Help me PLEASE!! Turning around a trucking business

You can't worry about what people talk about behind your back. It's going to happen regardless.

Good luck, hope it turns out well.

 

I often say to new people starting to work for me.
Here you will find all kinds.
Some more mature than others.
Keep your nose clean and take what you here with a pinch of salt till you have enough time to make up your own mind.
Don't be to perturbed if you hear some talking the bosses down or even calling us ##s####s.
It comes with the territory and is usually just some venting.
It does not bother me unless it gets out of hand.
Just never let me hear it being said in front of customers or reps.

 

Never haul for anyone until you run a credit check, Landstar brokers have never stiffed anyone so believe you are ok with them.

Customer service number is 800-435-1791

Payment is key, faster payment makes a difference under your circumstances from what I have read so far.

 

I have never worked with LS, but I was talking with one of their customers out of Milwaukee who ships flat/step/RGN freight. He said his broker who was covering southeast Wisconsin sucked so he asked for another and was interested in giving us some of his work because he wasn't satisfied with LS. Maybe there is just a bad apple in this neck of the woods.

 

Landstar pays in 24-48 hours from the time you send them the paperwork with a discount on the bill. It is either 1 1/2 or 2%. CH Robinson also pays in 24-48 hours with a 1 1/2% discount. Most of the larger brokers offer "quick pay" for a discount on the bill. Some also offer a fuel card that you can use that may offer discounts on the cash price at the pump.

You also need to find a good factor if you are having some cash flow problems. The small percentage you pay them will be offset by the additional cash that you need to run your business. NEVER, NEVER, EVER take a load without first checking the shipper or broker's credit. If they don't have good credit then don't carry the load. A factor can often help you with the credit checking. There are non recourse factors and recourse factors. I would look for one where you can only factor what you want with NO minimums.

 

So Landstar is in the produce business now? Hmmm. Oh well. It will be short lived with dry vans hauling it. The reason the Landstar agent didn't call you back is he found a flatbed to do it even cheaper than a dry van will. Lol. I'm just poking a little fun. Honestly if your anywhere near Chicago then you know the rates are horrible right now. Just have to bide your time. Although I dunno if I would have went with an all dry van fleet. Reefer means you can usually haul either or. And when the potatoes have to be kept at a certain temp that would have sealed the deal with that agent. In the middle of winter they are not gonna give you a produce load with a dry van. Nor in the middle of summer.

 

Landstar has been in the produce business for years - you realize watermelons and potatoes even nusrsury stock ships on a vented dry van and pays just as well as you get with a reefer?.. You can even haul nursury stock on a non-vented dry van at times... There are even heated dry vans that can haul produce in the winter..

Tiffy it's common for them to not call you back, they have a thousand things going on and get busy.. ..although I will say I have much more respect for the rare ones that do. You just need to make it a point to call this agent and get into a working relationship with him on these round trip loads. As long as they are paying soliud rates... After a few weeks you'll be a familiar person he deals with and hammering down rates and loads will be a snap... You might still have to call him daily, in fact if i were you I would. You're not bugging him and he won;t get mad or annoyed. He obviously needs trucks and you're making it easy for him to cover loads.. Seems like a good situation you have found there you need to proactively go after and build on the work this agent has...

 

Have you found out anything about the frac sand? Looks like they're hauling it in end dumps to rail or barge.