Landstar Questions

As I understand, If you use their trailer, it comes out of your amount per mile. If you want to take a few days off, what do you do with the trailer? Do you have to turn it in? If so to whom? If you keep the trailer, where do you park it at? When I searched for a Landstar terminal in my area (phoenix, az), google maps just showed an office park and a residential address. Do they even have terminals? These specifics are not mentioned in all their nice pamphlets and website.

 

There is no per mile rate, just percentage. If you pull van( you didn't specify) you get 65% of the linehaul. If you own your own van, you get 72%. If you take a few days off, you keep the trailer. If you're going to take 3 weeks off, they will most likely send someone to get it and you'll go find one when you come back out. There are terminals in IL, TX,, IN, FL, GA,PA, and I think NV. Some agents have their own private yards. Landstar is just the corporate middleman, all of your work comes from agents.

 

So I'm currently with Mercer Trans and they just amended their contract to state that if Mercer is unable to collect payment from a customer, they will, at their discretion, take the money back from the contractor who did the work. Does Landstar have such a policy?

 

No

 

Never!

 

Wow that sucks!!! I bet it rarely happens though…..But still…..

 

I don't think its happened yet, but the fact that they put it in the contract tells me they are getting stiffed more often than they like by their customers. I've heard some admin folks say it won't happen if a driver doesn't screw up somehow, but the way they worded it in the contract says they can take money back.

 

So I've got a few questions I hope you all can help me with.

1. What's fuel discounts like at Landstar? Right now I'm averaging roughly $1.50 gal at Mercer.
2. What's the percentage pay for a BCO who owns a flatbed trailer?
3. What's quantity of flatbed freight like running from all areas east of i35? I see a lot of stepdeck trucks at Landstar, but not many flatbed. Just wondering if there's enough flat freight.

 

When I've seen Mercer fuel discounts, and compared them to LS, they are within pennies.
73% with your own platform trailer, or if you lease one of theirs and pay the weekly fee. I'd say east of 35 is where the freight is at, and there is more work for flats than steps.
This is an agent based system vs a central dispatch like Mercer. That means there is favoritism for ones that have already proven themselves and established relationships with agents. It takes time to do that, and is more difficult during slow times. There are enough former LS guys over there, that you should be able to get some first hand knowledge

 

I believe there are like 950 Stepdecks vs 850 here at landstar.....I'd have to double check but those were the numbers a few months ago