No security Landstar said didn't qualify after making me quit job

Well when you and others say " Red flags. Red flags."

What does that mean exactly?

 

To me, the term “red flag” would mean something that raises a concern of possible danger ahead. For example, when Landstar said my file was reviewed and approved, yet 2 weeks later says something is missing, that raises a concern (“red flag”) as to whether my file has been properly reviewed at all! A whole lot of brake lights a half mile ahead raises a “red flag” of a traffic problem. A dispatcher/agent telling a driver the load picks up at 11:00 am today and the shipper says this load was supposed to have been picked up yesterday afternoon raises a “reg flag” the said dispatcher/agent is either incompetent or lying. A “red flag” concern can vary depending on the circumstances. A “reg flag” often creates a learn from experience scenario to avoid occurring again in the future.

 

Ok so there's danger ahead now what?

 

Good question. Slow down.

 

Gone are the days you walked into a Trucking Company, find the hiring and firing man, have a talk. Take a driver out of the break room, drive the truck for 20 minutes out and back and have a job.

I literally lived that experience. After my schooling was done. Repeated.

Somehow it evolved into a mountain of paperwork, workhistory and so on. Names, dates, times, firings or quits and so on then 7 years, 10 years I just handed in a inch thick stack of copied matieral attached to their application.

Weeks go by. Then orientation after a bus ride through winter weather that I am for once thankful that others were driving. and you wonder why some of them I get sent home. It's related to my deafness. Enter the ADA and Lawyers and so on. Add up the potential earnings and file papers. Is it worth it? Ha.

When one outfit does not want you, you find another. You already know you are disposible when you see 50 hungries in the room with you fresh off a dozen buses. Some are gone by Wednesday you have a truck Thursday and some crap 200 mile load with 5 days to deliver like ATS did with me once. I should have gone home for 4 and half of those days and made something out of it. Next time I would.

At the same time I see the Trucking industry rot a little bit.

Suddenly you and your load is not welcome. Go back to the end of the line. Might as well inform dispatch they refused the load regardless of ontime or especially early arrival. New problems.

If you were not careful and whined too much out you go.

Silence is golden. But not when it hurts the industry.

And you know what? I heard the old ones say the same old tired rants 40 years ago in the Tavern, bad dispatch, stupid customers, filthy freight and so on. Come on now. Here I am repeating the same tired words. Only evolved into matching with the Technology and databases that haunt you to death if you were a really bad driver. Branded like a Scarlet Letter.

I even interviewed for dispatcher once. Found that I was too scary to the 20 and 30's office drones. Whats the problem? The language and your actions. Such as standing over the desk when making sure a driver understood the explicit and very plain language that evokes a form of either vanities or things best kept out of sight. I asked the man what do you want me to hunch over the keyboard and tap into this #### thing all day? Waiting for others to move the information here to me and then to drivers? And then wait to see if's a success or a royal screw up?

No thanks. No wonder dispatchers get bent. Just like drivers get bent. Then we are fixing to see trucks get bent. Or burnt.

Oh and the stuffed briefcase full of me ready to hand in to anyone with trucks across the blessed USA? Burnt. With joy.

Shrugs.

 

Well the day you walk out of orientation your workman comp starts. So I'd highly recommend start earning.

Landstar is for self starters.

At The Harvard Business School they will teach you there are 3 kinds of employees.

1) The Tank - The tank lets nothing stand in his way. It runs over and through obstacles.

2) The Toy - As in toy soldier. You have to wind the toy up, and he marches along, but gets stuck when he hits an obstacle.

3) The Sack - As in sack of wet sand. The sack you have to drag around, and sit in front of his task.

If you're not a tank. I recommend not wasting your time, or your money.

Two weeks went by. Did you even once call and ask " HEY WHAT IN THE ACTUAL F IS GOING ON HERE?"

You gonna let another 2 go by before you check again?

And they do deliberately F with people. They weed 'em out before they even start.

98% on time record. 1 service failure, you're on probation. 2 you're history.

It's far from fair. It's not for everyone. For me it's like being a kid in a candy store.

 

I am in tears leaning on the desk, call me a tank. That evolved from a toy soldier. That evolved from sitting a long time waiting for someone to say yes Mr Driver, you can go here and do this today. Get going yer late.

I remember one company failed to contact me. I was about upgrade towards the Catskills when they called my cell 6 weeks in and said why are you not at our orientation. Wot? Im working bye. And silence on their end when they understand that I am hired somewhere else and working.

 

Dave, I already own a business (non-trucking related) and employ 35 people. Trucking is more of a hobby now. My wife runs the day to day operations and my years with Walmart fully funded our retirement. I already stated what happened in the past 2 weeks, which is really only one week since attending a safety class. Trucking is not the most profitable business to invest in if you already have money else where.

I understand what you mean by 3 different kinds of employees. I already spent years as a tank to get where I am now financially. Today, I can enjoy the rewards of past years of hard work. My life wouldn’t change for the worse one bit if I never drive a CMV ever again. Landstar is unique in a sense that I could treat like a hobby and see if I want to expand beyond that.

 

Good luck with treating it like a hobby. Cause your overhead is there every week. If you're not earning, they'll take your trailer. There is a sea of agents you don't want to deal with, I wish you the very best of luck figuring out who is who on a "hobby" basis.

 

But the nice part of it is that there is no pressure for me at this point in life. Had I embarked on this 20 years ago, sure, it would need to be as a tank to make it work well. I have asked you questions to create conversation is all. Your advice is very good for anyone who really needs to be a tank to survive. Thousands of O/O’s fail every month, and it is usually not the tanks!