I've thought that you are suppose to make some money of it...?

That's what I thought too but things don't always turn out as you expected. After spending a week in Nevada I've finally booked a load. Instead of driving 2,000 miles empty to IL or IA, I"m doing a cheap load from here that to the northern Ontario. Pick 1 is in Boise ID on Friday, Pick 2 is in Pocatello on Monday. And then I deliver in Kapuskasing, ON 3 days after that. This is better than driving empty. I'll be hauling 2 pickup trucks (one is heavy, sort of like a service truck that does road calls). It's 2,000 loaded miles; the trip pays 4 grand to Landstar. When I'm done in the Ontario tundra, I'll deadhead 566 miles home. This is far from perfect but at least I'll be back in ON and get a chance to regroup and start doing those Mid-West runs.

I did Solo, I did..........plowed all day, got stuck twice.........used 35 gallons of diesel (free)..........town plowing by the hour.....:-)

What do you do when you're stressed out? You go shopping, right guys and gals? It works every time :) I've been wanting to upgrade my Verizon BASIC phone for a long time. I do have Internet access on my laptop via the USB stick but you want to have access to email and Internet 24/7 now ... So, I finally did the switch in Reno, NV :) A cab driver by the name of Bobbi took me to a Verizon Wireless corporate store and I got myself a MOTOROLA DROID X. The unlimited international data package is 'only' 65 bucks a month, which of course is not all that cheap, but now I can receive and send email from my DroidX anywhere in Canada and US. I believe Landstar has a mobile version of their website so I'll try it out on the smartphone to see if I actually can look for loads on the phone's 4.3" screen. The Droid has an 8 Megapixel camera, a HDMI port and the ability to shoot 720p video! The store clerk was nice enough and transfered all my phone contacts free of charge to the new phone.

What added to the stress level today was the fact I was not able to do a wire transfer from US to Canada. I have some bills coming out on pre-authorized payment from my Canadian bank and before leaving Canada I contacted my bank and got all the information I might need to initiate a wire transfer from US. Well, I tried Bank of America, US Bank and WalMart and they all refused to accept my cash for a wire transfer. "You need to have an account at our bank to do that," said the Bank of America clerk. You'd think that in the 21st Century moving ELECTRONIC money between 2 countries shouldn't be a big deal (especially when they charge you $30 for it) but evidently it is. I was not able to move the money! So now my trailer leasing company is going to be pi**ed at me even though I have the money right in my pocket and am WILLING to pay them!

That's why I just had to go out and get a new phone. Now I feel a bit better, especially since the price of the smartphone was charged to my Verizon account ;). I would wait till Apple's iPhone comes out but I was disappointed to learn it would work only on the 3G network. The Droid is way ahead of the iPhone in many regards because it's using Android OS.

I used my Blackberry with LS and was able to view the load board right there..... my EVO is a million times better, and I was even able to BOOk loads off SNI load-board. Basically like having a handheld laptop. I think you will enjoy it very much.

As for me today, I bobtail 200 miles to P/U my loaded trailer and once I get it, i got a call from the plant in Texas that my empty wont be ready for pu until maybe monday morn due to a line shut-down again. So i took my trailer 200 miles back home with me (I get .52cpm FSC for the 400 miles, and it only weight 4,000lbs) so now I am off till Monday and I start doing my deliveries every wednesday now, which will give me FRI/SAT/SUN off at home, which will be nice. I know you guys do OTR and a 4 day work-week would be great, but I'm still contemplating dropping this deal and finding something that gets me home everyday. The fiance is ok with me being gone, but I think this OTR crap is taking its toll on me. I have gained 30lbs in the last year and I miss home more than ever........ that being said, i may just break out the DD and go back to LS and just do local moves around Chicago and some CHI-DET-INDY stuff. OR I can just sack it up and keep on doing my deal. I don't have any bills other than my house so it's not a money issue......... decisions decisions decisions

Pocatello on monday eh? I'm in Cheyenne right now but I'm hoping to get out of here right quick. I have to be back in Winnipeg for Wednesday at the absolute latest. They wanted to send me to Denver for a load going to Montreal (would be full tarp). I said no way, that's cutting it way too close. It would be a full untarp plus probably another full tarp load on Monday in Montreal with. That would take all day with the Montreal traffic, and 1500 miles in two days across northern Ontario is never a good idea in winter. Anything small goes wrong and I'm screwed!

So here I sit. They shouldn't have sent me here. I thought they had something planned out.

BTW Tracer which way are you going up to kapuskasing?

They did..... sending you to Denver. You turned it down, so now you sit...... no offense, but that's what happens. Sure hope you don't need to be in court Wednesday

Something planned as in... something that goes almost straight home from here. There are some customers of ours around here that do go straight home. That's why I wasn't worried about it, until they offered me the Montreal load. I really doubt that load would get me home in time.

Tracer,

How much money do you figure LS saves you a year? Seems like they save you ~.25/mile on fuel. Is plates and ins cheaper too?