Landstar with a Van,good or bad.?

Landstar plays to many dann games for my taste. Would never lease there.

 

Wassup guys. I was a company driver for 15 years, then tried a LP with J.B.Hunt. I lasted a year. It wasn't for me. Back to company I left for 6 more years, then to a local tanker job. I bought my firsticket truck March 2015. I leased on to Mercer, over Landstar. It wasn't to my liking. The rates were way too low, and I didn't like having a coordinator. They had a board where you pick your own freight, and call any broker you want, as long as you give them their 25%. I liked it a lot. They have great fuel discounts, and loan money when needed for repairs. I had no money in the bank, so they take it back at every settlement. I ended up leaving in frustration because my 99 broke down a lot, and with no savings, it hurt money going home. I left and went to Triple C Transit in Weatherford TX. Good company at first. Then they started charging Trailer rental of $400 a month. I'm thinking of leaving and finally going to Landstar. Reading these posts, it's definitely a love hate thing with them. But,I'm like a previous poster. You have to know what your doing, stay pre-planned , and find a good local broker and agent, who has good direct shippers. If you can keep your average between $1.50 and $2, you'll be doing good on a dry van. Looking for much else, you'll want a reefer or flat. I want to stay on the eastern US and be home or thru the house weekly. If anybody has any info, about whether you've been able to do that and keep your checks around $1800, please reply. But I don't want BS. I've been out here too long and I'd like some actionable intelligence. Thanks guys and be safe.

 

First off you CANNOT call any broker you want and give Mercer %25. Second you are resonsible to pick your own lanes and frieght. The only thing the coordinator does is offer you loads. You can run at Mercer and rarely have to speak to a coordinator.

Landstar rates are no better. Also you will be paying trailer rent and have to contend with dropping and hooking to trailers that usually have something wrong with them (vans).

Last...you broke down alot and got sour grapes. You were lucky Mercer even fronted you the money. They wont rape your check. They take out a perdiem for your repairs they payed for.

Hopefully you pay mercer back befor you bail.

 

The life of a door swinger. Its rough with van rates

 

He already left,

 

Well I hope he made arrangements to pay back his repair bill. If he stiffed Mercer he will be in for a surprise lol.

 

OOPs, didnt mention the other 2 years of driving otr. Dont be soooo amazed. There's thousands of jumpers... looking for OO opportunity... with or without a years experience. Working the oil patches, you grow up quick in the industry. Kinda like going from 1 year exper. to 10 because they treat your like you need to be treated. OTR is "dummy down lane" via the company. Just curious, have you worked in the oil patches and have any idea of what I speak of?

 

I will be starting with landstar pretty soon. I'm already qualified, they're just waiting on me to give them a quit date with my current company. Trying to get routed to a terminal and turn this L/P truck in and leave on good terms but they are being an ### hole on getting to a terminal. I really will need some help from some one. I feel I may f##k up royally. At least 10x...lol

 

LS pretty much already hired you. Are u thinking your dac or psp will be tainted LS will not hire u?
They won't give u orientation info b,c they require a quit date from previous employment.
No worries...tell them jack wagons where ur at now to kiss a big one.

 

I wanna tell them that so bad but I'm trying not to get hit with a truck abandonment plus I just took a wk off to purchase a truck and now that wk off has me in the whole $800.00 don't know if you can walk away from a lease in the negative or not. I'm sure it's been done b4 but haven't met anyone who did it