Attention All Brokers Landstar,TQL,Crowley,Fox,Sentry,Global,C H Robinson,KLX,Epes,

nc are u a broker for landstar?

 

Not a broker with Landstar a BCO with Landstar. Just FYI I don't knock Landstar in general. They tend to back a BCO up more then a broker when you have issues. I think most agents try to do right. But like everything in trucking things are changing. Even Landstar has tried to add agents with customers to bring more freight options and increase load numbers daily. Lot of crap on any load board but as one BCO said, one man's crap is another's ticket home or to better freight. I think the consensus in general in this thread is that loads are being offered to a wider potential audience thanks to technology. Not only do many owner operators join multiple broker web sites, but even in the big companies they share loads their trucks cannot cover. I lease to Landstar and have hauled JB Hunt freight, CH Robinson and plenty other small logistic businesses who have signed on with Landstar. Not sure its improving rates? But its supposed to give you more options. Unfortunately I have seen just more agents posting loads to Texas and Florida. Van freight though is a fickle and highly competitive market. Some areas simply have too many trucks and too few loads. That pushes rates way down. My advice to new Landstar BCO's is to know your operating costs and what rate you need to make a profit.

 

No I dont work for Landstar

 

yea im in the chicago area and im in the progress of hiring onto landstar,think and hope because of the high volume of freight up here that i should do ok with them

 

Freight out of Chicago is not the problem. I live near Chicago myself. Its where the freight goes that will poise the main problems. Texas, Florida, ND, SD, a lot of what Landstar gets in freight is what I call rejected freight by other carriers. Its freight not attractive to many carriers who either don't have customers in those inbound areas, or the frequency of freight the customer has is too infrequent. The benefit to the BCO is the rate is a bit higher generally, and you will see more specialty stuff like blanket loads, LTL, and other special requirement loads. That mixed in with the typical cheap freight on any load board.

 

Chicago and a lot of other big cities are like a candy land for flatbedders. I have a friend who is thinking of dumping his lease and going out on his own. He pulls a van and I checked ITS and there doesn't seem to be any hot spots for vans.

 

yea i was talking to a landstar driver out at the ta morris il and he does all drop and hook very short runs in chicago and surrounding areas and seems to be doing alright for himself,seems like the short runs pay better

 

lots of flat bed freight because not many people like to do flat bed. I run reefer and in south lots of loads in spring early summer than other way around. so for example thousands of truck hall potatos anions apples from northwest to south this time of year t and then they all need to get loaded back so some times they will zig zag and take all your freight.

 

PLS??? Is that a load board?

 

I been looking at Tx rates and what I see they are no good so I stay out of there.