Landstar

Watermelons are coming out now, but they'll move up the coast with the season. FL will never have great rates for nonspecialized dry van. Landstar is NOT a reefer company! You might find an agent or two with reefer freight, but unless they have long term contracts, I wouldn't go out and buy a reefer just for them. Good luck.

 

Thanks for the tip... Guess I'm fixing to find out

 

I saw those plant city loads on the sample the recruiter sent me... $1.53 a mile before Landstar takes there 35%.... Jeez!!!!!

 

The bottom line is my truck payment is less than $1000 a month... I want more freedom, but not quite ready to get my own authority... I can afford to run as low as $1.25 including fsc out of fl to get another load (don't want to but can)... Having said all this does anyone feel it's possible to make a few dollars here?

 

I started with Ranger driving for a contractor pulling a reefer. We did alright. A reefer gets a higher percentage than a van, on all loads. Had a good contact doing gift fruit loads out of Loxahatchie, in season.

 

I gave up on FL and van freight a long time ago under my own authority. Of course you can do well here if you apply yourself. It's certainly much easier to do well here than on your own with your own authority as you see all the pricing on the load board and aren't calling 100 brokers looking for a decent rate. If you're looking to stay out and aren't just trying to go out and back, it will be much easier. It's even hard these days for me to go out and back with a step deck.

 

I would be embarrassed to offer rates so cheap. I have seen them offered for as low as $0.80/mile.

 

Does LS have alot of flatbed freight coming in and out of Southern VA/Northern NC?? I know they broker alot of cheap lumber stuff but anything else? Preferable looking at a freight lane in between Virginia and Midwest

 

If you plan on being successful in this business, you will need to follow the freight. Whether you lease to a carrier, such as Landstar, or run your own authority, you will need to follow the freight in order to do well. Over the years I have seen many who have failed due primarily to running where they want rather than following the better freight.

For the last few years I have been running a couple of lanes that I didn't particularly like, but I have been getting good rates. A few months ago, things seemed to change where I would be able to get better rates running different lanes than I had been running. I will nearly always follow the better rates.

You need to be flexible when it comes to running freight. Unless you are willing to change with the economic times then you will find it difficult to do well in trucking. Freight can change from one season to another. Often you can get the better rates if you are willing to go where others won't.

 

You might check their loadboard. www.landstarbroker.com. That is their public broker loadboard. They have a different board for their BCO's (owner operators). But, it should give you an idea of the type of freight that is available.