Should I rent/lease a truck from Ryder or Penske?

You're not ready for it. You already think "miles & miles - more miles = more money - I'll get a team driver with me and run more miles".... WRONG..... it's about rates and running less miles for higher rates. There are lots of people out here who think like you that screw it up for people who know what they are doing. Lots of them running for nothing, or less than nothing, and going broke. You have zero knowledge of the industry you'll get chewed up and spit out like most of the others who thought about miles and miles. That is, if you can even afford to get insured. I know it ain't what you want to hear but you need to. It's not that difficult but there are company drivers with 20 years experience who can't figure it out. I predict rough roads ahead and several years of running in the red, if you can even make it thru the first 6 months, or first downtime, if you try to go thru with this foolish idea. It seems like a couple of times a month somebody posts a thread like this almost seems like a troll topic. Good luck whatever you do.

 

Any money you make will go towards fuel & truck rental.

 

the fact you are thinking of RENTING a truck from penske or ryder. PROVES you are not ready to start a trucking business yet.

you apparently haven't even looked at the fees. which will kill you more then a brand new truck and trailer payment.

 

Forget renting.

This is exactly what I did when I was in college. I worked all the breaks and summer months. I bought a truck. Paid $5,500 for a well maintain 1981 cabover. That truck never left me on the side of the road. At first I was only 19 so I ran grain and hay around Indiana. I started running flatbed once I turned 21. I tried the miles thing first summer over 21 after running 3500-4500 miles every week I was never so glad to go back to school.
　

Find a nicely maintain truck cheap. That way it can sit while in school and not cost you anything.

 

Yep. You said you already have work lined up.