[red dog]

I'm interested in buying a truck and leasing on with landstar in Aug. Most BCO's I've talked to like pulling for landstar. Not surprisingly the one thing that they all differ on is pay. Some say they make good money some say they barely make a living. As a company driver I average between $900-$1100 a week. Factoring in that I'm buying a cheap truck and controlling my expenses all I want to know is if it's realistic to expect to keep my income at least the same if not better.

[Little D]

Try going to BCOFORUM.com. Those guys can probably give you a good idea of your income.

[Rev.Vassago]

Originally Posted by red dog

As a company driver I average between $900-$1100 a week.

Stay a company driver. You won't do much better than that, and you don't have any of the hassles and stress associated with owning a truck.

[jnk2001]

Originally Posted by Rev.Vassago

Stay a company driver. You won't do much better than that, and you don't have any of the hassles and stress associated with owning a truck.

The rev doesn't like competition.... :lol: :lol:

[GMAN]

Originally Posted by red dog

I'm interested in buying a truck and leasing on with landstar in Aug. Most BCO's I've talked to like pulling for landstar. Not surprisingly the one thing that they all differ on is pay. Some say they make good money some say they barely make a living. As a company driver I average between $900-$1100 a week. Factoring in that I'm buying a cheap truck and controlling my expenses all I want to know is if it's realistic to expect to keep my income at least the same if not better.

The reason all of them vary in their pay is because Landstar pays percentage. Some BCO's are better managers than others. Some know how to work the system, others struggle. It will take you about 5-6 months to learn how their system works. Those who seem to do best work the system to their advantage. They follow the freight and stay away from those areas known for having cheap or limited freight. If you only go where you want, then you may not do well with Landstar. It is realistic to make the amount of money you listed leasing to Landstar. I have met BCO's who have made from $.78-$5/mile over the years. Much of your income will depend on your work ethic and whether you are a self starter. You will need to be proactive to do well. It is pretty much up to you as to how much you will make. Each load pays differently. The only thing consistent is the percentage.

[atrsafety]

Something else to consider is how the landstar companies do business. Instead of a big centralized dispatch, landstar is a loose network of broker/agents and o-ops. LandStar itself is nothing more than an accounting house and factor. You wil deal with individual agents. Much of Landstar's best paying frieght never sees the loadboard. Hookup with an agent in your area and you will see better outbound$$$, then work the circuit getting back. I am based in St Louis and have a truck dedicated to running Southern Wisconsin. My part of the outbound is just over $1.25/mi. However coming back we are getting MRO's from northern Il which .. depending on final destination pay between $2.50 and $4/mi.

I have a city man workng so this truck makes 4 turns weekly.

[GMAN]

One thing about Landstar agents is that an agent may be based in Texas but have a lot of freight in Wisconsin. Some concentrate on loads within their immediate area. It takes time to learn about those agents who have the better paying loads. Just because an agent is based in a certain area, doesn't necessarily mean that most of their freight comes out of that area.

[Blanket Party]

I am a Landstar BCO, and the money does vary greatly-even on the same load but with different agents.

Things are not all peachy keen around here, I can tell you that honestly. There are times when freight is so bad, you'll want to ride the gray dog home, and there are times when you're turning away $2 a mile+.

It's all about how hard you want to work, and what you want to do.

Be prepared to get bent over a barrel every 3-4 months and screwed, though.

It seems that if an agent is a large agency, Landstar allows them to cheat and lie alot more-I recently got hosed out of $600 becuase the agent "posted it wrong" (I screen capped the posting) and mis-quoted me the rate on the phone. Turns out the customer wasn't paying that much, and Landstar didn't lift a finger to make things right. I took it in the shorts.

I had another load where I was held up at the dock for 21 hours, which made a legal delivery at appointed time impossible. I kept all parties in the loop the entire time, and an accurate ETA for delivery when I was finally loaded. I got no detention pay, but I did get a $150 "late delivery" deduction, which Landstar said was my problem.

I just add these agents to the "slimebag" list, and spread their names all over like cow-crap, and tell every Landstar BCO how they do business.

You learn real fast who the screw jobs are, and who the good agents are.

Thing is, the good agents never post their stuff-they have BCO's calling them to have the agent find them freight when they are coming into a certain area.

An agent can make or break you.

One thing to keep in mind-Landstar could care less about you and yours-they are all about their bottom dollar. Landstar will broker freight out all the time, and leave you to set. They claim we have first crack at any loads, but I will call on a load that was posted in the last 2 mins, and the agent will ask me if I'm a Landstar, or an approved carrier?

Try to buy your plates, insurance, and anything you can outside the Landstar system. The less they have a "hold" on you the better.

Why do I stay here? It allows me the flexibility that I need for the time being. Am I doing my research and looking around? Damn Straight.

[henboy1]

I am also a BCO and everything he said is right.I have been there 7 months and at times I felt like retiring but who else does what they do?Jones Motor,CRST?Mercer?I also haerd horor stories about them and when I retire with Landstar I am going "solo" and I am giving myself a year.Just like Blanket said, try to have your freedom.Get your plates,trailer etc....because they will make money on you and even every paper work you turn in is a fee.
This is my situation, I have my own base plate but they do my IFTA(25 states and I took out dead states like FL for my renewal).I am leaving these damn Van rates and going SD.SD rates are a bit higher than Van.I rather "work harder" for a higher rate than to drive more for the same rate.We at BCO forum have compiled a list of BS agents and I look on the black list every week to protect myself.
THE QUESTION IS NOT IF YOU WANT TO JOIN LANDSTAR BUT WILL THEY LET YOU JOIN THEM.That is how hard it is.It all depends on your regional recruiter and how they are willing to chase after your 10yr background and work history.

[silvan]

Originally Posted by henboy1

THE QUESTION IS NOT IF YOU WANT TO JOIN LANDSTAR BUT WILL THEY LET YOU JOIN THEM.That is how hard it is.It all depends on your regional recruiter and how they are willing to chase after your 10yr background and work history.

I can second this one. A close friend of mine has been trucking since he was 13 years old. He's been everywhere, hauled everything, juggled 10 logbooks while rolling off a billion miles a year pulling a load of bulls and a load of swinging beef in two trailers stacked on top of each other, up hill both ways, with a 128-speed 3-stick V-12-powered Autocar. Naked, except for his belt buckle the size of a 50-gallon drum lid, a 128-gallon Stetson, and snakeskin boots. He's also got women in every town in three countries (yes, I said countries), and if he ever runs out of motion lotion, all he has to do is cut himself shaving and bleed into his tanks, because one drop of his blood will power a diesel for 20 miles (he saves so much on fuel that way.) He can also crap 5th wheel grease if he needs to, but we won't get into that.

Seriously, he's younger than me, but he's trucked 10 times more than I have, and nearly twice as long (I started at 25.) He also has a good record all around, current qualification files with half a dozen carriers, and the dude can DRIVE. Those boys used to fight over who would get him on weekends off from his main job, where I used to work. In spite of all that, it took him six months to finally get everything put through with Landstar. Someone posting in June of an intention to get rolling by August, that seems a bit optimistic to me, based on Rosco's experiences, though I have no first-hand knowledge.

He's doing OK with them so far. I think the key to his success probably has something to do with how every time he talks about a broker, it's always a female broker. :roll: