Landstar Questions

What I am unfamiliar with is the average rate of pay. I can handle the work, but I wouldn't want to spend $30k on a tractor and only put $800 a week in my pocket with normal expenses. I understand owning a truck is always a gamble. What category is paying the highest rates for the least amount of $$$ invested is my question?

 

$30,000 will get you a used truck. That will get you $1.00-1.25 per mile W/VAN a flat will pay more. If you got lots more to spend you will get lots more revenue. You claim to have flat and Heavy Haul exp. and you don't know what it pays? Some thing smells fishy. Avg. rate of pay? What is a avg. Heavy Haul load? If you can answer that maybe I can tell you what avg. rate would be.

 

If you spend $30,000 for a truck you need to make at least $2.00 per mile. Flat and Step historically pay the best with the least amount of deadhead. Heavy haul doesn't have the #of loads that Flat does and Step usually pays more than flat but you have to bounce a bit farther.

With your payment on $30,000 at $1.25 PER mile you would be a glorified O/O at Company drivers pay after you paid for your expenses. Wait. It'll pick up. Don't know when but it should.

 

I see you are pulling a flatbed. Is that the way to go? Would a 4 axle tractor make me more money? Is it better to have the flexibility to use Landstars trailers if you do heavy haul? The reason why I ask is I used to work at ATS and we constantly switched trailers based on what was needed to eliminate deadhead. I averaged
$1.23mi there with a 3 axle tractor pulling steps, flats and rgns. Probably $1.50mi in todays rates. This was back in 2000.

 

With a 4 axle trk at L/S you can do really good. You will get 65% for the truck. I have a 4 axle trk and a 4 axle DD stretch trl. W/exp you can do HH. The freight right now is paying good. With your own trl add 8%. w/7 axles or more 9%.

 

Can you tell me a little more about whether its better to be locked into your own trailer or use theirs? Do they have one dispatch or broker for HH? Does a low profile DD help you get more loads? Where are most of these big loads located that pay decent? Can you enlighten me what typical pay might be for what you are pulling? Do they pay decent tarp fees?

 

I pull a flat for the options. When its good you can go anywhere at pretty much anytime. I ride motorcycles a lot so I enjoy going to a lot of different places. Heavy haul has its moments I just don't like the bouncing.

It's much easier in my opinion to pick up or dump a flatbed when times change. It's also easier to pick up or dump a three-axle tractor.

I believe HH should pay more for what you do but that's just my opinion. One reason I stay away from over sized and over length.

I actually like a 53 foot low profile step. But with a step you always average greater deadhead miles. Higher pay but greater deadhead miles.

That's the main reason I went from step to flat. Flat has some crap pay at times but you can avoid it if you want. Hope that helps.

 

You really think I could make $2 a mile pulling a flatbed? So thats 73% of that or is it 77% when you own the trailer too? Do most run a 53' trailer? What happens when a customer preloads trailers? Does that hurt you when you own your own.

 

yes..not sure how much preloaded freight is on flats though ??

 

Your trl. pays 8%-9% that adds up over time. Their is no dispatcher at L/S PERIOD. You get your own loads off L/S website. The lower the DD the more money you will take home because less High Pole car fees. The BIG money loads are where you find them. Some times you can sit for a week and then up one pops. Tarp? I carry one tarp 36' by 36' minimum $ 500 to tarp. Even then I walk away from some tarp loads. As for money you can haul all the $ 3.50 freight you want. I have no intrest at $ 3.50 per mile.