article about lease/purchase drivers

Charity's Van · Jun 20, 2017

Here is an article about the port driver in Los Angeles. It is about them having to use newer trucks that pass emissions and how the trucking companies lease/purchase them to drivers. These drivers dont make much money as all their pay is going to the truck and other payments. If they fall behind or quit all the money they paid in is lost.

Rigged. Forced into debt. Worked past exhaustion. Left with nothing.

Moot · Jun 20, 2017

You haul twenty tons, what do you get?
Another day older and deeper in debt
Saint Peter, don't you call me 'cause I can't go
I owe my soul to the company store

Apologies to Merle Travis.

rollincoal · Jun 20, 2017

Its hard to feel sorry for anyone who willingly signs up for this. And some of those drivers didnt even know what they were signing..... But even if they did read the contract most people will actually knock down the doors to sign up for a rip off lease purchase contract. Just hand them the keys to a shiny new semi truck and they are happy as can be. Yeah its predatory. And the companies offering these arrangements get exactly what they deserve when these contractors are found to legally be employees.

geo · Jun 21, 2017

it is a bad thing to buy from some one you lease for as some one is always loosing a truck
if you lease a unit lease it from some one who is not handing out freight

xiggi · Jun 21, 2017

It would seem the ones handing out freight would want to keep you moving to pay them money.

Moot · Jun 22, 2017

Never lease from the man with the strings in his hand. Rex Campbell

Moot · Jun 23, 2017

xiggi said:
It would seem the ones handing out freight would want to keep you moving to pay them money.

It depends on the carrier and their business ethics or lack of ethics. A lease-purchase program can be just another source for profit like leasing a Qualcomm unit at exorbitant prices. Back in the day Midwestern Distribution out of Fort Scott, Kansas were the masters of the lease-purchase truck scam. This company probably made as much money, if not more from their lease-purchase scam than they did from hauling freight.
.

beachbum · Jun 23, 2017

If say anyone that's leasing a truck from a company or in most cases leased onto a company are really employees if you go by what the IRS rules are. Just my opinion.

Independent Contractor Defined

Independent Contractor (Self-Employed) or Employee?

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TimesAreAChanging · Jun 24, 2017

All things were going along fine with a large trucking company I was going to lease on with until they realized I was buying a new truck through a dealer and not one of theirs. They were no longer interested. Also the specs they sent me in writing (which I requested) on their truck did not match what they told me over the phone. How and why did picking up a load at location A and delivering to location B become so complicated? Perhaps to control who gets what money and how much? Not because it's Rocket Science. I do find it kind of amusing that immigrants that don't speak english can purchase a truck, get insurance, break driving laws and then win court battles. If it's a great deal you probably won't be included and if it's a bad deal you will be, because you are known to be desperate. A little like Wall Street.