Are We Too Old? When Dave lost his job, I suggested he go back to school and earn his CDL so he could drive a semi-truck. His immediate response was, “I’m too old.” Later, he admitted that he was nervous about returning to school. Today, as I consider starting another business, I find myself asking a similar question: Am I too old to begin something new? Many of the drivers we know did not start their careers behind the wheel of a truck. We have met former engineers, te...

How Far Will You Go? Deciding how far to deadhead for the next load is never an easy choice. Recently, we delivered to an area that left us with little exit strategies. Once the delivery was complete, we debated which direction we should go next? I wanted to head one way, while my husband preferred another route. After talking it over, we decided to go the direction he suggested because it also gave us an opportunity to take care of a maintenance concern. Once the repair was ...

Where Do You Park? Finding safe and reliable parking is one of the biggest ongoing challenges in the trucking industry. Every driver understands that semi-truck parking is limited, especially during peak evening hours when drivers are trying to comply with Hours of Service regulations. The struggle to find a place to stop for a mandatory 30-minute break or an overnight rest period is something nearly every truck driver experiences on a regular basis. It is common to see drive...

Some ‘easy’ loads create hidden setbacks through poor positioning, reload delays, and lost momentum that quietly reduce overall profitability....

New or Used? There has been the discussion of buying new equipment or keeping the older truck that has been in your business for many years. Dave and I have bought both new and used trucks. When we first got into trucking we bought a used one-ton dually to transport campers from manufacturers to dealerships throughout the country. The truck we bought had about 30,000 miles on the odometer. Over the course of two years Dave put on over 300,000 miles. We still own this truck an...

Choosing loads based only on rate can hurt long-term performance; positioning determines future opportunities, downtime, and overall revenue consistency in expedited freight....

Taking certain loads in risky conditions can lead to hidden costs, downtime, and challenges recovering losses when fault and liability are unclear...

Tax Time It’s that time of year again. A time that many people dread or stress over. It is tax time. As business owners we have so many opportunities to legally dedicate expenses that the average W2 employee does not have. Yet there are still business owners that try to cheat the system to avoid paying anything in taxes. Our current president is also a business owner. Love him or despise him, he understands business and how to use the tax laws in a business owner’s favor....

Fuel prices are climbing again, and everyone’s staring at the pump like it personally insulted them. I get it. When diesel fuel prices spike, every driver suddenly becomes a human calculator, punching numbers in their head like they’re trying to crack a safe before the timer hits zero....

Rollercoaster of Life When I was a teenager my brother and I were seated in the front seats of a rollercoaster ride. I was so terrified that the ride operator stopped early to let me off. Since then I have avoided rollercoaster rides as well as any other thrill rides at all cost. When we first started our little trucking company we had no idea what was all involved. Over the years we have made mistakes. We still managed to make it through. We have seen years where the money i...