Land star start up ???

You can pay cash for fuel or use a Comdata card and get discounted fuel, right now Petro and TA are averaging 50 to 75 cents off pump price, but you can do as you please.

 

So,In the opinion of a landstar shop finds something debatable or in question- You(the truck owner) have no recourse but to repair it before landstar gives you any further work??

Do these Landstar drivers find themselves to not be trusted to maintain their own equipment? something musta happened.

 

1. Do they give you a fuel card then deduct the fuel from your settlement?

Yes, and you will want to use their card since it gets you a significant fuel discount. Also, they can do your IFTA automatically if you are using their card.

2. Do i drive the truck to orientation on the temp tag or do they mail you a plate before orientation.

They sent me my plate, permits, and decals before orientation. But I've read others say they didn't get them until after. Ask your recruiter. They install the Qualcomm during orientation so drive your truck there.

3 can i have multiple direct deposit accounts. For 75% to 1 account and 25% to the other

I don't know a way to do that at LS. You can ask at orientation, but I think it's a no.

4. How long is orientation and what happens after orientation.

Two days as I recall, then it's out of the nest you go.

5. From the start of orientation. How long before i pull my first load

As soon as you have a trailer and book a load for yourself. It took me two days to get a trailer assignment. The new hires get lower priority than existing BCO's looking for a trailer.

6. Do i need an occupational license.

Just a CDL with hazmat and tanker.

 

You can repair your own equipment but it has to pass an inspection every 120 days. They won't let you haul a load if you fail the inspection untill you get truck fixed. They won't let driver very far to a different shop for the repair of you wanted.

I failed inspection because they said I had to much slack in steering gear box. Ok truck was older. I took my truck to dealer. They looked at my truck said nothing was wrong. So go back to the inspection shop and a different guy look at my truck and say everything was good. So I spent a day doing that for no good reason. Plus paying the truck dealer 1 hour labor to tell me nothing was wrong.

I'm not sure you can do your own brake repairs unless your certified. Anything else you can repair yourself if you have the tools. Once you fail inspection you can't haul anything till it repaired.

The 120 day inspection is the same annual safety inspection you get done once a year. So the go thru everything looking for something

At first I didn't mind the safety inspection but as my truck got older 750,000+ miles they would find stuff even I couldn't find. A simple exhaust leak turns into a big job because everything rusted out.

 

They have had 120 day inspections for over 25 years. It’s a rule in your contract, don’t like it, don’t sign.
We all know all owners take exceptional care of their equipment, especially these one truck companies working without oversight. Should be no need for roadside inspections either. Just pencil whip your annual and keep trucking.

 

I run older trucks, and do not see a problem with getting an inspection every so often and do see why they require it.
As far as rusted out exhaust being caught in an inspection, I would rather change it on my time schedule than on the dot's with a ding on my and the company record. In fact before I started this year, I changed every piece of flex and clamp, and inspected every piece before I even pulled a load.
It had been 4 years since the last time I touched it, I suspect it will be again.

 

1 You have 2 Comdata cards One for fuel which when you book a load you get a pretrip advance with the fuel surcharge and a third of your line haul pay. You go on your laptop and add it or some of it to your fuel card, The other card is your settlement card{ pay card} you set up direct deposit at a bank of your choosing with comdata and call to transfer your money into whatever accounts you have set up at your bank.

If you need want the or omnitraks I think that is the one 800.00 dollars and 150.00 to install.I got the Keeptruckin eld 200.00 and installed myself and use my tablet or phone. {works great}

Orrientation was 2 days they put you up.You will need to get your 2290 tax id 550.00 Pass the inspection, You can get your own tags or theirs 1700 for 48 states and a lock kit. All of the things you need is easy payroll deduction like the tags are 100.00 a week.

They make it pretty painless. I did my homework and some say 65 percent is too cheap.I dont want to pay the cargo ins and factoring service and getting my own numbers . All that adds up.

I am 61 years old and dont need the hassle. But thats just me, I am throwing around the Idea of my own van tho. Hope this helps ymmv

 

In my mind the percentage is not all of it. Landstar has something a guy with his own authority can not offer, running one truck or even 5 trucks, and that is trucks when needed, which commands much higher rates.
So in all reality that 65% may be 100% of what a one man show can get out of the same shipper, who might or might not use him at any price. Many shippers like to make one call period.

My cousin shipped daily, he used one company, I could not even get in on his freight. lol

 

One thing to add about the 120. This is the only thing that torqued me off about it. If you fail for any reason, you fix the truck on site or be towed off to the shop of your choosing.

You can not drive across the street to a neighboring shop for repairs. They will cancel your lease