landstar/flatbed

If you stay east of the Mississippi you can do fine. Just running between OH/PA and NC/SC can gross you $5,000 to $6,000 a week very easily.

 

You will take it up the butt leaving Florida. Once you get out you need to stay out for 4 or 5 weeks before going home. Get into the good lanes and stay there. I grossed $7,200 last week doing just normal flatbed stuff on 2,700 miles. You should have no problem doing the same and MORE. I'm kind of lazy.

 

Usually once you're out of Florida, you end up on the east coast, which isn't much better. Are you sure you want to pull a flat? I've heard of a lot of success running out of Florida with a reefer. I ended up leaving before him on the 6th day with a $2.50/mi load going back to Milwaukee out of Cheyenne.

Overall, mercer drivers seem a lot more old school than landstar, and mercer drivers have some of the sharpest old rigs I've ever seen.

Last I heard about mercer, they have "first in, first out" dispatch, so they can do quite a lot of sitting between loads waiting for something they like to fall into their lap. I sat with a mercer driver in Denver for 6 days. I was working out some kinks in the fuel system on my VT903, but he was just stuck waiting for a load. He got maybe 5 calls a day based on the parameters he set with dispatch (200 mile deadhead, going back to the Ohio area for over $1.80/mi).

 

that's why he sat for four days he had himself in to narrow a parameter. so he got 5 calls a day and never took a load for six days? was he able to walk after shooting himself in the foot so many times.

his first mistake was ending up in Denver, but I don't sit, I also don't back myself into a corner like the dummy you talk about either. heck he may still be there.

 

mercer is a good company to work for if you stay within a certain areas and dont mind being gone for weeks at a time,when i was there it was always easy to go home (eastern pa)but it was always a pita to get out of the house with a decent rate or without deadheading over 150 miles or staying home for few days to move up on the board.mercer doesnt have enough freight in the NE like landstar.i really enjoyed the stress free envirement at mercer:do your job,make decent money and be treated with respect.what i like about landstar is the amount of OD freight they got plus so many good paying shippers are close to my house but im not leased to them so im not in position to compare them to mercer.

 

I think SOME Ls agents get way better freight I've looked at both boards and never seen many mercer loads that paid $3/mi to the truck LS has loads posted at $5/mi some more. Does LS double broker loads YES!! I see it all the time but even with that they still pay better than most mercer loads.

I have buddy's at both and can tell you from what I've seen LS drivers earn more money per mile and gross but mercer guys are way happier they work for someone that has there back, LS your just A nother number.

Im in sorry I just feel O/O should make close to $2.50/mi all miles and most places it's simply impossible to achieve this but LS you can

 

Would that happen to be "New Line Transport, or Tri-State"?

 

What size tarps do you carry on your truck?

 

I have two 4' drop steel tarps that are 16'x25'. I think I use those 95% of the time. I also have a 3 piece 8' drop lumber tarp....until....someone pointed out that I don't need the middle part and to turn one of my steel tarps sideways.