Ask a Landstar agent?

Hi

First of all, I want to state that I'm not advertising myself in any way. I'm just hoping to share some opinions with Landstar BCOs directly.

If you have any questions you would like to ask me as an agent, please feel free to comment on this thread and I'll be happy to reply.

I would also like to ask all the BCOs here if you rather prefer having a dedicated agent or going off the load board yourselves?

Have a good day everyone!

 

I noticed that's how a lot of BCO's operate, doing a mix of both. I don't think there's anything wrong with that! Honestly, that might be the best way to stay on top of what's going on in the industry. The load board can be a place with a bunch of trash loads but you never know when a crazy hot load will come up!

What I do think is wrong on the other hand is when a BCO works dedicated with me for some time and then cancels the load on me last minute just to earn an extra couple hundred bucks on a different load off the board. I can't believe that those guys sometimes have the audacity to give me a call next week asking about the very same loads they canceled on me. I've got a 0% tolerance for things like that - that kind of behavior gets me blacklisted with my customers and drowns years/months of effort I put in on developing those relationships.

Thank you for the response, it's much appreciated!

 

I absolutely agree with you on this one. Bots and similar software that certain agencies are using more and more now are literally just flooding the board with trash loads. But, it's also never a good idea to disregard the load board completely in my opinion - simply due to the fact that you never know what kind of hot freight needs to be moved ASAP at ridiculous rates.

Are you only hauling direct freight or you also go through 3PL companies with your agents?

I much rather prefer working with the same pool of drivers than cold calling trucks all day and posting my load in 10 different ways trying to get it covered. I think Landstar should do a better job on educating BCOs as to how beneficial relations with agents can be to both sides.

 

I personally never do that! Juggling drivers on loads like that can only cause a complete mess in the long run. I don't pitch away trucks for cheaper options either when dealing with approved carriers - it's not good for business to be the cheapest in the industry.

On the other hand I do understand your comment completely as I am well aware of the shady practices some agents use with BCO drivers. I don't condone that behavior in any way. Matter of fact, I'll be happy to inform you about the things to watch out for when dealing with agents.

Last thing I want to state is that I'm not frustrated with BCOs who call in for the first time and then fall off the load for a higher paying one - that's understandable. I'm talking about drivers who were running dedicated weeks with me and then bailed out last minute for a couple hundred bucks extra.

Hope I answered your question with this!