mercer transportation

A blessing and a curse. That's a good way to look at it.

 

Mercer isn't in the lease purchase business. The truck is leased by the individual from a company. Not affiliated with mercer, same as a truck from lone mountain, paccar, or any other leasing place. When I leased on 5 years ago, I heard the same deal, they were leasing on too many trucks, and I have heard it continually ever since, even before anyone heard of quality

 

NJ is on a short list of states I always top off in.

LS has a tough system. Like mentioned, you really have to get in good with their brokers. For some this is easy and others hard. For those not in the "Good ole boys club" life can get real hard for some it seems. With just talking to my friends there it seems like the one common thing we seem to have is when freight is abundant the spot market can be a money maker but very unpredictable. The equalizer then is prebooking. Miss a few spot rates but get good rates and don't sit. Now when freight dies down so goes the spot market. And here comes a huge advantage to the prebooker. Getting fair-good rates and not sitting while the spot market chaser sits and waits until they settle for something to pay the bills. I believe this happens everywhere.

 

The thing many don't know is landstar and universal mason Dixon agents are allowed to broker freight before its offered to trucks leased on, they make more money for the agent that way.

 

Mason Dixon is really bad for that. A lot of their agents won't put a load on their contract trucks until the very last minute.

 

Oh ok. I was under the impression Mercer deducted the payments out of LP drivers settlements.

 

For sure, Landstar has flatbed loads now. I got friends with their own authority hauling lots of LS flatbed freight weekly

 

They have been FB for a long time. FB is not new to them at all.

 

Oh I know that , I have hauled broker loads from them for 20 yrs. I was making a point about there BCO's sitting and their agents brokering loads to Independents

 

Back when I ran under my own numbers I pulled a lot of turbines for them from florida power and light. They paid extremely well. Ridiculously good for Florida freight. I asked the agent why she had to broker them instead of putting then on their own trucks. I forget her exact words but it was to the effect of "a single pebble can cause two million dollars of damage to that unit. I can't trust these idiots their hiring to keep it safe."

Now I'm not trying to say all landstar drivers are idiots. But that agent sure did not have a very high opinion of them. Especially the newer bco's

Edit to add: this big hiring wave Mercer has been on the last couple years is very similar to what landstar was doing back then. I certainly hope it doesnt change this company as it did them.