Interstate Fleet Leasing and Maintenance

Words in [brackets] are blanks you fill in with your own details when you adopt this sample in Supreme Plan AI.

Executive Summary

Interstate Fleet Leasing and Maintenance is a semi truck leasing and maintenance company in Columbus, Ohio, owned by Gary and Linda Ferrell. We lease tractors to owner-operators and small carriers and provide maintenance, repairs and parts.

Why this fits. Freight demand creates ongoing need for trucks, and many small carriers cannot get fair leases or fast service. A company with experienced owners, honest terms and a shop on site can keep drivers earning.

Here is what our numbers show. In Year 1 we plan about 36 truck-lease months, 250 service jobs and 700 parts and roadside sales. That brings in sales of $340,100, growing to $1,178,484 by Year 5. We expect a loss of about $52,700 in Year 1, a loss of about $44,400 in Year 2, a profit of about $48,800 in Year 3 and a profit of about $190,200 by Year 5. The trucks, the shop lease, technician pay and insurance are our largest costs, and the plan counts all of them.

We need $325,000 in total. Of that, $275,000 is startup costs (three used tractors for lease, shop lifts and diagnostics, a service truck, licensing and insurance, a shop deposit and launch marketing), and the rest is cash for the first months. We are putting in $100,000 of our own savings and asking for a $225,000 SBA 7(a) loan.

We are Gary and Linda Ferrell, owners of Interstate Fleet Leasing and Maintenance. These numbers are estimates based on the assumptions listed at the end of this plan, not promises.

Company Description

Interstate Fleet Leasing and Maintenance will be a limited liability company (LLC) in Columbus, Ohio, owned and run by Gary and Linda Ferrell. Gary has driven and maintained semi trucks for decades and has managed a repair shop. Linda handles contracts, compliance paperwork and the books.

What we do:
- Lease and lease-purchase of semi trucks to owner-operators and small carriers.
- Preventive maintenance and repair of tractors and trailers.
- Roadside and mobile service.
- Parts sales for local fleets.
- Compliance help with inspections and records.

Who we serve: Owner-operators, small carriers and local fleets in the Columbus area and nearby highways.

Licensing and insurance. We will register the LLC, carry garage liability, property and commercial insurance, comply with federal and state rules for leasing, inspections and recordkeeping and require lessees to carry the insurance and authority the law requires. We use a lease agreement reviewed by an attorney and follow environmental rules for fluids and waste.

Our promise. Reliable trucks, honest maintenance and fair terms that keep drivers moving.

Where things stand today. The business plan, lease terms and price list are written. The next steps are the shop, the trucks, the insurance and the first lessees.

Problem & Opportunity

Small carriers and owner-operators struggle to afford trucks and to keep them running, and downtime costs them money every day.

What customers run into:
1. Large lease companies with strict terms.
2. Repair shops with long waits.
3. Surprise repair bills.
4. Little help with compliance and inspections.

Why it matters. A truck that is not moving is not earning. Reliable equipment and fast repairs keep small carriers in business.

Products & Services

Interstate will be the Columbus company that gets small carriers rolling and keeps them moving.

What makes us different:
1. Fair lease terms and clear pricing.
2. Preventive maintenance included in lease plans.
3. Fast repairs and mobile service.
4. Honest recommendations.
5. Compliance support.

How a lease works:
1. The driver or carrier applies and we review their authority and insurance.
2. We assign a truck and sign the lease.
3. We maintain the truck on a schedule and respond to breakdowns.
4. We review the lease at renewal and replace trucks as needed.

Why customers stay. Drivers stay for fair terms and fast service, and recommend the company to others.

Market Analysis

Who we serve:
- Owner-operators and new carriers.
- Small fleets of five to twenty trucks.
- Local delivery fleets.
- Drivers who need repair and parts.

How we sized the market. Our Year 1 plan is about 36 truck-lease months, 250 service jobs and 700 parts and roadside sales, a small share of the trucking market in a freight corridor like Columbus. Replace this estimate with your own count of carriers and trucks near you.

Why now. Freight demand creates ongoing need for trucks and repairs, and many small carriers cannot get fair leases or fast service.

Competitive Landscape

What customers can do today:

1. Large truck leasing companies. Strong and strict.
2. Dealership service departments. Skilled and busy.
3. Independent repair shops. Fast and variable.
4. Mobile mechanics. Convenient and limited.
5. Buying a used truck. Costly and risky.

Where we fit. Interstate will be the fair, local leasing and service company that keeps small carriers moving.

Marketing & Sales Strategy

How customers will find us.

Before opening:
- Meet carriers, brokers and driver groups.
- Show lease and service terms at truck stops and events.
- Set up a website and a Google Business Profile.
- Offer an introductory maintenance special.

After opening:
- Ask every customer for a reference.
- Offer lease renewal incentives.
- Visit carriers monthly.
- Share equipment photos and service stories.
- Partner with insurers and brokers.

What we will measure. How drivers heard about us, how many applications become leases and how long lessees stay.

Operations Plan

How the business will run.

Season and schedule. Freight runs all year with seasonal peaks. We schedule preventive maintenance around driver schedules and keep spare trucks for peak periods.

Team. Gary runs the shop and service. One diesel technician works with him in Year 1, and we add technicians as the fleet grows.

Quality and safety. Technicians follow lockout and lifting rules, wear protective gear and manage fluids and waste. We inspect every truck before lease and after repairs and keep inspection records.

Equipment. We will buy three used tractors for lease, shop lifts and diagnostics and a service truck.

Paperwork and money. Lessees sign a lease and pay monthly, and service customers pay at pickup or on short terms. We follow up on anything unpaid after one week and keep a security deposit on leases. We keep the books in simple accounting software and set aside money for taxes and insurance every month.

Management & Organization

The people who will run Interstate Fleet Leasing and Maintenance.

Gary Ferrell, owner and shop manager. He maintains the fleet and manages technicians. Linda Ferrell, owner and office manager. She handles leases, compliance and the books. (Replace this paragraph with your own background.)

Team. One diesel technician in Year 1, growing to three, each certified and trained on safety.

Office. A service advisor joins in Year 2.

Outside advisors. An accountant, an insurance broker, an attorney who reviews contracts and a free mentor from SCORE or the Small Business Development Center.

Staff pay in this plan is a full year per person: owner / Shop Manager $60,000; diesel Technician $55,000; service Advisor $38,000. Replace them with the pay you can offer where you live.

Milestones Narrative

Our goals and when we plan to reach them.
- Before opening (4 months ahead): register the LLC, lease the shop, buy the first trucks and equipment, set up insurance and sign the first lessees.
- Year 1: about 986 lease months, jobs and sales with Gary and one technician; $340,100 in sales and a loss of about $52,700.
- Year 2: about 1,548 and a service advisor; $532,944 in sales and a loss of about $44,400.
- Year 3: about 2,110 and a second technician; $735,480 in sales and a profit of about $48,800.
- Year 4: about 2,672 and more trucks; $950,452 in sales and a profit of about $95,300.
- Year 5: about 3,234 and a third technician; $1,178,484 in sales and a profit of about $190,200.
Growth depends on winning and keeping customers, so treat the later years as goals, not promises.

What we check every week: trucks on lease, utilization, service jobs, parts margin, unpaid invoices and cash in the bank.

Funding Request

How much we need and how we will use it. Total we are raising: $325,000.

How we got that number. The Funding Need Calculator in this plan adds up three things:
- Startup costs of $275,000, listed item by item in the Startup Costs section: $165,000 for three used tractors for lease, $40,000 for shop lifts and diagnostic equipment, $15,000 for service truck, $5,000 for LLC filing and attorney review of lease agreements, $20,000 for garage liability, property and commercial insurance, first payment, $12,000 for shop deposit and first month's rent, $5,000 for signs, branding and website, $5,000 for launch marketing, $8,000 for opening parts inventory.
- The cash the business uses before it breaks even, about $0. Sales cover the daily costs once the doors open, so the cash we need up front goes mostly to startup costs.
- A cash cushion of about $47,500: three months of Year 1 operating costs.
- Together, the cash used before break even and the cushion come to about $47,500, and the three pieces add up to about $322,500, rounded up to the nearest $500: $322,500.
We are raising $2,500 more than that, $325,000 in all, to cover a slower first season than planned. With this funding, the lowest year-end cash balance is about $22,200, at the end of Year 2.

Where the money comes from:
- Our own money: $100,000.
- SBA 7(a) loan: $225,000.

Kind of funding we are looking for. An SBA 7(a) loan from a lender that finances small businesses, backed by our savings and the equipment and inventory as collateral.

How we will pay it back. We expect a loss of about $52,700 in Year 1, a loss of about $44,400 in Year 2, a profit of about $48,800 in Year 3, a profit of about $95,300 in Year 4 and a profit of about $190,200 in Year 5. With this funding, the business has money in the bank at the end of every year of the plan. Our loan is the SBA 7(a) loan at 10.5% over 10 years, $3,036 a month. That payment is already included in our cash flow. We chose these as cautious planning rates; ask the lender for the real rates, which may be lower or higher.

What we are offering the lender: the equipment and a personal guarantee.

A smaller first step, if needed. If we cannot raise the full amount right away, we can start smaller and grow into this plan:
- Phase 1: start with a few trucks and the shop, which lowers the startup costs and the loan.
- Phase 2: once the first trucks are leased, add trucks and technicians and follow this plan.
To plan the smaller start, make a copy of this plan (use Duplicate) and lower the numbers to match.

All numbers in this plan are estimates. We will update them as real results come in.

Appendix Notes

Documents to attach before you send this plan:

- Your resume and a personal financial statement (a list of what you own and what you owe; lenders usually provide a form).
- Business registration papers and your EIN (your business tax number from the IRS, free at irs.gov).
- Your business license and proof of insurance.
- A sample lease agreement and driver application.
- Quotes for the tractors, lifts and service truck.
- A list of carriers and drivers you plan to serve.
If you don't have any of this yet, no worries - let's continue.

The assumptions behind our numbers (change them in the Financials section to match your own):
- Truck Leases (per month): about $2,600 in Year 1, rising to $2,926; about $450 in direct costs, rising to $506; about 36 in Year 1, growing to 84.
- Maintenance and Repair Service: about $650 in Year 1, rising to $732; about $280 in direct costs, rising to $315; about 250 in Year 1, growing to 850.
- Parts and Roadside Sales: about $120 in Year 1, rising to $135; about $70 in direct costs, rising to $79; about 700 in Year 1, growing to 2,300.
- A truck lease averages about $2,600 per truck per month, a service job about $650 and a parts or roadside sale about $120.
- Prices rise about 3% a year.
- Equipment ($220,000 in Year 1) covers three used tractors for lease, shop lifts and diagnostics and a service truck, and later years ($40,000, $40,000, $40,000 and $40,000) replace and add equipment.
- Pay (a full year, per person): owner / Shop Manager $60,000; diesel Technician $55,000; service Advisor $38,000.
- Other yearly costs in Year 1: shop Lease and Utilities $36,000, insurance $20,000, tools and Equipment Upkeep $8,000, marketing $6,000, software and Admin $5,000. These grow between 4% and 6% a year.
- Customers and payers pay about 15 days after service, so at the end of Year 1 about $13,604 is still owed to us. Income tax at 21%.
- Every dollar amount is an estimate. Replace them with your own quotes and research.

Startup Costs