Schneider O/O

[Drew2779]

I am about to buy a truck and I am thinking about applying to Schneider. Anyone with any experience with them on the O/O side?

 

[mndriver]

@Mike

 

[Drew2779]

I am buying my truck from a dealer and apply as an O/O.

 

[Mike]

I am about to buy a truck and I am thinking about applying to Schneider. Anyone with any experience with them on the O/O side?

4-5 years ago, I would have recommended it. Today, not so much. If it is pulling a dry van that you are interested in, you are probably better off at Landstar, and I wouldn’t even recommend them.

Are they better than th the other mega carriers? Yes.

At Schneider, you get to pick your own loads based on the loads available to you on their load board. The good paying freight, don’t expect it to be on that board if they can cover it on a company truck. Over the course of 4 years, I watched shipper after shipper disappear from the load board, even though the orange trailers were still pulling their freight.

Outside of picking your own loads, you will be treated like a company driver. Again, wasn’t that way a few years ago.

It’s not a bad option to get used to running your own truck, but it’s not a good long term option.



You can make decent money, but not much more than what a company driver can make. To make that money, you will have to run high miles, which will wear your truck out, just ask the bulk of their lease purchase drivers who ultimately trade their truck every 3 years because they are running 150k or more miles every year.

 

[mndriver]

Translation..,.....

Git yer own numbers

 

[Mike]

Translation..,.....

Git yer own numbers

That, or find a place that allows you to earn a better profit, with less meddling in your daily business.

 

[Drew2779]

4-5 years ago, I would have recommended it. Today, not so much. If it is pulling a dry van that you are interested in, you are probably better off at Landstar, and I wouldn’t even recommend them.

Are they better than th the other mega carriers? Yes.

At Schneider, you get to pick your own loads based on the loads available to you on their load board. The good paying freight, don’t expect it to be on that board if they can cover it on a company truck. Over the course of 4 years, I watched shipper after shipper disappear from the load board, even though the orange trailers were still pulling their freight.

Outside of picking your own loads, you will be treated like a company driver. Again, wasn’t that way a few years ago.

It’s not a bad option to get used to running your own truck, but it’s not a good long term option.



You can make decent money, but not much more than what a company driver can make. To make that money, you will have to run high miles, which will wear your truck out, just ask the bulk of their lease purchase drivers who ultimately trade their truck every 3 years because they are running 150k or more miles every year.

Thanks for the advice. Is there any other besides landstar, I was trying to avoid renting a trailer from them.

 

[Drew2779]

Translation..,.....

Git yer own numbers

With only one year experience, insurance will be merciless with my own numbers. I will do that after running a second year.

 

[ironpony]

Thanks for the advice. Is there any other besides landstar, I was trying to avoid renting a trailer from them.

You can own your trailer in the Landstar system.

I'd be very careful buying a truck from them... my impression is that their internal maintenance system isn't the best. Just my opinion, based on observation only.

@dchawk81 ?

 

[Mike]

Thanks for the advice. Is there any other besides landstar, I was trying to avoid renting a trailer from them.

You don’t have to rent one from them.

 

[mndriver]

With only one year experience, insurance will be merciless with my own numbers. I will do that after running a second year.

@Ranger_375

 

[Mike]

You can own your trailer in the Landstar system.

I'd be very careful buying a truck from them... my impression is that their internal maintenance system isn't the best. Just my opinion, based on observation only.

@dchawk81 ?

He is buying from a dealer.

 

[Electric Chicken]

You can own your trailer in the Landstar system.

I'd be very careful buying a truck from them... my impression is that their internal maintenance system isn't the best. Just my opinion, based on observation only.

@dchawk81 ?

What? I don't know anything.

 

[Drew2779]

You don’t have to rent one from them.

I can't buy my own just yet, was planning buying one as fast as I can..

 

[Mike]

I can't buy my own just yet, was planning buying one as fast as I can..

What I mean is, you don't have to have a trailer, or rent one from them. Without a trailer, you simply pull their trailers for 65% of the revenue, same percentage as you would get at Schneider. The key is, which carrier is providing the best paying freight and from the folks I know who have moved from one place to the other, Landstar is getting much better rates, or at least passing on better rates to the owner operator.

In some situations though, depending on the carrier, it can mean much more profit if you do rent or buy a trailer, just comes down to each individual situation.

Just don't focus only on the big name carriers, look into all options, particularly small fleets that might be regional to your area.

 

[Drew2779]

What I mean is, you don't have to have a trailer, or rent one from them. Without a trailer, you simply pull their trailers for 65% of the revenue, same percentage as you would get at Schneider. The key is, which carrier is providing the best paying freight and from the folks I know who have moved from one place to the other, Landstar is getting much better rates, or at least passing on better rates to the owner operator.

In some situations though, depending on the carrier, it can mean much more profit if you do rent or buy a trailer, just comes down to each individual situation.

Just don't focus only on the big name carriers, look into all options, particularly small fleets that might be regional to your area.

Ohh I see what ur saying. Thanks Mike, you have been a big help. Thanks again for the info.

 

[Ranger_375]

If you run Landstar power only, you get the advantage of using their trailers and being drop and hook capable. You pretty much won't ever be rolling without a trailer, they are stricter than most companies with regards to dropping and leaving with an empty if you're not leaving with an outbound. At least that's how it seems.

My insurance for having leased on with another carrier isn't unreasonable at all, and I got my own truck after a year and a half or so of driving commercially.

 

[ironpony]

If you run Landstar power only, you get the advantage of using their trailers and being drop and hook capable. You pretty much won't ever be rolling without a trailer, they are stricter than most companies with regards to dropping and leaving with an empty if you're not leaving with an outbound. At least that's how it seems.

My insurance for having leased on with another carrier isn't unreasonable at all, and I got my own truck after a year and a half or so of driving commercially.

According to a gal I knew a few years ago, it's not all roses and green grass over there. One has to navigate between their freight agents (who may control their own fleet of trailers you can't touch) and Landstar trailers. Much of the better freight is controlled by freight agents (according to her) - so you have to build relationships with them to work your way into it. She told me mist of the loads she saw on their loadboard was basically leftovers - cheap freight.

She ended up deeply in debt to Landstar, and the last time I talked to her she was working it off driving for another BCO at 50-cpm.

 

[gearjammer]

when I leased onto landstar a long.long time ago, Jeff Crowe owned the company and he was adamant that the agents used the BCO's first and he held the agents feet to the fire on this.
He also held several big events called BCO appreciation days the two big ones in Rockford and Jacksonville where the BCO's great food ribeye dinners every evening and thousands dollars in prizes given out
when I finally left about 5 years ago it was entirely the opposite Mr. Crowe had taken the company public and he was pretty much forced out, the bean counters took over and the BCO's ended up being the last to be called the freight was first offered to other companies the snapped up the best loads and the cheap freight was finally offered to the BCO.s tey even tried to get rid of the term BCO calling us I forget what and BCO days ended up being one weekend in January where the food was beans and hamburger.
I was lucky in that I did develop 5 or 6 relationships with the agents and they did try to keep me running with decent freight and a few companies that I had run freight for would ask for me by name.
when I left landstar was ran more like CH robinson than than anything else it looked nothing like the FINE company Mr. Crowe had set up!

 

[Ranger_375]

And stories like this are why I ain't at Landstarve...