I think he's trying to be realistic. One should be prepared for the least little stupid thing out there... After all, think of how many times your company truck has had troubles. Could you have forked over the cash for that blown tire, or getting it towed to a shop to fix it, PLUS having to explain why the load is late?
This is why I'm not an owner/operator [yet]. I don't have the kinda dough saved up for something like that. Sure, a lease does look tempting, until one looks at the numbers. At orientation in Springfield, I looked briefly at the Fleet Sales propaganda, and their numbers were pretty horrible. I don't recall what they were, but I think I'm waaaaaayyyyy ahead as a company driver right now.
What most of the folks are trying to say is this: Be careful. Being an o/o can be a success, IF you play your cards (aka, dollar bills) right.