Quote:
Originally Posted by Phoenix
I am thinking about signing on with Landstar as an o/o. I'm willing to take the risk of buying a truck but the only thing that makes me hesitate is that I've farmed for 30 years and am nearly driven out of business by NAFTA, CAFTA, insurance regs, and fuel prices. I am currently driving as a company driver but I can never seem to get the kind of runs I want and everything seems so inefficient. If I could choose my own loads and run the way I'm capable of, I think I could make a living. I just don't know what questions I should ask other than the obvious like rate of pay and fuel surcharges, maintenance costs, etc. I understand that Landstar pays a % of the freight rather than cpm. That seems to me to be a good thing, but I don't know. The drivers I've talked to seem to like the company. Help and thoughts are appreciated.
A lot depends on type of trailer and area of the country. A carrier that is strong in the Midwest might be very weak in the Southeast for example. In some areas reefer is best, in other areas Van might offer more opportunites. You get the idea.
What area of the country are you in? Do you want to pull Dry Van or Flatbed? Landstar offers both. Any interest in Reefers, Tanks, Hoppers, End Dumps or other more specialized areas?
One advantage of Landstar is that the recruiter will print out for you all of the loads in their computer in your area of interest. The printout will show the pay, I think you have to take something like 68% of 92% of what is shown or something like that. The recruiter can explain it to you exactly.
It is very, very hard to make it as an O/O right now. It was much better in 2005. Still, you can make money if you stay busy at decent rates and manage your costs carefully.