Eagle Logistics Services. Indianapolis, IN

rmacjr · Jun 13, 2015

Westenntrucker said: ↑

Kryptonite,just so you know,I'm not implying that you are making this up!,I would like to hear from eaglops how these sort of things would happen having a mother company such as celadon with all their experience....

How and why could they hire people that would operate that way? Just curious!
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Driver, it is happening, and not just to the flatbed guys, I have also experienced it on the van side. If you take everything they send you, you'll make the money, if you want to book your own, you won't make much, brokers don't give us prime rate on loads.

Westenntrucker · Jun 13, 2015

rmacjr said: ↑

Driver, it is happening, and not just to the flatbed guys, I have also experienced it on the van side. If you take everything they send you, you'll make the money, if you want to book your own, you won't make much, brokers don't give us prime rate on loads.
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Ok rmac,thanks for the tip cause I do plan on taking everything they give me,and then some...and I'm going to make it happen!!! I wish the same for you and everyone else here to!!!

rmacjr · Jun 13, 2015

Westenntrucker said: ↑

yeah,I've read it all,and Facebook to,the only thing you can really conclude is,some people make it,some people do not...there are people posting here that will tell you to not do a lease no matter what,and others that say they have done several leases and they've done well and this is one of the better models.
Personally,I think the opportunity to book your own loads would be superior to pay per mile in a lease.
I'm gonna give it my best shot,being that it's a walk away,there's no reason not to try it.If you have the drive and the personality and the confidence to communicate and keep your business organized,you should be able to make a decent living with this model.
Ok ,everybody can start lighting me up,telling me how clueless I am,cause I know it's coming....lol
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Driver, come aboard, this is America, give it your best and see what happens. There are a lot of good drivers who come here and notice right away that what the website said, what their recruiter told them isn't really what happens here at Eagle. You'll have to be either flatbed or van, who knows when they are going to get reefers in, long waiting list anyway for those. We are not a bunch of complainers, just those who see Eagle for who they really are, and not what we want them to be. So come on driver, grab a Lone Star, and a van and jump into the mix with the rest of us.

fr8monkey · Jun 13, 2015

Rayon said: ↑

Sorry to hear bro I have a rock for a wife would not change that for the world most woman jump off the ship before it sinks hold your head high my ex wife did the same thing bro
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Yeah abandoned ship and jumped on another ship shortly thereafter.....I'll never really know the real truth of her whole deal 22 years and wanted to leave at the worst possible moment in gods almighty plan in the history of the world lol little over acting but not by much

rmacjr · Jun 13, 2015

Westenntrucker said: ↑

Ok rmac,thanks for the tip cause I do plan on taking everything they give me,and then some...and I'm going to make it happen!!! I wish the same for you and everyone else here to!!!
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Welcome to Eagle.

fr8monkey · Jun 13, 2015

rmacjr said: ↑

Driver, come aboard, this is America, give it your best and see what happens. There are a lot of good drivers who come here and notice right away that what the website said, what their recruiter told them isn't really what happens here at Eagle. You'll have to be either flatbed or van, who knows when they are going to get reefers in, long waiting list anyway for those. We are not a bunch of complainers, just those who see Eagle for who they really are, and not what we want them to be. So come on driver, grab a Lone Star, and a van and jump into the mix with the rest of us.
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Haha high hopes,shattered dreams,lol yeah welcome to the family

fr8monkey · Jun 13, 2015

rmacjr said: ↑

Driver, come aboard, this is America, give it your best and see what happens. There are a lot of good drivers who come here and notice right away that what the website said, what their recruiter told them isn't really what happens here at Eagle. You'll have to be either flatbed or van, who knows when they are going to get reefers in, long waiting list anyway for those. We are not a bunch of complainers, just those who see Eagle for who they really are, and not what we want them to be. So come on driver, grab a Lone Star, and a van and jump into the mix with the rest of us.
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Yeah not really complainers just seeing it for what it is and telling it like it is ....

rmacjr · Jun 13, 2015

EagleOps said: ↑

I think I can comment on some of this without feeling like I don't know what I'm talking about:

Again, I don't work with Flatbed specifically, so I can't say for certain, but I've heard complaints like this before with regards to other areas and it doesn't make much sense to me. We get paid when drivers haul freight, the more expensive the better. Why would anyone not want to load you with good freight?

If I'm missing what the poster is saying, then my fault, but I'm always a little confused when people say that.

Again, this doesn't sound like the company I work for to me. Why would the GM or anyone else not want drivers to book their own freight and why would a DM need to approve a load? Drivers booking their own freight is the best if you ask me. Plus, a DM doesn't need to "approve" anything assuming you're using an approved broker. You just book it and have the rate con sent to your DM.

As I said, I can't speak to any particular GM or DM though, so maybe someone really told people not to book their own freight. That seems pretty bad to me though. Eagle drivers are independent lease/operators, they're in charge of where they go/what they haul.

I'm always curious to see what the experience was of people that have this point of view.
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Thank you for this post, very informative. Do you know if Eagle plans on putting together a drivers manual? Also, any word on the reefers?

Westenntrucker · Jun 13, 2015

rmacjr said: ↑

Driver, come aboard, this is America, give it your best and see what happens. There are a lot of good drivers who come here and notice right away that what the website said, what their recruiter told them isn't really what happens here at Eagle. You'll have to be either flatbed or van, who knows when they are going to get reefers in, long waiting list anyway for those. We are not a bunch of complainers, just those who see Eagle for who they really are, and not what we want them to be. So come on driver, grab a Lone Star, and a van and jump into the mix with the rest of us.
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Rmac,I am in no way implying that you or anyone else here are complainers,and I have no doubt there are top notch drivers at Eagle... I am just a positive person ,and if this doesn't work out for me,it won't be the first time,I'll get up dust off and head into the wind again....you and others may interpret that as being naive,but that's just the way I was raised. I'm always learning and using my failures as markers in my mind to revert back to in the future if need be.....
Yours and others comments here have been very helpful and I have taken it all in,and with that, I'll be there tomorrow night.

rmacjr · Jun 13, 2015

EagleOps said: ↑

Ok, well just remember...you asked

So some steps to succeed in the L/O business:
1) Own it- This is my #1, #2, and #3 probably. It's without a question the number one thing that separates those that succeed from those that don't. To be a successful L/O driver, you have to realize that this is your business. You're no longer just a truck driver, you're a business owner. You don't just drive a bunch of miles a day for $x/mi anymore. Now, you set your schedule, you make the decisions, and most importantly, you own the responsibility.

Never wake up wondering "where am I going to make money today". Where you're going to make money today and what you're going to do should have been decided yesterday, so today you can focus on planning tomorrow and keeping yourself profitable.

Being an L/O driver is very hard work. Don't ever let anyone tell you it's easy or promise you free money. That said, the rewards and freedom that come with it seem incredible to me. If driving a 53' trailer didn't scare the ever loving hell out of me, I'd certainly consider it.

Overall, always be asking yourself "Am I making what I want?" if the answer is "no" then figure out how to fix that. You're in charge now. I hate that I even have to say this, but if your DM at Eagle isn't working with you, ask to find another that will, and if (for some reason) your GM denies that request...pack your things and find a company that will make you money. If you do that, you're already the kind of person that can succeed at this job (although, it pisses me off that any DM would allow a driver like that to leave).

2) Know what you're getting into
Realize that this job is NOT the same as a company driver. I can't tell you how many stories I've heard of drivers that don't want to book their own loads (or even look) and complain that they aren't getting enough miles. Company drivers care about miles. L/O care about money. An easy way to know what you should care about: Ask your bank if you can pay your mortgage with miles, they'll tell you "no" and ask for money.

I've seen, first hand, a driver turn down a route going 350 miles and paying $900 to his truck in favor of a 600 mile route paying $1000 with all else being equal. You can't make choices like that, and more importantly not realize why it's bad, and expect to survive as a small business owner.

The best drivers are the ones that get up every day and say realize that the U.S. Mint hasn't yet printed a dollar bill with the words "You can't have this one" on it, and until that happens, you should be out there trying to get them all.

3) Be honest and communicate
Some people think that they can be consistently dishonest about when they plan to arrive/stop, not communicate when they're run into traffic, or not be easy to reach during their trips (not counting issues of safety, never put yourself in an unsafe situation to answer a phone or whatever). The key to this business is planning and communication. Without those, it's very difficult to succeed. If you're going to be late, it's better for all parties to know sooner than later. If you've had a maintenance issue, don't wait to tell someone, just get it out there and let's fix it. If you really need to go home, say so. It's ABC, Always Be Communicating. Information is power and the more we share, the more powerful we can be as a team.

4) Relax
Broker freight can be a nightmare sometimes. It's always late, overweight, missing, or damage. All we can do is roll with the punches the best way we know how. Don't stress out if you got delayed at the shipper and now your preplan is in jeopardy. Just communicate as quickly and effectively as you can and let's start working on a new plan of attack to keep you rolling. Truck driving is hard enough without adding extra stress to it by worrying about every little detail. In some ways, that's what your DM is there to do. Help share the burden of planning and timing so you can relax a little.

Bonus: Understand how your tax liabilities change when you become a L/O driver (small business owner). You can deduct almost everything you spend during the course of the year on yourself and your truck. There are plenty of independent L/Os that have little/no tax liability at the end of the year because of what they've spent on their business.

Realize and account for this so if you make $50,000 in a year, understand that for a non-driver, that take-home is like making $80,000-$90,000 and paying taxes. It can help perspective a little bit.

Well, that's about it off the top of my head. I know some of it sounds harsh or direct, but that's just how it is. It's never fun telling someone it's their fault that something went wrong, but you can't be afraid to have an honest discussion with a driver, DM, shipper, etc. if you want to be successful.
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Wow, keep it coming, great stuff.

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