Landstar Reefer

I also like the Reefer game but the dry van angle seems good at LS. Could you own a Reefer trailer but park it occasionally to pull a LS company van if the right opportunity arose? I know there are power-only and other types of jobs that cone up...

 

Yes you can do that. You'll have 2 different LS trailer numbers. But why not just run the reefer trailer for both types of loads? Just turn the reefer off and you have a dry van. And you keep 75% instead of 65%. I ran a lot of dry loads, some pay real good especially out of Houston up to Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and North Dakota.

 

So you pulled a reefer for LS? I am all about running out of the traditional lanes and am also interested in TC Haz Mat or Trade Show freight.

 

Trade show freight can be kinda sketchy on taking refers because of the floors.

Evidently the ridges in most floors can mess up the wheels on the cases.

Also trade show likes lots of e-track. Most refers have none.

For trade show you should have Load bars (not load locks) so they can put a second layer of say carpet above the skids,cases and crates. Horizontal E-track will not support the weight.

 

Thanks for the input. I never thought about how the ducted flooring would mess with the casters! Having dealt with Trade Show logistics as a freight broker I’m not sure I’d want to wade too far into that pool. But I have talked to guys that have moved slot machines or display monitors that were palletized and needed protect from freeze or extreme heat service. One guy even had a 53ft liftgate trailer.

 

Yea trade show freight in a reefer trailer won't work. Brokers want a flat wooden floor that the shipper can block and brace if need be. Like you said the metal grooves are a problem. You'll also find about 20% of shippers won't load dry freight of any kind on a reefer. And of course running drop & hook is off the table with any owned trailer.

I had vertical and horizontal e-track installed in my reefer trailer at the factory. One of the great things about buying brand new is you get your trailer set up exactly how you like. I got 2 rows of horizontal e-track, with the bottom row at 3 feet 9 inches. Why? Because at LS you will work all winter running protect from freeze hazmat freight and floor standing drums are 4 feet tall. If you install the bottom row at 4 feet or higher you will not be able to strap those.

The winter will be your busy money-making season and you will get brokers calling you for 6 months straight from Oct 1 to April 1. You'll rarely run PFF freight during the winter that pays under $3.50 per mile and my rule is if the broker is calling me, he is going to pay a dollar more than he is offering.

I retired in March and moved to Thailand, but i miss it so i may come back and run reefer for the 6 winter months and then spend the 6 summer months back over there with my thai g/f.

I made darn good money with LS running reefer, especially the last 3 years. I understand rates are down over the last 10 or so months, so that is a concern. If you buy a reefer thru Great Dane Jacksonville you will get a 10% LS discount. Mine came to $83K i believe after all the extras i had installed. The total after discount was under $75K. I put $7500 down and financed it over 3 years at 8.03%. Paid it off in 14 months. In March i sold it to a LS driver on LCAPP for $62K. So it cost me a net difference of only $13K not including interest charges. It was a 2017 model. Make sure any reefer you buy has a Precedent unit installed. Costs $3500 extra but you will get every penny back on the resale.

 

That definitely sounds like an angle I would like to pursue. What did the lanes and length of haul look like on that stuff? Was it mostly shorter runs? And how many shippers/areas did you pull out of?

Even if you didn’t come back to driving I’m looking to put together a network of “paid advisors” to give me occasional guidance in the LS world. Hopefully we can keep in touch.

 

Most PFF freight funnels to New England from the midwest and the south. 600 to 1300 mile runs. And most of the freight is super light. I've run 1 pallet for $5 per mile. $3000 for 600 miles. There are loads out of Memphis, southern Louisiana, and Houston going out west like California and British Columbia that can pay $12,000. I didn't run too many of those because you have to drop your shorts for anything that pays decent back to the midwest.

 

My buddy is a Landstar BCO and had a great question - how much PFF freight is avail if you have a heated dry van? Or is it pretty much reefer only?

 

The biggest issue I’ve seen w show freight is the hurry-up-and-wait schedule. Sit all day in the marshaling yard...