[GMAN]

That is a good idea, Skywalker. If you are a member of OOIDA, they will look over your lease for you. I am sure that they have copies from others who have looked into this before. :roll:

[ScottieFL]

Hey, Sky!

Yep, the main problem I had with my CFI finisher, getting too tired behind the wheel, vanished at Prime. I was taking a medication that was making me loopy. When I stopped taking it, my stamina came back. I can drive for 10-11 hour shifts now, no problem. In fact, my Prime trainer was telling everyone that I was a "night owl." He mostly drove days, I most drove nights. I prefer driving at night at now - less people on the road.

And I can even back up, now, too. The CFI finisher just didn't know how to reach me - the Prime trainer did. Not that the CFI finisher was a bad guy - far from it. He was a great driver, a good person and I learned from him. But he wasn't a good finisher for me. He couldn't teach. I needed more help than he could give. Perhaps I just didn't have enough wheel time. I was a miserable driver at CFI. Now, I can at least qualify as a greenhorn!

And Sky, your comment about the Prime trainer being in the sleeper berth all the time ain't fair. He was helping me much of the time, especially during the first two months. He wasn't in the berth all time.

And yep, I talked to a couple of tax advisors and I know how to read a lease statement. Leasing makes more sense for me right now than owning. In two years, however, owning will make more sense. Both leasing or owning make more sense to me right now than company driving, because as a new driver, I can only make about 26 cpm - not enough.

And yeah, I believe it's best (not essential, but best) either to have innate abilities to drive a semi (which I didn't have) or have a lot more than three weeks of CDL school before coming to a company like CFI. I got the time at Prime, and I succeeeded. I didn't get the time at CFI and I didn't. That's not a knock on CFI - it's a great company. It just probably wasn't the company for the complete novice that I was last winter.

I wasn't ready to drive a semi at the end of my CFI training and I was honest and told CFI I wasn't ready. I am ready now, though and Sky, I'm gonna make it, no matter what you might think. All my training, including those weeks at CFI, have been essential for me. I couldn't have gotten through my training at Prime without my CFI training.

Sky, I do like this business. My only concern was whether I had what it took to do it. I believe that I do now. I didn't believe that after my CFI experience. Sorry, that's my truth. It may not be someone else's truth, but it's mine. I have to do what I think is right, just like you do. I'm not trying to get folks to agree with me, I'm trying to compartive information about Gainey (which I never got).

I'll let you all know how my Prime experience turns out. Thanks again for all your advice.

[Skywalker]

Scottie.... I do wish you all the luck in the world. I wish you no ill will at all. I am just stating that you may be rushing headlong into a situation you may not be prepared for.

Frankly, I have alot of years of business experience, both as management and as a business owner. I do understand the machinations of business, and I also understand accounting....from forecasting a budget thru P&L's right to the General Ledger. I have also spoken to many a man who has gone down the lease path..some with Prime, and others that went with other companies.

I have heard absolute tales of woe, bankruptcy filings, loss of homes, the whole gamut. I have also talked with a couple who said they did fairly well, two of them at Prime. One quit though...said he never got home, and the other was a former CFI driver....who was single and never went home anyway.

On accountants and lawyers: Unless the "beancounters" are actually familiar with "trucking", and have absolutely zero relationship with Prime, they aren't worth much. Accounting tends to be rather specialized. For instance, my specialty in business was in the medical hard goods and equipment arena. I ran a company under a hybrid accounting that blended cash and receivables.... IRS approved and I would surmise that an accountant that specialized in trucking would be baffled by my scenario. As well as vice versa.

On reading a lease. I myself, though I am moderately well educated, would think that I would have an attorney versed in transportation leases look over any lease.....simply to have a "disinterested party's" opinion. I can read a lease....but I always had my attorney check out my leases on buildings... simply as an issue of self defense.

And Sky, your comment about the Prime trainer being in the sleeper berth all the time ain't fair. He was helping me much of the time, especially during the first two months. He wasn't in the berth all time.

I sincerely hope he wasn't, and that he was properly logging what he was doing as well. Fair or not, the fact is that in this industry far too many companies use the team method to train....and the student driver ends up as just "meat in the seat" and learns precious little.

I hope also that you are not rushing into a lease with Prime because no-one here answered your questions about Gainey.... That would probably be the worst possible reason to throw yourself on that sword.

Again, I wish you only the best of luck.

[DBE022576]

Scottie, you claim as a newbie you can only make .28 per mile. If you check into them I believe JB Hunt pays between .37 and .40 per mile for anyone with 3 months experience. You have been with a CFI finisher and then 5 months with a prime trainer I would think that you have the 3 months covered. Just a thought since one of your reasons for leasing was the low wages as a new company driver.
Doug

[Skullitor]

Scottie;Some people are very happy with Prime Inc.Many are not.THINK CAREFULLY!

[PhuzzyGnu]

Scotty:

It blows my f'n mind that Prime is notorious in the industry for the HORRIBLE lease program, numerous forum members with years and years of experience tell you this, and you STILL want to do it?

Go for it. You deserve it.

-p.

[Adam9315]

Go for it scottie. You say you can back out of it anytime. If you have the funds to give it a try, just do it.

[PackRatTDI]

Do the two-three years as a company driver and save up your tax refunds. That will make a nice downpayment. You can findtons of well maintained off-fleet trucks with 400-600k on the clock for $30-60K. Budget yourself right and you'll come out on top.

I used to think people were talking out of their asses about these truck-lease programs. But after doing a lot of reading both here and other truck websites, I've come to the conclusion that don't sound much different than those rent-to-own places that you see in the ghetto. Get people who want something new and flashy and pay double for it over the long run because they get tricked into thinking they're SAVING money and they don't even really own it because they usually end up in bankruptcy. My uncle is a prime example, he ended up filing for bankruptcy twice, mainly because he couldn't seem to say no to his ex-wife who had to have new stuff, NOW. He ended up owing thousands to those rent-to-own places and didn't even get to keep the stuff. His ex still drives a mini-van that the repo men are currently looking for.

With that in mind, look at it this way. You sign with Prime. You now drive a flashy 2007 Freightliner with a 500 hp (actually it's a 430/500hp engine) Detroit that you're paying out the ass for but don't really own and never will. Sure you could buy the truck after the lease is over but you've already paid for most of the truck anyways and then you'll end up taking it in the ass over the depreciation of the truck. Very few guys do that. All you have to do is search truckpaper.com and other truck sales sites. They have tons of ex-Prime trucks that never got purchased at the end of the lease. Lease purchase benefits the company because now they can get you to pay for their fleet trucks, take it in the ass on depreciation and when you turn in the truck as you most likely will because you don't want to have to take out a loan to pay for a truck you've already been paying for, they get to re-sell it. You get to pay for the fuel and if you're lucky the fuel surcharge you get might pay enough for you to eat from the McD's value menu.

That being said, I'm sure there are Prime drivers out there that make the lease work. But it probably means big sacrafices. I encountered one couple when I was OTR. He was driving the truck, the wife was driving their car with their youngest child and was pregnant with their second. They had sunk so much of their cash into the lease program that they were now essentially homeless. Their plan for the wife to be a stay at home mom failed when they weren't able to keep up the rent. She parked in the truckstops with her husband and slept in the truck with the kid, showered when he did, and what not. If that's the way to make a lease purchase work, then I'd rather stay working at Wal-Mart. At least with both my wife and I working 40 hour slave wage jobs, we can keep from having to live on the street. 8)

[jamesinge]

I got a job for you.
I will pay you 10 dollars more per hour then the rest of the emplyees!!

Heres the deal.
I pay you 20 an hour and you give me back 7.50 for the priveledge. Then I will charge you every time your machine breaks for the repaors. I will also charge you the electricity bill and maintenance and taxes to emply you.

Just think of all that money!

Come on Down n00b We are always hiring.!

[mudflap276]

you know on ebay you can buy a fantastic looking 2000 international 9900 for 47000. why go through all the hassel of leasing? i spoke to a guy the other day in the buckeye who had a lease truck from jb hunt and he was telling me that even though he was paying for the services and the maintaince, he was not allowed to turn the truck up past 68 mph. i understand that swift is the same way. that is just as bad as being a company driver just you paying all the bills. make sure you know what you are doing brother. dont be another guy on front of the fuel island holding a sign needing a ride.