Just got my app papers 4 landstar.I am a company driver now and want to go O/O.I live about 1 hr NE of Atlanta.Any thoughts on signing up with L/S would be greatly appreciated.
Landstar
Discussion in 'Ask An Owner Operator' started by bobbyrayl, Oct 17, 2010.
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I leased a truck to Landstar some years ago. I enjoyed the time that I spent with them. I earned a decent living. It takes about 5-6 months to learn how to navigate their system. You won't have anyone pestering you to run. They treat their owner operators more like businessmen rather than company drivers. Their application process usually takes several weeks. I have a friend who applied and wound up going with another carrier due to the length of time it took to get through their process. They are very thorough in their background checks. You will also need a hazmat endorsement with them whether you haul it or not. Landstar makes the owner operator or BCO, as they refer to their owner operators, responsible for their success. There are no dispatchers. It will be up to you to find the better loads and agents who have the better paying freight.
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Thank u G/MAN 4 your input.I do have hazmat,thinking of waiting till 1st of the year,so I can get full tax advantage of 1st yr depreciation of truck that I will buy, of course newer used one.
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You are welcome, bobbyrayl. I would keep in mind the possible length of time it may take to get your application approved by Landstar when you look at your timetable. I would allow several weeks. A friend of mine applied to them and he finally got tired of waiting and leased to another carrier. Landstar apparently uses an outside company to do their driver investigations. It has been so long since I leased to them I don't recall if it took all that long back then or not. When I was leased to Landstar their BCO's always seemed to be a cut above most of the other companies who had owner operators. I am not sure that is still the case. Many carriers have been getting as many bodies as they can. I think that Landstar is still a little more particular about their recruitment process than some. -
To cut the application time provide everything they ask for with the app., don't leave anything out, no mater how insignificant you think it is.
They only hire about 3 out of 100 applicants. Ask when you can expect to hear back, if you don't hear anthing on that date call and ask if they need anything else. -
I'm signed up with Landstar, but not as a BCO. I've got my own Authority and have gotten loads from their loadboard.
JimTheHut Thanks this. -
It doesn't take long to get set up with Landstar as an approved carrier so that you can haul their loads. They don't need to do nearly as many checks as they do with an owner operator. They expect you to have checked your drivers records and they are mostly interested in your insurance, current authority and safety record. Those items are easily checked in a few minutes.
It takes longer to check the background for an owner operator or driver. All carriers are mandated by the feds to check the last 3 years history which includes work, mvr, criminal background and references. When most carriers check your work history they usually fax the request and ask for a return fax from your former employers. If you have a lot of jobs then it will take longer to check your background. They will not hire anyone who has a questionable background.Tokaar Thanks this. -
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Their philosophy is that it could allow you to haul a load rather than sit. I think that it is mostly targeted toward vans, but as far as I know it is still a requirement with them, no matter what you pull. You may want to check with them to be certain. Until they started charging almost $100 for the background check to renew your hazmat, I kept mine. Like you, I rarely hauled a hazmat load. At one time I might have hauled 1 load a year that was hazmat. I would have kept it had they not charged so much for the background check.volvodriver01 Thanks this. -
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