The Do's and Don'ts at Landstar

might try friending Ian Hanna from you tube. he just started with ls s few months ago. seams like a good person. down ta earth kinda guy> good luck !

 

Two cents re iPad 2 w/3G. I'm a long-time computer guy who got tired of MSFT, in particular, re-inventing the world every three years. (And I was bored stiff rebooting PCs.) Decided to go back to trucking where once you've got your skills, you don't have to re-invent (learn) them all over again and always loved to drive. Been PC-centric since I first became a 'network engineer'. No more.

I bought a refurb iPad 2 w/3G off Apple's web site and haven't looked back. (That's the way to go. Apple web site, search 'refurb' and then 'iPad'. Mine was $100 less than Sam's Club and two-week try it out, no-questions return.) Have a very nice laptop that I bought in 2012 and since the iPad hardly open it except to watch a movie on DVD. The iPad is slim and simply gorgeous. Wouldn't know what to do with the iPad 3--what brought me in was the FaceTime app that you can speak face-to-face with someone. Very cool. Takes great pictures and great videos, too.

The one thing I might do differently is to use a cell phone as a 'hot spot' and pick up the Internet off the wi-fi using the cell phone. I pay Verizon $50/month (there is a $30 plan) and don't bump up against the limit. I think it's 5GB, have to check. But even with YouTube, I'm not using all of it. For cell service, though, I'm on StraightTalk with one of the cheapest flip phones, very simple, excellent reception and easy to carry a spare or two. At StraightTalk.com they'll give you a free reconditioned phone if you buy a $30, 1000-minute card. I never use that up either. (Rides on Verizon, too.)

With a more expensive phone I could have just one bill, instead of two. But I've broken or lost enough phones that it's a big peace of mind to know that I can just go to the ST web site and move my service over to a different phone. And like I said, they're free, compact and convenient.

If you do get an iPad, invest in a keyboard ASAP. The touchscreen pad is too slow. Of course, I type 65 wpm. I type. Flying fingers. Recommend the Belkin, combo keypad and cover. Sam's Club has them as returns from time-to-time @ $42. Otherwise, the Belkin runs about $80.

 

First off, LS is a great company and if i didn't get caned for speeding I'd still be with them. Truth is, you can pre book you next load all the time. Before you accept a load, find what is coming out. Florida is bad, but if you get high enough pay going in, you can pay to get out. Their ipad/iphone app sucks so i recommend a laptop. Also get a hotspot device or on your phone because you need to be able to search for loads anywhere. With decent planning you should never have to deadhead 500 miles. Dont forget a load that pays .70/mile and gets you out of a bad area is better then deadhead making 0/mile. Mu cheapest load was 1.2/mile out fo fl, but i got 4/ going in. If you cant "hack it" with LS, your not going to do well with any company. There are a lot of complainers, but most of them either got caned by LS or are still with LS. If you are still with them, then they arn't that bad lol.

That being said, dont hit anyhting or get a ticket for anything because you will get canned.

 

Hey I.T......

What about the Ryder saga on the other thread?? What did you buy and from where.????

 

You might check to see if you can get on the tire accounts. At one time there were perhaps 6 or 7 agents who hauled a lot of tires. They sometimes worked together to keep their BCO's moving back and forth between their freight. Check with GAD (Gadsden, AL) and there is another in Lafayette, NC (I believe) who used to do a lot of tire business. I don't remember the station code for the NC agent. Texas is typically not the best freight area, but there is freight being moved. At one time you could make a good living running the triangle between Dallas to Houston to San Antonio. Make contacts and take notes, good and bad. I have trucking software that I use to make notes, good and bad, on any contacts. It helps when you get to your next delivery. Give yourself some time to learn the Landstar system. It usually takes at least 5 or 6 months to get a feel for how it all works.

 

Do a search of what dry van freight is leaving the Dallas area then when you see a good paying load see if there is good paying outbound freight from that area also. What I do a lot is look at the load board for the area I will be at in two weeks. Once I see good paying freight leaving that area I will send that broker an email asking if the have that load heading out on a regular basis. A lot of these brokers do not like posting loads on the board since they do not want 20 phone calls about one load.

I am picking up in Duncanville this Wednesday and heading up to the Seattle area which is a bad freight area. But after sending a bunch of emails to different brokers I have found one that can get me out of there for descent pay I just have to have 75 pads and 50 straps.

So basically just fish with your emails and eventually you will get that big fish. It took me about 6 months to get the hang of it. Remember a email plants a seed with that broker and even if they do not respond give them a call a couple of days later. I remember when I first went to the Seattle area and I thought I was going to be stuck there a couple of days trying to find something well paying. So I call this broker that I had sent a couple of emails to and he was kind of rude and said he doesn't have anything leaving that area. So I take a shower at the TA in North Bend and he calls me back saying he has a $2.25 RPM load (1100 miles) that just popped up and do I want it. And that begun a good relationship there since I move a lot of freight for him now.

 

As you get a feel for Landstar, you may want to try and pre book loads on the other end. Find an agent that has freight in an area where you are going. Give them your approximate ETA and they may be able to find something to get you turned around without having to sit for a day or two for a decent paying load. When you have some time, check their loadboard for different lanes. It will give you an idea of what you can expect out of certain areas. When I was leased to Landstar they gave out a small pocket size book of agents. It had several pages where you could make notes on agents and loads. I don't think they still publish their agent list. It is a shame. It was a very good tool. Whether you use software, database, spreadsheet or composition book, you need to keep a list of contacts. I have a list of over 300 contacts that I have made over the years. When I am heading to an area, I start with my list of contacts. I give those whom I know usually have decent paying loads a call and let them know my schedule and what I am wanting to do. It gives them time to find a load. They may not find a load this trip, but might the next time I get to that area. Most agents have freight out of the area where they are based. One of the largest agents in the Landstar system is based out of Birmingham. There are actually several agents in the same organization. They have freight all over the country. I remember one who had a lot of freight out of Wisconsin, yet they were several hundred miles away. There is another agent in Houston that has an affiliate in Louisiana. Your computer and cell phone are your best friends in this business. A friend of mine no longer uses a laptop in his truck. He does everything from his cell phone. Personally, I still like my laptop. One other thing that I experienced when leased to Landstar. The company doesn't protect agents from other agents. If you see the same load from different agents, give them all a call before committing to the load. Rates can vary from one agent to another, even within the same company. Landstar has agents all over the country. You can usually find something to keep you moving.

 

G/MAN, I always like your posts but am always tempted to repost with paragraphs... (hint, hint). If you can't get them in first off, can you add them with edit?