zorry, a few things.
First, I do not know what you are talking about regarding me attacking you. It is not something I recall. If it happened, there will be posts on record so you may be right, but just know today that I have no idea what you are talking about. Nor do I know if what you see as an attack was meant by me to be one or not. It matters not to me. If it matters to you, kindly provide a link to the post in question and we can discuss it.
Second, the Landstar system is not as straightforward as you imply. While what you were told may be 100 percent true -- that 23 of 43 teams in service at LEA had loads -- it is not likely accurate. Kindly notice the difference between truth and accuracy. The true statement does not accurately describe what is really going on.
For example, Diane and I were once out of service. An agent called us anyway to offer us a load. We accepted and went back in service so he could put us on the load. However, once he did, our truck still showed up as in service and available (empty) in the system and remained that way for days until we picked up the load. We were on the load but a Landstar BCO looking at the web site would see our truck as available. That's because of how the agent processed the load on his end.
The system also allows us to do lane matches that show what kinds of loads were dispatched out of what areas in the past and by which agents. However, not all loads are included. Much of the freight that Diane and I haul does not show up there. You learn about that freight through experience within the system.
There may be times when we are out of service and agents call and we stay out of service but are put on the load anyway. It's easier for us and them sometimes. They call, we say yes, and by verbal agreement the load is ours and we are committed to it. Then when the time comes we go in service and the load shows up on our truck.
Yet another scenario, a common one, throws off the kind of numbers you cite above. An agent may have a load that goes two weeks from now. Knowing a driver's preferences, that agent may offer the load, the driver may accept, and the truck is then made to show up in the system as dispatched on that load. But the pick up date is not shown. Looking at the count you cited above, such a truck would show up as loaded every day for 14 days, even though it only did one load in two weeks.
Why would that happen? I have seen BCO's do this when they happen to be someplace they want to stay for a while and also want to be on a load they know will go out in the future, and also want to show up as dispatched so other agents won't bother them with load offers they cannot or do not want to accept.
Yet another thing that throws off the kind of numbers you cite above is that agents will often send load offer info to trucks and keep it that way even after the truck says yes. They do that intentionally so the truck will show up as available and remains free to take other loads before the agreed to load is done.
Yet another thing that throws off the numbers are cases where trucks may be out of service, at home, and a close relationship with an agent exists. The agent may have a load ready to dispatch and will not even look at the board to find a truck. He or she will go to the friendly out-of-service truck to cover the load. In such cases, it matters not how many trucks show up as in service or out of service. That out-of-service truck has a strong lock on that load because the agent always calls that truck first. With many loads, how many trucks are in service or out of service is meaningless.
In other words, there is more to the Landstar system and available data that meets the eye. Drawing conclusions about Landstar trucks based on a set of numbers that are fed to you by someone else leaves you at risk of drawing errant conclusions. Relying on those conclusions leaves you at risk of forming errant beliefs about Landstar Express America.
I claim no special knowledge here. It has been nearly a year since Diane and I signed on with Landstar. We are still developing agent relationships and discovering new ways to better use the system.
