Starting from Scratch with Land Star....

You must realize you pay for all permits and baseplate, they deduct these in weekly installments. You can buy your own bobtail insurance through a third party or purchase through Landstar. Cargo claim insurance Landstar provides with a $1000 deductible (I think)? Never had to use it. Of course if you run Landstar trailers they cover any costs with them. Their is a service called LCAPP which has deals on such items as tires, maintenance deals, hotel deals and also offers advances for emergency repairs or tire purchases. I think you need to develop a few months relationship before they (landstar) will advance you a lot. You need to show a pattern of consistent revenue. Basically what landstar does is help you be a owner operator by doing the paperwork, filing mileage for states and taking care of permits and other regulation. But you are a owner operator so you pay for these services. Even your physical you pay for. My advice as I am still with Landstar is try and develop relationships with agents who have freight you want to run. If you try and work solely from the load board (especially if you run van) you might go broke. Especially early if you don't have much in savings. Great loads are not a dime a dozen. You have a potential for thousands of other BCO's competing for those loads. As you would working as a independent owner operator working with brokers. Its really not much different. Just don't get crazy on a new truck. But a decent used truck, make sure it won't keep you more in the shop then on the road. Landstar is picky about inspections. Every 180 days your truck will have to pass inspection. I am not trying to discourage you. Just make you aware that being a owner operator means understanding YOU are responsible for your success or failure.

 

They do everything but accounting basically
Of course we pay for it

 

Make sure you have a backup plan. Plenty of people have been on here over the years that got approved, had a delay then didn't get approved.

Actually, that can happen with any carrier just stings a little more with LS considering how much they drag their feet.

 

yep. and even a few that actually drove there semi's to orientation. only to be NOT approved.

 

If you are going to pull one of Landstars van trailers it sometimes takes 2 weeks to find you a empty trailer.

 

Correct..It is best to ''get approved'' then go get the truck..The approval is good for 60 days,if i am not mistaken..

 

You need a truck to even apply to them. I just went through the app process.

You apply online (requires info on your equipment)
Stay in contact with a 3rd party recruiting company
Give them your license, medical card (short and long)
Get "Pre Approved"
Give them the documents for your tractor/trailer (title, vin,)
Sign all the lease docs
Quit
Schedule orientation

 

Must be something new...At the time i wanted to cover my ###..So i got qualified first then grabbed a truck..

Back then there were 2 qualifies...You as a ''driver'' then your ''equipment''..

 

You can still apply and get pre qualified without a truck but the application is only good for 90 days. Have just been pre qualified myself and am about to purchase my truck. Just hope they don't drag their feet on the truck end, the pre qualification process went pretty smooth.