Landstar net earnings for a hard worker

You know what they say..

 

I went owner op after chasing pennies per mile when I started out. After owning my own truck and dealing with brokers that were way worse than the worst company dispatchers, I found a small private fleet. I now get paid hourly, overtime after 8, full benefits package, and now I just laugh when dispatch screws up an appointment time. I'm now compensated for all hours worked. And I don't personally suffer from a dispatchers laziness or mechanical breakdown.

 

It can snowball fast.

 

In all honestly,. there are company drivers who net more than many O/O's. There are many O/O's who found direct shippers and are home every night and dont work hard at all. There are so many different situations in trucking. Realize,.. there is no one size fits all. No 2 people in the same company,.. no 2 O/O's leased on with the same company,.. no 2 O/O's with full authority,.. no one bakes their cake using the same recipe.

Its feast or famine out here. Right now while most are complaining about low rates, lack of loads, difficult times,.. there are guys who are doing very well while others are struggling. Its always been this way,.. it will continue to be this way until they regulate O/O's out of existence.

For me, my survival depends on me working hard, pre booking loads and keeping up a pace that most dont want to do. Thats how I keep my head above water.

Like the others have said,.. you've been making posts like these for a long while now. Put some money away,.. grow a pair and jump in with both feet. The only way you are going to find out the real answers will be to actually make a move and try it.

Set up your source of income, buy a truck and go to work. You will make mistakes, you will learn from your mistakes, your truck will break down and you will have moments of utter frustration, you will have some really good streaks where the money seems like it wont stop,.. and then you will have slow periods where you worry about everything. Thats trucking.

If you really want to become an O/O,.. quit lollygagging and just do it. Self discipline is the key here. Wishing in one hand and you know what in the other,.. wont get you anywhere.

Hurst

 

LOL!!!!!!!

Exactly my point!!

Its just money. If at first you dont succeed,.. try ,.. try,.. try again.

This is not my first go at it. I failed my first time. Learned from my mistakes, put my money away again,.. and set out on a mission. So far so good.

Hurst

 

Two things you need to consider. 1 if your only going it for money go get the best paying job you can and stay an employee. Your heart and soul really has to be in it or you will be miserable. I don't mean you gotta love trucking, i mean you gotta love working for yourself.

2: seriously consider getting over the love affair with dry vans. Dry van freight had always been the cheapest freight there is. Sure, there is good paying van freight, but as a percentage is very low so harder find and keep. I like open deck cause i have ten good loads to choose from for every one good van load. But if you are dead set on pulling a van. You gotta specialize. Get a lift gate. Vents. Etracks and logistics posts. Lots of blankets. Etc etc. You can not thrive with plain Jane 53 ft dry vans. You just can't offer what the big companies do fire the price they are able to do it. Note, they don't do it cheap, just cheaper than you can. Even at landstar with their ability to drop trailers at customers, by the time they take their cut you are running far below what swift or scni gets from that customer with a 36 cpm driver.

 

BUT you are not getting it, you may be ending up talking to the 21 year old gossip queen because she works at the agent who tells you to deal with her and only her.

YOU don't also get that you don't schedule loads under this system as if you are a company driver. YOU won't contact the broker nor get anywhere except to get offers or ask about loads on a LS load board.

IT works for many but a lot have failed in one degree or another.

OK I guess if you say so but honestly there is a lot more to this than dealing with trivial things like that. You are still a company driver at this point - I assume - so many things you don't handle.

OK you didn't hear what I said, you read it and ignored it. It doesn't matter what you did in the past, you have a foundation for a business and that's it.

BUT again you have to learn what their business model is and how you fit into it, that's how you figure out what the net is going to be.

Actually I agree with Chasing, you can't put a number on it. It all depends on what your operational costs are.

 

Just so happens,. I picked up in Mobile, Al the other day on a Landstar load. 3 other Landstar drivers there. Me being the only none Landstar O/O there. Of course the conversation came up about what the load paid. The load was posted for $1100,.. I negotiated another $100 to cover the escort I needed for when we got to the Houston port.

Landstar driver told me they were paid 73% of the linehaul which was $1400 for them. Landstar broker told me he only had $1300 in it and couldnt pay me more. They always lie. Probably lied to their own drivers and have more than $1400 in it.

Anyway,.. 73% of $1400 comes out to $1022. Thats what they were paid for the same Landstar load I booked off TruckStop and got $1200. Oh,.. and turned out we did not need a twic escort. Extra $100 in my pocket,.. Score!

I've had these conversations with other Landstar drivers and often,.. I am making a small amount more than they. They do make more on other loads,.. but more often than not,.. I have negotiated for more than they pay their own trucks.

Hurst

 

Sounds like fun..

 

LOL

Thats pretty much how the guys I loaded with the other day feel about Landstar.



Hurst