Buying vs. Leasing Trailers: Advantages of Each
This is the first in a series about buying vs leasing trailers.
Drizzle was just changing to downpour as Rick ran across the yard to the office.
“Thought it was gonna be dry today,” he said, slamming the door behind him.
“Is it raining?” asked Steve, grinning.
Rick scowled at him and hung his coat over the back of his chair. “You can go check the equipment next time,” he said.
Steve pointed to the pot of coffee he’d just made. “Smell that?” he asked. “You’re welcome. So, how many reefers are down?”
“The report was right—two are at the shop. One needs a new door and the other one has a hole in the roof,” said Rick.
“That leaves us five shy for the Huge Store contract,” said Steve.
“Yep,” said Rick. “Funny how we couldn’t give the dang things away in January but now we don’t have enough.”
“You know what’s even funnier?” asked Steve. “Some of the cash we could use to buy more reefers is tied up in those dry vans we’ve been trying to sell.”
Weigh the benefits of buying vs leasing trailers.
That’s life in trucking. Those risks never go away. The stakes are especially high today in light of rising equipment prices, a shortage of drivers, a glut of expensive regulations and the threat of recession. You have to stop and take a breath every now and then. Think about how you want to improve your business. Weigh the benefits and drawbacks of buying or leasing trailers.
Which of those options takes you where you need to go?
Maybe you’re a staunch I’m-gonna-own-all-my-trailers kind of manager. And maybe a large fleet of owned assets fits your business model.
But maybe there’s room in your plan for a lease.
You’re probably thinking, “Big surprise. XTRA Lease thinks I should lease instead of buy.”
Sure, our company wants to lease trailers, but here’s why we want you to consider leasing some instead of buying all:
Customers tell us that most effective fleets have a combination of rented, leased and owned trailers.
Only you know what the best mix is for YOUR business. Comparing the benefits and drawbacks of buying vs leasing trailers can help you make the best decisions.
This infographic lays out some key advantages of both so you can easily compare. Click on the image to download a PDF.
Here are a few more takes on the buying vs leasing question. Why not check them out?
- Infographic on the advantages of owning and leasing trailers
- Part 2-Buying vs leasing trailers: how do you handle an unpredictable market?
- Part 3-Buying vs leasing trailers: where will your capital go?
- Quiz on buying vs leasing trailers to help you figure out what’s most important to your operation when adding trailers to your fleet.
