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Timothy D. Brady's blog

Finding your mother lode

As a micro or small freight carrier, landing a massive freight hauling contract with a large manufacturer or a dedicated run for a mega retailer’s distribution center might seem like you’ve hit the gold mine, but it’s not necessarily the case.

Who's on your freight trucking team?

Believe it or not, you're on a team. A big, big team.

Think of your team as a combination of all the people, companies, and organizations required to help your freight trucking service run smoothly. Many owner/managers think only the employees who are working for them are members of their trucking teams. But you know better...

Got your ears on?

We’ve all seen the cell phone commercial where an actor is yelling into a phone, “Can you hear me now?”

In trucking, it’s not just being able to hear someone on the other end of a line that’s important—it’s just as important to be listening and understanding what is being communicated.

Fighting Godzilla: Beat the big boys by being a nimble freight carrier

In the world of freight logistics, there are two distinctively different types of trucking operations.

One is the very large behemoth of a trucking machine that seemingly eats every load that’s in its path. Though it’s slow to adjust to changes in the trucking environment, it's very efficient in moving large volumes of freight all at once.

What's your trucking company’s prime directive?

Have you ever wondered, "What is my trucking company’s prime directive?"

Like guiding values, your prime directive determines your behavior as an organization.

Ultimately, a carrier’s prime directive is to pick up and deliver loads on time, with items shipped arriving at destination in the same condition they left origin, while creating a reasonable profit along the way.

What’s the best way to accomplish this goal?

The Trucking Business Community: Finding a niche that brings success

Want to know the key to trucking success?

Become the “go-to carrier” within a selected niche.

Doing so requires you to learn about every shipper and broker who ships loads within your selected hauling specialty. The plan—your plan—is to become the expert that shippers and brokers seek out to handle their shipments.

Why You Should Become a Niche Carrier

Can you afford to NOT replace your old rig?

An aging tractor or trailer is the one area that drains more cash in a way many freight carriers don’t see. Older trucking equipment requires more and more repairs to keep it on the road and worsening fuel economy can cost your shipping operation more in fuel than your competition.

So how do you determine if a tractor or trailer has outlived its usefulness and has begun the profit-drain from your operation?

A simple cost analysis will do the trick.

Trucking Companies: Fire Your Bad Customers in 2012

January is here and a new year is looming — and I use the term “looming” advisedly. For many small carriers around the nation, 2012 means another year of dealing with difficult-to-satisfy shippers and another round of HOS and CSA slowing the wheels of progress for your trucking company.

You can’t do much about government regulation. But, that shipper that has you grinding your teeth every time you deal with him — something can be done about the situation.

Fire him.

The Time-Sucking Shipper

The Trucking Business Community: A Full House of Plans in 2012 - Means A Winning Hand in Trucking Too

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

The Trucking Business Community: Riding the Wave

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.

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