Need advice on which company would be better.

There is one piece of information that these companies aren't going to tell you about - protected accounts. And both of these organizations have very large networks and most accounts will have been worked by someone in the past. With LS, you have the added issue of the contract. After you put in all the hard work (and it is VERY hard work) and you decide that you want your own shop or even move to another program you will be limited in what you can do.

One of the big reason I didn't go with these and many of the other companies when I was dumping my brokerage and going with an agent program.

What I have found is that a good company will have excess freight that they will let you try and cover as you are getting your feet wet. Not going to blow you bank account up on it but if you work hard, already know trucking then you should at least be able to cover you business related expenses within a week or so of getting started.

Pay attention to what the numbers that you get paid off of are. You have to make sure that you are comparing apples to apples. Everyone can say they are paying a percent of margin (the norm) BUT different people will define this differently.

 

Great reply!

 

Watch for the 1099 employers just like with a truck. A lot of agency's or brokers will want you working in their office, set hours, ect and then call you an independent contractor. Work out of your house/office when you want fine, if not you should be a W-2. Keeps them off the minimum wage laws.

I've hired some with prior contracts that prohibited(tried to) them from working for someone else on any accounts they worked prior to.

Contracts that make you(the sub-agent)responsible for all loss.

Page after page of contract walk away.

 

Yes, if you are in the office outside of just training then you should be w2.

LS has the worst contract in the industry in terms of restriction. Or should say worst that I looked at. And most of the contract are pretty bad.
What I think is fair is if you bring in an account and decide to leave, then that is your account. But you work on an account that I had you then that is mine and I will come at you like a wild badger on Red Bull.

 

Real close eye on the wording for any accounts you may get while working there. They may have done one load for the shipper five years ago but will still call it a house account. Or may have never hauled one, just submitted rates. Doesn't belong to you.

 

You should see some of the contracts that came to work for me. Got a couple of ex LS and they made LS contract as free as a bird. Can't use any carrier that they used before. 3,5,10 year non-competes. If you drove down the road and saw something it belonged to them.