Lease-Purchase Trap Calculator
The brutal real-money math on any trucking lease-purchase — including what you'd make as a company driver at the same fleet.
Use left and right arrow keys to adjust by 50 mi. Page Up and Page Down for larger steps. Home for 500, End for 4500. Or type a value into the number field above.
Use left and right arrow keys to adjust by 0.01 /mi. Page Up and Page Down for larger steps. Home for 0.3, End for 1.2. Or type a value into the number field above.
Use left and right arrow keys to adjust by 5. Page Up and Page Down for larger steps. Home for 0, End for 1500. Or type a value into the number field above.
Use left and right arrow keys to adjust by 5. Page Up and Page Down for larger steps. Home for 0, End for 500. Or type a value into the number field above.
Use left and right arrow keys to adjust by 5. Page Up and Page Down for larger steps. Home for 0, End for 600. Or type a value into the number field above.
Use left and right arrow keys to adjust by 5. Page Up and Page Down for larger steps. Home for 0, End for 400. Or type a value into the number field above.
Use left and right arrow keys to adjust by 10. Page Up and Page Down for larger steps. Home for 0, End for 2000. Or type a value into the number field above.
Set to 0 if the lease bills fuel separately.
Use left and right arrow keys to adjust by 5. Page Up and Page Down for larger steps. Home for 0, End for 400. Or type a value into the number field above.
ELD, qualcomm, plates, IFTA prep, etc.
Use left and right arrow keys to adjust by 1 hr. Page Up and Page Down for larger steps. Home for 30, End for 70. Or type a value into the number field above.
Use left and right arrow keys to adjust by 1 wk. Page Up and Page Down for larger steps. Home for 26, End for 260. Or type a value into the number field above.
Use left and right arrow keys to adjust by 100. Page Up and Page Down for larger steps. Home for 0, End for 40000. Or type a value into the number field above.
$1 buyout is best. If 'never-never' lease — set to truck market value.
Use left and right arrow keys to adjust by 0.01 /mi. Page Up and Page Down for larger steps. Home for 0.3, End for 1.2. Or type a value into the number field above.
Their W-2 driver job with no deductions.
Adjust any field on the left and your profit, margin and recommendation appear instantly — no Calculate button.
| Metric | Lease | Company |
|---|---|---|
| Gross / wk | $1,375 | $1,625 |
| Net / wk | $395 | $1,625 |
| Net / year | $19,750 | $81,250 |
| $ / hour | $5.64 | $23.21 |
If the truck's market value at term-end is less than this number, the lease is a wealth transfer to the carrier — not ownership.
7 red flags — any one of these = walk away
- No fixed end date or open-ended payments
- No fixed payoff amount — residual is “fair market value”
- Forced dispatch — you can’t refuse cheap loads
- Uncapped maintenance escrow with no refund
- Maintenance only at carrier-approved shops
- Fuel billed at carrier’s retail rate (not network discount)
- Pay is 5+ CPM below the company-driver job at the same fleet
Lease-purchase FAQs
Is lease-purchase trucking a scam?
Most mega-carrier programs are wealth transfers from driver to carrier. A minority of independent leases with a $1 buyout and capped maintenance are legitimate. The seven red flags below sort them apart.
How much do lease-purchase drivers make?
Typical net is $300–$700 per week after deductions, vs $1,200–$1,800 for an owner-operator on the same miles. One breakdown can wipe out a quarter of earnings.
What is a 'never-never' lease?
A lease where you don't own the truck until every single payment is made. Miss one and you lose every dollar paid in. Walk away from these.
Can I get out of a lease-purchase contract?
Read the walk-away clause. Most contracts forfeit all escrow and payments if you terminate, and some add a 'truck restocking fee' of $2,000–$5,000. If there's no clean exit, the lease is designed to trap you.