[Saskabush]

I am doubtful that a worn out five-year-old truck would really be of much value to you...

At the end of the lease, what are you really buying?

[duck]

.....and at what price considering what you have already paid in monthly lease payments combined with the final payment that is probably due?

[ScottieFL]

Duck, Gainey says there is no final payment due at the end of their 5-year lease.

And Sask, lol, your statement could apply to any truck purchase. At the end of any four or five year truck purchase, who would want any worn out four or five-year-old truck? No one would buy any truck using that logic.

Yoopr, check my earlier posts in this thread about Prime's company pay - 22 cpm is not much to work for and even someone with only 7 months experience like me can do much better at even Swift, which pays starting drivers 26 cpm.

[dollarshort]

You said after you threw a fit about the 2 company trucks you refused to drive they immediately approved you for a lease. :roll:
Wow! are you ever lucky to get approved into such a premium program on such short notice. :lol:
Did you ever think that just because you walked into the office breathing on your own is the reason you were approved? From what I hear "qualified" drivers are beating the door down to get into Success Leasing to sign on the dotted line. :?

[ScottieFL]

Lol, I didn't throw a fit. Folks on this board throw fits. :wink:

Why do you think I'm leaning toward Gainey?

[GMAN]

You stated that you were leaning toward paying $6,000 down on a lease truck up front? If you can pay that much money down, you can buy a truck, spend less money and go with a company that pays percentage, once you have at least 6-12 months experience. I still don't understand why anyone would allow themselves to be suckered into one of these scams. I don't care if the company is Prime, Gainey or anyone else. The numbers don't add up. If you can pay $6,000 down you can buy a truck with a small monthly payment. You will own the truck. I don't understand why so many new drivers will jump into one of these fleece programs with little or no experience driving. Find a carrier for whom to work, get at least a couple of years driving experience, save your money and then buy a truck, if that is what you really want to do. You see, most of the better insurance companies will require at least 2 years of driving experience before they will insure you. Some carrier's have their own insurance and will sell you insurance as long as you meet their minimum hiring requirements. Most will require at least 6 months experience before they will sign a contract with you. At this point, you don't even know whether you will like the lifestyle.

[mrpersons]

Gotta agree with the g-man! (hey there).

If you've got $6000 avail, quick, run down to your local truck dlr and buy off the lot. May not be fancy, but it'll be yours to seek your fortune. You may need a commitment from the co. of your choice that you plan to lease it to to get a credit approval, but that shouln't be a problem.

Also, way back in one of your first posts, you said something about managing your own affairs. How you gonna do that unless it's yours, not thiers?

No guts, no glory!

[JR OTR]

You know, I was browsing this thread and wondering to myself why it was I found the contents so compelling, when there have been similar threads on this forum and on others over the years.

Then it struck me: this is like watching a slow-motion train wreck.

On the one hand, you don't want to watch it because you know someone is about to be in a whole lotta hurt, but you can't turn away either because of morbid curiosity about how the driver will be turned into spaghetti.

I think by now you realize that going with one of these fleece purchase deals is financially suicidal. Don't let your pride stop you from taking a good company job for your first couple years that will let you save up to put a large downpayment on a truck, if you do end up deciding that is what you want to do with your money.

[PhuzzyGnu]

Scottie, I don't know you.

My daddy always told me, "Advice is what you ask for when you already know the answer but don't like it."

For the love of God, don't do it. You don't have the experience or the business plan to pull it off successfully as an O/O, much less as a L/O.

Find a good company- you left CFI (a GREAT company) and now you are heading downhill, first with Prime, and now Gainey. The previous poster had it right- this is a slow motion train wreck.

Again, find a good company, like CFI or Crete/Schaeffer, Arrow... actually any of the big names, even ol' JB or Schneider. Drive for them. give ourself a year- scratch the days off on the wall like in the old prison movies. SAVE, SAVE, SAVE. Eat baloney sandwiches. And then, and only then, think about buying a truck. And then drive another year or two or three- get the experience. Keep tabs on expenses. Continue to SAVE, SAVE, SAVE.

Even after three or four years, you may or may not have what it takes. Remember the Memphis Belle? 25 missions, that's all it took to go home. But no one made it. The Belle did. Such is life as a small businessman, much less an O/O. For every one that makes it, there are countless others that don't.

Welcome to the Memphis Belle School of O/O.

"The easiest way to make a small fortune in trucking is to start out with a large fortune."

-p.

[Skywalker]

Originally Posted by ScottieFL

Satch, I would have to say that I have learned more about "real" truck driving from Prime than CFI.

I wonder how one would "define" real truck driving?

The best thing about CFI is their week of "boot camp" school at a community college in Neosho, MO. And CFI even paid me for that week! I learned so much more there than I did at my CDL school.

I should hope so. Thats why CFI provides that advanced schooling and pays you for getting advanced training at their expense.

The best thing about Prime's training (for me, at least) was the 64,000 miles I spent with my very good Prime trainer, on the road, driving team. This is where I truly learned how to truck.

Hmmm, 64,000 miles... driving team. Alot of training gets accomplished when the trainer is in the sleeper berth, right?

Yes, I was with my Prime trainer for 5 months. It would have been less than that, but he went home for 4 weeks during this time and we were down 1 week with a breakdown. Nevertheless, I learned that I could do this job and I learned how to do it.

Did you overcome that little problem you had, the one that had nothing to do with the Finisher?

CFI only gives you three weeks with a "finisher" and this, IMHO, is not enough. It sure wasn't for me, anyway.

Hmmm, still wet behind the ears, and expressing "august" opines? Amazing. Pray tell, why was 7500 miles + of you driving all of the time not enough with a "full time coach and teacher" as opposed to a trainer in the berth when you were driving?

But only to go CFI if you truly, honestly know how to drive a semi already. Three weeks is not a long enough on the road training period, IMHO.

Thats funny....the majority of our students who completed the "finishing program" are doing quite well. Considering that driving truck is not "rocket science"....and that standard training is generally 6 weeks or less running in team configuration with one driver in the berth...the student driver with CFI actually ends up with more training that a student in any team scenario. Are you trying to say that all of the successful former students here at CFI are "exceptions to the rule, and you are the norm"?

Scottie, the problem here is that you are constantly trying to get people who know alot more about this business to agree with you, or support you in a decision that is being ill made. Frankly, you haven't even been doing this long enough to know whether or not you really like it. You haven't yet rubbed the shiny off of it. I would urge you to exercise great caution with this, lest you be one of those people who ends up with the "tale of woe" that is all so common in this industry.

Have you taken the time to consult with a tax advisor who knows this industry? If not, you'd best "git 'er done"....or there will be a major "come-uppance" downstream.

I wish you all the luck in the world, but I wish you would slow down, take your time, and spend some time as a company driver before you fall on a sword and impale yourself on something you can't get loose of easily. Oh, have you taken a copy of the lease to a lawyer familiar with them? If not, you might want to consider that also. Consider this, a lease written by a company's lawyer is not generally written for your benefit...its written for the company's benefit.