Running a trucking business that WORKS

Trucking is a "dog eat dog" cutthroat business and the only thing keeping the average truck owner from sinking like a rock into the abyssal plain is that most truck owners with any sort of experience will not work for a rate so cheap that their business cannot survive. In fact the industry has a cycle that ebbs and flows with world events and national situations.

When Christmas rolls around, mail order, manufacturing, and consumer goods shipping goes through the roof and truckers will find themselves running as fast and hard as they can to keep up. This is followed by January and a total wipe out of freight for a couple of months. There is still freight to be hauled, but mostly it is only the usual grocery stores or factory supply runs. In order to run a successful trucking business, you must market your business and follow up on sales calls with excellent service.

To give excellent service, you must know how to run a truck up and down the highway on time and without damaging the freight or causing an accident. You also must do so while maintaining the truck in such a way that your operating costs are kept to a minimum. To do this you must know which truck will accomodate your particular freight demands. You might need a day cab truck for local deliveries or for runs that allow the driver to stay at a hotel. A day cab is considerably less expensive than a sleeper truck and lighter than a sleeper truck. A sleeper truck will accomodate a driver or even a team operation and will be heavier and cut down on hotel expenses for overnight runs.

Since different runs dictate different styles of running, the industry has numerous facets which must be taken into account by the owner of the equipment.