Career Update

Josh its been my experience there is no pressure to do a lease. We have a large percentage of drivers that do lease. It's strictly up to you. That is decent pay depending on your experience level. They have started their own school and are hiring new drivers now. The otr training is 5 weeks if your inexperienced. I switched last week from otr to se regional. Otr seemed to me to be more lax about miles and all i have been told is if you want to hustle se is where it is. I just gotta relax a little, but not too much and the miles will come. Your buddy seems to support that also. Thanks

See, the control factor is one of the biggest downsides to leasing on with a company. You really have no control over your revenues. You're at the mercy of the company. They decided to stick you with an inexperienced dispatcher for a few weeks and that probably cost you a couple of thousand dollars just like that - down the toilet and no way of making it up. And keep in mind - that isn't like a company driver "losing money". A company driver doesn't actually lose money, they just don't make any. These past few weeks have actually taken money out of your pocket. You just haven't done this long enough yet to see it in the numbers, but you will.

And what were you able to do about it? Have a talk to the people who are really in control of your destiny and hope they'll cooperate. That's not good. Your company just cost you a ton of money and all they do is shrug their shoulders and say with a concerned voice, "Sorry. We'll try harder next time." I don't like being in a position, especially as a business owner, where someone else's bad decisions will cost me money and there isn't much I can do about it.

In most businesses the owner has far more control over the revenues. You can always increase your advertising budget, partner with another business, go into a new line of products or services, or work harder at promoting yourself in some way to draw in more customers. It may cost you money to do that, but you can do it. In your case there isn't anything you can do except talk to the people who are pulling the strings and hope for the best.

As a lease driver you're basically in the same position that dispatchers and middle managers are often in - you're going to be held responsible for your successes or failures even though you really don't have the authority to do much about it. The bank (which is the company you're leased to in this case) will require you to make those truck payments but nobody is requiring your company to give you enough miles to make those payments. Sure you can keep your costs down a bit by keeping your idling to a minimum and trying not to blow any tires hitting curbs. But you can't really do anything about attracting more freight and you can't do anything about the pricing of the freight. I mean, you can turn down loads but if you turn down too many they're going to get annoyed and start cutting your miles.

So you have to make the truck payments to your company, who also happens to be your bank, your repair shop, your freight broker, the ones pricing your freight, and the ones leasing you the truck. Now that is what I call being in control of a business! Now if they don't come up with enough freight, they price the freight too low, or they just decide to cut your miles for any reason they'll just take the truck back, lease it to someone else so they keep making money, and you'll go broke. Would they like to see you succeed? Certainly. Why not? But do they really care if PJ from Elberton, GA is successful or not? Not really. Doesn't matter to them who is driving the truck. Not only that, but it won't bankrupt their company even if their failures or bad decisions bankrupt yours.

Sorry for all the negativity here but I want people to fully understand the situation you're in when you lease a truck. Quite honestly it's a terrible spot to be in. It's like jumping out of a plane knowing the company you're leased to is the parachute. If they decide to let go, you're going to die but they'll just float down to the ground unharmed, blame you for the failure, and hook up to the next jumper like nothing ever happened. They move on without a care in the world and you're six feet under.

As a company driver the opposite is true. You and your company are in the same boat together. If those wheels aren't turning enough miles then everyone is in trouble. If freight dries up, a company driver may not put much in the bank but the company itself is going to go bankrupt. They won't be able to make their payments. So the company would go broke but the company driver would simply move on to a new company like nothing ever happened. The complete opposite of the leasing situation.

WOW, can you say "Depression" PJ, hey all the power to you man. Keep the faith and know that were all pulling for you! A new week is starting and with that hopefully all the loads and miles you want will be waiting for you.

Hey ya 'll. well after my talk with my dispatcher miles picked up, but still a little light. I've been getting a signifcant amount of drop/ hooks . A few have been hot loads. I have planned them then shared any concerns with my dispatcher. Each time he just said ok, get it there as quick as you can safely. I made the last one with 14 minutes left on my 11 clock. I knew they had parking so no big deal. I'm not sure if they are still sizing me up or not, but they are becoming believers. Thats the main point. I gotta puck one up tonight and run it into atlanta. It will be about 32 hours early. Lol. Then i got an appt at our shop for my ac. It started leaking into the pass. Side floorboard. Its condensation not coolant so something is plugged up. I pulled all the easy stuff apart and couldn't find the blockage. So i called the shop. They are very familiar with it and asked if it has done it since i bought the truck. As a matter of fact it has. They will fix it for free and while i am on my 10 hr break. Works for me. Gotta grab a nap. Be safe everyone.

Yeah just keep pushin em for miles, miles, miles. I mean....tell em:

"Hey....this is late August and every trucking company in America is hiring as fast as they can and keeping everyone running hard. If I'm struggling to get miles now, how am I going to make my payments when we hit the slow season or a slow year? I know the miles are available and getting 3200 miles a week or more is not an option if I'm going to keep making my truck payments."

I mean.....what can they say to that??? ya know? It's the busy season and it will be for several months. If you're not getting your share of the miles then someone in the office is screwing up. You need to figure out who it is and get it fixed quick.

Have you by chance spoken with your dispatcher's boss and maybe the one above that one - maybe the Operations Manager or something like that? You definitely want to get to know all of the people in management you can. You're going to want people on your side that can pull strings. That's the #1 reason for staying at a company for a long time....because you get to know the right people and they take great care of you. Anytime you have a problem you're a ten minute phone conversation away from having it solved. It's awesome.

Keep talking to anyone that will listen and show em you really want to be successful. People are way more willing to help someone who genuinely cares about being successful and is giving it everything they've got. Keep introducing yourself in the offices, learn about how you company works on the inside, and get to know a few of the right people. Then you'll have it made! You'll be getting all the miles you ever dreamed of having.

Again great advice Brett. I have met the secretary, who was the one who actually does the most in that office , all of the dispatchers, planner, and customer service rep. The boss man has not been in when I have been there as of yet. I will be back there tomorrow morning so I do intend to try and meet him face to face again. My truck will be in the shop in the morning while I'm on my 10 break anyway. I'll let ya'll know how it goes.