are with the wrong company. 3000 miles per week is all you should need. Don't listen to the BBR who claims to run 4000-5000 per week. His driving record would be interesting to look at

Answer:


Even with first hand knowledge.. Even with plenty of homework, Even with lots of preparation, "most will end up having set themselves up for failure".
For evidence, just look at all those
on the road today.
BTW, I like that nick name. Truckdobe coined it, in the following thread.
Give me your best nick name, for a buck a mile driverGovernment Ain't YO' Friend. Nor your Servant.
A Tax Reduces Incentive & Capacity. A Regulation is also a TAX.


Answer:
Government Ain't YO' Friend. Nor your Servant.
A Tax Reduces Incentive & Capacity. A Regulation is also a TAX.


Answer:
Bottom Line..."Leasing" or "Lease Purchase" ONLY Benefits The CARRIER!!!
If you fall for those SCAMS, you will then be a Company Drvr on a Payment Plan.
As far as the waiting to get reloaded.....not all carriers are that way.
Some carriers have more Drop-n-Hook than others.
Seems like there are more dry van carriers that do Drop-n-Hook, than Reefer carriers.(although the reefer carrier I drv for has quite a bit of Drop-n-Hook.)
Don't get me wrong, even Reefer carriers have times when they must wait....however, most of the reefer wait time is due to waiting for the load to cool down.(not waiting for a load assignment.)
I realize that waiting is waiting...and no one likes waiting.(unfortunately, sometimes it's just part of the "game"....or..."lifestyle" as some would say.)

Answer:
Ok. there's two "lease" terms floating around here.
"Lease to own" is the bad one. Avoid it at any cost -- and the "cost" is saving enough money to put a modest downpayment on a used truck you can buy the right way. There are MANY hidden pitfalls and scams that can wipe-out your hard efforts before you ever finish the lease and actually own the truck.
"Lease on" is when you already own the truck and the company leases it and you on an exclusive contract to haul their freight. Not my cup of tea -- I prefer the benefits of driving someone else's equipment -- but lots of drivers are "leased" to a carrier. They get paid a lot more than company drivers of course, but after making truck payments (loan payments, not lease payments) and fuel, insurance, repairs, taxes, etc...they usually don't make much more than a company driver, and carry a lot more stress and financial risk than a company driver.
But above and beyond all that -- as Rose and others said above -- do NOT jump into this yet. You gotta "date" trucking a while before making a long-term commitment. I'd suggest at least two years. You guys are riding high right now, but you'll soon discover more of a love/hate relationship with the craft and lifestyle. Jumping in so soon could be a disaster. See how you both feel in a year or two, and use that time to save as much money as possible.
As for 24hr layovers -- if you guys are running up to your 70 hour limit (which happens more frequently with long-haul teams) you probably aren't losing miles in the long run. Ideally it would be nice if the schedule was smoother instead of running your azzes off for a few days, then cooling your heels when you're short on hours anyway........but that's pretty typical for teams. You can only run so much legally, and if you're interested in owning your own truck and becoming a small businessman (that's what owning a truck is), do it legal and by the book.