Well I still live with my parents or in the truck so it isn't that hard to save money. I'm thinking about moving out in another year or two.

CW

 

You then are in a positive situation,keep doing what you're doing,drive for a year at swift,then based on where you want to run go to a better paying carrier atleast .40cpm and start putting away more and more money.

In 3 years time you will be able to pay cash for a truck and have a great start at being an O/O.Then with 3 years OTR experience you will have no trouble getting signed on with any company,if you keep your driving record clean,and you will also have lower insurance premiums to pay,if you try to go about this in too big a hurry you will get caught up in the nightmare of digging yourself a big finacial hole and have to work very hard to get out of.

I say let the Billy Big Riggers keep telling you how much they are making and take about 1/2 of what they say for truth,and just keep your eyes on the prize,three years sounds like a long time to put up with the BS I know,but think of it as an apprenticeship into the trucking industry,get some real life experiences while making some mistakes on some else's equipment,then you will be more prepared than ever when you get your own truck.

 

L/P is dumb
and when you do L/P
you better have thick skin
because a lot of other drivers
will think you are a chump
and then in a year or so
you will also realize that you are indeed a chump
for L/P to Swift
How does your friend with the L/P get off 2 weeks at a time
There is no way a dispatcher is going to let equipment sit that long
Does he have a medical condition?

 

WOW!! someone really lied to you!! There is no way you will see 2 weeks home time a month EVER!! When you lease a truck and you are off for what ever reason those payments you make each week are still being taken out of your settlement even if your truck sits. Then when you start running again you have to try to come up out of the hole and that is next to impossibe.

Trust me....it is NOT a good idea especially if you want to see home more than once every few months.

tootie

 

What no one takes into account, is we do not know the situation of the other drivers truck...

Is he doing the lease purchase? Did he buy it from the outside? Is it paid for?

There are alot of variables that hasnt been said.

However, as a rule, while doing the lease purchase thing, no, you will never take 2 weeks off a month, while making strokes to the company. Its bad business to buy a truck from the people who control how many (or how little) miles you get. Its not like you can get all huffy and puffy and tell them to go "pound sand", because ultimately, it is their truck.

Buying a truck is one thing. Doing the L/P scam is just that, a scam.

Oh, and did he tell you about his tax situation too? Remember, a conservative estimate of about 1/3 of your gross earnings, goes to Uncle Sam.... And you dont always zero out every year....

And what about his health insurance? Because once your a contractor, that burden falls on your pocketbook as well....

And retirement?

And disability?

And, and, and????

The list goes on and on.

I drove for 10 years, and of that, 5 was spent as an O/O. Get a couple of years in behind the wheel before you decide to go and do something as foolish as to buy a truck.... :wink:

 

You are following the wrong guys example. You dont need 2 weeks a month off!! If you get a lease truck, you need to run the wheels off of it, get a good reputation with your dispatch and earn the title to that tractor.

This guy you are quoting is going to fail, dispatch is going to get tired of his "You know I start my 2 weeks hometime tomorrow, I cant take that hot load"

We truck to take care of the customer, be safe and make a good living (probably in that order). You cant truck to plan your monthly 2 week vacation and expect to make a living. I'm not going to talk you out of the fleece program, but you better be prepared to be fleeced especially if you are not serious about trucking.

 

I think my figures were more optimistic than I posted.

 

Just to add a little to what LOAD IT said. I know quite a few people who have there own business, me included, none of them take 2 weeks off a month.

Hell, my wife wishes I'd take one week off a year. :roll:

 

Does anyone of you know anything about Perkins Specialized Tranportation lease purchase? got email from them and they dont have company trucks. Just wondering if they too screw you at the end of contract?

 

Apache, I consider all fleece purchase deals the same. I have met some owner operators who were leased to Perkins. They seem to be happy. I doubt that they leased a truck from the carrier. If you have the figures, we will be glad to take a look at them.

I see you are from Tennessee. I used to know a driver who's handle was Apache. He lived on Monteagle.