Landstar Questions

I know a driver not to far from me who hauls for him (thats how I heard of him) and the driver says the money averages out a little better but the types of loads are alot lighter, and easier to load/no tarping and where you pick up and deliver you have to work real hard to get lost. mostly 1500 plus mile runs and he is staying busy

the agent has his own reasons for wanting the trucks to sign on with him instead of directly to landstar,

 

Does Landstar have good paying freight for the most part?

Do they hire drivers from Alabama?

I live about 50 miles south of Huntsville Alabama.

Thanks

 

Can anyone tell me if the revenue listed on landstars load board, is that paid to the truck or is that the total amout for the load and the truck get a percentage of that amount?

 

you wish

that's the gross. multiply it by whatever percentage youd be getting. Like 65%

 

I'm new to becomming an O/O. I have ran for one for a while and got the hang of the daily issues of being an O/O. I'm being courious of getting my own truck and this is what I've come up with but have questions..

truck payment monthly $2200 (figuring on a new truck now)
insurance monthly- 575
maintance savings .05 a mile
plates/permits- roughly $65 a week
workmans comp-$20

Broken down into weekly payments
truck payment -550
insurance-144
plates/permit $65
workmans comp- $5
Total- $764

I think it would be hard to guesstimate fuel b/c of the various runs but saying you do avg 2500 miles a week and 620gal # 2.25per gal = 1395 and maintance totaling $150 a week

total w/ fuel = 2229

you guys with me so far?
If you run say 2500 paid miles in a week (being fair on the mileage) # $1.20 (giving a low ball figure for the week and not including FSC) you end up with $3000 gross revenue and you can put 771 to YOU not the truck a week. (me I can live on $600 a week after taxes)

If this is all pretty much accruate in #'s why the heck is everyone complaining? I've seen the load board about 2 weeks ago thru a friend who let me peer over his shoulder. From what I've seen with Dry Van there are quite a few loads that avg AT LEAST $1.20. If you follow the freight and not choose loads cuz you want to be or go thru at a specific area???
But Overall, you get freedom, the truck you want (or satisfied with) rather being forced into something you don't like when your a company driver. And if your like me, I dont have a reason to go home, no dependants, house payment. I can roam about the country while making $. LS sounds like a good deal if I have what I think is right on paper?
Now I was also told that the load price on the board has had it's LS % already taken out? And also that there is a quota that LS has to all drivers of $10.5k a month or you'll never make it? Not sure if they fire you or whatever but that there is a quota? Which honestly I don't think would be too hard to do unless you sit in truck stops or at the house.
Am I on the right track here???

 

Truer words have never been spoken. And, the bonus is, IF you'll start out with a lot less truck payment, you'll also save yourself at least half of that monthly insurance cost.

 

it looks good on paper but say you blow a tire, take a rock in the windshield and get told by DOT you need to get a brake drum replaced all within two weeks and that $.05 will not be enough. And if you put that on top of a slow week, a jump in fuel prices and add in an a misc. expense and you are behind. put a couple of weeks like that together and you are in a deep hole. I suggest having at least a couple grand in savings to fall back on and some more stashed away for emergencys. Unless you are able to get a new truck every couple of years you are going to run into increasingly larger repair bills and the trucks that are sold used, you need to keep in mind that they have most likely been driven by greenhorns and have been mantained by big company standards. i.e. oil/lube every 25000 miles at earliest and only the cheapest oil and fuel and fuel filters used. that will suck a lot of miles out of the engine. thats just the tip of having your own truck, my favourite is tax time.

 

That's what I thought, thanks for the info MM.

 

I was figuring on getting a new truck (not excited bout the high payment but thats life) because.. 1) I'm guaranteed for anything and everything on that truck to be under warantee for atleast the first 2 years. So only thing on the maintance part is tires, oil changes and filters, wiper blades so thats why I was thinking I could get get away with .05 a mile on maintance savings for 2 years. I called my ins co and they said that they will fix the windsheild and send them the bill or I can get a new one for $100 deductable.
2)You can have all the inspection papers from that truck, but if the last person knew he was going under you can BET THE HOUSE he beat the #### out of that truck.
3) I don't trust other people's headaches. theres a reason they got rid of that truck but I do understand there are a lot of great used ones out there but it would be just my luck to get one that had a good maintance record and got a clean bill of health then 500 miles away the #### thing goes to hell. That would put me in the hole faster with everything breaking down on something used vs. giving me time with guaranteed cover all warantee on a new one to save up a good nest egg if the motor goes or egr, rears and what not.
If I can be smart about this, tax time is where i'll make the rest of my money back up from the year.
remember I low balled prices on freight. If one gets up in the early and keep track day to day am I'm pretty sure you can find good freight in the 1.40s 1.60's. Like people have said once you get to have a good realtionship with a agent... I was figuring #'s baised on a bad week.