Landstar Questions

I see some guys talk about learning "their frieght lanes." I'm guessing there are certain areas where it is constant and good rates, and there's the dead areas coming out of. Not trying to steal anybody's secrets, but could someone maybe elaborate on it a little more? Maybe NY to Atlanta, or Chicago to Dallas, Detroit to LA? Trying to wrap my head around it to give me a better idea of what I could typically run. Thanks.

 

Yes some areas are better than some. And some are only good at certain times of the year. Learning a freight lane is IMO getting to know the agents in that lane, what the freight is, what it pays, can you make money in it stuff like that. I see you are out of North Carolina, I would look at starting a run from there to maybe New York then to the Mid West then a return to NC. Or something like that. If you are looking to stay in a lane or area you are comfortable with. With Landstar you can work the board and go anyplace you want, or you can do like I did and find an agent or two and just work with them exclusively. Lots of options.

 

There aren't really any secrets when it comes to freight lanes. Freight lanes can change based upon the time of year, type of freight hauled and economy. Lanes that may be good for vans may not be good for flats. Even in the bad freight lanes, there may be some brokers or shippers who have good paying freight out of those bad areas. I got a call today from a guy who consistently has good paying freight out of some areas that we usually consider bad areas for freight. Historically, Chicago has been good for most types of freight. That has not been the case in recent years, at least consistently. Atlanta is not usually a strong area for me for outbound freight, although I do have some contacts in the area where I can often find a decent paying load. You need to consider what might be available on the other end before taking a load. If you are going into a bad freight area, then you should only take loads to that area that will pay enough to deadhead out to a better freight area or have something guaranteed on the other end that has a rate that is acceptable. I see loads all the time going to Florida for $2/mile or less. I don't go to Florida for that rate. It isn't profitable. There is usually too much deadhead to get to freight unless you are willing to haul freight for $1/mile. And I am not willing to waste my time hauling something that cheap. I know one guy who will go to Florida and pick up one of those $1/mile loads to get to Atlanta or somewhere else. In your situation, you may need to try different things to find what works best for you. We may be able to offer basic advice, but much or the learning process in this business is through trial and error, unless you can find a mentor.

 

Ok, that's helpful info. Appreciate the detail.

 

Good info on this thread - Thanks to all.

 

hello, my husband and i are a team , we were working for a company and then we went to leasing and now we bought our own truck and left our first company and now we are signing on to Landstar and i just wanted to know seeing you worked so long for Landstar you may have a formula that you used in using the load board. We went from going per mile to per trip and i have been trying to figure out a formula so that we wont under nor over bid on a load from a loading board. if you know anything it would be greatly appreciated . thank you

 

If you can.....join the AA&E fleet as it opens up doors to better paying freight. The more specialized you can become the better off you are as there are thousands of flatbed and van operators here trying to get the same freight you are.
The trailer is your money maker.....make it a top priority to buy your own trailer asap and you will do better here.

 

First you will need to know what it cost you per mile to operate your equipment. Everything from fuel, food, service, insurance etc. Then your household expenses. House payment/rent, utilities etc. I bunch everything together from all of my household expenses to operating expenses, anything we spend money on plus what I want to save per month. Then divided it by my average miles in a month. That gives me my low end just to make it. In the orientation they will go over this a little more to help you understand. Plus you will get a BCO Adviser to assist you as well. Use this person, I still will call the Advisers with questions. They seem to know all of the little things to help.

Coming from a company that probably robbed you I mean did it all for you, you're going to have a lot to learn in a very short time. Like IFTA most people do not understand how to do it. Or Fuel Service Charge (FSC). These two things can work in your favor once you have a good understanding how they work together. My fuel cost this week was .168 per mile using the FSC and fuel discounts offered plus operating my equipment efficiently.

Landstar has a lot of stuff to help you out all you have to do is ask. Good luck.

 

how long have you been with landstar and what division?

 

I came over in July 2013. I started just pulling vans then found an agent needing power only to pull customers trailers. Been doing that since September.