I am considering signing on with Roadrunner as a T2T LTL driver. Any information you guys have is much appreciated. I saw other dated threads and YouTube vids, most claiming it's a good deal and after speaking with the recruiter it seems decent. I am looking for some honest recent feedback regarding this company. Recruiter said it pays about 1.20 to 2.10 per loaded mile plus FSC and lease is about $800/wk. All I really want to know is if the claims are genuine and how decent the freight lanes are... I don't need stories of L/P nightmares at other companies or the L/P is for idiots spiel (really not that interested in ownership and will probably change trucks)... just straight up details on what to expect with RRTS. Thanks and please don't mess up my thread...or I will return the favor
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Roadrunner Transportation Systems
Discussion in 'Lease Purchase Trucking Forum' started by Scoots, Jun 28, 2016.
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I was leased to them for 8 years. Their policy used to be they load you out you find your way home. Used to be 4% on Back hauls. Most of my Revenue came from back hauls. The state your trip ends determines you're rate per mile. Read the rates page of your contract. Rental of a trailer was high per week. They re - broker loads. Usually through their Previously leased to Landstar agents. So the money is not there. If you want to be truly independent they are not for you. They do have loads they do pay when they say.The breakdowns, tires, maintenance you're on your own. They do have an excellent fuel program with ta and Petro. You do have to stay up on their bookkeeping. You can buy tires through them usually only two. I would not recommend taking their fuel advances on Outside backhauls.
They do solicit outside vendors services. I would not recommend any of them. You would be much better off buying your own truck and trailer then lease to them. $800 a week is excessive. I came in with my own tractor and trailer for 1600 a month. Purchased prior to leasing to them. All the dealership wanted to see was the lease. Plates, Insurance, escrow are very steep Deductions For someone just starting out with them. $1800, $450, $1000, Respectively. Not to mention your truck payment and trailer rental. Of course some of these will be prorated. That is a large monthly nut to crack. I chased produce harvest season. No west coast, or northeast.Last edited: Jun 28, 2016
Robin Williams, tscottme and Scoots Thank this. -
Supposedly... it's just hauling trailers between terminals so not sure I need my own. Sounds like a good deal but it does make me a bit leary in the sense that I can't see too many drivers running D/H T2T... only so much need for that. If I have to lease a trailer too I won't do it.
I like Petro more than Pilot and am used to getting repairs done at TA as a company driver... so at least that's encouraging. I can get a truck I guess but doing that scares me a bit just cause I really don't want to marry it.
I'd be new to the o/o side which is kind of why I was thinking lease. I know they suck but at least you can walk away. Maybe my logic is flawed though... I just don't have a ton of knowledge about this crap so I appreciate the help.
edit: Also the $800 a week includes the insurance portion I believe and the truck comes with a warranty... just some additional info.Last edited: Jun 29, 2016
Reason for edit: wanted to add some details -
Scoots Thanks this.
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I would guesstimate the total weekly overhead to be closer to $1100 a week at RR for a lease truck. The reason I say that is because just the truck alone is close to $600 a week, then you have insurances, trailer pool rental which was $185 a week and heard a rumor they raised it to $210 a week. Then you have a forced maintenance fund something like $0.11 a mile. Plates, permits, all that is charged back to the Independent contractor paid in so many weeks. then an escrow will be deducted so many weeks til it's paid too.
If you're talking to a recruiter nail down all the costs for leasing your truck and renting a trailer. Health insurance, tax service, legal defense all can be deducted weekly too. It is very important to nail down your overhead for the business and the overhead for your Life and come up with a breakeven number so you have a chance to survive.
Once you lease on, you'll need every terminal planner's number and use it to set up preloads and reloads at terminals you are inbound to.
RR broker agents will call you daily to try to load you at $1.10 times 94% which is a hard pill to swallow. ATBS tax service says it's OK. run 90,000 miles at $1.5 and 30,000 miles at $1 and come out with $1.37 a mile on the year.Robin Williams, tscottme and Scoots Thank this. -
You will have to be very good with money and strict discipline with it. For the T2T loads, they will advance 100% of the fuel surcharge to your fuel card up front as soon as you are dispatched. Then they will also advance 40% of the linehaul to your fuel card.
You figure out how much money you need for fuel for that trip and the balance you can leave on the card, or take it as cash advance when you fuel $200 a day which is free inside the truck stop, use it at ATM and pay a fee, or transfer it to your bank account.
RR is coldhearted. If you blew all your money and ran out of fuel 100 miles from the destination, they will not give you more money, they will send someone to rescue your load and terminate you. I have heard of guys breaking down and using their fuel money to fix the truck and RR was merciless.
They have a new policy, breakdown and you can rent a truck while yours is getting fixed. But rental is limited to 2 weeks. This happened to me, my truck had a catastrophic breakdown after already spending $28,000 bucks it is stuck at the shop. I only owe $2500 more and I get it back but RR was zero help, they made me turn in the rental truck which cut off my legs. I had to go to work at another company now to pay the bill. I will have to terminate my lease with RR I think and the escrow I have with them will cover my negative settlements for the last 3 weeks. -
Thanks for the feedback. The recruiter said some stuff that made me raise an eyebrow... like complaining about people who complain about making $300 per week... well, that makes me think why the hell are lease ops only pulling $300 a week? Either the company doesn't give a ####, the loaders are incompetent, or the freight isn't there (like I originally suspected)... It doesn't make me very confident in this company. I also heard that they do not have pre-pass which is another big red flag they don't maintain equipment or the drivers cant afford to maintain it.
It sucks in the "back to the drawing board" sense... but overall I think any company that would shaft a driver over $100 is desperate. At any rate I thank you guys for helping me decide against this deal... I feel I should respond because so many people on this board feel their advice is wasted. Desperation sometimes clouds better judgment... and I thank you guys for watching my back. I may just go back to Nussbaum (it's a great company for OTR but no O/O) or possibly find something local.scottied67 Thanks this. -
I went ahead and terminated my contract with RR Friday. It is exactly my kind of trucking, just wish it paid better. The low rates just killed me.
No prepass but I believe the driver could get it on their own. I just went into every open scale. I believe they take pictures of the truck out tthere as you pass by this state's scale then when you go across the next state's scale, you better have done it with the proper amount of time otherwise get checked. I always took 11 hour breaks so they never messed with me.
$300 a week? Yeah I'd be complaining too. Their brokers offering $1.1 times .94 all in is insulting.Scoots Thanks this. -
Yeah I could sign on with a Swift flease and do $1 a mile. Thanks for the heads up.
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