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Landstar

butter

Well-Known Member
Can you tell me a little about Landstar? Well, actually why don't you tell me EVERYTHING about landstar that you know.

i'm more interested in terms of view that you have your own authority and haul their loads vs. leasing out to them, but i would be interested in that aspect as well.
 
Well driving for my uncle that leased on with Landstar, You pick your own loads and they give you the rate right up front. Mind you that was many moons ago that i pulled a Landstar Ranger trailer. back then the still Had Landstar inway Landstar Ranger, So I am going back a bit. Back then the rates where pretty good. Basically it is like dealing with load brokers. If you are say in Indianapolis for example. You would call the broker in Indianapolis and see what they had, Do a good job and be professional and they will keep you in mind.

It's kind of like running Gypsy with your own authority except as a lease operator you ran on their authority. If you want to take time off, Neh problem! It's your truck.

It was a good deal back then and I passed by lots of other Landstars. Today I don't see that many. Then the trucks where all, nice sweet rides, Today I see ragetty ass trucks pulling nice new trailers. That tells me something.
 
I know that Landstar is picky about the insurance you have. They will not accept OOIDA’s or several others due to not having an AM Best Rating of B+ or higher (or so I have read).

They have an internal load board for their BCO’s so if you are running your own authority and not leasing on to them you just get access to the public board which is kind of the leftovers.
 
let me tell you a story about landstar. first let me say I had my own authority for the past 3 years. I gave that up because unless you have your own customers it is pointless. I decided to lease my truck to a company. makes more sence these days. with the age of my truck I only have two options as I see it. either landstar or mercer. I had been leased to both before in the last 20 years. heres one of the reasons I would not go to landstar. landstar wants to keep a clean record as we all do. and should. they contract these highway inspection contractors to pull over or catch you in a truckstop and do an inspection on you and your truck. not a bad idea right? I mean everybody should keep their truck in the best shape possible.....WRONG!!!! this is what is happening. This "p o s" inspector is in business with the shops he makes you pull into. they find or fabricate anything they can to make you pay money to have things replaced or repaired that are false. in other words they make shit up and charge the crap out of you. in my case the catwalk behind the cab had a small movement in it their way of fixing it was to WELD!! it to the frame. I have quite a bit of welding experience trust me first of all you don't weld on the frame of the truck. second of all you can not weld aluminum to steel... they wanted 300 dollars to preform this retardation. also they couldn't find anything else wrong so they told me my wheel seals were leaking..... NOT!!!!! at the end of the day it was a stand off between me and them and landstar... they wanted 900 dollars for the crap they claimed was wrong and landstar BACKED THEM I was not aloud to leave even to pull into the truckstop parking lot and if I did landstar would cancle my insurance and tag....HOW DID I GET OUT OF THIS? shift changed at 5 oclock it was bitter cold outside and inside the night guy had steel pins in his legs and he was in pain. he said he didn't want to do the work and if I would give him 200 dollars he would sign off on my inspection... believe it or not its a true story. this happened in early 2000. I hear they are still allowing this to happen.
 
What state did this happen in?

Catwalk is not OOS infraction.
Wheel Seal is not OOS unless soaked brake pads.

Know the laws and regs;)
 
Can you tell me a little about Landstar? Well, actually why don't you tell me EVERYTHING about landstar that you know.

i'm more interested in terms of view that you have your own authority and haul their loads vs. leasing out to them, but i would be interested in that aspect as well.
to be honest having your own authority is hard. there is so much paperwork you have to keep on file and up to date that's a full time job being your own safety man. I didn't have my own costumers I always ended up getting my loads from different brokers and face it mite as well just lease to someone. I did haul landstar loads but here is the thing. landstar brokers will get loads from other brokers. which means they are taking a bite out of the revenue. I like mercer because they don't allow this to happen. they haul direct from their own costumers and they don't double broker anything. I am in the process of leasing to them now.
 
LOL Other than the rip off thats what Markel Insurance guys would do.
If you had Markel Insurance you had to have a yellow decal with a M and they would ride around looking for trucks with that decal then follow you to watch you drive.
One of them Markel guy stopped my dad once and pop left him setting in his car with a black eye and broke and bloody nose.

aforums.aths.org_Uploads_Images_e29525cd_e3ba_40a7_a9b9_7530.jpg
On the left finder is a Markel decal
aforums.aths.org_Uploads_Images_e29525cd_e3ba_40a7_a9b9_7530.jpg
 
What state did this happen in?

Catwalk is not OOS infraction.
Wheel Seal is not OOS unless soaked brake pads.

Know the laws and regs;)
this happened at exit 6 on I-65 in ky the shop is behind what use to be a speedway I don't know whats there now. but if you look back there that ragged old shop is still there
 
LOL Other than the rip off thats what Markel Insurance guys would do.
If you had Markel Insurance you had to have a yellow decal with a M and they would ride around looking for trucks with that decal then follow you to watch you drive.
One of them Markel guy stopped my dad once and pop left him setting in his car with a black eye and broke and bloody nose.

View attachment 13692
On the left finder is a Markel decal
I sure wanted and thought about doing a lot worse to that fat bastard
 
I have used that shop. Seem like decent folks to me. Better than going to Speedco or Petro.I do not understand how this is a company thing. How does a company make you pull off the road and submit to an inspection. Guy down the road said they have to have their "annual" every 6 months, did they tell the OP he had to use that specific shop??
 
yes let me clarify that ....it wasn't a state officer .... it was a dumb fatass in a mini van that couldn't get a real job so he called landstar and said I will do roadside inspections on your trucks.... was not a state officer
 
I can tell you the night guys name was red.. he had a wreck in an old pickup that use to be piled up behind the shop that's how he got the pins in his legs. and this happened in 2000 or 2001...it was awhile back and honestly I have never been interested in stopping in to say hello or anything.
 
I have used that shop. Seem like decent folks to me. Better than going to Speedco or Petro.I do not understand how this is a company thing. How does a company make you pull off the road and submit to an inspection. Guy down the road said they have to have their "annual" every 6 months, did they tell the OP he had to use that specific shop??
landstar contracts with people to ride around and check out their O/OS ..... when he approached me I had pulled in that place on the other side of the highway its a citgo or something. he pulled up to me while I was getting back in the truck. asked me for my logbook, drivers licenses and then asked me to go to the shop on the other side of I-65 I called landstar first thing and they said he was for real and I had to comply with what he said.
 
another thing is ...... and I don't know this to be true but with what happened to me I don't doubt it.... there is a guy near Rockford ILL doing the exactly same thing. I think I read it on a forum and I started having flashbacks.... it is a rotten practice and landstar should be ashamed for doing the people that way. lord knows its already a hard business to be in.
 

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