Give one of them your phone number once when your navigating through busy traffic. You'll make up your mind pretty quick...lol...

He is probably judging them on their ability to get the job done and days to pay their bills.

I brokered quite a bit of freight through one of Werners brokers. Great company on my end. They paid in less than 30 days and their rates were always very very good. If I told you the rates I was getting, you would call me a liar if you were one of their company drivers. Because I know what their drivers were getting, and it was ugly.

Mike

We hauled for Allen Lund for quite a few years. We hauled produce and there were no other middle guys besides Allen Lund. We made out quite well doing it that way. We were not leased on to any company.

Since produce is seasonal we got out of it and leased on with companies here and there.
Someone mentioned Sammons? They're a Joke. Using Agents. Sammons gets their cut, the agent gets their cut and what's left for you?

There's a difference between hauling for straight brokers and working with agents. Your rates will go down leased on with a company, and then working with agents. Everyones got to get their cut of the money.

I'm not sure if Allen Lund deals with general freight, but they do have a fantastic produce line going. They deal straight with the farmers.

Forget the Agents. If you don't work straight with one broker, you're road kill.
Want to make money? Don't work with hand me down freight.
A company or broker should have their own customer. That's where you'll make the money.
All these companies that have agents, should be locked up and keys thrown away.

You're absolutely Right on that one FiveMouthstofeed. I never thought of it that way. There is no such thing as " BACK HAUL" ! Tha'ts just someone trying to give away cheap freight, knowing you're trying to get back to a destination.

We use to use Carrol Fulmer and CH Robinson as a "back haul" . Not really a back haul but a load to get to florida . Then in florida we'd pick up watermelons or potatoes from Allen Lund.
Our so called "Back haul " to florida from CH Robinson and Carrol Fulmer were cheapy loads. But they do have a good reputation and we liked them.

Has anyone used Werner's Value Added Services VAS? They have a lot of freight, some just once in awhile loads, some dedicated, power only and lots of other things. The only thing that might make you crazy is getting to be an approved carrier and you have to do that before you can get freight from them. They have offices around the country but arent like the CHRobinson things, the Werner offices operate all the same for every office. So, you know what you're dealing with. Just thought I would put it in here for what its worth.

Value added services? The only value being added is to their pocketbooks everytime someone takes one of their cheap loads for less than they pay their lease carriers. Werner is no different than Swift, Schneider, JB Hunt or even CHR, Lund, TQL.

If you want to see what good freight really pays, find some real brokers, not these big 90 cent a mile trucking companies/brokers.

I guess you missed my question, I asked if anyone had ever used them... I know some drivers with smaller carriers than the Werners of the world who have and they didn't think their companies had any problems with the loads or getting paid. I just wondered if anyone on this post had used them, that's all. Didn't mean to get anyone wired over the question.

Werner World?? And Wally World ! What a Team! hee, hee,

I wouldn't think Werner would have higher paying freight.
That is one large company that outbids many other companies , on contracts at cheaper rates to move someones freight.

Never knew Wormer had VAS. Do they advertise this?

Yes they do outbid many other companies, all the big carriers do. As you well know they use the cheaper lanes to reposistion trucks. Not going to get into a thing here to defend what they do cause I really don't care. All I am saying is that they do have a brokerage called Value Added Services. The drivers I've talked to whose companies used it said that they had no problems. I looked at their website and its on there. Just an FYI.

__________________
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Lucinda Basset

What is the main difference between all these brokers who only ask for verification of authority and insurance, AND a broker like Landstar that seems to require an employment application (verified experience, background check etc.) even if you are your own business?

The Broker's that are being referred to on this thread are brokers and these people are hauling frieght for them as a carrier(using their own operating authority). The situation that you are describing with Landstar is owner operators who are leasing on to Landstar and using Landstar's operating authority.

You are comparing owner operators/carriers with operating authority to owner operators without operating authority(the Landstar scenario).

Yes, Landstar also broker's loads to other carriers, but the scenario you are asking about is what I was elaborating on.