Why pay Landstar over 30% of the load when you can have 100% with your own numbers?

I don't hear too many good things about Landstar anymore. I'm leased onto Leonards Express, and make 72%. I feel like I'm getting a lot for my money

 

Well it depends. @Old Man has solid thoughts on this.

Pulling a company van at 65% - in times where the rates are down, I think it's a struggle. Right now they're doing fine - a van guy I know is pulling Amazon freight 4 days a week at $2.40/mile to the truck after the cut. Good for him. Last couple of years - I would have advised a top paying company gig.

If you own your own trailer - platform, at 73% - you give up 27% or less. Better option in my opinion.

You'd have to compare the apples to apples on insurance and all other costs for a better idea.

 

Why?

Because you don't have to chase the money, you get paid no matter if they collect or not.

 

Very good point. Being leased on go someone means free factoring.

 

Not to mention that when leased to a company like landstar, you get x percentage of the full Monty. Most guys that go on their own just pull for a broker instead of the carrier. Brokers don't work for free, they will keep as big a slice of the pie as possible, in many cases its just as much as the carrier would of kept, if not more. I can't count how many times a guy has walked up to me while loading bragging how he got x dollars browsing the load from the carrier I'm leased to and how bad they are screwing me. The number is rarely more than 50 bucks more than im getting. For 50 bucks a load ill happily let the carrier pay the liability insurance, front the fuel money, handy all paperwork and legal requirements, and get my money with in 24 hours of delivering.

 

factoring, trailer maintenance and rent, cargo insurance and liability, dispatching, fuel card, you get a lot more than just factoring

 

Maybe the 18% my company would take isn't that bad after all.