STS Update

How about this!  Second post in as many days.  WOW!  Can he keep it up?  Time will tell.

I thought it might be a good idea to update folks about my trucking company, seeing how I've not posted anything in a very long time (yesterday excluded).  I'm back down to one driver besides myself.  But he has been with me almost from the beginning.  George is a horse.  He runs hard and is as reliable as the rain on a summer afternoon here in FL, where I have been spending most of my time.  Before you give me too much grief about living in FL while my company is based in southern IL (near St. Louis); remember that I can not do a good job with the back-office stuff (dispatch, billing, marketing, etc) when I'm driving down the road.  And thanks to the internet, a laptop and a cell phone, my location is not really important.

I do have a couple other guys that are close to coming on with us.  The first one maybe my oldest son.  That is a business owners dream, I think:  to see his son (daughter) take over the company and watch both of them grow.  I'm planning on buying a new (to me) truck in the next 30-days or so.  Nathan has expressed an interest in driving it.

In case you aren't aware, STS fills a very specialized niche in the trucking industry.  We are hot shots.  I'm not talking about the personality disorder but the type of freight we haul.  We use one-ton, diesel pick-up trucks to pull flatbed, gooseneck trailers.  We can handle loads up to 15,000 lbs and 36' long.  We offer time-sensitive delivery for those Less Than a Truckload items.

Here's a link to our website with pictures and more details: STS HOT SHOTS.COM

I have another guy, former truck driver, who just bought himself a brand new 2012 Dodge Ram dually and is planning to start with us later this month.  He had some personal business to resolve first and expects to be available after the 15th.

Then there is the retired guy from Boeing that worked for us last summer.  Boeing called him up and made him an offer he couldn't refuse doing a temporary, contract-labor thing in Macon, GA.  He was suppose to be done Jan 1 but they gave him a 90-day extension.  Then gave him another 90-days just last month.  Apparently he's doing a little too good for them.  But I got an email a week ago and he assured me he will be back, eventually.  I can't blame the guy.  They are paying him very handsomely in addition to an apartment and a car to use.

So the future is bright from that angle.  But now I need to get busy growing our customer base.  These drivers are going to want to work.  And things have slowed down a bit for us over the last couple weeks.  Not sure why.  But I think there is opportunity.  And I need to get drivers available before I start promoting our business.  It won't do any good if I start getting phone calls for trucks and my ONE guy is already out.

Can't forget my lady in Indiana.  She is a freight broker.  She has a few clients that buy and sell cars, usually off the internet.  She finds carriers to move the cars for them using my federal Motor Carrier Authority (permission to haul freight interstate for-hire).  This is a side of the industry I intend to get much more into, eventually -- Freight Forwarding.  I frequently get calls to move freight that is beyond our ability (too big or heavy) or in a place I don't have a truck.  I can still help these folks by using my network of connections to find a truck that can do the job for them.  That's down the road.

And at some point I'm going to need some office help.  The feds are extremely demanding about paperwork and compliance.  The trucking industry is second only to the financial industry in federal oversight.  You've seen those weigh stations along the interstate?  There is a lot of stuff going on in there besides just checking weight.

So now you're up to speed on my biz.  I've kept my promise from yesterday, at least for now.  And it's beach time. It's 87 degrees and  not a cloud in the sky here.