Landstar Agency SL2

08/21/2026

What does it actually take to keep a business alive for 25 years?

Honestly, it’s not a perfect business plan or getting every decision right.

It’s answering the phone when something goes wrong at 2 a.m.

It’s admitting when you made a mistake and doing everything you can to fix it.

It’s having hard conversations, protecting your reputation and sometimes turning down business that doesn’t align with how you want to operate.

It’s building a team of people who care about the work and trusting them enough to do their jobs.

It’s remembering that the driver hauling the load, the employee answering the phone and the customer trusting you with their freight are all people first.

Our family opened our Landstar agency more than 25 years ago. I grew up around this business, and I’ve watched it change more times than I can count. We’ve had great years, hard years and plenty of days when everything seemed to go wrong at once.

But the values that built our business haven’t changed:

Be honest, even when the truth is uncomfortable.

Communicate before someone has to chase you for an answer.

Do what you say you’re going to do.

Take care of the people who take care of you.

And never sacrifice a long-term relationship for a quick dollar.

Our very first customer is still with us today. I think that says more about the business we’ve built than any sales number ever could.

In honor of World Entrepreneurs’ Day, what is one lesson running a business has taught you the hard way?

08/19/2026

Have you ever introduced a customer to a great driver or carrier, only to find out later that they were discussing working together directly?

Let’s have an honest conversation about it.

Agents and brokers, have you ever built a customer relationship, solved the problems, covered the difficult loads, and answered the phone at all hours, only to have that customer approach your driver or carrier directly?

Drivers and carriers, has a customer ever asked you to bypass the agent or broker who brought you the freight? How did you handle it?

After more than 13 years in logistics, I have learned that moving the freight is sometimes the easy part. Navigating the relationships can be much more complicated.

I also understand that businesses make decisions based on what they believe is best for their company. Customers may be trying to lower costs. Carriers may be trying to improve their margins. In some situations, it truly is a business decision.

But where is the line between making a smart business decision and taking advantage of a relationship someone else worked hard to build?

Our agency does not double broker freight, post misleading rates, manipulate the load board, or underbid a lane just to win it and then pressure a driver to accept less.

Those are standards we have chosen for our own business. I know not everyone operates the same way, and I am genuinely interested in hearing how others view these situations.

Is it ever appropriate for a customer and carrier to begin working together directly and cut a party out? Does it depend on how they met, how much time has passed, or what agreements are in place? What responsibility does each party have to the person who originally built the relationship if any?

I do not think every situation is black and white, but I do believe communication, transparency, and respect matter.

I would love to hear from agents, brokers, customers, drivers, and carriers. Have you experienced back solicitation, circumvention, or double brokering? How did you handle it, and where do you believe the ethical line should be?

08/17/2026

This feels a little vulnerable to post, but here it goes.

We are ready to grow our agency.

Our family started this business more than 25 years ago.
But we’re proud of what we’ve built, and we know we have room to help more people.

I love moving freight that means something. Pharmaceuticals, medical supplies, humanitarian aid, or products that make someone’s life better. That kind of work is very close to my heart.

But honestly, meaningful work can also be helping a good company keep its promises. It can be answering the phone when something goes wrong, finding the right driver instead of just any driver, and making sure the people doing the hardest part of this job are treated with respect.

We aren’t perfect, but we care. A lot.

We know our customers. We build real relationships with our drivers. We lose sleep over shipments, celebrate the wins and take problems personally because this business is personal to us.

So I’m putting this out there.

We’re looking for new customers who want a logistics partner who will genuinely care about their freight.

We’re looking for good drivers who want to build relationships with an agency that values them.

And we’re looking for salespeople who want to help us grow something they can be proud of.

If someone came to mind while you were reading this, please tag them, share this with them or introduce us.

We are ready for the next chapter. We just need the right people to help us write it.

08/11/2026

35,000 carriers is a huge number, and it is getting a lot of attention right now.

Landstar has reduced its approved third-party carrier network by 35% since 2022, going from more than 100,000 carriers to just over 64,000.

As a Landstar agent, I take fraud very seriously. I also know there are real people and small businesses behind these carrier numbers, so this is not something I look at without compassion.

There are many honest carriers out there working incredibly hard and doing things the right way. They are also victims of freight fraud. Their identities get stolen, their reputations get damaged, and they lose freight to people who were never legitimate carriers to begin with.

Safety is a huge part of my everyday job. When I choose a carrier, I am trusting them with my customer’s freight, their reputation, and the safety of everyone sharing the road with that truck. That is a responsibility I do not take lightly.

Even when a carrier is approved, our agency still looks for recent negative reports, safety concerns, suspicious changes, identity issues, and anything else that does not feel right.

It is also important to clarify that these were approved third-party carriers, not 35,000 Landstar BCOs. It also does not mean that every carrier removed was fraudulent. Approval can be affected by safety, insurance, compliance, verification issues, or inactive authority.

I hate that honest carriers have to jump through more hoops because of criminals. But I also understand why the standards have to be higher. There is too much at stake to ignore a red flag or hope for the best.

I would really like to hear from carriers on this. Have you noticed carrier qualification becoming more difficult? Do you feel the additional vetting is helping protect legitimate carriers, or is it creating more challenges for you?

08/11/2026

A driver commented on one of my posts yesterday that his current company pays him $55 an hour for all the time he spends working when he isn’t driving.

I’ve been thinking about that ever since.

We talk so much about rate per mile in trucking, but miles are only part of a driver’s day. Waiting at a dock for hours costs money too. It burns up a driver’s clock, affects their next load and can be the difference between getting home on time or missing another night with their family.

A driver’s time is not free.

I wish I could say I have the power to prevent every delay or get detention approved every single time. I don’t. But I can be honest about appointments, communicate when something changes, document the delay and stand up for the driver when their time hasn’t been respected.

I’ve worked with drivers for 14 years, and I know how frustrating it is when someone is sitting for hours and feels like nobody is listening or trying to help.

Drivers are expected to be on time, communicate and take care of the freight. I think it’s only fair that we give them that same respect in return.

Drivers and carriers, what is one thing customers or agents could do that would genuinely make your job better?

I really want to hear it.

08/10/2026

If your dedicated freight still requires a new capacity search every week, it isn’t really dedicated.

Recurring freight should become predictable. The same drivers should learn the lanes, facilities, appointment expectations and check-in procedures. Trailers should be positioned where they’re needed, and backup capacity should already be planned.

Our office has years of experience managing dedicated lanes, milk runs, drop-and-hook operations and trailer pools for both pharmaceutical cold chain and standard dry van freight.

A good drop-and-hook project should become a well-oiled machine. The customer loads trailers on their schedule, drivers arrive with empties and hook to trailers that are ready to move. That means less time waiting at the dock and a more consistent operation.

But it takes more than providing trucks and trailers. Appointment compliance matters. Trailer inventory has to stay balanced. Drivers need to understand the customer’s expectations, and someone needs to take ownership when something changes.

I’m comfortable building these projects from the ground up, putting contracts and consistent pricing in place and making sure there is committed capacity behind the rates we provide.

If you have recurring freight but are still struggling with consistent coverage, I’d love to learn more about your operation.

08/07/2026

Another flatbed load completed for one of our regular pipe customers!

A big thank you to the carrier who handled this one. They communicated with us throughout the entire shipment and took great care of our customer’s freight.

Reliable carriers and good communication make all the difference. We truly appreciate the hardworking drivers and carriers who help us take care of our customers every day.

08/05/2026

Today we are joining a Landstar recruiting webinar to talk with drivers who are considering becoming Landstar BCOs and want to learn more about cold chain!

We have worked with pharmaceutical freight for years, and I genuinely love this part of transportation. It takes a lot of attention and responsibility, but it can also be incredibly rewarding with the right drivers and support behind it.

Our cold chain business is growing, especially out of Colorado, and we need dependable team drivers who take pride in doing the job right.

If you’re an experienced team thinking about coming to Landstar, send me a message. I’m always happy to talk honestly about the freight, the expectations and the opportunities available.

08/03/2026

Drivers,

Running under your own authority gives you freedom, but it also means handling billing, insurance, compliance, taxes and collections.

Leasing to Landstar lets you keep control of your truck with the support of a nationwide network.
You choose your loads.
You set your schedule.
You decide when you go home.
There is no forced dispatch.

LANDSTAR BCOs RECEIVE
✅ Percentage-based pay
✅ 100% of billed fuel surcharges
✅ Weekly settlements
✅ Customer billing
✅ IFTA and fuel-tax filing
✅ Safety and compliance support
✅ Cargo and liability coverage while under dispatch
✅ Fuel, tire and equipment discounts
✅ Access to thousands of loads

In 2025, average revenue per load, excluding fuel surcharge, was $2,071 for vans and $3,137 for platform equipment. (These are network averages.)

THE SAVINGS MATTER
For the week ending June 27, 2026, BCOs averaged $0.76 per gallon in fuel savings.

Estimated annual insurance costs were $18,000 to $22,000 under independent authority, compared with approximately $5,000 to $6,000 for Landstar BCO coverage. (Actual costs vary.)

FREIGHT OPPORTUNITIES
Landstar has opportunities for qualified solo owner-operators and teams with vans, reefers, flatbeds, step decks, specialized equipment, hot shots, straight trucks and expedited equipment.

Freight includes dedicated, pharmaceutical, automotive, government, defense, AA&E, expedited and specialized shipments.

A PROVEN NETWORK
🏆 Top 10 For-Hire Carrier
🏆 No. 2 in flatbed and heavy specialized transportation
🏆 Largest specialized transportation company in North America
🏆 Top 100 3PL for the 17th year
🏆 25-year recipient of the NDTA Distinguished Service Award

Landstar has approximately 1,062 Million Mile Safe Drivers and Roadstar honorees with at least one million consecutive miles without a preventable accident.

BASIC QUALIFICATIONS
Applicants generally must be at least 23, have the appropriate CDL and hazmat endorsement, meet Landstar’s experience and safety standards and have equipment capable of passing a Level One DOT inspection.
(Additional requirements apply.) Costs may include escrow, plates, permits, ELD expenses and insurance. (Landstar does not offer a lease-purchase program.)

Our family has been part of Landstar since 2000, and I have spent 14 years in transportation. I love helping owner-operators find freight that fits their equipment, location and goals.

If you are tired of handling everything alone or your current lease is no longer the right fit, let’s compare the numbers.

Send me your equipment type and home location. I will give you honest information and help you decide if Landstar makes sense for your business.

08/03/2026

One of the most expensive mistakes in transportation is deciding how freight should move before fully understanding what the shipment needs.

Sometimes truckload is the right answer. Sometimes it is LTL, expedite, air, ocean, temperature-controlled or specialized equipment. Sometimes the best solution uses more than one mode.

After 26 years in transportation, our agency has learned that the lowest quote is not always the lowest total cost. Transit time, handling, security, temperature requirements, equipment availability and the consequences of a delay all matter.

Our job is not to force every shipment into the same solution. It is to ask the right questions, explain the options and help customers choose the service that makes sense for their freight.

If you are not sure how to move something, start with me. If it can be shipped, my team will help you find the right way to do it.

[email protected]
801-302-9030

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