Landstar Ranger ripoff This company gives false promises on the quality of their loads, crooked agents and brokers that lie Jacksonville Florida

Hi ,
       I am an owner operator at Landstar Ranger I can only say I have been there since December 2009. My experience with Landstar has had no problems the Landstar freight system is designed for self motivated people and people who have a head for business it is about knowing what your operating cost per mile is and finding a market or freight lane to maintain an average so you meet your needs if you do not budget your operation you are destine to fail and it should be known if you fail that means that being an owner operator is not for you and you should stick to what you do best take orders from a dispatch and hold the steering wheel for a company and be a corporate slave my self I have enjoyed the best money and the freedom to work when I please home time has never been a problem I go home when I want. I would like to note at Landstar you are BCO (Business Capacity Operator) They have a capacity of business freight is brought in from over 1400 agents just a matter of knowing how to dispatch and plan a load so you make your average that you need. As far as reimbursements your are running your own business you have expenses.
      All I can say is this person has no room to complain about Landstar maybe he should evaluate his own business practice it maybe he is being unethical or thinks he can dictate and demand part of business is sales if you have an attitude agents might not want to do business with you, get real and grow up this is not swift transport no baby sitting. As far as other drivers being rude maybe your attitude or way you carry yourself puts people off work on your people skills.
          Landstar designed for success.

   Thank you
 Paul

You forgot to tell 'em about the several hundred or even thousands of dollars that you owe them if you leave.
I am going through that now....
The day you leave,they block your online account so you can't get your settlements,then say you owe them.....
It'll be a cold day in hell before I pay them anything........till they take me to court....in my county......

I can't believe you have Bco goofballs in denial that are still trying to rebutte a 4-year-old thread.  This whole website is a big joke anyway.  At  LANDSTARVE they use the so-called feel-good BCO title to try and make their nonenglish-speaking O/Os and math deficient hillbillies look good.  125k a year gross equals to 15k net at LANDSTARVE.  HAHA.  What a joke.  Pull your heads out of your rears.

I have been with Landstar for the major part of my carreer.I laugh all the way to the bank at the Outstanding people who claim to be buisiness men,or women.This company,gives every single bit of information to ALL BCOs at orientation.They ask if anyone has questions until there blue in the face.They provide paper work, logs even websites to HELP. They have customer service to help.They provide some of the best discounts on equipment  in the industry.I ASK SIMPLE QUESTIONS on aproaching a load.I understand that if the load is NOT what its promoted as,,,,then as a buisiness man,I can renegociate the entire load.To the STUPID DRIVERS, this means,,,before you move. YOU get in writing, the changes.NOW???? I know the dummies are used to the dispatchers telling them NO,NO,NO.Well thats why they FAIL!!!!!. To stupid Dallas? Your first problem is your from TEXAS. Your second problem is you are not smart enough to stay away from CHEAP FREIGHT.PLEASE go away so I can continue laughing at you as LANDSTAR AND MY FAMILY CONTINUE GROWING.

And I am not a high producing agent, but the system is great. The load alert program for the drivers is fantastic, and if I have loads I need covered FAST, I can get a commitment quick and go on to other things. I wish I had more freight for the drivers as they are so good about calling in when loaded and unloaded. Sure the little extra charges are annoying, but you pay for what you get. And with Landstar you get a professional team, all the way around.

The company misrepresents itself to new agents as to the amount of money they make. I find it interesting that they only pay the drivers 67% of 98%. The agent only gets 7% of the 98%. That is only if one of their bco drivers takes the load. So if I am understanding this... $1000.00 total revenue - 2% Landstar $20.00 - 7% of 98% (minus fuel & access) (say fuel is 15%) Agent $58.00 - 67% of 98% BCO $657.00 (which includes fuel) - LEAVES another $265.00 or so laying on the table. Where does that go?

If an o/o takes the load Landstar takes 12% of the revenue and the agent gets to keep the difference after paying the carrier. $1000.00 total revenue - 12% Landstar $120.00. So the only way to make any money with them is to low ball the truck and hope you get it moved which is not fair to the driver or the shipper. So an agent does not make the money with these people that you think. They also charge the agents a weekly fee to just access their computer system. They pay agents & drivers by comdata and they charge a $1.75 to put the money on the card and there is an additional charge of $1.00 to transfer the funds to their bank. Additonal charges apply if you want to write yourself a comcheck.

The formulas for caluculating the pay is so confusing and it is meant to be that way. It is not until you get that first settlement statement that you realize you are working yourself to death and making no money. Nevermind they forget to mention if you sell the other services they offer, like the intermodal side. Landstar takes 80% of the profit for themselves. $100 = Landstar $80.00.

It is obvious why they do so well and also obvious why they have a revolving door on drivers and agents.

If you want to align yourself with a large carrier and make no money this Landstar is the place to be.

First of all any time you speak with a Landstar O/O they tell you how nuch the loads pay.They quote the GROSS REVENUE not what the truck earns. Most Landstar O/Os tell you it's the best company out there..hard for them to see they are being ripped off,,like telling a man his wife is no good they never are in denial. Landstar does have lots of fright. But good lods never hit their O/O load board..Many of the loads the post on their broker board are never offered to their O/Os. Many agents own trucks and the good loads they get to to their trucks..Landstar lies baout being 100% owner operator as other carriers do. When a driver of one of their leased trucks is an employee of the truck owner then they are not 100% owner operators. Landstar as well as broker trucks are being ripped off. NOt that is is illegal to DOUBLE BROKER loads ( certainly unethical) many agents do it. A very large percentage of Lanstar freight come from agents searching other load boards such as Get Loaded and ATS_Sureway as well as other carrier and broker boards and book the loads and put them on Landstars board..Many load have a very good rate paid by the shipper but by the time it goes thru the hands of a couple or more PIMPS there is little left to pay the truck owner.
When a Landstar agent gets a load he must pay their O/Os a cantracted percentage, Many times Landstar includes permits and tarping fees in the gross revenue and the truck owner brokered or their O/Os don't get 100% of the extra fees paid by the shipper or broker that the agent got the load from. When the agent brokers the load they can take as much as they want off the top. Many times the Landstar agent will take 30-40% or more.
Landstar agents also screw each other many times cutting rates from other agents. Landstar company also will back door freight they get from other brokers or carriers..When they find out who the shipper is on loads brokered to them they will contact the shipper direct. I had an agent once skim pilot car a permit fees on a load I hauled and the agent told me to get my pilot car to make out a receipt for more than I paid him to make up the difference. I reported this to Landstar Corp and they did not care.
Landstar does nothing for their O/Os..The O/Os leased to them pay all the fees , license plates, permits,,money transfer charges and even Qualcom charges. The only thing Landstar pay is the liability insurence charging back cargo insurance fees for each load. If you look at their financial reports and the very high profit they make each year you will see that they make too much money off their leased O/Os. When there is a big truck show like this week in Vegas Landstar will post bogus high dollar loads to show drivers at the show they are trying to recruit. These phony loads make prospective lease operators think that Landstar has great paying loads. Just like when they post all their loads they do not post what the load actually pays the truck they post the gross freight rate. Last week I had an agent out of texas tell me that a load I was interested was coming from an other broker and he told me that he posted the load for $1000 less than the load actually paid and the broker sent him a check for $1000 and had Landstar bill him for the rest..Landstar agents are not the only brokers and freight agents ripping off truckers but they are the pro's at ripping off truck owners.

My husband and I have been with Landstar nearly four years. We loved it when we first came over here, but not any longer.
You are told upfront they pay for nothing and you receive 67% of 98% of what the load is supposed to pay. We knew we had to find our own loads and that is what we liked about the company. We liked the freedom of picking and choosing when and where we would go.
We actually made money in the first couple of years at Landstar and found most agents friendly. However, some of the other drivers and dealing with Landstar in Jacksonville can be a different story. Some of the drivers can be rude and a few of the people at the corporate office can be a nightmare.
The reason we now dislike the company is based on several things, but to name a few; the biggest is the two chewing outs we received from Landstar's corporate office. Just last fall we were under a load coming out of California and headed back to the Midwest . The load didn't pay well and wasn't expedited. We had nearly a week to get it there, no problem, or so we thought.
When we got about five hundred miles from where we loaded, we experience a mechanical problem which could not be foreseen. The repair would take about six hours, between the actually labor and waiting to get in the shop, and then we would be on our way.
I contacted the agent and let them know what was happening and told them we were still on schedule for delivery. To this day we don't know how the corporate office became involved, but they did. A woman with Customer Service in the Jacksonville office called us and chewed us out! She said our load was expedited and had to be delivered the next day, from California! I don't think so. Not even a team could have booked the load and got it there on time if that had been the case. I tried to explain to her that it wasn't an expedited load and we would make the scheduled delivery. She said I was lying and she would have to have someone come out to get the load and have it placed on an airplane at our expense! I couldn't believe what I was hearing. I knew we couldn't afford what she wanted, as she was talking about needing a Comcheck for nearly $4000.00.
I called the agent and she was spitting mad. She said the woman at Landstar's Customer Service had called and chewed her out too and had called her customer and how he was mad as well, at Landstar. The agent said her customer told her about Landstar wanting to place the load on an airplane and charge the driver. Her customer couldn't believe Landstar would treat a driver in such a manner and had told the woman at corporate there was no need to rush the load. The woman at corporate didn't even listen to him and told him it was their aim to please the customer, so she thought it best to place the load on a plane.
It was finally settled when the airline refused the load since it was all custom made mirrors, or at least that is what we were told. We delivered the load on time and the owner told us the mirrors were actually shipped too early and were going into storage. This was for a place still being built and the construction was running behind schedule. The owner told us he wouldn't ever use Landstar again after dealing with their person in customer service. Seems that backfired on them.
The second incident happened just a few months back and luckily I always e-mail all the load information from the load board to myself. I send the whole page. It shows the load exactly the way the agent enters it, money, dates and any comments.
I booked the load from the agent and was told we had basically two days to drive the 900 miles. No problem. We had a load time in the afternoon on a Tuesday and were to deliver on Thursday before noon. On Wednesday the agent called and wanted to know why we missed our delivery appointment that morning. I told him we hadn't missed it, as it delivered the next day before noon. He said he would have us fired from Landstar and was really showing out. I then received a call from Landstar Corporate and the woman proceeded to chew me out for taking a load we couldn't deliver. I told her the delivery appointment was Thursday, not Wednesday and we hadn't missed it. I also told her I had the information from the board and would e-mail it to her. Also, Landstar is supposed to have a policy of 500 miles per dayfor solo drivers. There would have been no way a solo driver could have delivered something on Tuesday, took this load that afternoon and make the 900 miles over night. I e-mailed the load board info to her and I also called the receiver to confirm our appointment for the next day. The nice lady I talked to in receiving told me we were to deliver on Thursday, but the delivery had been changed after we were loaded and gone. Seems the agent didn't bother to tell us the time had changed and since we have our own trailer, a repower wasn't possible.
This ended when I called corporate back and asked if they got the load information I had sent them. She curtly said they did. I told her the agent dropped the ball on this one, but she didn't even want to discuss the original delivery time. I then told her I called the receiver and they told me the delivery time had been changed and we weren't told about it. I had no idea I was going to start World War III! The woman at corporate told me I was never to call the receiver when something like this happens. She said they, meaning Landstar, would take care of it. I found this odd, as we call receivers for directions, appointments and delivery conformation time with most of the loads. I again brought up the fact the load couldn't have been delivered legally due to DOT hour regulations. Her only comment was I shouldn't have lied and said we were a team. I told her I have never told anyone we were a team. The load wasn't a team run and I didn't take it off the team board. It became a team run after we were loaded and gone. She had no answer except to tell me I had better not lie about being a team ever again. I again told her I never claimed to be a team driver. We were going in circles and the call ended.
If my husband and I had the money we would get our own authority and let the regular brokers rip us off. At least I wouldn't have to put up with someone yelling in my ear when they have no idea what they are talking about. I could hang up on a regular broker and never use him again, but over here, you have to deal with it or be fired and who knows what they would put on the DAC report.
My husband just celebrated his thirtieth year in trucking. I'm sorry to say, but for us the end is probably near. The savings is gone due to dealing with these very bad rates and trying to pay the bills.
I know some people at Landstar are happy. They're probably in the pocket of a few agents and get good loads and have never suffered the wrath of the corporate office. However, I'm sure their day is coming when something will happen beyond their control and they will be on the receiving end of one of Landstar's phone calls. I bet they will not be singing the company praises for long after that.

My husband and I have been with Landstar nearly four years. We loved it when we first came over here, but not any longer.
You are told upfront they pay for nothing and you receive 67% of 98% of what the load is supposed to pay. We knew we had to find our own loads and that is what we liked about the company. We liked the freedom of picking and choosing when and where we would go.
We actually made money in the first couple of years at Landstar and found most agents friendly. However, some of the other drivers and dealing with Landstar in Jacksonville can be a different story. Some of the drivers can be rude and a few of the people at the corporate office can be a nightmare.
The reason we now dislike the company is based on several things, but to name a few; the biggest is the two chewing outs we received from Landstar's corporate office. Just last fall we were under a load coming out of California and headed back to the Midwest . The load didn't pay well and wasn't expedited. We had nearly a week to get it there, no problem, or so we thought.
When we got about five hundred miles from where we loaded, we experience a mechanical problem which could not be foreseen. The repair would take about six hours, between the actually labor and waiting to get in the shop, and then we would be on our way.
I contacted the agent and let them know what was happening and told them we were still on schedule for delivery. To this day we don't know how the corporate office became involved, but they did. A woman with Customer Service in the Jacksonville office called us and chewed us out! She said our load was expedited and had to be delivered the next day, from California! I don't think so. Not even a team could have booked the load and got it there on time if that had been the case. I tried to explain to her that it wasn't an expedited load and we would make the scheduled delivery. She said I was lying and she would have to have someone come out to get the load and have it placed on an airplane at our expense! I couldn't believe what I was hearing. I knew we couldn't afford what she wanted, as she was talking about needing a Comcheck for nearly $4000.00.
I called the agent and she was spitting mad. She said the woman at Landstar's Customer Service had called and chewed her out too and had called her customer and how he was mad as well, at Landstar. The agent said her customer told her about Landstar wanting to place the load on an airplane and charge the driver. Her customer couldn't believe Landstar would treat a driver in such a manner and had told the woman at corporate there was no need to rush the load. The woman at corporate didn't even listen to him and told him it was their aim to please the customer, so she thought it best to place the load on a plane.
It was finally settled when the airline refused the load since it was all custom made mirrors, or at least that is what we were told. We delivered the load on time and the owner told us the mirrors were actually shipped too early and were going into storage. This was for a place still being built and the construction was running behind schedule. The owner told us he wouldn't ever use Landstar again after dealing with their person in customer service. Seems that backfired on them.
The second incident happened just a few months back and luckily I always e-mail all the load information from the load board to myself. I send the whole page. It shows the load exactly the way the agent enters it, money, dates and any comments.
I booked the load from the agent and was told we had basically two days to drive the 900 miles. No problem. We had a load time in the afternoon on a Tuesday and were to deliver on Thursday before noon. On Wednesday the agent called and wanted to know why we missed our delivery appointment that morning. I told him we hadn't missed it, as it delivered the next day before noon. He said he would have us fired from Landstar and was really showing out. I then received a call from Landstar Corporate and the woman proceeded to chew me out for taking a load we couldn't deliver. I told her the delivery appointment was Thursday, not Wednesday and we hadn't missed it. I also told her I had the information from the board and would e-mail it to her. Also, Landstar is supposed to have a policy of 500 miles per dayfor solo drivers. There would have been no way a solo driver could have delivered something on Tuesday, took this load that afternoon and make the 900 miles over night. I e-mailed the load board info to her and I also called the receiver to confirm our appointment for the next day. The nice lady I talked to in receiving told me we were to deliver on Thursday, but the delivery had been changed after we were loaded and gone. Seems the agent didn't bother to tell us the time had changed and since we have our own trailer, a repower wasn't possible.
This ended when I called corporate back and asked if they got the load information I had sent them. She curtly said they did. I told her the agent dropped the ball on this one, but she didn't even want to discuss the original delivery time. I then told her I called the receiver and they told me the delivery time had been changed and we weren't told about it. I had no idea I was going to start World War III! The woman at corporate told me I was never to call the receiver when something like this happens. She said they, meaning Landstar, would take care of it. I found this odd, as we call receivers for directions, appointments and delivery conformation time with most of the loads. I again brought up the fact the load couldn't have been delivered legally due to DOT hour regulations. Her only comment was I shouldn't have lied and said we were a team. I told her I have never told anyone we were a team. The load wasn't a team run and I didn't take it off the team board. It became a team run after we were loaded and gone. She had no answer except to tell me I had better not lie about being a team ever again. I again told her I never claimed to be a team driver. We were going in circles and the call ended.
If my husband and I had the money we would get our own authority and let the regular brokers rip us off. At least I wouldn't have to put up with someone yelling in my ear when they have no idea what they are talking about. I could hang up on a regular broker and never use him again, but over here, you have to deal with it or be fired and who knows what they would put on the DAC report.
My husband just celebrated his thirtieth year in trucking. I'm sorry to say, but for us the end is probably near. The savings is gone due to dealing with these very bad rates and trying to pay the bills.
I know some people at Landstar are happy. They're probably in the pocket of a few agents and get good loads and have never suffered the wrath of the corporate office. However, I'm sure their day is coming when something will happen beyond their control and they will be on the receiving end of one of Landstar's phone calls. I bet they will not be singing the company praises for long after that.

My husband and I have been with Landstar nearly four years. We loved it when we first came over here, but not any longer.
You are told upfront they pay for nothing and you receive 67% of 98% of what the load is supposed to pay. We knew we had to find our own loads and that is what we liked about the company. We liked the freedom of picking and choosing when and where we would go.
We actually made money in the first couple of years at Landstar and found most agents friendly. However, some of the other drivers and dealing with Landstar in Jacksonville can be a different story. Some of the drivers can be rude and a few of the people at the corporate office can be a nightmare.
The reason we now dislike the company is based on several things, but to name a few; the biggest is the two chewing outs we received from Landstar's corporate office. Just last fall we were under a load coming out of California and headed back to the Midwest . The load didn't pay well and wasn't expedited. We had nearly a week to get it there, no problem, or so we thought.
When we got about five hundred miles from where we loaded, we experience a mechanical problem which could not be foreseen. The repair would take about six hours, between the actually labor and waiting to get in the shop, and then we would be on our way.
I contacted the agent and let them know what was happening and told them we were still on schedule for delivery. To this day we don't know how the corporate office became involved, but they did. A woman with Customer Service in the Jacksonville office called us and chewed us out! She said our load was expedited and had to be delivered the next day, from California! I don't think so. Not even a team could have booked the load and got it there on time if that had been the case. I tried to explain to her that it wasn't an expedited load and we would make the scheduled delivery. She said I was lying and she would have to have someone come out to get the load and have it placed on an airplane at our expense! I couldn't believe what I was hearing. I knew we couldn't afford what she wanted, as she was talking about needing a Comcheck for nearly $4000.00.
I called the agent and she was spitting mad. She said the woman at Landstar's Customer Service had called and chewed her out too and had called her customer and how he was mad as well, at Landstar. The agent said her customer told her about Landstar wanting to place the load on an airplane and charge the driver. Her customer couldn't believe Landstar would treat a driver in such a manner and had told the woman at corporate there was no need to rush the load. The woman at corporate didn't even listen to him and told him it was their aim to please the customer, so she thought it best to place the load on a plane.
It was finally settled when the airline refused the load since it was all custom made mirrors, or at least that is what we were told. We delivered the load on time and the owner told us the mirrors were actually shipped too early and were going into storage. This was for a place still being built and the construction was running behind schedule. The owner told us he wouldn't ever use Landstar again after dealing with their person in customer service. Seems that backfired on them.
The second incident happened just a few months back and luckily I always e-mail all the load information from the load board to myself. I send the whole page. It shows the load exactly the way the agent enters it, money, dates and any comments.
I booked the load from the agent and was told we had basically two days to drive the 900 miles. No problem. We had a load time in the afternoon on a Tuesday and were to deliver on Thursday before noon. On Wednesday the agent called and wanted to know why we missed our delivery appointment that morning. I told him we hadn't missed it, as it delivered the next day before noon. He said he would have us fired from Landstar and was really showing out. I then received a call from Landstar Corporate and the woman proceeded to chew me out for taking a load we couldn't deliver. I told her the delivery appointment was Thursday, not Wednesday and we hadn't missed it. I also told her I had the information from the board and would e-mail it to her. Also, Landstar is supposed to have a policy of 500 miles per dayfor solo drivers. There would have been no way a solo driver could have delivered something on Tuesday, took this load that afternoon and make the 900 miles over night. I e-mailed the load board info to her and I also called the receiver to confirm our appointment for the next day. The nice lady I talked to in receiving told me we were to deliver on Thursday, but the delivery had been changed after we were loaded and gone. Seems the agent didn't bother to tell us the time had changed and since we have our own trailer, a repower wasn't possible.
This ended when I called corporate back and asked if they got the load information I had sent them. She curtly said they did. I told her the agent dropped the ball on this one, but she didn't even want to discuss the original delivery time. I then told her I called the receiver and they told me the delivery time had been changed and we weren't told about it. I had no idea I was going to start World War III! The woman at corporate told me I was never to call the receiver when something like this happens. She said they, meaning Landstar, would take care of it. I found this odd, as we call receivers for directions, appointments and delivery conformation time with most of the loads. I again brought up the fact the load couldn't have been delivered legally due to DOT hour regulations. Her only comment was I shouldn't have lied and said we were a team. I told her I have never told anyone we were a team. The load wasn't a team run and I didn't take it off the team board. It became a team run after we were loaded and gone. She had no answer except to tell me I had better not lie about being a team ever again. I again told her I never claimed to be a team driver. We were going in circles and the call ended.
If my husband and I had the money we would get our own authority and let the regular brokers rip us off. At least I wouldn't have to put up with someone yelling in my ear when they have no idea what they are talking about. I could hang up on a regular broker and never use him again, but over here, you have to deal with it or be fired and who knows what they would put on the DAC report.
My husband just celebrated his thirtieth year in trucking. I'm sorry to say, but for us the end is probably near. The savings is gone due to dealing with these very bad rates and trying to pay the bills.
I know some people at Landstar are happy. They're probably in the pocket of a few agents and get good loads and have never suffered the wrath of the corporate office. However, I'm sure their day is coming when something will happen beyond their control and they will be on the receiving end of one of Landstar's phone calls. I bet they will not be singing the company praises for long after that.

My husband and I have been with Landstar nearly four years. We loved it when we first came over here, but not any longer.
You are told upfront they pay for nothing and you receive 67% of 98% of what the load is supposed to pay. We knew we had to find our own loads and that is what we liked about the company. We liked the freedom of picking and choosing when and where we would go.
We actually made money in the first couple of years at Landstar and found most agents friendly. However, some of the other drivers and dealing with Landstar in Jacksonville can be a different story. Some of the drivers can be rude and a few of the people at the corporate office can be a nightmare.
The reason we now dislike the company is based on several things, but to name a few; the biggest is the two chewing outs we received from Landstar's corporate office. Just last fall we were under a load coming out of California and headed back to the Midwest . The load didn't pay well and wasn't expedited. We had nearly a week to get it there, no problem, or so we thought.
When we got about five hundred miles from where we loaded, we experience a mechanical problem which could not be foreseen. The repair would take about six hours, between the actually labor and waiting to get in the shop, and then we would be on our way.
I contacted the agent and let them know what was happening and told them we were still on schedule for delivery. To this day we don't know how the corporate office became involved, but they did. A woman with Customer Service in the Jacksonville office called us and chewed us out! She said our load was expedited and had to be delivered the next day, from California! I don't think so. Not even a team could have booked the load and got it there on time if that had been the case. I tried to explain to her that it wasn't an expedited load and we would make the scheduled delivery. She said I was lying and she would have to have someone come out to get the load and have it placed on an airplane at our expense! I couldn't believe what I was hearing. I knew we couldn't afford what she wanted, as she was talking about needing a Comcheck for nearly $4000.00.
I called the agent and she was spitting mad. She said the woman at Landstar's Customer Service had called and chewed her out too and had called her customer and how he was mad as well, at Landstar. The agent said her customer told her about Landstar wanting to place the load on an airplane and charge the driver. Her customer couldn't believe Landstar would treat a driver in such a manner and had told the woman at corporate there was no need to rush the load. The woman at corporate didn't even listen to him and told him it was their aim to please the customer, so she thought it best to place the load on a plane.
It was finally settled when the airline refused the load since it was all custom made mirrors, or at least that is what we were told. We delivered the load on time and the owner told us the mirrors were actually shipped too early and were going into storage. This was for a place still being built and the construction was running behind schedule. The owner told us he wouldn't ever use Landstar again after dealing with their person in customer service. Seems that backfired on them.
The second incident happened just a few months back and luckily I always e-mail all the load information from the load board to myself. I send the whole page. It shows the load exactly the way the agent enters it, money, dates and any comments.
I booked the load from the agent and was told we had basically two days to drive the 900 miles. No problem. We had a load time in the afternoon on a Tuesday and were to deliver on Thursday before noon. On Wednesday the agent called and wanted to know why we missed our delivery appointment that morning. I told him we hadn't missed it, as it delivered the next day before noon. He said he would have us fired from Landstar and was really showing out. I then received a call from Landstar Corporate and the woman proceeded to chew me out for taking a load we couldn't deliver. I told her the delivery appointment was Thursday, not Wednesday and we hadn't missed it. I also told her I had the information from the board and would e-mail it to her. Also, Landstar is supposed to have a policy of 500 miles per dayfor solo drivers. There would have been no way a solo driver could have delivered something on Tuesday, took this load that afternoon and make the 900 miles over night. I e-mailed the load board info to her and I also called the receiver to confirm our appointment for the next day. The nice lady I talked to in receiving told me we were to deliver on Thursday, but the delivery had been changed after we were loaded and gone. Seems the agent didn't bother to tell us the time had changed and since we have our own trailer, a repower wasn't possible.
This ended when I called corporate back and asked if they got the load information I had sent them. She curtly said they did. I told her the agent dropped the ball on this one, but she didn't even want to discuss the original delivery time. I then told her I called the receiver and they told me the delivery time had been changed and we weren't told about it. I had no idea I was going to start World War III! The woman at corporate told me I was never to call the receiver when something like this happens. She said they, meaning Landstar, would take care of it. I found this odd, as we call receivers for directions, appointments and delivery conformation time with most of the loads. I again brought up the fact the load couldn't have been delivered legally due to DOT hour regulations. Her only comment was I shouldn't have lied and said we were a team. I told her I have never told anyone we were a team. The load wasn't a team run and I didn't take it off the team board. It became a team run after we were loaded and gone. She had no answer except to tell me I had better not lie about being a team ever again. I again told her I never claimed to be a team driver. We were going in circles and the call ended.
If my husband and I had the money we would get our own authority and let the regular brokers rip us off. At least I wouldn't have to put up with someone yelling in my ear when they have no idea what they are talking about. I could hang up on a regular broker and never use him again, but over here, you have to deal with it or be fired and who knows what they would put on the DAC report.
My husband just celebrated his thirtieth year in trucking. I'm sorry to say, but for us the end is probably near. The savings is gone due to dealing with these very bad rates and trying to pay the bills.
I know some people at Landstar are happy. They're probably in the pocket of a few agents and get good loads and have never suffered the wrath of the corporate office. However, I'm sure their day is coming when something will happen beyond their control and they will be on the receiving end of one of Landstar's phone calls. I bet they will not be singing the company praises for long after that.

Landstar Carrier Group is a good company for o/o's. While 67% of 98% doesn't sound all that good, when I left, frieght was going for upwards of $2.00 or better, plus 100% fuel surcharge. Yes, there are no dispatchers, only freight agents, which makes it more your business rather than having someone else determine what you do with you $100,000 investment. It is fully explained in the orientation of all the costs, and benifits associated with Landstar. As far as rude drivers, I found that the Landstar BCO's were helpful, and knowledgable. I went to perfect strangers, who were willing to help me with everything from advice to computer software and other items to make my business more profitable. The only reason I left was due to a serious mechanical breakdown, and I am currently trying to figure out how to get back.

I was with Landstar for a little over 2 years. They are a fantastic company to work for. At first you feel as if you're never going to make it there. There is a reason for it. Landstar will not allow new B.C.O'S to haul certain freight for a few months when you first start out which I can totally understand. You need to prove yourself first. If you're afraid to talk to people then this company is not for you. The whole key to good freight is talking to agents gaining their TRUST and keeping that trust. Keep in contact with them and do what they ask you to do (as long as it's legal) you're pretty much set in the company. I pretty much had 6 agents I ran for in those 2 years. I got lucky they had freight all over the USA and I did a lot of returns for them. Even though I am not with Landstar anymore I still keep in contact with those agents. They are like family to me. If I ever decide to get back into trucking I will be going back to Landstar. The job is how you make it. It doesn't have to be nerve racking all the time. And keep notes! say you're in Carlisle,Pa. and a high $$ load pops up and it's gone before you can get to it ,keep the agents code and # and if you're going back to that area again call that agent and let them know you're going to be there at whatever date and time . most of them have the same loads coming out every week. Most of the agents are super nice,honest and will go out of their way to help a driver. And like all companies you have the certain few that will lie and back stab you in a heart beat. I only had 1 do it to me and only 1 time. I however got the last laugh. She ripped me off by 250.00 and we got into it via phone. I told her I would never haul another load for her again. About 3 months went by and I was in Flagstaff ,AZ. when she had the nerve to call me with " I really need your help. I have a load sitting close to where you are I really need it to be picked up and brought to Jonesboro,AR. the factory is going to close in 4 hours and I can't find anyone to take it, can you help?" I said "Yeah I can help ya......(laughing) here's how I can help ya, stop messing people over and you wont have this problem." (click) But that was the only problem I have ever had out of this company.And I know if I would have called corporate I would have gotten my 250.00 back . She needed it more than I did I reckon.

I was with Landstar for a little over 2 years. They are a fantastic company to work for. At first you feel as if you're never going to make it there. There is a reason for it. Landstar will not allow new B.C.O'S to haul certain freight for a few months when you first start out which I can totally understand. You need to prove yourself first. If you're afraid to talk to people then this company is not for you. The whole key to good freight is talking to agents gaining their TRUST and keeping that trust. Keep in contact with them and do what they ask you to do (as long as it's legal) you're pretty much set in the company. I pretty much had 6 agents I ran for in those 2 years. I got lucky they had freight all over the USA and I did a lot of returns for them. Even though I am not with Landstar anymore I still keep in contact with those agents. They are like family to me. If I ever decide to get back into trucking I will be going back to Landstar. The job is how you make it. It doesn't have to be nerve racking all the time. And keep notes! say you're in Carlisle,Pa. and a high $$ load pops up and it's gone before you can get to it ,keep the agents code and # and if you're going back to that area again call that agent and let them know you're going to be there at whatever date and time . most of them have the same loads coming out every week. Most of the agents are super nice,honest and will go out of their way to help a driver. And like all companies you have the certain few that will lie and back stab you in a heart beat. I only had 1 do it to me and only 1 time. I however got the last laugh. She ripped me off by 250.00 and we got into it via phone. I told her I would never haul another load for her again. About 3 months went by and I was in Flagstaff ,AZ. when she had the nerve to call me with " I really need your help. I have a load sitting close to where you are I really need it to be picked up and brought to Jonesboro,AR. the factory is going to close in 4 hours and I can't find anyone to take it, can you help?" I said "Yeah I can help ya......(laughing) here's how I can help ya, stop messing people over and you wont have this problem." (click) But that was the only problem I have ever had out of this company.And I know if I would have called corporate I would have gotten my 250.00 back . She needed it more than I did I reckon.

I was with Landstar for a little over 2 years. They are a fantastic company to work for. At first you feel as if you're never going to make it there. There is a reason for it. Landstar will not allow new B.C.O'S to haul certain freight for a few months when you first start out which I can totally understand. You need to prove yourself first. If you're afraid to talk to people then this company is not for you. The whole key to good freight is talking to agents gaining their TRUST and keeping that trust. Keep in contact with them and do what they ask you to do (as long as it's legal) you're pretty much set in the company. I pretty much had 6 agents I ran for in those 2 years. I got lucky they had freight all over the USA and I did a lot of returns for them. Even though I am not with Landstar anymore I still keep in contact with those agents. They are like family to me. If I ever decide to get back into trucking I will be going back to Landstar. The job is how you make it. It doesn't have to be nerve racking all the time. And keep notes! say you're in Carlisle,Pa. and a high $$ load pops up and it's gone before you can get to it ,keep the agents code and # and if you're going back to that area again call that agent and let them know you're going to be there at whatever date and time . most of them have the same loads coming out every week. Most of the agents are super nice,honest and will go out of their way to help a driver. And like all companies you have the certain few that will lie and back stab you in a heart beat. I only had 1 do it to me and only 1 time. I however got the last laugh. She ripped me off by 250.00 and we got into it via phone. I told her I would never haul another load for her again. About 3 months went by and I was in Flagstaff ,AZ. when she had the nerve to call me with " I really need your help. I have a load sitting close to where you are I really need it to be picked up and brought to Jonesboro,AR. the factory is going to close in 4 hours and I can't find anyone to take it, can you help?" I said "Yeah I can help ya......(laughing) here's how I can help ya, stop messing people over and you wont have this problem." (click) But that was the only problem I have ever had out of this company.And I know if I would have called corporate I would have gotten my 250.00 back . She needed it more than I did I reckon.

I was with Landstar for a little over 2 years. They are a fantastic company to work for. At first you feel as if you're never going to make it there. There is a reason for it. Landstar will not allow new B.C.O'S to haul certain freight for a few months when you first start out which I can totally understand. You need to prove yourself first. If you're afraid to talk to people then this company is not for you. The whole key to good freight is talking to agents gaining their TRUST and keeping that trust. Keep in contact with them and do what they ask you to do (as long as it's legal) you're pretty much set in the company. I pretty much had 6 agents I ran for in those 2 years. I got lucky they had freight all over the USA and I did a lot of returns for them. Even though I am not with Landstar anymore I still keep in contact with those agents. They are like family to me. If I ever decide to get back into trucking I will be going back to Landstar. The job is how you make it. It doesn't have to be nerve racking all the time. And keep notes! say you're in Carlisle,Pa. and a high $$ load pops up and it's gone before you can get to it ,keep the agents code and # and if you're going back to that area again call that agent and let them know you're going to be there at whatever date and time . most of them have the same loads coming out every week. Most of the agents are super nice,honest and will go out of their way to help a driver. And like all companies you have the certain few that will lie and back stab you in a heart beat. I only had 1 do it to me and only 1 time. I however got the last laugh. She ripped me off by 250.00 and we got into it via phone. I told her I would never haul another load for her again. About 3 months went by and I was in Flagstaff ,AZ. when she had the nerve to call me with " I really need your help. I have a load sitting close to where you are I really need it to be picked up and brought to Jonesboro,AR. the factory is going to close in 4 hours and I can't find anyone to take it, can you help?" I said "Yeah I can help ya......(laughing) here's how I can help ya, stop messing people over and you wont have this problem." (click) But that was the only problem I have ever had out of this company.And I know if I would have called corporate I would have gotten my 250.00 back . She needed it more than I did I reckon.

I just wanted to say thanks to all of you who took the time to comment on this guys post. I am a company driver who has been considering buying a truck to get into better pay. At first I was concerned that Landstar might be a mistake but clearly from what all of you have suggested Landstar is a good company for person's with a business mind. I don't think Jack fit that profile and therefore had problems. I look forward to purchasing my first truck and launching my business with Landstar too. Much prosperity to all in the coming years.

I had several trucks leased to them a few years back, and I can offer that they always did well. I sold my trucks to the drivers in them who wanted to buy them when I desired to simplify my life, and two of those drivers are still leased to them and happy as can be.

The key to doing well with them is to align yourself with a good agent, who interacts with other agents to take care of their trucks. Working from the load boards was great for repositioning the truck to a better area, but not as a mainstay.

The people that don't do well with Landstar are those who are not experienced as an owner/operator, those without the motivation to do a little more than what is expected at other companies, or those who do not understand how to integrate themselves into the company as it is set up.

It's not leasing a truck to a company, and expecting them to dispatch you. You're going to have to handle most of that task yourself, by availing yourself of the system that is there, and doing the things necessary to make it work in your favor.

I have more then one truck on with land star. As do HUNDREDS of others. Wander how they can keep buying trucks and puttign drivers in them with the cheap freight?

We run fine rated freight. NEVER took a load of the Landstar load board. If it is on the Landstar load board its to cheap. It dosn't just fo to that board. It gose to many others as well. The load board freight many times is cheap. LANDSTAR agents DO NOT have to put the freight on the load board.

They do not reibust you for enything. You should have nothing to be paid back for.

Some folks have to have their hands held and be controlled all the time. In that case Landstar is not the place for you. Plenty of BCO's have been here for many years. Landstar has one of the lowest turn over rates in the industry.

Yet, some folks want to be company drivers in their own truck. I would say sign on with JB Hunt or US Express then for their 1.00 a mile with FSC.lol

I think there is something that needs to be cleared up here regarding "owner operators".

Just owning your equipment, does not make you an owner operator. When you lease on the equipment you own, legally it is NOT your equipment. The company you leased on to has absolute and total control over your equipment.

To TRULY be an owner operator, you need to run under your own authority. Book your own loads, do your own billing. Work when you want, how you want, if you want. Now you are an Owner Operator.

Landstar is no stranger to cheap freight. I have gotten better loads off public load boards than most of the Landstar loads. The problem here is, that being leased onto their authority, you cannot turn down the cheap frieght, or book your own outside loads.

It costs about $1.30/mile to operate your truck. So why would anyone haul frieght for less than what it costs to operate the truck? Why would you pay someone to haul their frieght?

My husband and I have been with Landstar going on 3 years now. When we signed on, we started out driving for another owner/agent. We got to know the ropes so to speak. Ten months later we decided that we would get our own truck and now we are getting a second truck to lease on with Landstar. We have made well over $125,000 this year and the year isn't over with yet. Landstar plainly told us that you will get out of this company exactly what you put into it.

Jack, I'm sorry that you had a bad experience with Landstar but apparently you never gave it a chance or you just weren't ready to take on the responsibility of booking your own freight and making good money. With being a BCO comes responsibility. Yes we run under Landstars authority,and they pay our IFTA taxes but we understood that we cover everything else...that's where the tax deductions come in.
Landstar nor any of their agents have ever asked us to run illegally or log illegally. We pride ourselves on being safe and legal!

Also, the agents do not have a problem faxing or emailing you a copy of the load info with the rate per mile and line haul rate on it. That way should there be an error it is fixed immediately.

I am sorry you had a bad experience, but we have been leased to Landstar for 3 years, and after several several - this is the best yet. You choose what you haul - we don't haul cheap freight, we have learned we make more money going a little further away, or waiting. Also, there are certain areas better than others, and you don't go to those bad areas unless you get paid good money that it makes sense to dead head out of there to get to something better - that is the trucking industry period.

It is a little bit more work, and requires being patient and not jumping on the first thing, but in the long run it has paid off - compared to the .88 or .90 cents a mile company. Our average mileage rate after the 67% is 1.40. per mile. The company backs you during breakdowns, and you determine what you haul, when you haul, and when you don't.

If the agent lied - you don't have to haul it. If they lied and when you got to the shipper you have the right to refuse the load, or ask for more money. This is the closest thing to havin gyour own authority without all the paperwork and billing hassles. Sometimes it may take a little getting use to the system - where to go, how much to go there for. Stick to your guns, don't haul cheap freight, something will come up if you are patient.

It just takes a little research on the areas and which agents to haul for. We have never had any pay issues either, paid on time every week. If there is a clerical mistake, they promptly fix it and pay you right then. THis is an exellent company to work for and hope anyone considering Landstar will take the time to learn how to use the system and don't haul cheap freight- if no one is hauling it, guess what - they will have to raise the rates- This goes for the whole trucking industry.

I graduated from one of the best driving schools, when I asked Landstar it didn't even give me a referal BECAUSE THEY LIE TOO MUCH to hire a new driver and they know it,

THEY'VE MISLED the Interstate Commerce Commission That "orientation" for their driving jobs are lengthly assignments, and their lengthly assignments are viturally "NOT SHUTTING DOWN" (short haul) and "RIDING INTO THE STORM" (driving outlaw)". The Only drivers they WANT are crooks, the hard working person MEANS NOTHING to them.

This and other issues MUST be addressed as a cagetgory of commerce offence.

The load you are talking about I have hauled many times, it's a load of rubber picking up at the tire plant in Tyler,Tx going to Fayetteville,Nc. The rate is now 1.50 plus a decent fuel surcharge of .28, the rate was low due to compete with other trucking companies in order to keep the load they had to drop the rate. They then when the freight picked up and other carriers went elsewhere were able to raise the rate back up. Every agent is in competition with other trucking companies to keep freight. It's companies like JB and the orange group that make freight cheap. I generally gross 1.50-2.00 per mile fuel added and it usually comes out to around 1.00 per mile plus fuel to the truck. The higher fuel is going the harder it is getting cause I have a Peterbilt that gets 4.5-5.00 mpg and I think the fuel surcharge is set on a truck that gets around 6mpg. The higher it goes the harder it has been. Last year I made a killing with Landstar cause the fuel went so high when the freight was at it's highest, this year the fuel has rocketed right when freight is just picking up and it's hard to get a decent fuel surcharge. But like I said I hope no one comes on with Landstar that just makes it better on us. Also that load is there to get the drivers who take the tire load from Fayetteville,Nc to Terrell,Tx that has been up to 2.00 per mile and currently 1.50 plus fuel, back. So sorry dude you didn't stay long enough to make money but most of all the rest of us make good. Also if your going to make a report about the agent DLS you should make it accurate they have never payed what you posted for that load. The lowest it has been is 1.30 which makes you .85per mile and how many companies out here pay that all the time. Not bad if you came out for two bucks a mile huh.

First,you must understand that Landstar has set up a system that insulates them from the variables in the trucking industry fuel cost,vehicle maint.,equip.cost,driver labor, ect.,in other words they're cost are fixed. And the o/ops.are the ones that will pickup that tab.It is inportant to understand this.I think the reason people either love or hate Landstar is because you generally have two to types of O/ops (truck DRIVERS)which is a person that needs to be told where & when to go on a trip and what they will make.Or,on the other hand, you have o/ops that understand they're business and want to make they're own decision on where & when they go on a trip and what they will profit.Some companys tell you they pay for plate,tolls,permits,fuel tax,but I bet your paid by the mile not percentage,the o/op pays it ALL with your equip. investment and your labor.I know Landstar is not the perfect deal but what is.This company is for business people that want to make they're own decisions and understand the situation they're in,lets face it your not going to get rich doing this anyway. But, you can make a good living.The real problem is deregulation of the trucking industry has took the power away from the truckers.And regarding your comment about rude o/o,I think you get back what you put out,its just like looking in a mirror! With Landstar, its what you see is what you get and its what YOU make it. Landstar BCO 6YRS.

First,you must understand that Landstar has set up a system that insulates them from the variables in the trucking industry fuel cost,vehicle maint.,equip.cost,driver labor, ect.,in other words they're cost are fixed. And the o/ops.are the ones that will pickup that tab.It is inportant to understand this.I think the reason people either love or hate Landstar is because you generally have two to types of O/ops (truck DRIVERS)which is a person that needs to be told where & when to go on a trip and what they will make.Or,on the other hand, you have o/ops that understand they're business and want to make they're own decision on where & when they go on a trip and what they will profit.Some companys tell you they pay for plate,tolls,permits,fuel tax,but I bet your paid by the mile not percentage,the o/op pays it ALL with your equip. investment and your labor.I know Landstar is not the perfect deal but what is.This company is for business people that want to make they're own decisions and understand the situation they're in,lets face it your not going to get rich doing this anyway. But, you can make a good living.The real problem is deregulation of the trucking industry has took the power away from the truckers.And regarding your comment about rude o/o,I think you get back what you put out,its just like looking in a mirror! With Landstar, its what you see is what you get and its what YOU make it. Landstar BCO 6YRS.

we use landstar all the time and they have always done us right. we go through kim and she does a great job. we never have any complaints and kim makes sure we are up on all happenings. sounds to me like there is a cranky driver that needs to realize that things dont always go as you would like for them too in the world of trucking. not all brokers are crooked and they to need to make a living also. if you dont like the co you are with then go to another one, there is plenty of them out there and if you are a good driver and easy to get along with it shouldnt be a problem. lifes too short to go through it unhappy. try another company or go it on your own. if i was told something and it didnt happen i would be gone right then and wouldnt look back. lifes goes on.

Exactly my point. Why would you keep driving for a company that's skimming you? There's a lot of
companies that have NON-FORCED dispatch. The company i'm leased to allow you to turn down as
many loads and you get a flat mileage rate loaded or empty. Why go through the hassle and responsibility of having to find your own loads
and still have to give the company 67% of 97%?AND
not get reimbursed for anything on top of it? If
you have to take on the responsibility to find your own loads than you should have your own authority and collect at least 90% of the freight
charges.

The landstar system IS a ripoff. Other
companies that have non-forced dispatch reimburse
you for plates,permits,excess fuel taxes,tolls,lumpers,all of which can add up to 5,000 a year and you still have the freedom that
Landstar promises.I agree that all companies do
skim you in some way or another. There is no perfect company out there. Landstar is like an O/O version of werner,J.B hunt, and other large garbage companies. If you're happy with landstar and found a system there that works for you,as very FEW drivers do with these major companies,than good luck to you.

To Jack in Dallas, I'm sorry you had a bad experience with Landstar. My first 90 days were the worst. WHY? You decide what freight to haul. You decide to haul cheap or not. No one tells you what to do or where to go. You become your own dispatcher. I never experienced that before but I was ready to accept the responsibility. YOU were not. I guess some are destined to be told what to do.

I average $1.50 / mile TO ME! I don't go where there is no freight. I don't haul cheap loads. Heavy Loads = Cheap Freight. All summer, I was home every weekend and still averaged $3500 / wk. That may not seem like a lot of money but when you leave the house monday noon and are back home friday noon and have driven less than 2000 miles, it is very good.

I made the decision to make more money and be home more with my family. Landstar enables me to accomplish this. I don't have too much to do with the office staff. They don't do anything for me except pay me. I have run into a few unscrupulous agents. I just don't deal with them anymore.

At Landstar, you are called a Business Capacity Owner. You are your own business. Just like any business person, you have to look out for yourself. The agents are business people too, looking out for themselves.

Landstar is part of the trucking industry. Yes there are times when the freight rates are low. There are times when freight is scarce. Just like any other company. Here you KNOW when there is no freight in a certain area. Here if you suspect your "dispatcher" is lying to you, look in the mirror and give him a piece of your mind.

I will be CELEBRATING my 3rd anniversary at Landstar on Feb 2. This is the longest I've been at any company. I haven't found too much worth bitching about. I do what I want and they leave me alone. Like there ads say, it's not about the miles, it's ALL about the MONEY!

PS The 67% of 98% pay deal. Let me dispell the myth. It's pure profit they skim off the top. SO WHAT! Landstar's 67% of 98% is still better than getting 70 or even 75% of what some other companies pay. At least Lanstar shows you they are skimming, other companies try and hide it.

I didnt say they hide anything they dont reimburse you for,but they do LIE about the freight rates. They are the ones controlling the
load board, not the o/o. Currently they are set to go to trial in a class action lawsuit for excessive chargebacks on settlements. And the majority of their employees are much ruder then
other companies. They are ALWAYS having a bad day. I dont know how you are able to stay leased to them for that long. No, there are no perfect trucking companies, but Landstar is way at the bottom of the list. Just like I said, this company IS a RIPOFF.,and the statistics prove it.They have earned their rightful place in the ripoff report. Its strange why anybody would disagree. I think you've been had and not even know it. In orientation they tell you the MAJORITY of their freight is 1.25 and up.THATS A
LIE. They say you are your own boss just to make you feel good,but if anybody wants to take the risk and find out for themself instead of taking my word, then GO FOR IT.

We have been leased on with Landstar for 3 years. NOTHING is hidden when you go through 3 days of orientation with this company. You are told from the start (1) YOU are your own dispatcher (2) YOU are signing a contract to be paid 67% of 99% of 100% on each and every load you take (3)YOU pay X amount of $ for anything concerning your lease that you obtain through the company such as plates, insurance (and this is your choice),card services, such as transflow, pre-pass, trip pak, etc...are also things YOU agree to and before ANY money is taken from your settlements for ANY services, you have to sign an agreement agreeing to the terms (4)there are loads that pay well listed on the load board daily, LTL loads from
25+ and TL loads $1.50+ per mile. YOU look for your own loads, YOU agree to be paid X amount of dollars on the load.

Any o/o who is having problems understanding this company is only having the problems because he/she has not listened or read their contract agreement. All of it is spelled out in plain English and if you have ANY problems or concerns about any load, there is Customer Service Dept. available to resolve any and all problems.

Landstar is a great company to work for. You are your own boss. No one tells you that you HAVE to do anything. You make the choice and if you make the wrong choices, why blame it on the company? With Landstar YOU ARE YOUR OWN COMPANY...they just pay you according to what you have agreed on.

As for rude employees..what company doesn't have some rude employees? In the 3 years with Landstar, we have ran across lots of different types of agents, brokers, employees and customers who have been PEOPLE in general. All having good days, bad days, bad moods and good moods. If you find a company anywhere that is perfect for everyone....pass the word.