Should A Rookie Driver Become A Lease Operator?

Tim, did you really think you were going to be making big money as a rookie driver?

I totally get that I gotta pay my dues as a rookie and won't make a ton of money is one thing but I'm talking about working harder than I have at any other job and not making enough to pay my bills and support my family is another thing entirely! I'm not some lazy kid bro I'm a 45 year old father husband and soon to be grandpa. I have to support my family one way or another. I've worked 2 and 3 jobs at a time before. If I can't make enough I'm not going to sacrifice this much for it. I don't care what I do for a living. I just need to support my family!

I really wish you would have asked us for some advice on this. I don't think you would have found much encouragement. Maybe that is why you didn't ask. You may have already known what we would say. I wish the best for you, but I don't think you realize how deep you stepped into it yet.

Wow real encouraging... I'll tell you this. I can live off of $7 or 800 a week. If that's all I make trucking then forget it and I'm walking away. If lease doesn't work out I'm quitting.

Can we SEE a pic of your lease truck, Tim? (Thanks for coming back up in here, too!)

You could post it in your diary; I'll be watching!!!

~ Anne ~

ps: Tell Mr. Matt Mac I'm coming for him, if he doesn't stop back in!!!!

Can we SEE a pic of your lease truck, Tim? (Thanks for coming back up in here, too!)

I think I already did... if there's a picture of the other one it's exactly the same lol

You can certainly do that. You can even do it as a lease operator, but if you think that just changing your category from an employee to a contractor works like a magic wand to turn on the great income, you are really missing something.

The difference between company and lease is I went from 46cpm to 70% of every load. I'm already making more money. The weird thing about that is that they're giving me more miles as a lease op than they were a company driver... they gave me a bunch of rinky dink loads that had me sitting at a customer for 6-8 hours every time and I wasn't making enough to live off of.

Tim, you’re working off percentage (70% is garbage btw) so get mileage out of your head. The point is to generate the most amount of revenue per mile, not turn high miles. I’ve always been curious as to what Prime gives lease ops in regards to fuel surcharge because I can almost guarantee they’re skimming.

Hi Tim,

My only advice to you is to be honest with yourself. Don't be saying you made 5k when you know you have fuel, truck payments, maintenance, ins etc. to pay for. Don't forget to make your estimated quarterly taxes also or you will know the real difference between leasing and company.

Yeah, Tim, I wish you the best of luck and I hope it works out for you in the long run. Otherwise I would have told you that every time you here the word “lease” to run like heck in the other direction.

But since you are already chin deep, there are a few things I might say to you. You are a rookie so be SUPER careful with your truck. Take your time, especially with backing and in off road lots. Distribution centers, truck stops, etc. forget about what other people or drivers think, goal as much as you need to. What I’m saying is that your truck is such a valuable asset to you that you can have a lot of income wiped out by even a so called minor incident. Good luck and keep posting about your success going forward.

The difference between company and lease is I went from 46cpm to 70% of every load. I'm already making more money.

You actually don't know if you are making more money. All you know is you might get a big check this week if you did the math right. That means nothing.

You cannot conflate your CPM rate with your percentage of the load. They are two entirely different things. They are apples to oranges. At this point your miles are unimportant. Your revenue per mile is the important number to focus on. Unfortunately you are the contractor but you can't set your own fees. That is the kind of things I am talking about when I say it is a terrible business model. What business owner allows someone else to dictate how much he will get paid for doing a job? Only a lease operator will put up with that kind of nonsense.

I would rather do less miles at higher rates as a lease operator. That means less wear and tear on the equipment I am paying exorbitant rates on, and it means I am able to have a little say in how much revenue I am charging for my services. A company driver should focus on turning miles. A lease operator should focus on getting the highest revenues. That is what I mean by your lack of experience. You need to know what parts of the country or what freight lanes are paying the best rates. There is no way you have that knowledge yet.

We all go through a steep learning curve in trucking. You just decided you wanted yours to be even more challenging. I hope you can pull it off. If you've got a good dispatcher , who is only dispatching lease operators, they should be able to help you some. They will understand the things you need.

Can we SEE a pic of your lease truck, Tim? (Thanks for coming back up in here, too!)

I think I already did... if there's a picture of the other one it's exactly the same lol

I got it; thanks, good sir! In the diaries section.

Wish you the BEST!!

~ Anne ~

Hi Tim,

My only advice to you is to be honest with yourself. Don't be saying you made 5k when you know you have fuel, truck payments, maintenance, ins etc. to pay for. Don't forget to make your estimated quarterly taxes also or you will know the real difference between leasing and company.

I guess you were right. I didn't make $5000. I made $4100 and yes, that is take home.