Timothy D. Brady's blog
Submitted by Timothy D. Brady on Fri, 12/30/2011 - 06:13
How many times have you faced a blank piece of paper (or a wall) and tried to kick-start planning for your trucking company? Planning sometimes seems easier said than done, but with these five plans, you can make your trucking life a lot easier — and bring more revenue in, as well.
1. Route and Times for Pick-Up and Delivery Plan
Submitted by Timothy D. Brady on Tue, 12/27/2011 - 05:13
You can’t look far in the media these days without hearing about how freight in general has been improving.
But, what about the type of freight you focus on hauling? Or the lanes you’ve been running? Have you seen more freight and increasing rates?
If not, then it’s time to reevaluate what you’re hauling and where you’re transporting it.
Submitted by Timothy D. Brady on Tue, 11/22/2011 - 05:13
Submitted by Timothy D. Brady on Mon, 11/14/2011 - 08:01
How Trucking Companies Buy the Right Equipment
While owner-operators and trucking companies continue to have tight budgets, some are facing the prospect of having to replace their trucks. Rather than going out and spending a small fortune on a new rig, there is an alternative: the used truck market. In their white paper, “Succeeding as an Owner Operator,” the Used Truck Association (UTA) explains:
Submitted by Timothy D. Brady on Fri, 10/28/2011 - 07:01
When business is going well for your trucking company, becoming complacent with your customer base is easy. You start feeling comfortable and settle into the day-to-day and week-to-week routine. A shipper either calls you or emails you the load information; you dispatch a truck, then the truck loads and delivers the shipment, and the customer pays within fifteen days. You have a scheduled return load and bingo (!) the truck returns home. Out and back like clockwork, as dependable as the sun rising and setting each day.
Submitted by Timothy D. Brady on Fri, 10/21/2011 - 09:35
Does your trucking company struggle to find decent-paying freight on every load going in a particular direction?
Are you having the greatest difficulty with your outbound or inbound loads? Or both?
Are your trucks headed in the wrong direction — or is something else bleeding your profits?
If you don’t like your initial answers to these questions, now is the time evaluate your load quality.
First, complete a lane evaluation:
Submitted by Timothy D. Brady on Wed, 09/14/2011 - 10:37
We’re moving closer to the fourth quarter of 2011, and business is somewhat stagnant for many of us in the trucking industry. We’re not moving backward (thankfully!), but we’re not moving forward, either. As the end of the year gets closer, our position is like a football game tied zero-zero in the fourth quarter — and the opposing team is first and goal on the 10-yard line.
To finish ahead, a game plan is crucial.
Submitted by Timothy D. Brady on Sat, 09/10/2011 - 09:35
The need to control costs is one of the biggest challenges drivers and small trucking companies face. Before you raise your rates, you need to be sure you’ve done everything possible to reduce your costs of doing business. But the danger in making cost cuts randomly as they come to your attention can be, in many cases, worse than not cutting costs at all. Rather than making arbitrary reductions, the most efficient means to cut costs is to do a Line Item Cost Analysis. Don’t let the terminology scare you — this analysis is not as complicated as the title sounds.
Submitted by Timothy D. Brady on Mon, 08/15/2011 - 07:25
With all of the countless responsibilities a micro-carrier must address, why should a company with one to five trucks work on developing a well-defined freight lane?
Submitted by Timothy D. Brady on Tue, 08/09/2011 - 11:35
In the last four posts, I’ve discussed the components of a micro-business plan from the perspective of someone considering starting a trucking company. But business plans are not just for people looking to start a business — they need to become an important part of your growing and developing business. The business plan review is something every trucking company owner should do twice a year or any time you are considering taking your business in a different direction, expanding or growing.
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