Swift O/O and L/O - How much do they make?

Landstar doesn't rent trailers. You get alerts by voice on your phone on loads within XX amount of miles from where you are empty for $X.XX you set the rate, and the deadhead miles. YOU set the parameters.

You can't afford a scanner for your truck? A fax for your truck? Sad.

My LS friend does taxes for a Schneider O/O. (he does taxes for another business) That guy runs more miles and makes the same or less than the LS guy. Less miles, MO money? Win-win!

We were going to meet one Saturday for breakfast when he was in the area. He got a load alert for over $4 a mile including 250 deadhead miles. He rolled!

He is saving his money for his own trailer. Has over $7500 saved. He has been running the same trailer and doing live loads only doing the math like he owned the trailer. He would make lots more as he gets paid a bigger percentage.

He doesn't have to call customers, the LS brokers do that. He does call to unload early and get directions. He has brokers that call him because of working relationships. Sometimes he gets calls before the load hits the board.

 

Simple really. I was a short term lease. 4th driver. Wasn't in a wreck. I maintained it very well. Very well.
I knew the truck so why not.

To the other guy. No IEL does not finance the balloon. However they still have to agree to let you finance it yourself.
Also there is a web of swift companies that can finance you. For example Swift Leasing. They are different than iel and thats whom does most of the lease purchases. In my case IEL said they are sending the truck back to paccar. Nothing I could do.
Just giving a word to the wise. I'm not swift bashing. Just being brutally honest.
If you have bad credit and are new to trucking. Swift has a good purpose. You can get time behind the wheel and work on your credit score, then move on.

 

Landstar leases flatbed and stepdecks. They dont lease vans.
If you lease a fb or sd its just a rental and they maintain the trailer. You dont pay for tires brakes etc..

 

Now this is something you rarely see - an O/O or L/O telling what they ACTUALLY made and paid taxes on .

 

I was going to correct the LS flat bed leasing. I found that out this morning.

 

I thought I'd share some recent charges I got. At the end of every month Swift tallies your miles driven and road tax.
They bill over miles in the 3rd week of the following month and road taxt the 4th.
I drove empty and loaded 14644 miles last month. Billed $328.00 for 3644 in over miles last week.
Road tax says I drove 16204 miles last month however, I got a credit -$105.64 for over payment.
I often asked why they are different they said the road tax reflects all miles. So if I drove home bobtail offduty thats included also. I don't agree but you can't fight city hall sometimes.

 

@flatbed, I think they did you a favor, they could have stung you for another $140 bucks for the unauthorized deadhead miles.

@rugtrucker. when a Landstar BCO is getting 65% using LS trailer and 72% for his own trailer, he's indirectly paying for the trailer at 65%.
When a Swift driver is getting $1.4 a mile all in, and can go to another carrier and get $1.5 but has to pay for the trailer both scenarios, the driver is paying for the trailer, one indirectly the other directly.
Even company drivers are paying for the trailers, tractors, terminals, mechanics, driver managers, the whole overhead of a trucking company is paid for by the drivers, in Swift's case, low low bargain basement pay.

I hope this will cheer you up, I do indeed have a document scanner on board for almost a year now.

 

Yea they dock over miles for paid only .
Also with landstar or mercer its about the net not miles. You drive less and make the same or more. Less wear and tear. Less B services. Etc..

 

I understand what you are saying Scotty. Actually that is a "given." I also realize not everyone runs for $1.50 either. He won't run that cheap. He looks at rates and volume in an area before booking a load to that area. He is sitting at home waiting for a decent run out. 2 days. End of the month, rates sometime suck.

Another LS thing is to learn which brokers to steer clear of.

 

ok this is how i did during my learning process. i have a better handle on how things work now

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