1st post: any companies give you complete choice over when, where, if you take a ld?

[arkjarhead]

After reading all this I think I would recommend a summer time gig delivering pizzas at Dominoes. I believe it will cover all your requirements.

Dave if someone said something like that towards you people would start going off, threads would get locked, and everything else. I don't understand how some people like you and the other mods plus the Col. can degrade people all they want, but other people can't. It's bullcrap.

[x06col]

Hey Ark, with your stellar experience with someone handleing your equipment/freight, i'd have figgured you'd be one of the first ones seeing thru this foolishness. What do you need, s'more education by em??

[greg334]

I skipped over most of this, but here is the thing that stood out;

Landstar is set up with their owner operators so that you enter the system and do whatever it is you want. It's just the way they are set up, they 'broker out' any extra freight. They really don't care. And, that's why people join that company and stay.

Actually that's not how it works.

You as a BCO still have a responsibility to Landstar. I thought FedEx was kind of hard with their rules but you can't do what you want at Landstar. You also have to pay the bills, there are charges that many don't like and some think that just because you are OOS, the insurance and other fees just stop.

The Agents, not brokers, are set up in different ways. Some have their own trucks while others favor some fleet owners. With over 7800 trucks in the fleet, the agents have a lot of choices.

Actually they do care, they have too. It is not simply that the Agent throws some load out and hope someone catches it and if not throw it to some 3PL. I know a few times when an agent threw it at a 3PL while some owners needed a load, the Agent didn't have control over it, they were called on it.

People join Landstar for a number of reasons, one that I think I know why is because the potential if someone applies themselves to doing the job right. If they want to sit back and let the Agents do all the work, they will sit and get discourage. There are many exceptions to this, I know a few who just got frustrated with the system, as mentioned it is not for everyone. Another thing that surprised me was the lack of concern with safety by the owner which put them in a bad situation but with over 7800 trucks in the fleet, Landstar needs to stay on top of safety - go look at their stats.

[davekc]

I was actually serious in my response. Nothing personal, just calling it like I see it, although I guess I could have suggested Papa Johns.

[arkjarhead]

Hey Ark, with your stellar experience with someone handling your equipment/freight, I'd have figured you'd be one of the first ones seeing through this foolishness. What do you need, some more education by them??

It doesn't matter how someone has treated you in the past it doesn't give you a right to demean people, especially people that weren't involved in the prior situation on the computer. You are tough and talk down to everyone when hiding behind that computer screen but I bet your a different person when meeting face to face.

[Jack_Berry]

this fella could just, almost as easily, get his authority and use the load boards to find frt. he can take off time and work when he wants.

to do this and make money requires sacrifice and commitment. hard to show commitment when you come upfront and say i want to take 6 weeks off. what sacrifice is being made on his part upfront? running at all? hard to be taken seriously by us. even harder to be taken seriously by a company who is expecting you to be out driving.

maybe msinger has the right situation. he has a full time job and has someone he can get frt from when he has the time to commit to the load.

reading dakotas posts of lack of work from the main office maybe the place for this fella is ceva. not slamming ceva just saying.

[davekc]

Based on his "requirements" he would sink as a independent. Too many "I don't wannas" and the reoccurring costs with insurance and everything else would burn up any profit he could make. I would still go the pizza route or maybe a contract taxi driver.
But he shouldn't consider expediting "seriously".

[x06col]

I guess a disclaimer is in order. Nothing personal with me either. However(coma) There are {some} that seem to come here that truly want info. Problem is many don't have the background or socialzation to know what or how to ask it. To me, if you are serious about info, you don't start out by wondering where you can get a walk board for a fat dog, or which company can I get over on. Just aint natural.

I'm sure the next person you put in your truck will be a stellar individual (if) you forget what you've learned.

And yes, i'm just a absolute SWEETHEART face to face.

[arkjarhead]

Hi,


Two extremes, 1) owner operator for Landstar, you drive where, when, if you want; park the truck at the house for six weeks if you like and no one knows and know one cares.

Maybe we're reading this differently, but does he say I want to take off 6 weeks at a time? All he's doing is asking a question. The question is, is there a carrier that allows total freedom? Instead of answering his question people went to questioning his drive and referred him to a job in the restaurant business. Then you have one person demeaning him. What a way to get new people involved with the site.

If you didn't want to answer to question just pass over it. So who keeps things straight when one of the mods are in one the problem?

[x06col]

Wait a minit, the fella asked for suggestions. The mod gave him one. Whats the problem here?? He can either internalize the suggestion, or, reject it. No problem, Right??

If, in the oppinion of the mod, the fellas range of expertise is in the restaurant buisiness.......so be it.....it were a suggestion. Only!!!

Iszat school yer going to touchy feeley u???

[lowrange]

After reading all this I think I would recommend a summer time gig delivering pizzas at Dominoes. I believe it will cover all your requirements.

Just got into the motel, I'll start here.

No one has said anything about requirements. But, thanks anyway.

[lowrange]

Wait a minit, the fella asked for suggestions. The mod gave him one. Whats the problem here?? He can either internalize the suggestion, or, reject it. No problem, Right??

If, in the oppinion of the mod, the fellas range of expertise is in the restaurant buisiness.......so be it.....it were a suggestion. Only!!!

Iszat school yer going to touchy feeley u???

Here's another quick one. Listen, I'm not looking for all that. If you stay on this thread, it's because you're looking for antagonism, I hope you'll go off to other threads more worthy of your time. No harm no foul.

[lowrange]

Seems like a case of trying to mold the industry to your needs. Most of the time it doesn't work.

This is a reasonable post. No, I'm not trying to change the industry, I'm trying to learn about it. In the end, I either adapt to or or stay away. You've heard the expression, 'how do you know if you don't ask'? I'm just asking.

[lowrange]

I would estimate that 70% of my loads are dispatched between 14:00 and 19:00 for immediate pickup. That means driving at night.

Great post, useful information, I really appreciate it.

I once had a temp job delivering bread and Hostess products to stores at night. Everything was going great, but I needed more work and more hours. All the temp service could offer was extra daytime work in addition to my nights, and I can't/won't do that.

Ok, so maybe now I'm talking about a requirement. I either work days or nights, but I can't be up all day and drive all night. One or the other. I suppose I could do it a time or two, but that's not a job I want. Even geeked up on caffeine, I'll be ready to crash sometime around 2 am. In my day, I've done some silly, crazy-tired nighttime driving. It was dangerous and I'm not going to do it anymore. If I've been up all day, somewhere in there I personally need about 5 hours of sleep. If I can't have that, then there isn't much more about expedited driving I need to know. And, that's ok, in my book.

[lowrange]

hmmm...i might be wrong, but i don't believe any of the dispatchers i work with have ever been "truck drivers"....they are just men and women husling freight that they need covered when they get it and when the shipper needs it delivered.....and they keep track of those that are ready to work when called and don't make a habit of turning down booked loads because the driver doesn't like to go ti a particular city or drive at a certain time of noght or not be in service or only take loads that will keep them warm in the winter...if the freight goes north from Fla to Wisc in dec...all dispatch wants is it covered.....i wouldn't think that woukd be too much to ask...but again, i am just a "vacation expediter".....

PS: since i have been doing this, i don't think i have ever been on the phone with a dispatcher for more then 5 minutes max....no "schmoozing"...just get me the load info.....

I can't remember being cussed at worst than I was from an agent who used to be a driver.

The situation you described sounds good and professional. You can't deny 'favors', though. You can't deny loads that go to dead zones. You can't deny tight delivery timeframes. You can't deny cheap freight (at least in some percentage operations).

There's another situation, dispatchers who've known ol' Charlie for 9 years, or whatever. It happens, dispatchers can give their best loads to a select few. Dispatchers can give their best loads to their own trucks. This might happen more in one operation than another, but it does happen.

If I do go into this, I hope I get into a situation as professional as yours.

I appreciate your posts, but message boards really need to get rid of these 'rolling eye's' smilies. Consider giving them up, they're unbecoming. Now, a tongue wagging smilie , that's different!