Profile For Brian M.

I'm done. I have nothing but appreciation for the information and knowledge I've gained on your sight but this will be my last post on this sight. I offered my information to you and Old School by email. You will have to excuse me if I don't want to publicize my income to others. It's no ones business but my wife and myself what we make and have. You did not accept that offer.

Now you ask to see my financials, tax return and such. I don't ask to see yours so how do you get off asking for mine now! If you couldn't figure out a tax rate off of my settlements then your not a very savvy businessman. I feel like you are calling me a liar and for this I have no use for a person like you in my life.

Good luck to everyone looking for a rewarding career whether or not you decide to lease or be a company driver you all have the ability of having a great career. Listen to everyone and decide what's best for you. Everyone here has you best interest at heart and believe in this industry. I have been successful leasing because I worked hard at it. I have nothing to prove to Brett, Old School or anyone else. Good day

Brett let's face it you will never change your opinion or actually give anyone credit for being successful at leasing.

Those were the quarterly payments I've made on the truck to this point this year.

Old School, your right I do run hard. Though my old co driver had pre existing conditions before he came to work for Prime. He was a heavy smoker and drinker previous to driving with me. I don't think we should hold me responsible for running this truck hard. Your also correct I am out for 12 to 16 weeks at a shot, I rarely see a 34 and the truck never stops moving more than 4 to 6 hours.

I finally felt comfortable enough to take 3 weeks off. My truck never stopped moving though. I just came back to work and I am 52 dollars in the negative. Before I took off my co driver took 3 weeks off as well. Now I'm back and will run till The end of October with my co driver.

Brett my taxes require 2 accountants one for the trucking industry and the other for my other income. It's not as simple as just giving you my net income.

This year quarter one was 4200 and 6700 for quarter two. I did not give you this information because it does not reflect my other business ventures and capital gains. Also it doesn't reflect losses I incurred outside of the trucking companies industry.

Sorry your right it's a little late and my math is off. Sorry I quickly looked at my settlement the first two numbers of 157,000 and 82000 are correct

So far this year leasing I've made 157,000 revenue my fixed and variable costs are 82,000 so before income tax I've Made 67,000 and I have my settlements to prove this. I have less than a year to complete my obligation and at the end will receive a completion bonus which at this point is north of 24000. So as you know I don't agree with this article. Their are risks just driving down the road.

As a team driver and a instructor/trainer i can tell you from experience that teaming will definitely test relationships. Believe me it's not a bad thing. As a team you'll be expected to drive the longest runs. It's not uncommon for me to run from the east coast to the west coast 8 to 10 times in a month. In the past 2 years I've put 450000 miles on my freightliner.

There are companies that train you together and others that will train you separately. As an instructor I feel being trained separately gives you an advantage starting off in your careers. Having the opportunity to train with different trainers will allow you to be more focused on the career and less on each other. Also you may find that you both may have differing learning curves. One may need more training then the other. This job isn't the easiest in the world and it's less difficult if your significant other isn't in the bunk behind you.

After your done training your journey awaits.

This is a great question. Last week I had a situation with a drop and hook that was a prime example of why you may want to carry a few tools onboard. After dropping my one trailer I found my other trailer having a tandem issue. The bolt that released the tandem in the front left pin had magically disappeared making it impossible to slide the tandem to the proper position.

I informed road assist and to my chagrin they made me aware it may take 5 or 6 hours to get someone out there to repair it. Having a bolt and a couple pair of vice grips I was able to fix the problem and get back on the road in a relatively short amount of time. All the while preserving my clock for driving.

Having a few basic tools can be a lifesaver not only will it make you a hero with road assist, it will enable you to stay on the road longer to avoid losing money.

Here's a list of tools and parts I carry on my truck and why

1) 2 hammers one sledgehammer and one standard 20 oz hammer. When it's the winter and you have ice on brake assemblies there is no quicker way of removing it. Also the occasional stubborn pin on the tandem. In the morning I occasionally see guys thump there tires. To me it's a waste of time . A under inflated tire will thump just like a proper inflated tire use an air gauge.

2)Air gauge and tread depth gauge- self explanatory.

3) Assorted hand tools, my tool bag has assorted screwdrivers, vice grips, small ratchet set, standard and metric wrenches, wire cutters, linesman pliers and side cutters. I use these for simple fixes to get me running and profitable.

4) Pocket knife- never know when you need to cut something. (Hopefully it's not to cut cloth for a tourniquet after cutting myself).

5) Battery operated grinder ( my favorite tool) great for cutting bolt or wire type seals, the occasional lock left on the trailer by the previous driver it's the best investment I made! Why struggle with bolt cutters when you just zip it off like butter! Also great to cut off bolts on mud flaps. Most of the time when you have to replace a mudflap the bolts are so rusty it's almost impossible to get them off. Why struggle.

6)Assorted bolts, wire, shrink tubing, screws nuts tape etc. - it's not enough just having the tools if you don't have the part. I went to the trailer shop and the tractor shop at Prime and asked them for the most common parts needed for a simple fix on the road and they hooked me up.

7) Assorted bulbs,fuses and a spool of electrical wire and wire connectors. There's not a light I cannot replace myself.

8) 100ft air hose with glad hand assembly- airing up a trailer tire is never a problem.

9) APU service kit. Oil and air filter and belts. You would be surprised how many shops I go to who can't PM your APU because they don't have the parts. I like my a/c. Also carry some cabin air filters. Nothing like clean air!

I'm sure I forgot a few things

Unfortunately your company is right there is no way to fight a warning on your CSA score. The sad news about CSA scores are that they are added whether fault has been established or not. Airplane crashes into you and yep your going to get CSA points. Their is no due process at this time.

Right now they are having government hearings on this subject with the hopes of balancing the scale a little. Like all bureaucracies let see how long that takes.