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!