6. Communication. This is not just what is said or heard. You need to maintain a paper trail on all aspects of your trucking business. If it’s said and it’s important, write it down: who you talked with, when you talked with them, what was said by all parties, what was the final agreement, and if it’s extremely important, have everyone sign the document. Just because it’s spoken doesn’t mean it will be remembered. Don’t assume everyone is on top of any situation.

When we think of a trick, we think of pranks we played on unsuspecting individuals when we were young (or maybe it’s something we pulled yesterday), but the context in which we want to talk about ‘Tricks’ here is techniques or actions that can improve a person’s life. Trucking tricks are kept under wraps because of the solitary nature of the business—a trucker is provided with a truck, a set of keys, a product or item to haul, a place to load and a location where he needs to deliver the load. All of this creates an atmosphere where sharing knowledge with others is limited.

The typical response to even the idea of increasing hauling rates is that, “Truckers don’t set the rates, the brokers and shippers do.” But in reality, the market place and the laws of supply and demand are what determine hauling rates. In the current trucking environment, estimates show there are between 250,000 to 300,000 more trucks available to haul loads than there are loads to be hauled.

The future of their trucking operation is the concern of many small motor carriers today as the economy continues to flounder, fuel prices seem headed to the stratosphere again and freight rates are in the sub-basement. However, with a bit of effort, fortitude and an ounce or two of tenacity each trucking company owner can turn this plight into an opportunity for more revenue and greater profits.

The most common question I’m asked by my consulting clients (read that ‘small motor carriers’) is, “How do I grow my company?”

The most important skill a trucker must possess when it comes to finding and ultimately selecting a load is communication: the art of asking questions.

The biggest mistake many truckers make when doing load research is asking the wrong questions to brokers, shippers. Here is a list of incorrect questions:

When we discuss ‘niche’ hauling we are not advocating a “put all your eggs in one basket approach”. Spreading your risk is still the best idea. Just don’t spread yourself too thin by trying to haul for too many customers, in too large of an area. Alternatively, don’t haul for just one customer. The rule still applies: No more than 25 to 30% of your total revenue should come from a single source. This is very important in today’s economy, as even the largest companies can be affected by the sudden turns in the market they serve.

Niche Hauling: a geographic area, commodity, particular service, unique method, or specialized market for which a small trucking company is best suited.

As we traverse further up the road to "Finding Good Paying Freight," what does it require to be successful at finding the loads that pay the best in long range dividends? It takes a bit of grit, a large amount of dedication and a stick-to-it-iveness that will rival anything you've ever attempted.

The thought of riding a roller coaster leaves me with memories of the stomach in the throat, white knuckles, sweaty palms, and sheer fear of what's over the next rise or around the next corner. Kinda like what trucking has been for the past year and a half: fuel prices headed again into the stratosphere, available freight scraping bottom and freight rates leaving our stomachs in knots-well, like a roller coaster.