Owner operators beware leasing on with mason dixon lines

I was thinking about leasing onto MDII out of their Colton, CA office. From what the drivers have told me in Southern California its pretty good. What kinds of problems will I run into in their intermodal division?

 

"Week after Week after Week $0.00!!"

Obvious question, why stay at a company week after week after week for $0.00. ??

"Cast on you" "Warning all" "God Bless" "disaster" "hell" Are they a trucking company or a cult?

 

Cheetah is NOT a part of UTSI. The other companies are.

 

Also, Louisiana Transportation and Great American Lines are also part of the UTSI family.

 

If you are leased to one of their companies you can haul freight from any of them. I have a friend who is leased to Universal Am Can, a sister company. He made over $176,000 to the truck last year. They are agent based so there is no dispatcher to keep you moving. It is up to the owner operator to find his own loads, although you can post your truck on their internal load board. He had it a little rough the first year or so that he was with them, but is doing very well. He is on track to do better this year than last. I know others who have done well with the company. If you went weeks without any money then there is more to the story.

 

Anyone here an O/O with MDII out of Southern California?

 

Universal Am Can bought out Pacer about 2 years ago. They should have a decent presence in that area. I know they were getting some freight out of Tahachipi. I think that Universal was their first company. Give them a call and ask about freight in your area. A friend of mine was leased to Pacer right before Universal bought them out. He did well out of California and the west. I believe the pacer division is out of Texas but they were planning on phasing out the Pacer name and merging it into Universal Am Can. It doesn't matter whether you lease to Universal, Mason Dixon or any of the sister companies. For the most part they can and do haul one another's freight.

 

G/MAN I think your right, more to the story.

 

I was with Pacer for 5 years until we were bought out by Universal 3 1/2 yrs ago. I run an RGN and have no complaints. Last 3 yrs, 1099 was over $212000 per year working 8 months out of the year, but again I have an RGN. One thing you should know how to do is work a computer or you will starve. This is YOUR business, so u must be proactive in making your business a success. I already have the next week booked for 3 loads. If you can't work for yourself on the computer, you don't need to be an Owner/op. We do have some freight out of the Southern Cali area, but I make most of my money out of the midwest