WOW -- my postings are becoming much less frequent over the past four months; since September. Coincidence that I have a late August posting about "no time" since adding on a new driver.
I put a lot of thought into these words and will re-write things until they say what I mean. How often have we 'spoken' words that you can't take back but they don't really sound the same out-loud as they did in your head. At least with the written word I can adjust before putting it out there.
My dad is in the hospital. I try to be respectful - to a point - with anybody I mention here in an identifiable way. Family in particular provides me an immense wealth of writing material -- which you will never see here.
One of the more significant impacts of dad in the hospital is that I have been in Savannah, GA for most of the last 2+ weeks. I will share with you that my dad has had a wonderful 89 years and has few regrets. He is not in any pain. He has slowed down alot in the past year or so.
I am leaving here Monday or Tuesday to get to IL. I have some (good) driver-business to deal with before the New Year. And I am looking again to add on another owner operator.
Sunday, December 26, 2010
Sunday, December 5, 2010
How do They Know THAT?????
I am always fine-tuning my business as we grow. As I add on more owner/operators there are new issues to deal with -- like how to pay them after we have been paid for the trip. Especially if I'm in FL and they are in SD!
Cash flow is always a problem for a driver; especially when they first get started. Many of our trips don't get paid for 30-45 days. In the meantime, the driver is paying fuel, maintenance on his truck, insurance, yada-yada-yada. He has alot of out-go with-out much income for the first couple of months. They want their money ASAP!
So Friday I tried PayPal, an internet based payment processing center that anyone cruising Ebay knows all about. I had already 'verified' my account with them and had my checking account linked. All I needed to do was log in and then 'pay' someone by entering their email or cell phone number. A code was sent to them telling them how to 'claim' the payment, theoretically by depositing into their checking account. Simple enough.
After I clicked the button to 'submit' the payment, the next screen was another verification process -- am I REALLY who I claim to be, the person with the RIGHT to move money out of this account. There were three questions. Each had three possible answers and a fourth "none of the above" option. The first question identified a piece of property I use to own and asked what month and year did I buy this -- 25 years ago! Another question identified one of my brothers by complete name and asked what city and state he lived in!
How do they know this? I guess when I verified my account, they looked up my credit report and pulled info from there. But my brother? By full name? How'd they do that? Can't help but remember George Orwell and Big Brother. Is that still mandatory reading? Should be.
Today I looked into another company that is specific to the transportation industry. You see their signs in ALL the truck stops -- ComData. I think I can get a 'credit card' to give each driver. I then electronically deposit funds into their account which they can access like a debit card - to make purchases (food or fuel) or take cash. It remains to be seen what kind of fees are involved.
Last week was the first time I had two, full-time, over-the-road drivers out at the same time. It was an extremely good week for everybody. I worked my butt off the first three days of the week. It is a mental thing. I actively monitor three load boards and my email (alot of my direct shippers sent out a blast message advertising loads). Plus there are a lot of ways to look for loads.
I always start with a radius-search from the zip code where the driver is looking to load. This gives me a list of out-bound loads based on weight and type-trailer parameters that I setup with-in a 50 or 100 mile radius. If I don't find something good, I will do a 'destination' search with the same parameters. This will give me a list of freight going INTO wherever it is I'm trying to get the driver (usually home).
Then I literally put something together. Sometimes it's one item going somewhere close to add another piece going where we are trying to get. When you send a driver off with a load someplace, getting him OUT of there must always be a consideration BEFORE he goes. It's no good having a nice paying job to Minot, ND if he has to dead-head 300 miles someplace after to find more work. Unless it was a REALLY nice paying load in. And speaking of Minot -- the weather is always a consideration also.
Then there is all the back-office stuff that I have to do to maintain compliance with the Feds. Let's not forget billing and accounts receivable -- you know, chasing those dead-beat brokers I have previously mentioned. Speaking of which, I had a driver in an area and Bowers Trucking had freight there they were trying to move. DELETE. I'm not dealing with those yahoos anymore.
Office Boy. I'm not sure how much longer that is going to be acceptable. It's new enough now and constantly evolving so I'm dealing with it. I like challenges. But this is going to get old eventually. So I need to grow just a little bit more so I can afford some office help. I'm thinking one or maybe two more drivers and I'm there. So that's the New Year Plan; add a couple more owner operators in January and then bring on a P/T office manager (to start).
Right now it's time for a little therapy (motorcycle ride; it is mid-60s already outside. And then it's football. Thank you STL for making this a late game today. I can go play until 4ish (east coast) before it's kick-off. Rams are hungry and looking for their second road victory in Arizona this afternoon. The Cardinals beat them almost 3 months ago but they are two teams going in the opposite direction. The Rams had their best game of the year last week and the Cards are in disarray.
GO RAMS!
Cash flow is always a problem for a driver; especially when they first get started. Many of our trips don't get paid for 30-45 days. In the meantime, the driver is paying fuel, maintenance on his truck, insurance, yada-yada-yada. He has alot of out-go with-out much income for the first couple of months. They want their money ASAP!
So Friday I tried PayPal, an internet based payment processing center that anyone cruising Ebay knows all about. I had already 'verified' my account with them and had my checking account linked. All I needed to do was log in and then 'pay' someone by entering their email or cell phone number. A code was sent to them telling them how to 'claim' the payment, theoretically by depositing into their checking account. Simple enough.
After I clicked the button to 'submit' the payment, the next screen was another verification process -- am I REALLY who I claim to be, the person with the RIGHT to move money out of this account. There were three questions. Each had three possible answers and a fourth "none of the above" option. The first question identified a piece of property I use to own and asked what month and year did I buy this -- 25 years ago! Another question identified one of my brothers by complete name and asked what city and state he lived in!
How do they know this? I guess when I verified my account, they looked up my credit report and pulled info from there. But my brother? By full name? How'd they do that? Can't help but remember George Orwell and Big Brother. Is that still mandatory reading? Should be.
Today I looked into another company that is specific to the transportation industry. You see their signs in ALL the truck stops -- ComData. I think I can get a 'credit card' to give each driver. I then electronically deposit funds into their account which they can access like a debit card - to make purchases (food or fuel) or take cash. It remains to be seen what kind of fees are involved.
Last week was the first time I had two, full-time, over-the-road drivers out at the same time. It was an extremely good week for everybody. I worked my butt off the first three days of the week. It is a mental thing. I actively monitor three load boards and my email (alot of my direct shippers sent out a blast message advertising loads). Plus there are a lot of ways to look for loads.
I always start with a radius-search from the zip code where the driver is looking to load. This gives me a list of out-bound loads based on weight and type-trailer parameters that I setup with-in a 50 or 100 mile radius. If I don't find something good, I will do a 'destination' search with the same parameters. This will give me a list of freight going INTO wherever it is I'm trying to get the driver (usually home).
Then I literally put something together. Sometimes it's one item going somewhere close to add another piece going where we are trying to get. When you send a driver off with a load someplace, getting him OUT of there must always be a consideration BEFORE he goes. It's no good having a nice paying job to Minot, ND if he has to dead-head 300 miles someplace after to find more work. Unless it was a REALLY nice paying load in. And speaking of Minot -- the weather is always a consideration also.
Then there is all the back-office stuff that I have to do to maintain compliance with the Feds. Let's not forget billing and accounts receivable -- you know, chasing those dead-beat brokers I have previously mentioned. Speaking of which, I had a driver in an area and Bowers Trucking had freight there they were trying to move. DELETE. I'm not dealing with those yahoos anymore.
Office Boy. I'm not sure how much longer that is going to be acceptable. It's new enough now and constantly evolving so I'm dealing with it. I like challenges. But this is going to get old eventually. So I need to grow just a little bit more so I can afford some office help. I'm thinking one or maybe two more drivers and I'm there. So that's the New Year Plan; add a couple more owner operators in January and then bring on a P/T office manager (to start).
Right now it's time for a little therapy (motorcycle ride; it is mid-60s already outside. And then it's football. Thank you STL for making this a late game today. I can go play until 4ish (east coast) before it's kick-off. Rams are hungry and looking for their second road victory in Arizona this afternoon. The Cardinals beat them almost 3 months ago but they are two teams going in the opposite direction. The Rams had their best game of the year last week and the Cards are in disarray.
GO RAMS!
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Back in FL
I am sitting at my kitchen table looking out over the Gulf. It's quite chilly here today, only low 60s for the high and down into the 40s the next few nights; and very windy but the skies are beginning to clear from the rain overnite. The water is very choppy with white caps from the 20+ wind. But it beats the heck out of being up north.
I made it to my parents for Thanksgiving last week. I have only missed one, maybe two, in my life. It's a BIG day for my mother. She spends 3 or 4 days cooking and relishes in the family gathering. This year, all three sons showed up and five of the seven grandkids so she was extremely pleased with the house as stuffed as the 20# turkey.
My two boys were there which gave me immense pleasure. I love Thanksgiving; Food, Family and Football -- what's better?
I was able to load a car in Nashville going to Savannah, so I 'worked' my way there. Then I reloaded another car - 2 miles away - going to Sarasota, FL, about 40 miles south of Paradise. It is REALLY good to be home. I am so blessed to be able to live the life I have. I try to be thankful every day.
Before I left Belleville I was able to get another driver up and running. George is pulling my old (small) trailer for the moment. I have my new (to me) trailer down in FL for now. George is working on upgrading his CDL to an 'A' so he can pull the larger trailer.
It is difficult finding work for the little trailer, even though it supported me okay for almost 2 years before I 'grew up'. The biggest difference is having ramps to load wheeled-vehicles. As I mentioned before, there are hundreds - if not thousands - of cars moving everyday. So when I end up in a place that doesn't have much general freight - say the middle of South Dakota - invariably there will be a car you can take that at least pays the fuel to get you to a better place.
Cars don't pay real well individually. You need a trailer that can hold at least 2 or 3 to make a living at it. But if you are trying to get into, or out of, a particular place, moving a car will usually cover the fuel cost. Sometimes I can add a car to a load we already have that increases the revenue with-out much increase in miles (cost). The ability to move cars has been a HUGE difference for our bottom line.
My last post here -- more than 2 weeks ago -- I got off on a diatribe against brokers. In a moment of sanity, I at least added the disclaimer that I didn't hate all brokers and that there are actually some good ones out there. Regardless, I have had some feedback.
Most of my business is conducted via email and telephone. I do not have a fax here. When an exchange of paperwork is required, I scan and email back and forth. My email has a 'signature' which includes a link to my blog. Apparently, some of the brokers I am in contact with use the link. Not everyone agrees with my opinion.
But I still feel the same (surprise!) I think I'll just leave it at that. Nuff said.
I had mentioned before, that as I add on more Owner/Operators, my time is increasingly spent on keeping them moving (loaded) and then pushing paper in their support - billing, tracking, compliance, etc. The result is - as I was worried it would be - there are are times when I don't have time to drive also. My one freind has taken to calling me 'Office Boy' now.
Take yesterday. I spent about 7 hours straight monitoring load boards on the internet and making phone calls trying to keep my trucks moving. I ended up with very excellent trips for both guys.
My barometer is $/mile. And I calculate differently than everyone else because I INCLUDE deadhead miles. Brokers and shippers don't care about that part. They look at 'loaded' miles. But as a carrier, I am still buying fuel and adding miles to my brakes, tires and engine to GET to the load. It ain't free!
My bottom line is $1/mi from the time they leave the house until they get back. It isn't easy when the national average for an 18-wheeler flatbed is $1.87/loaded mile and our trucks are 1/3 the size. That's where the ability to add a car makes ALL the difference. That and actively monitoring the load boards so when a good paying load does pop-up, you get on it right away. I have alarms set to notify me when a new load is posted. But it is difficult driving down the road doing this.
So for the moment I am stuck in FL - looking out over the choppy waters of the Gulf, trying to stay warm in these 60 degree temps, waiting for my alarm to sound. Oh well.
I made it to my parents for Thanksgiving last week. I have only missed one, maybe two, in my life. It's a BIG day for my mother. She spends 3 or 4 days cooking and relishes in the family gathering. This year, all three sons showed up and five of the seven grandkids so she was extremely pleased with the house as stuffed as the 20# turkey.
My two boys were there which gave me immense pleasure. I love Thanksgiving; Food, Family and Football -- what's better?
I was able to load a car in Nashville going to Savannah, so I 'worked' my way there. Then I reloaded another car - 2 miles away - going to Sarasota, FL, about 40 miles south of Paradise. It is REALLY good to be home. I am so blessed to be able to live the life I have. I try to be thankful every day.
Before I left Belleville I was able to get another driver up and running. George is pulling my old (small) trailer for the moment. I have my new (to me) trailer down in FL for now. George is working on upgrading his CDL to an 'A' so he can pull the larger trailer.
It is difficult finding work for the little trailer, even though it supported me okay for almost 2 years before I 'grew up'. The biggest difference is having ramps to load wheeled-vehicles. As I mentioned before, there are hundreds - if not thousands - of cars moving everyday. So when I end up in a place that doesn't have much general freight - say the middle of South Dakota - invariably there will be a car you can take that at least pays the fuel to get you to a better place.
Cars don't pay real well individually. You need a trailer that can hold at least 2 or 3 to make a living at it. But if you are trying to get into, or out of, a particular place, moving a car will usually cover the fuel cost. Sometimes I can add a car to a load we already have that increases the revenue with-out much increase in miles (cost). The ability to move cars has been a HUGE difference for our bottom line.
My last post here -- more than 2 weeks ago -- I got off on a diatribe against brokers. In a moment of sanity, I at least added the disclaimer that I didn't hate all brokers and that there are actually some good ones out there. Regardless, I have had some feedback.
Most of my business is conducted via email and telephone. I do not have a fax here. When an exchange of paperwork is required, I scan and email back and forth. My email has a 'signature' which includes a link to my blog. Apparently, some of the brokers I am in contact with use the link. Not everyone agrees with my opinion.
But I still feel the same (surprise!) I think I'll just leave it at that. Nuff said.
I had mentioned before, that as I add on more Owner/Operators, my time is increasingly spent on keeping them moving (loaded) and then pushing paper in their support - billing, tracking, compliance, etc. The result is - as I was worried it would be - there are are times when I don't have time to drive also. My one freind has taken to calling me 'Office Boy' now.
Take yesterday. I spent about 7 hours straight monitoring load boards on the internet and making phone calls trying to keep my trucks moving. I ended up with very excellent trips for both guys.
My barometer is $/mile. And I calculate differently than everyone else because I INCLUDE deadhead miles. Brokers and shippers don't care about that part. They look at 'loaded' miles. But as a carrier, I am still buying fuel and adding miles to my brakes, tires and engine to GET to the load. It ain't free!
My bottom line is $1/mi from the time they leave the house until they get back. It isn't easy when the national average for an 18-wheeler flatbed is $1.87/loaded mile and our trucks are 1/3 the size. That's where the ability to add a car makes ALL the difference. That and actively monitoring the load boards so when a good paying load does pop-up, you get on it right away. I have alarms set to notify me when a new load is posted. But it is difficult driving down the road doing this.
So for the moment I am stuck in FL - looking out over the choppy waters of the Gulf, trying to stay warm in these 60 degree temps, waiting for my alarm to sound. Oh well.
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