Land Star....Just The Basics'....

LS
2 to 10
Could be none
No

 

To be SUCCESSFUL at LS you need to have knowledge and a skill set that most company drivers and a large number of O/O's just dont have. Notice I said successful,there are plenty of BCO's that are making it but to me there is a big gap between making it and being truly successful. There are plenty of BCO's that do it their way and thats what works for them. Landstar is all about freedom which could mean freedom to succeed or freedom to fail,its all up to you.

After six months Im making it but Im far from calling myself a success. My bills for the business and at the house are getting paid which for alot of guys is enough,for me I would like a better balance of work and time off. My success will come it just takes time,Im not doing as well as I was at my teamster job or Walmart but Im not to far off. I like having the freedom to do as I please and at the end of the day I cant lay blame on ignorant dispatchers,load planners or anyone else if things suck. I also dont have alot of restrictions and no one nannys me or watches me in my cab and I dont share my truck.

My favorite saying is "are you a business owner that uses a truck as a tool to make money or are you a company driver with a truck payment". Figuring which one you want to be will help to put you ahead of the rest of the pack from day one.

These are my observations but I think its a pretty good desciption of what makes one a SUCCESSFUL BCO.

Since you will be acting as your own load planner and dispatcher it helps to have an above average knowlegde of freight lanes and rates. Being able to plan your route useing fuel optimization will help you save alot of money. We get great discounts but to really get the best bang for your buck you need to plan your trips and fuel purchases carefully.

You need to have above average communication skills because you will be dealing with agents when booking loads and you will also need to be comfortable cold calling agents in order to help build your network.

You need to have above average customer service skills,remember customer service skills means providing outstanding customer service to everyone involved in your day to day business activities.

You need to be able to run a business which means having things like an accounting system so you know all your numbers,knowing all your numbers will again put you well ahead of the pack. Knowing your numbers will also greatly help you to control costs. Having things in writing is a highly effective motivator when it comes to making changes. I highly recommend the gauges software system that Kevin Rutherford offers. The fuel tracking software is free and you will see improvements just by having the numbers at your fingertips. The accounting system is 23.00 a month and when used in conjunction with the fuel software will help you with everything including profit and loss statements,business and tax reports and a full set of numbers that you can use to make business decisions. Knowing your numbers is the most important thing you can do to help your business be profitable.