Landstar Questions

Funny, I have NEVER been forced to take a load that I didn't want. I make a fine living at Landstar, but then again, I take responsibility for my own actions. If you fail in a situation that is under your control, for example picking freight to haul, it's no one's fault but your own. I know there are times when freight has been scarce but that's when you get out of your comfort zone and go places and do things you might not normally do to get by. I'm sorry you had a bad experience but to blame your bad decisions on Landstar is just stupid. You chose the freight you hauled, you chose the lanes you ran. At least take responsibility for your actions.

 

The honest truth about it is that Landstar does try to force some drivers to take loads. I’ve been threatened by just about every customer, service agent at Landstar.
I never took any loads that they tried to force me to take. And they never pulled my lease for not taking those loads like they said they would.
I have fellow LS Friends that have taken those loads and now they know it’s just a bluff.
But for some drivers they believe that the threat is real.
If a driver gets a load sheet faxed to them and something changes on that load sheet like the weight increases or the agent says that the customer changed the freight rate. Then any driver has the right to refuse the load. But LS will try to get you to pull the load. (Its just good business). If you say know some of the customer service agents will try to threaten you.

On another note if you were used to making $4k per week and now make less and don’t think you’re losing money, well something is wrong with your thinking if you don’t think you’re losing money. The economy surely is to blame but you shouldn’t make LS out to be the company that still has great freight.
What they have now is crap compared to the beginning of last year and beyond. But it is what it is.

Landstar is not the great company it used to be. Lets at least be honest about that. But you can still make some money here. Not as much in years past. And maybe it will get back to what it used to be. But right now it still sucks compared to what it used to be.

And don’t forget to mention how LS is always trying to take something back out of your settlement check.
Like FSC and Linehaul and what not. They’ll take it in a NY second if you don’t have a load sheet to prove it.
And if anyone chimes in and says this stuff doesn’t happen here, then you’re not being honest about it period.

 

Is L/S worse now? I have no idea because I have only been leased with them two years. They have the best paying freight for what I do bar NONE. The only money ever taken back from me is for escorts/permits. Nothing wrong with that. (Inclusive loads) Why is it folks who can't run their truck without someboby telling them: Pickup at point A then deliver to point B whine they can't make money at L/S?

 

I have no reason to lie to anyone. Never has anybody forced me or tried to force me to take any load PERIOD.

 

OK, I can say that I have never had any of that stuff happen to me. I'm not going to say that it doesn't happen because I wouldn't call someone a liar without all of the facts. In 2 years I have only had to fight for one thing left off of my settlement, it was $150 tarping charge. When I spoke to contractor services they put the money on my settlement card right then.

I have had to turn back loads and never had an issue with customer service about it. The worst part about turning back a load is scrambling to find another one. If a customer service rep ever threatened me with canceling my lease I would have their boss on the phone so fast it would make their head spin. I can say I have never been threatened in that manner.

Yes the freight has been slow. I attribute that to the down economy. Freight has been picking up. Rates are coming back. I live in an area where the freight and rates are still depressed so I go where the freight and rates are good.

I have had a good experience at Landstar. I guess that's why they say you will either love it or hate it here. There are things I may not agree with Landstar on but when I made the decision to lease to them I agreed to follow their rules. No one forced anyone to sign a lease here and if all you went on was a recruiter's word, that is just foolish. I don't like to see anyone fail but this mentality of it's always someone elses fault is ridiculous.

 

Anyone at Landstar - can you tell how things are going in 2010?

All these posts praise the company, is it still a good place with loads?

thanks for an answer.

August 2010

 

I'm doing fine. You must find your own loads. No dispatchers.

 

I make more money staying at home and letting my Flatbed sit. I pick up rock and deliver to constructions sites. It's not as good as it was in years past and most of my friends have quit or they're doing what I'm doing until it picks up.

Freight is still down so it's slow everywhere. It has picked up a bit but rates don't reflect it yet. I did take a load up to Seattle and picked up two LTL's back. But that was 5 weeks ago and I haven't seen anything paying close to that. 5700 out and 5100 back. I used to go up there from texas for 7k so it's not any where near that and It doesn't look like it will be in the near future. Too many drivers haulin heavy for cheap.

There's a group of just twenty of us waiting for it to pick up. Maybe LS will do something to help it out. But we doubt it. It was good while it lasted but if you can do something else I would until it picks up.

 

What is he or she talking about? I could get pass the first sentence. Wow and I wonder why they failed.

 

Does LS have dry-weight or wheelbase limits for their leased trucks?