In my August 17 post, A History of Trucking Regulation 1880 to 1949, I discussed how the foundation of modern regulations governing motor carriers and truckers was established during that time. These early controls focused on who could truck, where they could truck and how much they could charge to haul a load, culminating in the Motor Carrier Act of 1935 creating the Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC).

The transportation industry is evolving — and government regulation plays a large role in these changes. Over the next several posts, I will cover the history of trucking regulation and deregulation by the United States Government. As we look at its progression, those of us in the business of trucking will better understand how the government has formulated freight movement in the U.S., and what we can expect in future government regulations.

If you were told you could turn a profit from 60-cent per mile freight, you’d think I was crazy, right?

But, listen to this story of how I turned cheap freight from vinegar into fine wine for one small carrier, using nothing more than industry experience, resourcefulness and dedication to finding a solution. Locations and minor details have been changed to protect the carrier’s privacy.

In the last post, I covered the first three steps to cash management for a motor carrier. In this post, I’ll finish with the final four. Success in any business comes from taking specific steps in each area of business management. Cash flow management is, by far, one area which defines how well your business thrives. You can have a warehouse full of great paying loads, but if you’re not receiving payment for those loads on a timely basis, it can make for some very stressful times when attempting to make your payroll or cover a fuel bill.

There are 7 Steps to managing your cash flow. In this post and the next, I’ll cover the details; I’ll explain the first three here.

One: Your accounts receivable and your Days Sales Outstanding (DSO) figure: