Landstar Ukraine agency employees 400 agents & netted $1.1 billion last reporting year

Dang, driver! Chill, already. It's spelled "globalization" and no amount of ranting will undo it.

 

How is this any different than calling your bank and having someone in India handle your issue? Or, calling Uber only to speak to someone in a South-East Asian nation? At times, for both of those examples, you get someone based in the US or Canada.

Landstar doesn't operate their broker offices anymore. Essentially, every brokerage is an independent operating exclusively for Landstar. Kind of like...a franchise. The US-based numbers are ported through a computer system to hook to whatever "office" is handling that particular load. There are still US offices, and none of them communicate with one another. If a driver hauls two Landstar loads, each from a different office, if you call the first office for the second load they will not know what you're referring to. And, they cannot connect you to the correct number. Totally decentralized beyond the franchise agreement.

Why are many nations seeing an increase in Landstar brokers? Because they are paid in US dollars, which allow for hiring bigger staff due to the dollar's power. 400 agents in Ukraine v USA/Canada is easy to do while still making big profits. Why not? After all, we do live in the days of satellite connections and portable phones/computers. It makes sense from LANDSTAR'S point of view. Especially since they handle a lot of global freight, as well.

Doesn't make much sense from a driver's POV, though, since those brokers know nothing of the areas we run or our laws/regulations. It's a bad move for Landstar to allow folks outside of the nation of that load to handle that load. But, ain't gonna change any time soon without legislation, so get used to it...or...never work for or haul for Landstar (and the like).

 

Walmart doesn’t have any stores overseas!!!

 

We saw one in San Jose, Costa Rica on our honeymoon, but it was surrounded in razor wire.

 

They do have stores overseas…. In China.

 

what does the agencies even do? im not familiar with landstar. i mostly do company driving.