Hey Clint...I PM'd ya.

Bout time you updated! Echo, beep. Over & Out. 10-4, com'oooon

I do my best. Really I do.....

OK. Game time (ugh) again. Out of the Lathrop yard, back down to LA and out to Chicago. Likely, I'll get loaded with another coil and head for (Uhuh) Laredo (like, some more). I have one final pass to make through Neosho.

Seems as though the State of Ore-gone didn't post a payment I made on an over-weight citation from my First Trip with Watkins Shepard!!! OMG. So, when I was through the last time, they held up my application to transfer my CDL to MO. I sent certified funds via certified mail in order to certify my payment this time. All went through and my good name (and CDL) is now cleared of the blemish.

I guess that now is as good a time as any to announce that I am going to go into Swift's leasing program. I know, I know..... I can hear the groans and the negativity machine just starting to churn as I write this, but their program is very sane and solid. Not the best ownership scenario, but not the worst, either. It's right smack-dab in the middle, which equates to *very good*.

I'm looking at getting either an '05 or an '06 W900L with an ISX and a 9 speed convertible E/F box. $200.00 worth of parts and an hour or so out in the parking lot, and Butch will be a 13 speed. They have three red ones getting ready for dispatch, and I'm eye-ing one of them.

The current market value on these units are listed in the low $80k's with roughly 240-290k miles. After researching equally equipped units on truckpaper.com, they valued the tractors very fairly. It's the usual $490-ish/week payment and with all the insurance, plates, etc., it comes out to around $700/week total. With fuel added into the picture for the week, I'll need to run 1600 miles to cover operating costs. After that, the rest is mine. And I'm consistently running 3200+ per week, so I'll do very well with this.

After studying the figures and speaking with now numerous rental-ops, this is not the turn-and-burn situation which many of the scam-i-er (scummier) companies offer. All told, the lease op's all say about the same thing. $120-140/year gross, $75-76k net/pre-tax. The lease payment is 100% deductable as is everything else associated with cost of business. Toss in the $52.00/day standard trucker deduction and the tax liabilty picture looks rather rosy, according to my CPA.

Due to my illness this past fall, my credit scores fell. Add to that my short time in the business, and I would not qualify for conventional financing on an out-right purchace. So, this is the way to go for me at this juncture.

All told, I'll go from 30CPM to 46CPM(net). And I can feel good about that very easily. Flatbed gets an additional 2CPM over the door-slammers, totaling 94CPM loaded and 82CPM dead-head. Currently, the fuel surcharge is at 27.8¢ and it fluctuates with the price of fuel every Monday. Tarp pay goes up from $23 to $40. Detention and layover increases as well.

The residuals, on average, for these tractors are fixed at approximately $40k. I've been told that Interstate Equipment Leasing has been known to finance the balloon at 11% for those boys and girls who have been good during the leasing period. On the aforementioned units, the remaining leasing period is approximately 20 months. At which time, I will have the option of either purchasing my Dub9 or turning it in on a new unit. Presently, Swift is only leasing new T-2's and the f*ck-bucket Columbias. Neither of which hold any appeal for me. And in speaking with a few drivers of new smog-enhanced tractors, I don't think I want an '07 motored ride any way. The power is down, despite the ratings.

With Swift, if you keep a power unit in service with the company, they waive the 5 year old age requirement. So I can run my DubYah9 until I croak or retire, or both.

I have no issue in making this large of a commitment with Swift. I am so thoroughly and existentially pleased with all of my dealings with the company and its people. They are fantastic. Given my mileage figures and income levels to date, coupled with the pleasing relationships and inroads which I have worked to establish, I have no reason to think that I will be anything less than successful in the lease/op division. A $25k bump in income suits me just fine. And given the cost of a J44 (Geo), the extra change will come in handy 8)

I will continue to keep my readers updated here until I figure out who Butch is. Then, I'll move the thread over to the O/O board, where I am certain to be greeted by a whole host of new skeptics and nay-sayers. However, given the intelligent design of Swift's program, I think that more than a few minds will change as I move forward.

Tally Ho. :twisted:

Gawd Damn, my jaw just dropped. heh heh.. What kind of trouble are you getting into next? Look forward to hearing the adventures of a Swift business man.

Well I wish you the best of luck and hope that you are successful in this new endeavor.

Good luck clint....Put your hard hat on when ya go over to the O/O board!!

If anyone can make it work you can. You seem to have the ambition and drive to make it work.

What did you forcast the fuel milage to be on that W900??

tootie

Well, dude.....

By now I would think you know me well enough to know that my middle name is spelled t-r-o-u-b-l-e. If you would be referring to the newest level of trouble, it hasn't quite happened yet. Although I will be paying into my initial down-pay ($2500.00) in the time before signing up on a unit. FYI: IEL (the leasing company) requires a $500.00 initial payment to initiate the lease. The total down payment is $2500.00, which they will carry at $100.00/week until paid in full. I would like to think that I will have it covered before I select a tractor.

Another FYI: I will be buying a headache rack and all my securement. Swift does furnish the tarps, as we tend to leave things tarped from time to time when we do T-Calls and drop&hooks. I've already checked out Pro-Tech's web site for headache racks. I might elect to buy a used one from Swift to begin with (just to save some bux) and then go with a cabinet set-up later on down the road.

These people: dldtruckstraps.com/ are in Phoenix and they have all kinds of securement goodies. They even custom-make tarps. As the W9's are red, I thought it might be really Gucci to get matching red tarps (Jeez, Clint). Oh, shut up.

Hmmm. Trouble indeed. C'mown.....

Thank you DD. Me too. It's very nice of you to jump in with a BOL. After getting all the positive feedback from other drivers, reviewing the finer details of the program and finishing with my CPA, it just feels like a very natural progression for me. Not necessarily an easy one, mind you. But my confidence in my ultimate success has been won with seeing my performance coupled with the solid performances of the flatbed dispatch network.

Meanwhile, I'll keep you all posted as things progress.

Already got it polished up! Got matching safety glasses and steel-toes too!

All I really have to do is simply continue with what and how I am doing now. That's what makes it so palatable. Certainly my book keeping expenses will go up a bit, but that's OK too.

I've heard up to 6-ish. I think that with the top splitter added it's a do, but I am thinking more in the 5-ish range. I don't haul more than 37,000 lb or so anyway. And the chassis loads range from 9000 lb to 20,000 lb. So I would guess my mileage will be on the good side of things.

Oh yes. I almost forgot to mention. O/O's with Swift get 68 mph on cruise! Oh, the joy....

You're welcome........... I know just the mention of "Lease" is taboo....but I am siding with tootie04 in that I bet you can pull it off.