Landstar is "son'ing" Owner Operators

LANDSTAR behind the scene look.

1. You are first and foremost a truck number. Secondly you are a BCO. Third you are a Community College Student. LandStar is really a combination of PRIME, JB HUNT, SWIFT, USX, WERNER, and CR ENGLAND on steroids. A driver coming over to Landstar from one of these Companies would not have much to say other than how similar it is to the normal big sized company.
Landstar maintains average 1100 + Company Drivers, oops I mean Glorified Company Drivers as BCO Agents or Owner Operators (what a laugh). Landstar has 4000 + Trailers that they do not maintain well.

NOTE: Landstar is doing to much! All of which can be a instant turn off by the average experienced driver.

2. You are no longer treated as a "man" but as a "boy" at Landstar.

3. Your truck becomes their truck: all maintenance records, services must be handed over to Landstar with the specific items they want serviced at pre determined dates. This is new! Many drivers are still unawares of the impact!

IN ADDITION-
*Be mindful that Landstar requires your EIN # and voluntarily submits your pay info directly to the IRS by way of Regent Bank or Wells Fargo Bank! New drivers should ask more about this unique process.

4. Landstar Dry Van freight is predominately Food/Grocery related: As most of you know, Food/Grocery related items have long unload periods, lumper companies who charge outrageous fees and in my experience, Landstar Agents do very little to get detention/layover paid to the Owner Operator (the Boy).

5. Agent Brokers: this gets tricky. There are some good Agents however there are also not so good agents. This is typical with working broker loads.
One thing I did not like was the bombardment of incoming calls from these agents (offering loads) once they track you and see that you are at delivery or in a particular city. I found it best to keep your number from the contact list and just deal with a few brokers as needed.

IN ADDITION-
Landstar requires you to be tracked while under loads AND, the outside broker agency (TQL, CH ROBINSON, ECHO, REDWOOD, XPO and those other suspects) require the same. You are doing double the work when booking loads/opening additional tracking report apps!

Note - non emergency parking on the shoulder of any roadway will get you disqualified!!!!

6. Freight/dry van - Landstar uses the same brokers, shippers and receivers as DAT, NEXT EXIT, Trucker Tools, and other load boards. They also use CH Robinson loads alot! Do I need to elaborate?

7. Safety - Landstars use of the word(s): be safe -stay safe- are you safel- is ridiculous. Safety classes every 3 months are mandatory. Some involve classroom time others involved tedious online course to which; if you do not do/complete this course, you will be locked out from booking further loads. Non Negotiable!

*D.O.T Weigh Stations still pull in Landstar Trucks/Trailers at a high ratio!

8. Fuel Card: choose your poison- load more than needed or load just enough to do that particular load: at any rate, you will be monitoring and loading your fuel card each trip!

9. Settlement Card: Oh yes, you will be issued two types of Comdata Cards, one for fuel only and the other for partial load payment and accessorals. Funds for the Fuel Card are extracted from the Settlement Card.

10. Passwords and daily operations: You will be required to maintain and use passwords between 4 Landstar APPS daily. Then there is the password for Comdata Fleet Advance

11. TRANSFLO - is required to send in your bills: Or you can mail them in! I think faxing is option

12. Lock device- you will be required to purchase Landstars locking kits $276.00

13. Test- You will be tested (Safety) at 3 different processing levels- Pre Employment by the Processor Team or Human Resources Contractor. Plus your background check/ fingerprinting. Second during your pre orientation in processing and last, during day two of the Orientation.

Note: I found that the RECRUITER had little information to pass along.

Note: during orientation, for those choosing to bobtail to orientation class: make #### sure that you have your own plates, or that the assigned date of the Landstar issued temp tags; that they give you time to take care of personal business. I was one of several drivers who got stuck on the Landstar yard unable to drive our trucks. Get the details before using Landstars plates as they will definitely back date the tags several days causing them to expire at close of business on day one of orientation.
14. There are 30 different sections at Landstar. All having assigned telephone numbers and team members. Make no mistake people, it is darn hard to get someone to pick up the phones on 1 or 2 calls. You must be prepared to be on a long hold or call back multiple times. Calling support numbers is just unacceptable in itself.

*LANDSTAR IS JUST TO BIG FOR ITS OWN GOOD: WAY TO BIG!

15. Orientation Day 1 & 2: Forget about notes (record it!) Orientation Instructors fly threw a Tsunami of information. Your brain is spinning at day 2 and final day or orientation. You are in class two days 730am - 5pm. The classes should be 3 days and releasing participants at 330pm as to spread out the time to process all the information.

*NOTE: After orientation it will take another 2 - 5 days to get a trailer assigned to you! Add additional days to find your first load: AND- the trailer you are assigned may need a mandatory service or inspection; OH YEAH folks! Landstar Maintenance will push this inspection(s) off on you in the notes in your daily app!

*WAIT, There is more, much much more!

Now stop and think how much time (days) are going by before you can do your first load. You get that first trailer, find out that previous drivers never inspected it, serviced it or had other mandatory maintenance repairs done to it- they simply "passed the buck" to the next driver. Now you are responsible for getting any issues resolved. Let's say you suck it up and do what is right. You finally get your first load which just so happens to be "a drop and hook".

*AND LIFE CAN NOT SUCK SO MUCH!
The very next trailer you get is in as much bad state as the first one you had! And GUESS WHAT Mr. Landstar Owner Operator (Mr. Boy) BCO? It is on you to get it fixed! Unless you are willing to do what the previous driver(s) had done; "PASS THE PROVERBIAL BUCK!"

16. Other issues during Landstar Orientation: ELD not activating, driver license number entered wrong = further delays, that first assigned trailer whenever it is located, direct deposit - "wait" Direct Deposit set up is a whole other procedure at Landstar.

17. CARB Training - mandatory in house training on California emmissions requirements. Landstar pays $250.00 for your time.
Other training required each 120 days.
CSA AWARENESS COURSE
HAZARDOUS MATERIAL
ELD TRAINING
FOOD SAFETY AWARENESS
SECUREMENT AWARENESS

Failure to complete these courses will result in your being unable to use the fuel cards or book any loads!

18. Pay - For most Landstar BCOs the pay is weekly and based on the following

65% using your truck *me! With all deductions this 65% easily drops down to 55% at Landstar
72% using your truck and trailer: I would guess that this example is really 62%
73% your truck and a platform trailer
_______________________________________________________________
The 35% taken by Landstar takes: appx figures below
11% Trailer Cargo Insurance, Trailer Maint, Trl Repairs
18% Operations Staff
6% Other Coverages
........................................................
In my case the 65% / 35% + to Landstar is hard to swallow-
Truck Insurance - monthly $200 thru Gallagher Insurance based (IN)
Liability - weekly $61.62
Occ/Acc - weekly $31.38
ELD box set - $75.00 and its yours Keep Truckin
NOTE: The two other Landstar ELD devices can be expensive!
ELD use - $20.00 monthly Keep Truckin
Comdata Card #1- $1.75 weekly
Comdata Card #2- $1.75 weekly
Load Board use - $3.69 weekly
Escrow ($1000.00) - $66.67 weekly - 16weeks
Enforcer Box (locks 3 set) ($176.00) - $35.40 weekly until payed/ its yours
Plates ($1700.00) Landstar -
Permits - $200.00 per year
Cargo Insurance -
Trans Flo App - $2.00 per trip use!
Pre Pass - $2.50 weekly




This is hard to accept when one considers all of the above topics/issues at Landstar

Owner Operators think twice before bringing your truck to this outfit and look closely at the maintenance records reports items!