Flatbed Predatory Lease Agreement

Pretty much in a nutshell, I think I am involved in a company who has a predatory lease agreement due to lack of compensation.

I like to live in the solution so I address this to the general manager and to the head of finance at my company. Waiting to hear something back by next week.

Although I have taken the steps and given them proof that they are severely underpaying their lease drivers I am not optimistic that anything will change without legal intervention.

I also would like to ask if anyone knows of any non-predatory lease agreements with a caveat I have a felony that is 7 years old non-violent drug related. I've considered CRST and Nova lines but Nova lines does not pay fuel surcharge.

I hope this post finds you all well. Be safe out there and good luck truckin'!

Why lease anywhere? Rent their truck to haul someone else's freight? What does this gain?

Pretty much in a nutshell, I think I am involved in a company who has a predatory lease agreement due to lack of compensation.

I like to live in the solution so I address this to the general manager and to the head of finance at my company. Waiting to hear something back by next week.

Although I have taken the steps and given them proof that they are severely underpaying their lease drivers I am not optimistic that anything will change without legal intervention.

I also would like to ask if anyone knows of any non-predatory lease agreements with a caveat I have a felony that is 7 years old non-violent drug related. I've considered CRST and Nova lines but Nova lines does not pay fuel surcharge.

I hope this post finds you all well. Be safe out there and good luck truckin'!

Is there a particular reason you specifically want to be tied to a lease versus driving for a company non-lease?

Leases are generally setup to pass off many of the expenses of running a truck to the driver. When you say that it is a situation of underpaying, are you being paid CPM and not getting the miles or a % of the load and have evidence that the company is being deceitful about the freight rates? This is an important distinction because not getting enough miles is tough to say whether it is the company, the driver, the market, or some combination of these.

There is a part of me that sees every lease program in trucking as predatory, so I personally don't think you will find the situation you truly desire. This is from my own personal perspective.

I get $1.35 loaded with 100% fuel surcharge, Plus $1.15 for empty miles. They pay accessorials for instance lumber tarp would be $100. Now I'm getting screwed is the fact that average flatbed rate per mile is $3.14. all that being said it pretty much breaks down to I'm making 50% on every load while taking on 100% overhead and liability.

The reason I'm leasing is because even though I'm getting screwed on this deal I'm still making double what I was as a company driver.

Thank you for the response look forward to hearing back from you.

I've been looking at companies with 75% of the line haul and 100% surcharge.

Also considering pursuing the FMCSA to report a predatory lease if they do not have their pay. Every other lease driver current and former agrees 100% with me just no one was ballsy enough to step up and tell them that they are full of s*** and need to give us more money.

I've also seen their analytic load board but not the rate confirmation. Also some of their customers have told me what they paid for said miles for instance I just ran a thousand Mile load and he said he paid $4,000 and some change, while I only made $1,350 so honestly it pretty much breaks down to less than 50% of the line.

Pretty much in a nutshell, I think I am involved in a company who has a predatory lease agreement due to lack of compensation.

I like to live in the solution so I address this to the general manager and to the head of finance at my company. Waiting to hear something back by next week.

Although I have taken the steps and given them proof that they are severely underpaying their lease drivers I am not optimistic that anything will change without legal intervention.

I also would like to ask if anyone knows of any non-predatory lease agreements with a caveat I have a felony that is 7 years old non-violent drug related. I've considered CRST and Nova lines but Nova lines does not pay fuel surcharge.

I hope this post finds you all well. Be safe out there and good luck truckin'!

Is there a particular reason you specifically want to be tied to a lease versus driving for a company non-lease?

Leases are generally setup to pass off many of the expenses of running a truck to the driver. When you say that it is a situation of underpaying, are you being paid CPM and not getting the miles or a % of the load and have evidence that the company is being deceitful about the freight rates? This is an important distinction because not getting enough miles is tough to say whether it is the company, the driver, the market, or some combination of these.

There is a part of me that sees every lease program in trucking as predatory, so I personally don't think you will find the situation you truly desire. This is from my own personal perspective.

I am 100% agree that is the end game to own my own and make as close to 100% of what the load is worth as I can. You have to start somewhere I'm leveraged heavily in the real estate market and I do not have the finances to buy a truck at this moment. If I went to financing route I would have to pay an upwards of 12% APR. And I'm still learning about load boards and brokers.

Why lease anywhere? Rent their truck to haul someone else's freight? What does this gain?

Nick, Kearsey has a couple of videos comparing pay of a company driver and a lease driver. Can't get clickable YouTube links to work here.

https://youtu.be/VG_eJq-hUao

https://youtu.be/gJjUxeLSkH0

I get $1.35 loaded with 100% fuel surcharge, Plus $1.15 for empty miles. They pay accessorials for instance lumber tarp would be $100. Now I'm getting screwed is the fact that average flatbed rate per mile is $3.14. all that being said it pretty much breaks down to I'm making 50% on every load while taking on 100% overhead and liability.

The reason I'm leasing is because even though I'm getting screwed on this deal I'm still making double what I was as a company driver.

Thank you for the response look forward to hearing back from you.

I've been looking at companies with 75% of the line haul and 100% surcharge.

Also considering pursuing the FMCSA to report a predatory lease if they do not have their pay. Every other lease driver current and former agrees 100% with me just no one was ballsy enough to step up and tell them that they are full of s*** and need to give us more money.

I've also seen their analytic load board but not the rate confirmation. Also some of their customers have told me what they paid for said miles for instance I just ran a thousand Mile load and he said he paid $4,000 and some change, while I only made $1,350 so honestly it pretty much breaks down to less than 50% of the line.

Pretty much in a nutshell, I think I am involved in a company who has a predatory lease agreement due to lack of compensation.

I like to live in the solution so I address this to the general manager and to the head of finance at my company. Waiting to hear something back by next week.

Although I have taken the steps and given them proof that they are severely underpaying their lease drivers I am not optimistic that anything will change without legal intervention.

I also would like to ask if anyone knows of any non-predatory lease agreements with a caveat I have a felony that is 7 years old non-violent drug related. I've considered CRST and Nova lines but Nova lines does not pay fuel surcharge.

I hope this post finds you all well. Be safe out there and good luck truckin'!

Is there a particular reason you specifically want to be tied to a lease versus driving for a company non-lease?

Leases are generally setup to pass off many of the expenses of running a truck to the driver. When you say that it is a situation of underpaying, are you being paid CPM and not getting the miles or a % of the load and have evidence that the company is being deceitful about the freight rates? This is an important distinction because not getting enough miles is tough to say whether it is the company, the driver, the market, or some combination of these.

There is a part of me that sees every lease program in trucking as predatory, so I personally don't think you will find the situation you truly desire. This is from my own personal perspective.

I will be honest that I haven't heard of of company that pays lease drivers more than $1.50 pm. Your paychecks are more than they would be as a company driver, but does that calculate your expenses into the equation? I am just not sure that there is a path to getting what you are wanting, especially with a criminal background.

First off I want to say I can understand you feeling the way you do, however you signed a lease agreement, part of those are the compensation. Either you signed something without fully reading and understanding what you were agreeing to, or you willingly agreed to those terms. Either way that was your choice that you are now complaining about.

Before you go any further I highly recommend you read your agreement and know the terms forward and backward and possibly have a lawyer look it over, before you do something that causes them to terminate you and take the truck back.

Your post really tells nothing and your example of the freight rate is not much help either. All loads pay different.

If you couldn't make money as a company driver, you won't make it as a lease operator. You haven't learned to maximize your loads and your runs. All of my friends did the same as you when they didn't make enough as company drivers. I made more money than they did after they took off repairs, fuel, etc. They didn't last either because they didn't understand that side of trucking just like you don't.

I hope you make it but you don't know what you don't know and are barking up the wrong tree.

You say that you are making twice the money of a company driver at $1.35 per mile. Only in a parallel universe could that be true. Maybe you gross twice as much, but after you subtract your lease operator expenses, you make far less than a company driver, or you wouldn’t be complaining.