Beware of Landstar Sky Bitz and E-Log Mandate

Whats with all the pissing and moaning about the cost of the EOBR,really is 7.50 or so a week going to hurt people that bad? I can kind of buy the constant whining about "big brother" and "they are always watching me" arguement but the cost argument is really pathetic. Maybe we could start up some kind of fund for the poor indigent drivers that cant pony up the change for an EOBR. Or better yet why not lift that right foot up a bit and pay for your EOBR plus have some left over. Again I get the point but its coming so everyone needs to learn to live with it.

 

Well I guess you like drinking that Koolaid but to me a "free" paper log trumps a weekly, monthly or yearly fee. Even $7.50 a week is $390 a year. Not chicken feed from a "free" paper log. Its good you are a loyal Landstar BCO who lays down for these fee's. I guess they have trained you well. I personally as a business person have to question why I would pay for a service I can get for free? Its not like the electronic logging is going to make you more money. Its a even exchange if you have been logging legally on paper. A little fee here and another there can add up. I guess most of us indigents wonder why Landstar could afford to buy our paper logs and yet cannot pay for the basic electronic logging transmissions?

 

As a "business person" you should understand there are costs to doing business at LS its the EOBR among other things. You can blow the number up to 390 so it looks like a big expense but its just not. There is so much more in life that I could find to get bent about,sorry as a successful business owner Im just not on board with your "koolaid".

 

Anyone who is in business should be concerned about costs, even those that one might consider small. All those small expenses add up. You can buy a years worth of paper logs for less than one month's fee for an EOBR. If you watch the pennies, the dollars will take care of themselves. As a businessman you save where you can. There is nothing positive that I can see about having an EOBR in my truck. Landstar and some of the big carriers like them because it saves them money on compliance. When you lease to Landstar or any other carrier, you become part of a business relationship. An independent relationship. At least it is supposed to be independent. When a carrier forces an independent contractor, such as an owner operator, to spend money on something that they neither want or need, they are no longer an independent contractor. They are an employee. I don't have a personal ax to grind with Landstar. They have achieved a high level of success in this industry. They can run their business as they see fit. If I were in the market to lease to a carrier, I would look for one that did not require me to purchase and then pay a monthly fee to install an EOBR. As of today, the EOBR is a wish list for the major carriers and the fmcsa. It isn't mandated by the feds. In addition to the monthly fee, there is also a cost for purchasing the unit. That can run $1,200 to 3,600 each, depending on quantity. I have heard rumors of some that are now less than $1,000. That is still an unnecessary expense.

 

You can have your own IFTA account, even without having your own authority. I have a friend who is leased to a carrier and he has had an IFTA account for several years.

 

Unless Landstar has a policy against their BCO's having their own IFTA account, there is no reason you should not be able to have one. I believe there is a form that your carrier will need to sign in order to get the IFTA account set up. I think the only problem with insurance and Landstar is the unladen liability instead of bobtail insurance. They should not have an issue with any other insurance, such as collision or comprehensive insurance. You also may be able to purchase an occupational accident policy rather than workers comp. It will depend on your state. OOIDA has a policy for about $140/month. There are others who have a similar policy. It should not make any difference to Landstar where you get your other insurance. OOIDA can tell you whether it should be a problem for Landstar on the insurance. You could also check with Landstar to see if there are any insurance companies that they might have a problem accepting it.

 

I've read on here in posts in the past that the issue with insurance and Landstar is that Landstar requires the insurance to have an AM Best Rating of B+ or higher.

OOIDA's insurance does not have that rating apparently.