Landstar Questions

i have to agree with overdalimil. if you are willing to do what others aren't, you will always do better than most. yuo will also always be acused of being under the desk all the time. i just go with it and laugh all the way to the bank!
i live 45min west of indy right off 74. i think ls would be a good choice to make good money,have the freedom to run when and where i chose. i love the idea of not haveing to kiss the ##### of a dispatcher to keep running hard.
the company i am with is going to electronic logs next mounth and i am a little nervous about that. i know that everybody will be going there soon enough, sooo i am thinking of moveing to ls to learn the system befor they put the shackels on.
i just feel it in my bones that i will thrive there. the main reason being is that i will go wherever the money takes me. then get back home asap. i can't see where i can go wrong liveing next to indy.

 

hey, i forgot to aske about ls passanger policy. whats the age limit? do you have to be there very long before they let u have passangers? if i can take my kids with me this summer( one at a time of coarse) that would be a major factor in my mind. my company won't let me have any passangers because we pull mostly haz in a tank.

 

First things first ,

have you already been approved for L/S ?

That takes a little bit of time.

 

No kids are authorized as passengers at L S. Must be over 18. Having said that I have seen kids on L S trucks.

 

Yeah, I almost forgot...... I would MOST SURELY buy a another step but this time with the third axle..... BUT!!!!!!! BUT!!!!!!!! the rear axle has got to be a lift axle for California, or did I say that right????? Also, spec the trailer with the 19 Inch wheels (versus 22.5 or 24.5) because I missed quite a few loads with my step that I could have pulled but my bottom deck height wasn't quite low enough....

 

I was on another site (Truck.net) and was inquiring about Landstar and someone pm'ed me and told me good luck and gave me a password.... I felt that was a Excellent gesture (almost a God send) and didn't ask where he/she got it from. I was really sceptical about LS before that mysterious person gave me that password because I too had asked many bco's about it and got mixed reviews, so I was nervous. I watched the board MONTHS before I actually contacted them and did MOCK loads from areas that I knew I wanted to run. That persons assistance pushed me over the fence into LS's arms.....LOL.

 

I could be wrong but "No One" has a KIDS rider policy... Not sure why but every compnay that I've seen has a 18yo limit..... I'm prolly wrong and it wouldn't be the first time.


MILSKRED, YEP! to your question..... I can prove your point.... I run ALOT......ALOT of loads in the Illinois area (Chicago) simply because my brother LIVES there..... I also stated that in one of my other posts. I did it with the Van trailer, and even more with the Step. I ALWAYS.... ALWAYS found something out and didn't have to go far to load. On the van trailer I brought motoroil, loading in my front door, and reloaded one, of the tons of loads, going to Texas. My biggest problem was wanting to hang out longer with my brother but a load out was NO problem. I have made boo koo's of trips into the area... My backhauls originated from Illinois or Indiana. Now, I'm not sure if this was the reason for the STRONG freight base out/into Chicago and surrounding areas but LS has a TERMINAL in Rockford, Illinois. So i'm kinda thinking that salesmen (Agents) are in the area looking for work... and also I've heard about the drivies appreciations that are hold at that terminal and I remember a guy telling me he got help getting out (Illinois) after he attended the appreciations. Plus when you go to a terminal, loads will be posted on the stick board that are in the area, I know it was like that in Grand Prairie, Texas.

I PERSONALLY, know you can get in/out of Illinois.... Plus, when you switch from van to platform trailer, LS sends you to get your equipment (chains, binders, tarps, headache rack, etc.) from Tri-City Canvas which is in Illinois. They'll finance it for you under certain conditions but that's another perk that we'll get into later....... like them loaning you money for equipment repairs if your a revenue producer and been there long enough..... but that's another story.

 

Yeah I noted that about the axles being lifts. I would want all of them being lift axles so if you wanted to you could make that 10 2 split for that 40K back there and not wear that one axle worth of tires. Also I was told that the 17.5 inch rims would be the best because that makes it even lower. I already would not go with the 22.5 or 24.5 just for the fact they are to big and make that deck height way up there.

 

Yeah... then they're the drivers that claims that the 17.5's don't hold up but I really don't believe that. I knew someone with the 17.5's and he stated that people laughed when he bought the trailer because they claimed he wouldn't be able to keep tires from coming apart but he said as long as you keep them inflated (which is what you should do anyway) you won't have a problem. I can say, for a fact, that that 3 axle trailer, with the 17.5's would have netted me MORE money because now you are able to haul some of the 'HEAVY HAUL' loads..... it is worth it or should I say when I was at LS, it would have been worth it! That's a tough little piece of specialized equipment just this side of a RGN or DD, in my opinion.. but the step allows you to do a little more..... a rgn has what 30 feet in the well, unless it's a stretch.... and this trailer has the capability of having 40 feet on the deck but just not as low as a RGN or DD and the loading issue is solved by having 'RAMPS'. I would definitely write a check for one of those trailers.... in a heart beat!

 

Does anybody have first hand (like owns one) experience with the 17.5 tire size trailers as to how many miles you would expect to get from those tires and brakes. I know the shop I use always has trouble with getting brakes when his lowboy customers comes in to get new brakes. It seems the suppliers does not regularly stock the relined shoes for those size drums. Several times he had to send those shoes to be relined which can take an extra day or two for the brake job.