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Originally Posted by DD60
Quote:
Originally Posted by tken
Thanks for the info, I am getting to old to keep tarping in the summer heat. Couple of times this year I came close to passing out, not worth it. Also, flatbedding by nature limits the number of paid miles you can get per week. My estimate is that I lose a full day each week to the live load and unload and tarping. Calculate the difference and the amout of money needed per load approaches $2.50 per mile at 2000 miles a week versus $1.60 at 2800 including the difference in fuel cost.
Want to lease on pulling boxes to help eliminate some of the work for my wife who is hurting right now.
My gut tells me that the Schneider plan is going to pay a little less but offer much more freight without the hassle of dealing with agents. The one constant complaint about landstar I hear are the agents that give all the "good" loads to their own trucks. That having been said, I talk to very few BCO's that are not making a decent living and getting the things they need and expect. I suspect that the "hassle factor" will be higher with Schneider given the size of its fleet alone. Not a big fan of hopping around so looking to make the best choice up front.
Why don't you just sell the flatbed and get a Van or reefer and keep running with your own authority? I find loads much easier with my own authority than when I was at LS. Out of curiosity I called Schneider the other day and asked them about the rates they had for certain lanes. Average rates out of TX were 1.35,out of the west coast 1.58 and some good paying freight out of the southeast paying 2.00 or more. Overall you could average much more keeping your authority if you know where and how much to negotiate with brokers at the right time.
You will have much more flexibility running your own authority than leasing to any carrier. If you contract with Landstar you can get into their Savings Plus program. This is the same program they have for their BCO's, which includes the fuel discounts, etc., I believe Schneider has the same thing for carriers who broker freight through them, but under a different name. I have been told by both these companies that carriers who broker freight through them will receive about 5% more money than their owner operators. In any case, you have the opportunity to pursue loads from others that might pay more. Landstar has gotten to the point where some of their agents seem to do a lot of double brokering. There are more brokers who have van than flat bed freight.
One other thing you might consider is getting a side kit or Conestoga for your flat bed. You can get a new side kit from about $1,500-3,600. I believe a new Conestoga runs about $17,000. I have done well with my side kit over the years. Rates tend to be higher than with a regular flat bed and you don't have to deal with tarping. It is much easier to throw the bows aside than throw a couple of tarps. I prefer a wood side kit, but the lightweight side kits are easy to handle if you need to break it down. I know some people who won't even break their kits down. If it doesn't fit in the kit it doesn't go on their truck.