An Interview with Landstar BCO Joseph Perez

Landstar BCO Joseph Perez has been driving professionally for 34 years and first leased on with Landstar in 2014. We asked him to tell us more about what he calls “a pretty good career here.”

What do you tell other owner-operators about leasing to Landstar?

A lot of drivers will come up to me and ask me what it's like to work for Landstar, and I tell them, I don't work for Landstar. I'm an owner-operator, so I work for myself. It's basically me doing what I do. It's how I run my business. It's how I succeed or how I fail. Landstar has nothing to do with any of that, so again, I don't work for Landstar. Landstar works for me.

Explain how Landstar works for you.

Landstar is a support company. The company helps me with different aspects of my business. One of the things that Landstar provides is fuel discounts, which are crucial in keeping costs down. 

Getting tires through LCAPP (Landstar Contractors’ Advantage Purchasing Program), and having the ability to get your tires at basically cost is a tremendous savings compared to buying tires at a truck stop. The savings can range anywhere from $200 to $300 per tire, which is amazing. So having LCAPP for all your purchases can save you money – like with repairs. Some major repair shops will give Landstar BCOs a discount, so that's a nice perk to have.

Are there other ways Landstar supports owner-operators?

There are advisors you can call at Landstar if you choose. It's nice to have them as a backup or someone to talk to in case there's an issue with an agent or shipper. So, they're nice to have. It's a good supportive group. 

If you run your business properly, you don't really need to call Landstar. That's what I like about it – the freedom. But, they are there. You need them when you need them, and they're there.

What do you like most about leasing to Landstar?

Freedom. I have the freedom to choose when I want to work, how I want to work, where I want to go, where I don't want to go. I can pick and choose what days I want to work or not work. All the good things in life. Being leased to Landstar is basically being leased to freedom.

What do you enjoy about your chosen career?

I like making money and having freedom. It's trucking. It's got its ups and downs; it's got its turnarounds. It's 
got everything, so there's no one day that’s the same as the next. I love driving. I love being out there on the open road. I love honking the horn when kids come by – that's probably my biggest thrill out there, just honking the horn for kids as they go by.

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