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> Drivers also generally pay their own vehicle maintenance, often on trucks their renting from the company that "hired" them. If the statistics are accurate, a

• joe_the_user 5y ago
  Neither of your links support your claims. I don't know if the OP is correct or not but you're just saying "that's obvious false - no evidence, here's the definition of owner-operator". If you think outrageous BS is obviously impossible, you haven't been around in the last few, where many, many abusive and egregious practices have come to light.
  • rascul 5y ago
    I don't have any references that drivers don't pay for maintenance on trucks that they don't own/lease, I know that from friends, family, and myself having worked in the industry. I don't know how to show that here without being able to find any articles about it online. I am well aware that outrageous BS is very possible in the trucking industry, having seen it and been subjected to it myself. It's not new, even if it has recently come to light for people outside the industry. What I tried to show is that the drivers who are paying for their own maintenance on vehicles leased from the company they drive for is smaller than "generally". I don't know of any articles that show those numbers so I tried to show other statistics that would imply it. I thought the way that the comment I replied to could be perceived was unfair.
    • Retric 5y ago
      I think you misread what they said. Drivers also generally pay their own vehicle maintenance, often on trucks their renting from the company that "hired" them. 47% of owner truckers are owner operators and 100% of them are paying for maintenance. Some of the remainder are leasing from the company they work for and also paying for maintenance which is what’s pushing things over 50%.
      • UncleEntity 5y ago
        Lease operator and owner operator are synonymous mostly used to differentiate between those who buy a truck on their own credit and those who lease one and give it back to the company at the end (to usually get another lease). —edit— Should add lease operators almost always do this so they have a warranty on the truck because things get really expensive really fast when they don’t.
      • rascul 5y ago
        > Some of the remainder are leasing from the company they work for and also paying for maintenance which is what’s pushing things over 50%. Those are included in the 47% owner/operators. Edit: Well, the page linked with the statistics doesn't mention it specifically, but I'm not sure why a lease purchase owner/operator would not be included in that number.
        • Retric 5y ago
          Hmm might be different terminology. An uncle owns a mid sized shipping company and described things as owner operators either own the truck outright or lease it from an independent company. Their employer then just pays per trip and maintenance is effectively coming from that payment. Either directly out of pocket or with higher lease payments. The other option was for the employer to own the truck. They might then lease the truck to their employee but the difference is the lease automatically ends if their fired.
    • UncleEntity 5y ago
      If you lease a truck you pay for maintenance as a general rule. Most (guessing here) lease operators also have a factory warranty so only have to pay for normal wear items like tires and brakes. Company drivers pay for nothing related to the truck unless they’re really, really gullible and are working for some super shady outfit. The upside is if you lease a truck you keep most of money from the freight fees and if there’s a warranty your cost are not too outrageous. Source: I drive for an owner/operator leased on to one of the big carriers and due to the way they have the computers set up I can see what the truck gets paid per load.
  • notatoad 5y ago
    the parent commenters' claims are likely sourced from the "last week tonight with john oliver" episode two weeks ago, which covered trucking and made those claims.
    • rascul 5y ago
      Indeed, I saw that episode. I don't recall John Oliver including any indication of how many drivers are doing such a lease purchase arrangement.