Dang.....my very first load got canceled!!:tears: I booked a hazmat load about 15 miles south of my home. It was suppose to pick up at 7am Saturday and deliver in Odessa, TX on Monday. Friday afternoon I got a call saying the product did not pass the plants quality test and therefore the shipment was canceled. Damn shame because it had a nice rate, was close to my house and would have been an easy run. Oh well thats the way it goes sometimes.

 

The first empty trailer I hooked to at Landstar was at a Wal Mart DC in Southern IL. I've never hauled into one personally.

I suggest you keep a little notebook (or a file on your computer) of agents who you want to keep in mind for future loads, along with their phone numbers, and where they have freight. When you talk to an agent with a good paying load, always make sure to ask them if it is a regular run for them. While the load you are on may not be, many agents will gladly tell you of other regular runs they have available.

The trick to making it at Landstar is to get yourself off the load board as much as possible. Most of the good freight never hits the board, and the stuff that does, usually gets snatched up quickly. Find a freight lane that pays good, and stick to it. While that load going to Maine may look inviting, once you are there, you are stuck. You'll learn quickly what areas not to go to.

 

Thanks Rev....I'll do just that. In fact, the agent I spoke with on this first load told me she has regular freight coming out of this particular plant usually going up into OK. This is good for me since the plant is only about 15-20 miles south of my home.

What you mentioned about getting off the board is exactly what they said in orientation. I am going to do as you suggested and keep notes on the "good" and "bad" agents so to speak and wean(sp) myself off the load board as much as possible.

So where you at in the country anyways?

 

Right now I'm in Effingham, IL for the night. Left Texarkana yesterday, picked up a load in West Memphis this morning, and am delivering that in WI on Monday. Then I'm doing a short auto parts run from Sheboygan, WI to Kenosha, WI and back. $3.47 per mile.:thumbsup:

Then I'm heading home for Christmas. Heading back out on the 26th. Already working on lining up an auto parts run from WI to MI. $2.57 per mile.

Check your PM's.

 

Effingham, IL :thumbsdown: sorry............:lol: That WI parts run sounds like a nice little gig. That's the kind of thing that I want to get set up on.

 

Just for the night.

If they were running more than 3 loads a week, I might be interested in doing it full time. But I'd need at least 5 loads a week to make it worth my while. With the uncertainty of the auto industry right now, I think I'll stick with my military freight for my bread and butter. I'm hoping next year will be huge. I keep hearing rumors of a multi-year contract coming through the pipeline.

 

Military contract?

 

Yup. But it doesn't really run much in your area. It's a Northeast gig, for the most part.

 

:lol2: I wasn't asking in hopes of squeezing in on it, was just curious :lol2:

 

That's a likely story.