Forced To Lease A Truck??

I'm not sure there are any posts on this forum about people complaining about forced leasing. Actually, the experienced drivers here recommend new driversto not lease because they feel it's too risky without much benefit. Having been around trucking for many years, I agree with them. But I don't know of any companies that force you to lease.. why would you? Just work for another company if that ever happens.

There was a post I saw (it was an older post) where a guy was asked about leasing and when he said he was going to go the company route, he was put on a back burner. Of course everyone here told him to stock to his guns. Long story short, the guy ended up leaving said company.

Was just curious.... I spoke to Prime's recruiter today.... 10 more school days until graduation.

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I remember that post too, and I want to say that the company was Trans Am. When I spoke to one of their recruiters, he even told me that L/O was pushed, and if I was looking to be a company driver, I could do good there, but was better off looking somewhere else. Which saddened me, because they were near the top of my list when in the beginning stages of my research. They seem to have a really good company, and their driver wellness program is what initially stood out to me. Even now, I have yet to find one that matches theirs, at least if another does, it is not mentioned in their recruiting information.

Thank you for the reply, and answer.

The instructor at my CDL school said that CR England basically tries to force you into leasing. When he was a new driver about 8 years ago or so they basically told him their fleet was lease only, and very few company trucks. He was in training but learned of a company driver that was given a really old tractor that had multiple problems. He dropped off a load and apparently they had him waiting over 3 weeks for a pick up because "leases got first priority". He said that he left just after training and went to Schneider, where he was a driver for 5 years before becoming an instructor at my CDL school.

Remember, this is anecdotal info. I have no idea if this is really true.

I read in a few articles on the forum about companies leaning on people to lease a truck, or suffer a reduced amount of miles. The problem is, I never saw a company name.

With that being said, can someone please spill the beans ? I'm about to graduate CDL school and I have a few companies that I'm looking at. Truth be told, my mind is going crazy trying to choose what company to go with. I've narrowed it down to May, Schneider, and Prime.

For me, Schneider looks good because of the amount of terminals they have and the quality of training. (From what I've seen and read. Plus, one of my CDL instructors worked there and has taught us a lot that is above and beyond what the other instructor has taught. Both with what the DOT says and just practical knowledge)

Prime looks, because of the creature comforts they have. (APU, converters....) They also have the miles as well (According to the recruiter)

May sticks with something in my gut. I don't know what it is really, but something keeps bringing me back to them. Maybe it's because they have a close terminal in Pensacola. (I live in Louisiana)

I'm a Navy veteran, and also a 20 year oilfield veteran. (Low oil prices suck for oilfield work but is great for trucking, I guess) So with that being said, I'm use to not being home for weeks, or months at a time. In fact, I'm looking forward to seeing the country as much as I can.

Any advice given would be greatly appreciated. (I don't care how slow their trucks are either. ;) You don't spend time in the hammer lane anyway. )

I've been driving for Schneider for a year now and have not had anyone try to get me to lease.

In fact I'm pretty sure Schneider doesn't let you go Owner Operator until you've been with them at least a year.

Good luck!

CDL:

Commercial Driver's License (CDL)

A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles:

• Any combination of vehicles with a gross combined weight rating (GCWR) of 26,001 or more pounds, providing the gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of the vehicle being towed is in excess of 10,000 pounds.
• Any single vehicle with a GVWR of 26,001 or more pounds, or any such vehicle towing another not in excess of 10,000 pounds.
• Any vehicle, regardless of size, designed to transport 16 or more persons, including the driver.
• Any vehicle required by federal regulations to be placarded while transporting hazardous materials.

Terminal:

A facility where trucking companies operate out of, or their "home base" if you will. A lot of major companies have multiple terminals around the country which usually consist of the main office building, a drop lot for trailers, and sometimes a repair shop and wash facilities.

Owner Operator:

An owner-operator is a driver who either owns or leases the truck they are driving. A self-employed driver.

DOT:

Department Of Transportation

A department of the federal executive branch responsible for the national highways and for railroad and airline safety. It also manages Amtrak, the national railroad system, and the Coast Guard.

State and Federal DOT Officers are responsible for commercial vehicle enforcement. "The truck police" you could call them.

OOS:

When a violation by either a driver or company is confirmed, an out-of-service order removes either the driver or the vehicle from the roadway until the violation is corrected.

APU:

Auxiliary Power Unit

On tractor trailers, and APU is a small diesel engine that powers a heat and air conditioning unit while charging the truck's main batteries at the same time. This allows the driver to remain comfortable in the cab and have access to electric power without running the main truck engine.

Having an APU helps save money in fuel costs and saves wear and tear on the main engine, though they tend to be expensive to install and maintain. Therefore only a very small percentage of the trucks on the road today come equipped with an APU.