By R.L.”Pa Russ Mauzy”

Lately, I have heard many company drivers tell me that they started out being a lease driver, only to find that they weren’t making any money so they gave up their lease and became a company driver.  There are too many drivers out there saying that they don’t know how lease drivers make any money and I tell them that I have no complaints.  Don’t get me wrong, I’m not making money hand over fist, but I am surviving out here.  If I wanted to put a little more effort into “MY BUSINESS” I could probably find more ways to save money, but I’m surviving and happy now, with very little effort.

First of all, any lease driver needs to realize that the money they “take home” isn’t all the money they are making.  The truck payment, insurance payment, maintenance payments, etc. are all part of your pay.  Being a lease driver is more than driving a truck, you are running your very own business and as such, your operating costs are part of your pay.  Remember, you are building equity in your business.

Before deciding to become a lease driver, the driver should be ready to commit yourself to the company you are leased to.  A lease driver doesn’t usually “take home” much more money than a company driver but he does build that equity in his business.  If you aren’t willing to complete the lease agreement, don’t even think about leasing on somewhere as all you are doing then is accepting some of the headaches involved with being a business owner with no rewards i.e. ownership of your truck.

With that being said, there are a few simple things that a lease driver can do to keep more money in their pocket.  Some of these tips will also help company drivers keep some of their money as well.

My first tip is very simple, KEEP IT LEGAL.  Getting a citation on the road will cost you!  A simple traffic citation can cost you several days’ worth of pay, not to mention the points on your license which can even raise your personal vehicle insurance.  When getting a citation you may also find yourself being inspected, thus possibly finding other violations, and with the new CSA2010 program, you get points against you that could keep you from being hired or worse in the future.  I know they claim that the DOT will not be issuing fines based on CSA scores, however, with a bad rating it may draw the attention of investigators down the road who will find something else and some of those federal fines go up to $10,000 plus some have jail time associated with them.

Secondly, DO NOT LIMIT YOUR POTENTIAL.  I have heard many drivers tell their dispacthers that they will not haul certain freight or go into certain regions, i.e. the Northeast.  Remember, when you limit yourself, you may miss out on the last load available.  I have also found that if you are willing to help out your dispatcher by doing something you’re not really happy about, they remember that and they will help you in the future.  The old saying, “If you scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours” is very appropriate here.

Third, KEEP YOUR OBLIGATIONS.  When you agree to a load and agree to deliver a load at a specific time, be on time.  Of course there are times when unforeseen issues arise and you are going to be late on a delivery.  When these happen, be sure to communicate with your dispatcher.  In fact, I have found that, when possible, I try letting the receiver know the situation as well.  If you want to run a professional business you have to treat your customers, whether it’s the receiver or your company, in a professional way.  If they can’t rely on you to do what you have agreed to do they will eventually stop using you completely. If you are a lease driver you may not realize this but there are possible financial penalties that the company can impose if you are late on loads.  If you become totally unreliable you could even lose your lease or be fired if you are a company driver.  When this happens, your reputation as a dependable driver has gone down the tubes and other companies will avoid hiring you.

There are several other ways to keep money in your pocket that I won’t go into detail on. Avoid idling your truck.  Most of Riverside Transport’s trucks have the APUs installed, use them to your advantage.  Don’t abuse your equipment by always driving at top speeds.  Be easy on your brakes and tires.  You can do this by not tailgating and watching further up the road.  If you see brake lights come on ¼ mile or more ahead, ease off the accelerator so you aren’t “surprised” when you have to stop ahead. I also suggest avoiding spending time at the truck stops.  When in the truck stop it is almost inevitable that you see something that you just can’t live without, that you’ve been living without. I know, these are simple, common sense tips but sometimes we all need to be reminded how to use our own common sense.

Lastly, AVOID THE SHOP.  I know that this might not be easy to do if you are having mechanical issues but there are drivers who tend to run to the shop every time something minor is wrong with their truck. If you are sitting at the shop, you aren’t making any money plus you are paying more and more in maintenance fees. If it’s something minor, that isn’t a DOT violation, hold off to get your repairs made when you get your regular service done. Lease drivers pay a deductible every time we go to the shop so keep your deductibles at a minimum.  Again, with company drivers, you may not have the expense but if you are at the shop, you aren’t driving, and if you aren’t driving, you aren’t making money.

Of course, these are not the only ways to save money but these simple tips will help you keep some more of what you’ve earned in your pocket. Don’t let leasing a truck be a scary experience, just run your business smart.  It is YOUR BUSINESS.

Drive Safe and Smart!