RE Landstar and Thinking Way, Way Ahead

[ATeam]

This is a question for Landstar Express America BCOs (contractors).

Diane and I are happy as can be with our present truck and carrier. We also know that every sunset leaves us one day older. At some point, hopefully many years from now, we will not be able to do the physical work of expediitng that we are doing now.

So, we are thinking ahead and wondering how we can stay on the road without as much physical labor (we of course realize there will always be some, and at some point we will have to come off the road altogether). Revenue needs then will not be as high as they are now because we are putting money away for the future. But we expect our desire to be out on the road will be as strong as ever.

We are wondering if a four-skid truck with a massive sleeper that is leased to LEA will meet our needs. Think 10 foot truck body (dry box, not reefer), lift gate, Class 8 Volvo chassis, and a 17-foot sleeper (204 inches). Think dock-high truck. Think a side door with steps in the sleeper to make it easier to get in and out of the truck. Think massive sleeper to double as an RV for when we decide to snowbird it at an RV park in the winter.

Don't think about truck payments, FET tax, etc. etc. etc. It's way too early to wonder about that. We expect that our current truck would have to pay for the next one, and not that the four-skid truck will pay for itself.

We do wonder, though, what kind of loads are out there for a four-skid, exclusive use truck? We wonder, would a team like us that would then be willing to haul little loads long distances or short be of use to Landstar agents? And we are wondering, what kind of money might be paid to a Class 8 B-unit like this (maybe call it a Super Sprinter )?

We are asking LEA people because we already know FedEx Custom Critical does not have or want such trucks in their portfolio.

Again, we are happy as can be with our current truck and carrier. Just thinking way, way ahead.

 

[nightcreacher]

Phil I'm going to tell you the same thing I told Gary yesturday,you have to much time on your hands.

 

[cheri1122]

Wouldn't the question be answered more knowledgeably by recruiters at Landstar, rather than the BCO's?

 

[dhalltoyo]

By the time that day rolls around, Landstar will have followed Conway's lead and sold off the express division.

Why?

The revenues are insignificant when pitched against the THREE TT Divisions (Landstar - Ranger - Inway). For example, when you can pay a “Heavy Haul†O/O $19.50/mile from Atlanta to Los Angeles imagine the profit gain by Landstar. Expedited freight revenues are not even in the same ballpark.

Additionally, the design of their operations maintain the "Big Truck" divisions; not LEAM.

As astute, as you are, I would think a “long term†goal would be to find a company in which you would contract for “exclusive†use of such a truck. The downside would be that most exclusive use contracts are for roundtrip runs that cover the same route.

 

[Packmule]

Phil,

How can someone answer this question with any type of validity attached, when no one knows what the future expediting needs will be in 6 months, must less years from now.

I understand where you are going with this thought,(I think) but if we knew the answers many would be gearing themselves in that direction.

Personally, I don't see that as being a good option for an owner with any Carrier. To carry that type of overhead and run "B" freight would be less than a stupid business decision. You would be more profitable buying a nice 35' Camper and leaving it in a park, running "B" freight in a Van (which is also suitable to move the Camper from location to Location when you were ready to relocate to another part of your backyard) and return home (paid or deadhead) after every run instead of living out on the road in a very expensive, rapidly depreciating truck.
I can tell you from my personal experience that operating a van is so much more cost effective VS. a Big Truck, that at half the rate per mile there is more going to the bottom line where it really counts. (even with heavy DH miles)

Phil I believe that somehow you could take that 4 skid hauling RV and make a success story out of it. I would certainly follow your stories of how to do it as you wrote a new book.

As far as Landstar, why don't you run that scenario past the Landstar recruiter, and /or other Carriers and get their input to what, if any, value they may put on such a vehicle.

Danny

 

[Moot]

Nightcreacher, I have even more time on my hands than Phil. So even though I am not a LEA contractor I feel compelled to respond. Hey, I've gotta do something while the leftovers re-heat.

>At some point, hopefully many years from now, we will not be able to do the physical work of expediitng (sic) that we are doing now.

Phil, you are an intelligent well read man! Have you never heard of global warming? The earth's temperature is on the rise. Polar icecaps are melting. Drunken Finlanders are clubbing baby lawyers. Who knows what lies ahead "many years from now"? "Will you still need me? Will you still feed me? When I'm sixty four! I could go on but I may have to pay royalties to Jocko.

The question you should be asking Landstar people is "would a 48',four skid capacity pontoon boat be profitable? What with most of the United States of America soon to be under water. The Sprinter is top heavy and prone to rolling over in high seas. So the Sprinter shouldn't be considered competition.

The lowly cargo van as we know it is history. Sidebar: I once inquired of a little neighbor girl the health of her dog Annie. I asked: "Is Annie history? she replied: "No, she's Annie."

>So, we are thinking ahead and wondering how we can stay on the road without as much physical labor (we of course realize there will always be some, and at some point we will have to come off the road altogether).

Physical labor!!!! Sorry, forgot you were white mitten. As this is Thanksgiving weekend, you should be giving thanks that "truckload freight" isn't in your vocabulary. Can you say grocery warehouse? I didn't think so.

Phil, thanks for letting me have some fun. I'm trying to hang on to my remaining eyesight and figure E.O. is a safe outlet.

Volvo makes a great series of marine motors. Something to think about.

The leftovers are hot. Moot-a-loo!

Ban the van. Boot the Moot. Sink the Sprinter.

 

[RichM]

I thought Annie the dog hangs out at the Triple T in Tuscon AZ?

 

[ATeam]

Thanks for the replies. I'm not contacting a recruiter because this is a daydream about something that might happen 15 years from now, not a serioius inquiry for today. I don't want to waste a recruiter's time.

Let's make it easier. Let's pretend that we are talking about today. Today, what kind of market is there for a dry-box truck of any kind that can handle four skids or less? I guess I'm talking about a B-unit, aren't I. OK, that's easy enough to know. Let's ramble on to the next question.

With Landstar, where they are less fussy about truck configurations than they are at other carriers, might a class 8 B-unit be able to run freight the same as a cargo van B-unit? In other words, is there anything about a Class 8 B-unit that would prevent it from hauling the same freight a cargo van B-unit would haul?

I can think of one case where the Class 8 might have an advantage. That would be with A&E loads. Or am I off in la-la land on that too?

 

[Packmule]

Phil,

I would think that it would fall into the classification of most "C" trucks. FXCC would not approve this type of truck because of the way they sale the truck to the customer, and the truck you described would not fit into any truck size they market.

Other Carriers look at what you and your Truck has to offer as far as transporting freight from point A to point B. As we know the classification of the load goes out the window if there is a truck close enough to respond and legally carry the freight.
So I ask you... In your experience, How many times have you carried 4 skids or less and what is that ratio compared to 5 or more skids.

I still think that is a major overhead to overcome to be profitable at that level.

Danny

 

[greg334]

Moot, that was too good - thanks for it.

Phil, 15 years from now we are going to be lucky to have wheels to push around - you may have missed the thread about the dark matter that OVM started and my post about the educated scientist who say we are shorting the life of the universe by looking at it. I think that global warming is nothing to worry about if there is no universe and by my calculations taking in account the worlds population from the dawn of time to date looking at the sky during all hours of the day and night, the universe has less time than the earth with the global warming thing.

Maybe just 14 years, 240 days and 12 hours left for the universe to exist, so thinking 15 years out may be a just a stretch.

 

[RichM]

I would say there is very little demand for what you have described. There is a market for small produce trucks to haul from the markets to stores but city streets and alleys are probably too much for your dimnsions on a routine basis. They usually look for small C type Cabovers for manuverability in tight areas.

 

[Moot]

Rich, produce deliveries require physical work. I think Phil's scenario
included walkers, an escalator to the monster sleeper, a chauffeur, and little or no manual labor. Or is that Manuel LaBor. Si?


>I don't keep track of skid count in our loads so this is just a guess.

With A.B.S. skid count is a lot like Annie; history.

 

[ATeam]

>So I ask you... In your experience, How many times have you
>carried 4 skids or less and what is that ratio compared to 5
>or more skids.

I don't keep track of skid count in our loads so this is just a guess. Our CR-unit has room for six skids. Almost always, our loads are four skids or less. I'd estimate that 90% of the loads we haul are that way. Though, there are one-piece loads where the item is longer than the 8 feet of floor space two skids would take up. With that in mind, I'd say maybe 70% to 80% is a better estimate.

However, a whole lot of that is reefer freight, which would not apply to a hypothetical class 8 B-unit.

 

[mrgoodtude]

>I thought Annie the dog hangs out at the Triple T in Tuscon
>AZ?
Shouldn't talk about Annie like that....Grrh
Mike

 

[cheri1122]

Maybe he could get a gig delivering Depends to RV parks & NASA bases

 

[LDB]

Rather than 17' sleeper and 10' cargo box I'd think 15' sleeper and 12' box would be much better since you'd have 6 skid capacity. What are you doing with the rest of the 40'? With 132" bbc there's a couple of feet left so you might even get 17' sleeper with 12' box or at least 16'/12'. It's always fun to mentally build various configurations and think about the options and opportunities.

Leo Bricker, 73's K5LDB
OOIDA Life Member 677319, JOIN NOW
Owner, Panther trucks 5508, 5509, 5641
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[Dreamer]

Folks, I hate to be the downer, but I think in 15-20 years the driver will be replaced. Driverless trucks are already in the testing phase in Europe. One driver drives 2 trucks. The rear 'slave truck' is computer controlled, and has electronic sensors that let it follow exactly what the front truck does, mere feet off it's bumper. The computer can react and compensate much faster than a driver can.

The next evolution they are looking at is a totally driverless rig, that would read sensors in the pavement.

They won't replace all trucks, but I think a lot of local and shuttle work will by done by this method.

C'mon folks, don't you watch the science channel?


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[wallytrucker1]

Phil, I have friends here with very large sleepers , I think box is 18-20, they are a & e and do Quite well money wise and don't think they work hard other than the driving.

 

[ATeam]

I'd love to meet your A&E friends and learn what they have to say about revenue possibilities with a 10 foot box. I'm also curious to know what kind of four skid (or less) loads of any kind can be found on Landstar boards today.

 

[LDB]

Why not use the available 40' to have more box room? With a VNL daycab at 122.4 plus gap to box your at about 125" of the available 480". If we add a box with 13' inside length that's about 162" overall. That leaves 193" for sleeper which would be a 16' sleeper. By giving up one foot of sleeper length and using the entire 40' allowed that gives a 6 skid capacity unit with enough room in the nose for extra bars/straps and whatever. Weight capacity wouldn't be an issue with tandems so it could effectively be a 6 skid capable of D weight bearing. If the goal is supercamper able to carry a box or two once in a while it wouldn't matter. If the goal is a unit with some true freight capability that's also capable of comfortable living this seems much more suitable. I'm just curious why it would be built as a 449" unit (17' + 10' + 125") when 480" is allowed.

Leo Bricker, 73's K5LDB
OOIDA Life Member 677319, JOIN NOW
Owner, Panther trucks 5508, 5509, 5641
EO Forum Moderator
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