Phil, look around at the other LEA trucks. Do you believe they are as safe and dependable as your, better than average, older truck ? They pass the 120 day inspection. Theres more to being safe/ reliable than passing a truckstop inspection.
Be careful about assuming what a "truck stop" inspection is. I was amazed to see the difference when we moved from FedEx Custom Critical to Landstar. When we went to the same kind of truck stops to get Landstar DOT inspections done, it was amazing, and totally different thatn what we experienced with FedEx Custom Critical.
With our former carrier, we'd go in, ask for a DOT, bring our own form, pay for the inspection that was seldom done well, be happy to pass and send the form in.
With Landstar, we have no forms. The truck stop keeps them in the drawer and maintains a chain of custody. A driver cannot alter a form because he or she does not receive a copy until it has been completed and a copy is on its way to Landstar. When we say we want a Landstar DOT, a Landstar-approved inspector does the work. It might be the same guy that did inspections for our former carrier but the difference was like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. On Landstar inspections, these guys are diligent, thorough and unyielding.
This is because Landstar tracks their performance and holds them accountable. If they pass something and a violation is found soon after, and if a pattern of that develops, that shop is put on probation and not permitted to do Landstar inspections. It is also very much in the shop's best interest to find something that needs fixing, because, with Landstar's stringent policies, the repair will likely be done on the spot (an appeal/second-opinion process exists to protect BCO's from mechanics who abuse the policy).
Twice, I have argued with mechanics over what constitutes a violation and what does not. They held their ground because they have PERSONALLY talked with people in Landstar who regularly interact with the truck stop people who do Landstar inspections. They do not want to be suspended from doing these inspections and they do not give way.
Both times, I had to call Landstar to get the mechanic to see reason. I prevailed once and the mechanic passed the truck, but only after Landstar called them mid-inspection to say I was right. It turned out that I was right the second time too but we allowed the contested truck modification to be made because we had to keep going under load and there was not time to sit and argue up the Landstar chain. When we were later found to be correct, Landstar made it right and paid us for the modification (White L reflective tape on the top rear of straight trucks). They then changed their policy to require this tape on straight trucks even though the law does not.
The point is, Landstar takes truck-stop DOT inspections very seriously and the inspection you receive at a truck stop when you request a Landstar DOT inspection is remarkably different than the inspections we received at the very-same truck stops when we requested a FedEx Custom Critical DOT inspection.
Based on this experience, I can say that, yes, absolutely, the average Landstar Express America truck is safer and more reliable than the average non-LEAM expediter truck of the same age.
Granted, some of the older trucks in the Landstar fleet look very-much the worse for wear. But if you look beneath the cosmetics, you will almost always find a truck that will pass a DOT inspection.
Need more proof? Go to the
FMCSA site and compare the SMS Vehicle Maintenance BASIC scores of various carriers. You will find that LEAM's scores are roughly twice as good as FedEx Custom Critical's and Panther's, and FDCC has age limits on its trucks!
