leasing to landstar

I gotcha...so it really isn't a regular car hauling exclusively kind of gig. It is just that they have some of them loads to be hauled as a part of the system.

 

Gazoo,
Has it been dificult adjusting to landstar's loadboard system? Is it possible to average $1.30 cpm for all miles, including dead head?

 

No, it was not difficult for me...it can be and has been for others but for me, I kinda picked up on it pretty quick. As far as the CPM average, as of now, I have to average $1.37 cpm and I am doing a pretty good job of it.

 

Landstars load board for it's BCO's is easy to use. It's getting what you should out of the agents that makes the learning curve go up.

Of course you'll need to get your own laptop with a good internet connection card. Extend your cell or get a wifi account.

Pulling a Flatbed is better than a van or step right now in my opinion. But I do pull a flatbed.

Get your self a GPS program or device. You need to double check all the mileage posted by the agents. Some will try to short you. By Landstars standard they only have to be with in 10%. I don't haul 10% for free for anybody. If the agent doesn't post the right mileage or change it i won't pull it.

Same as the fuel surcharge. If they won't break it out of the linehaul I look elsewhere.

I use Microsoft Street and trips and Copilot to check mileage and to route my self.
I also check the climbs I'll be doing on the route and match those climbs to the wieght of the load. If the load is heavy and I have to do too much climbing, I'll take another load.

Better to sit and wait for a load that is profitable than to haul someones load for cheap or free. A profitable load will pop up.

You can also get a TV tuner card for your laptop and have no need to carry a tv in your truck.

You can also watch you DVD's on the laptop and route the audio through your trucks stero system for surround sound.

You can use you laptop to send and recieve faxes and to edit video and digital pictures of your loads for your protection against claims.

Get yourself a Printer/Scanner/Copier. (HP All in one is about $79.00)

You can scan all your loads paperwork using a downloaded version of Transflo to your laptop if you have the scanner. And you don't have to look for a truck stop once you make your drop/drops

You can also print out from online, Logs, Fuel envelopes, Coversheets and also scan your logs to Landstar and or e-mail them.

Then get yourself E-Fax or Rapid Fax. (About $16.00 or less per month)

Then only take loads where the Agent will fax you the Landstar Confirmation sheet with the break down for the line haul, fuel surcharge and accessorial fees, (Like Tarp, Stop pay)

Also when you call on a load from Landstar's site you can do a print screen of the load details.


I also record all my phone conversations. (Bit much, but it works for me)

99% of the time that I have a problem and call customer service, it swings my way.

These are all legal contracts, (Posted load details, Confirmation sheets and verbal agreements.

I have found that there are allot of great honest landstar agents out there.

That said, the reality is that I have found about 60% of the other agents to be dishonest and willing to do anything to cheat you out of your rightfully earned monies.

You can make good money here but you have to lookout for yourselves. Landstar will take the side of any agent that makes them money before they take one driver's side. (Unless you have proof)

Its just good business.

Allot of the agent's double broker the loads to himself or herself. They are the Agent and Broker and many times they are two brokers in the same office.

As much as they cut the loads you can still make good money by saving your diesel and cashing it in at the end of each trip. Make sure the agent gives you what rate Landstar has stated for the week. It changes every week. When it goes up some of the agents try to give you the lower rate form the previous week.
A call to landstar can sometimes clear that up quickly.

I've found that allot of the landstar drivers call Landstar the best of the worst.

In other words they let you keep more money from way better freight than most other companies, therefore you have money to pay your bills and replace your worn tires and what not.

It works but it's not fool proof. You still have to be very vigilant and do the work. If not you won't last long.

Talk to as many Landstar drivers as you can and listen to the solutions that worked for them and see if when you hit that same type of problem that their solution may work for you also. Maybe not.

After all, everyone's as different as the truck that they drive.

Most of this is a repost of one that I posted but I added a few more items that helped me out.

Be safe and I hope it helps

It's just my opinion, which I'm not sure even I'm entitled to. (LOL)

 

Wow, lot's of information. I will have to think about LS, when i'm ready to own again. Currently dead broke and facing a Divorce. May have to go company route first.......

 

what is your loaded to empty % ratio miles

 

Sorry, but I don't consider that in my trip planning, I run where the revenue is and base my avg CPM according to that....and honestly, if you run the system that way you will fail.

 

roger that,
i look at it from all points...thx

 

I apologize for my last post fellow forum posters.

I put Landstars web site in a link and got an infraction for it.

What I meant to say was,

Also when you call on a load from Landstar’s (Website) you can do a print screen of the load details. It helps to protect yourself against any changes that the agent may make; from you accepting the load to you actually picking up the load.

I always factor my deadhead miles in for my current load.

I deduct the mileage from the total profit of my line haul for the current load that I’m contemplating.

If I need to bounce 100 miles or more I need for the current load to pay for the fuel. Other wise the profit from the last load I hauled is now affecting the current load.

I try to haul as light and aerodynamic a load as possible. (Very hard to do this) I also drive as slow as possible to save fuel to bounce to a new load and or to go home.

I live near Austin and I get most of my loads form Houston. (75%) and the other % from San Antonio, Dallas and the surrounding areas. I also almost always drop my loads for going home in the surrounding areas.

So I always need a minimum of 175 miles of fuel left over in my tanks or cash in hand or monies left on my fuel card to go home.

(The next load out should pay for me to go and pick it up.)

Never has been a problem. And the loads in-between are hardly ever more than 175 DH miles, so that is always saved fuel and or money.

 

Thank you for the checklist. I'm currently leased on with a big trucking company, but as you know freight is shared first with company drivers and then spilled over to the o/o, which sometimes does not work for me. Per my lease agreement, I'm currently carrying: physical damage ins, bobtail ins, workman comp ins and cargo ins. Are there any other equipment related insurances required by landstar? I currently do not own a trailer at this time, so I would be at the van rate of 65% of 100%. Plates, Permits, fuel and road taxes are paid by me also. Thanks!