Originally Posted by Steel Horse Cowboy

so it still exists for me

Originally Posted by Steel Horse Cowboy

Well, I have been doing it since 2009. Every week, dedicated lane. I just got back and now get to sit at home for 3 days till I leave out again Saturday morning, so it still exists for me

Originally Posted by solo379

Than shot up and drive! A lot of folks would kill for such gig....

Originally Posted by xcarsalesman

Are there any job opening there!! I will relocate to OH. LOL

Originally Posted by tracer

Well, looks like I'll have to start December with some deadhead. I'm stuck in this Idaho and hardly any loads go east. It's 1881 miles to my home from here, 1100 miles to Des Moines, IA and 1,437 miles to Chicago IL. The Landstar load board shows 2 loads in IL that go to ON but they have to be picked up today

Originally Posted by Steel Horse Cowboy

OUCH!!!! It really has to be tough only being able to p/u loads back to Canada. I couldn't imagine the PITA it would be. Hope something pop's up for ya soon.

Have you thought about just running Chicago to ON and back? I know a few brokers here in CHI have lots of loads going back-n-forth. I know it's not the big lump-sum pay like you like, but it would be steady work and home at least everyother night.

Originally Posted by tracer

One good thing I can say about my former employer - MacKinnon Transport out of Ontario - is that the fuel surcharge that they paid to flatbedders on a percentage pay was much higher than the 'cents per mile' FSC they paid to owner-operators on cents per mile pay. I often saw a $300 FSC paid to me where a van guy (paid cents per mile) would get $50 bucks. This would happen often with shorter runs. Unfortunately, at Landstar agents ('freight brokers') are motivated to cut the FSC part of the freight price to the bone: the smaller share the FSC takes of the line haul amount, the more money they will make.

Example:

Load 1 pays $3,000 and $300 of this money is FSC. I would get the entire $300 plus 72% of the $2,700. The agent gets 7% of $2,700 or $189. Compare this to:

Load 2 pays $3,000 and $500 of this money is FSC. Now I as driver (BC) get $500 plus 72% of $2,500 and the agent gets 7% of $2,500 or $175.

It's not a big difference but it affects both Landstar and its agents, and when you do 1000s of loads a year and you have 1,000 agents and 10000 drivers, it is a lot.

Which is why I'm still thinking of my own authority down the road

Originally Posted by tracer

That's why I'm not a big fan of short runs: I'd have to cross the border every second day. But because few American drivers want to go into Canada, we do get some good opportunities. For example, just a few hours ago there was a legal size load in CA going to Canada and it paid $9,400 on 3,200 miles. I didn't take it because it was 800 mi from me and loaded tomorrow + they wanted 8 ft drop tarps.

Originally Posted by Steel Horse Cowboy

I know.. took me 7 years to get it, now they will have to blow-up my truck for me to stop LOL