Western Express Lease Purchase....thoughts???

After speaking with them, the deal they offer is for a 2011 freightliner with 156 monthly payments..

Darren, welcome to the forum!

Hey man I am a company driver at Western Express, and I stay really busy, I make good money, and I don't have a care in this world when it comes to maintenance, nor major repairs on my truck. I had a 2011 Freightliner with that Detroit Diesel engine that dropped a valve last year - are you prepared to pay 32,000.00 to replace the engine, because that's what it cost - I saw the paper work on it. If you can swallow that kind of medicine you are an ideal candidate for the leasing program.

Darren, I'm wondering if you realize that a 2011 truck is going to have close to 400,000 miles on it already, and if you are running it hard enough so that you can break even on that lease, in three years from now that truck will have close to one million miles on it! Yep, and then according to the lease terms you mentioned above you will still have ten years worth of payments left on it?

Does that really sound appealing to you? You know when you say 156 monthly payments real fast it sounds like gravy, but when you use your head and say what it really is THIRTEEN YEARS, it sounds, well, it sounds like you're getting sucker punched to me.

Just my opinion, but hey what do I know, I'm just a truck driver.

How much they paying per mile!? If its the industry average I say forget about it.

I'm also thinking of the lease purchase through western. Its not 156 months... Its 152 weeks... And the pay is ok. Better than most. No trailer rental fee. 1.80 to 3.00 per mile. Depending on load value. It pays percentage at 80% gross. They have have trucks from 2012 to 2014 and range from 0 miles to 300k any more than 300k and they use them a trade ins. An old co worker is in the lease purchase with them and he brings home around 1300 a week. His wife is a book keeper and sets aside certain % towards fuel, maitnance, taxes.

I'm also thinking of the lease purchase through western. Its not 156 months... Its 152 weeks...

152 weeks is just under 3 years. Are they saying your truck will be paid off by then or will you have a balloon payment that you'll need to get a loan for, at that point?

-mountain girl

I'm also thinking of the lease purchase through western. Its not 156 months... Its 152 weeks...

152 weeks is just under 3 years. Are they saying your truck will be paid off by then or will you have a balloon payment that you'll need to get a loan for, at that point?

-mountain girl

No balloon payment. Trucks yours with last lease payment. They have a insurance also. Where if you get hurt or work slows down it will cover any missed payments. Almost like an escrow account. They give you 1 payment then the more you make the more that goes into the account. So say at end of lease work slows down. No worries. You have $xxxxx.xx to cover your a$$ so you don't loose the truck.

Are they offering you a better deal if you sign up now or could you get the same plan if you sign up later?

-mountain girl

The company I run for now is doing the frac sand here in the north east. Pays better than any otr. I gross 1800 a week if I don't have any problems. Like this week I've been stuck since Friday. Ac clutch bearings ceased up and broke my serpentine belt. And thanks to the holiday no parts until tommrow (Monday). I've had nothing but bad luck here.... Antique equipment and poor maitnance = more down time than working.

I don't know. They have been advertising this deal for 2 weeks now. So I don't know how long it will last. Its supposed to be their new pay package bit I don't know.

I don't know. They have been advertising this deal for 2 weeks now. So I don't know how long it will last. Its supposed to be their new pay package bit I don't know.

No worries. I was just curious. Maybe you could ask 'em.

Somehow, the only way they're going to do this is if they make a profit, themselves, or it's to their financial benefit in some way.

Whatever the arrangement, no matter how attractive it looked from here, today ...I'd join the company and wait 3-, 6- 12-months or longer, just to see how great-of-a-deal it looks like once you've gotten a feel for them and the industry itself. There's a tendency to want to jump in with both feet and go for it - an admirable quality - and they're capitalizing on that while they can -eh, maybe a little sneaky of them.

They know full well, your enthusiasm might wane over time, once you become more knowledgeable about the lease program, trucking, the company, etc. Is that because they are aware that there are things you couldn't possibly know now that, once you did, there'd be no chance in h*** you'd sign up?

Try not to find yourself saying, "If I knew then what I know now, I never would've done ... (fill in the blank)" There's no harm in waiting, right?

Just thinking out loud, here ...

-mountain girl

...Sorry, I just re-read some of your stuff and see that you're already working for another company, so you're not totally new to all this. I just know that some of this kind of thing shows up in other industries like real estate and the new guy in the company gets lured into these offers to buy into it early.

Still no harm in waiting to lease, right?

-mountain girl