Newbie Landstar questions

Discussion in 'Landstar' started by F4T6UY, Apr 13, 2020.

  1. F4T6UY

    F4T6UY Medium Load Member

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    Oct 24, 2017
    Very South Texas
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    Buying a truck and looking at leasing to Landstar. My question is about plates. Do I have to run Landstar’s plates or can I get my own? If so, what would be the benefits to running my own plates or running Landstar’s plates?

    Of course, this would be my first venture out from the comfy company cradle, so plenty of more stupid questions to come.
     
    Coffey Thanks this.
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  3. Judge

    Judge Road Train Member

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    Your plates are going to cost $1750 upfront, theirs they take out like $150/week after the 5th week.
    When they “hire” you and you do orientation that’s when they start taking out for insurance and elog usage.
    Will be about a -$300 before you haul your first load.
    But it is just on paper, never had another once I got a trailer and keep moving.

    I run what I call regional, no further west of Tx north all the way up to Canada, no further NE than Pa. and all states inbetween.
    I will go to Florida if it pays enough to get out.

    Find good agents is the key to success, stay away from the “Hey buddy, I got you good load.”
    Listen though he might, but you know how big a mite is?
     
  4. Brandt

    Brandt Road Train Member

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    Your buying a truck now in this economy. I had my own truck at Landstar for 10 years and now back driving a company truck. Landstar is good when lot of freight. Landstar sucks when the rates drop because the economy is slowing down. We are just coming off the highest freight rates in like 50 years. Hope your ready to run some cheap rates. Back when I was at LS the loads were paying $1.40-$2.20 per mile
     
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  5. Judge

    Judge Road Train Member

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    Last couple loads I hauled were 3.28/mile
    2.27/mile and that took me to 4.65/ mile from Memphis.
    I haul a ton for them, 90 miles from the house, hauled for that agent for 2 weeks pulling another companies trailer.

    sometimes you luck out of finding who to work with.
     
    F4T6UY, T.Rucker and dwells40 Thank this.
  6. Brandt

    Brandt Road Train Member

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    Those are crazy rates. I would think they will drop. The load board was nothing great back when I was at LS. Then LS would say things like only 30% of the load even make it to the load board. So you had to know who had the good loads. Lots of little tricks people might not know. Like some agents have their own trucks. Some agents are wife's of drivers. I remember the one driver got me great load. Because he knew who to call. Yeah it was his wife. Their is agent in Nogales Az great guy but he will always take of of his friends first. He never had to post his loads.
     
  7. Brandt

    Brandt Road Train Member

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    Agents would post loads on the load board that were not real. They would call in the morning and ask a shipper if they had any loads. They would, so the LS agent will post them. Then you call, and they now call the shipper to see if the load is still available. It's not available because another trucking company got the load. See the agents could not book a load because they don't have any trucks. They just list it and hope it still available if a LS drive calls about it. That why you would see old loads listed on the load board.

    Some agents would post fake loads. You would call and he would have 8 loads listed and not a single one was available. They would not take them off the load board
     
  8. dosgatos

    dosgatos Medium Load Member

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    Landstar takes just under $39/week on plates. The physical damage is monthly. 20200414_081440.jpg
     
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  9. Oakland Raiders Forever

    Oakland Raiders Forever Medium Load Member

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    Where are you seeing that posted at ?

    Heard every single day ...

    Last time I talked to a Landstarve agent he told me they have over 1500 agents and around 6000 trucks , yes it’s way out of balance but it is what it is.
     
  10. F4T6UY

    F4T6UY Medium Load Member

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    Very South Texas
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    Bought! And I agree with everything you said, but, I paid cash for the truck I like what I paid, and I can afford to sit on it and keep my company job for now and wait things out while I get all my Ducks in a row.
     
    Smut, SteelTownClown, Coffey and 3 others Thank this.
  11. Brandt

    Brandt Road Train Member

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    That's how it was when I was at LS. I would call about load posted and agent said it was not available. Then ask about any of the load they had posted none were available. Because they are independent angers just like the drivers LS would not do anything about it.

    They had agents in Laredo TX and the drop yard. They had guy in charge of the trailer pool in Laredo Ernie. They found out he was playing games and holding trailer for the agents. So driver could not get empty and get out of Laredo. They fired him. Then LS trailer control would not let anyone bobtail to say Dallas and get a trailer. So you were forced to haul the cheap preloaded loads nobody wanted. I see LS has a new yard in Laredo so maybe they changed stuff. The agents in Laredo owned the drop yard that's why LS would never do anything about all the BS going on in Laredo.

    Some people do great at LS but I think most don't. Just like me most drive older trucks. When I was their I'm not joking about this. Once a load was posted on the load board if it paid ok money. It would be gone in like 30 seconds. You could not dial the phone number fast enough. That's how desperate drivers were looking for loads. Maybe it better today. It been 4 years since I was at LS

    I got on hurricane Katrina with LS. I had to call the agent 4 days trying get on FEMA loads. I sat 4 days in Houston and on my last day waiting I finally got on. I made great money during that LS was getting $1,000 a day and that was $600 to me. So it not all bad but it was not easy.
     
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