Landstar Questions

Is it true that you can pick and choose your loads and run when and where you want too off the load board? Or do you work with a agent?

 

That's LS moniker...run where you want, when you want.

 

Yep. Want to take a week off, don't book a load. A lot of guys and gals take Jan, Feb, and March off. All loads go through agents, though. If you see a load on the board that you like, call the agent that has it and book it. If you don't want to run someplace like Cali, Northeast, FL etc, don't book a load there.

 

Yeap, I'm notorious for running 1 big load and taking 2 weeks off till the next one or running legal loads for 2 weeks out and coming home for a week. I take thanksgiving and Christmas week off, home for my anniversary and 4 th July week depending how it falls

 

Im still on paper, but I have 2 buddies on the eobr's it takes prior planning and a bit more time but both are still making the same revenue. Ive been comparing notes as I know its coming down the pike and we eventually have to, but I never burn a full 70 and its real rare I hit 14 hours either.

 

You know I have to give you door swingers credit, There's snake oil sales men on my side of the house but yall seem to be over run with them. I really don't know how yall put up with all the BS between apt. sitting at shippers and receivers', wrong number no contacts and just the general run around yall get. I couldn't and wouldn't put up with it for very long

 

I agree. I posted my complaint, and I was told to suck it up buttercup...lol Drivers don't realize that when the agents aren't held accountable for the information in their emails being correct...we are really screwed.

 

Sounds good to me I'm just waiting on my retirement letter from the national guard and then I can buy a truck without having to worry about getting deployed I would love to pick and choose where I run and be home when it matters.
Who pays for lumpers at landstar?

 

The main problem on the Van side in my opinion is the constant undercutting on the same load posted by different agents. Most of the time they're brokered loads so they're trying to squeeze every little penny out of it.

Let's say it's a load going from Richmond to Atlanta

Agent ABC has it posted for 1300 on 500 miles
Then Agent DEF has it posted for 1250 on 500 Miles
Then Agent XYZ has it for 1225 on 500 miles

You call ABC, and they say "Let me call the customer.... they're saying now that they'll only do 1100,"
You call DEF, "Well I can do 1150, Customer won't offer me any more money"
At this point, unless you're really interested you might as well forget about calling the other agent. This happens ALOT on the Van side, I don't hear about it as much on platform.

I will say this, rarely do my loads have appt times, most of my freight I choose is FCFS. Not many times have I been held up more then 2 hours on a Drop or P/U. I have been paid detention on a couple of loads that I was held up on for more than 8 hrs, one was a J.B. Hunt broker load & another I didn't even know I was getting detention until I seen it on my settlement. Also I got $250 Layover on a load yesterday and luckily I was near the house and went home, kicker was I had to go home anyway because I was short on hours.

It's some pretty #### good agents on van side but it's also some terrible ones, including ELZ but most of whom are just one or two people agency who live off CH Robinson boards.

 

1150 for 500 miles + fsc is still pretty good if you keep your operating expenses down.