07/08/2023
Cargo Xpress USA
10 things to know if you’re starting a trucking company
1. Don’t believe anyone for face value. This business is mostly liars, thieves and snakes. Do your due diligence and check behind everything. There is too much money being spent.
2. Don’t fall in love with drivers until merit is earned through a year of work. Normalize not getting comfortable, Change, and the “next man up” mantra
3. Don’t EVER depend on any one payment to come through, nothing is guaranteed in this business. 100’s of things can go wrong each day that can delay a payment.
4. DO NOT advance pay drivers. This is an ugly truth, but the most desperate drivers I’ve had in financial binds have been the most destructive and deceptive. So if you advance them and have to terminate them before recouping your money, guess what? You’re out of luck. That’s a loss.
5. Stay away from people you have personal relationships with mixing business and friendships. It’s worked for me before but for the most part entitlement, preferential treatment and slacking come into play. My advice is Steer clear. All business relationships.
6. Treat your authority like your 1st born child. Accidents happen, mistakes happen, but make sure everyone driving under your authority is properly trained, well versed in the FMCSA laws and violations, and serious. Most ppl don’t care, they will trash your business and jump right to the next company. Protect your investment.
7. Network!!! Most ppl you come across as I said earlier will be predators trying to tax you because they know you’re green, but when you find solid ppl lock in and build. Empires are created like this.
8. Get DOT inspections as often as possible! Brokers and Shippers love seeing these and they help keep your safety score down which is crucial in booking loads.
9. Make multiple payments on your fuel card weekly. Waiting until the one draft day can bite you in the *^ # unless you are top tier with money management. Most ppl are not.
10. Save money!! As I said earlier things can go wrong daily, of course repairs etc so have something sat back to cover unforeseen expenses.
Most owners will not give you this info because they think you are competition. It’s WAY too much opportunity to have that thought process.
If you’re thinking about starting a trucking company and need guidance contact me at [email protected] to set up a start up session.
