Start-up trucking companies

The logistics industry, particularly trucking, often serves as the economic engine. This is true for many countries, including the United States. Transporting raw materials from suppliers to factories and subsequently completed goods from factories to customers is a regular task for trucking businesses. Trucks move more than seventy percent of all commodities in the United States. The whole economy would grind to a halt without these consistent inflows. The trucking industry kept operating throughout the COVID-19 lockdowns; business was considerably busier than usual.

Starting and operating a trucking company may provide you with several benefits. Factors such as businesses to collaborate with are worth considering while starting the truck company. Selecting the cargo that you will be transporting is another vital key in the plan. How frequently do you plan to do errands? Because you have a stake in the company’s success, you must get a good profit, among many other advantages of owning such a business. Importantly, you’ll need your operating authorization to get your business off the ground. This will allow you to legally charge customers for your transportation services. To legally transport goods, a business needs a Motor Carrier (MC) number from the FMCSA (Tardif, 2020). Despite these advantages, beginning a trucking company is significant, so careful preparation is essential.

Creating your transportation firm from the bottom up involves a great deal of planning and organization. When beginning a trucking company, it is essential to zero in on a particular market sector and targets that sector specifically. A DBA registration must be submitted to utilize a business name different from the owner’s given name and last name (doing business as) (Stavros, Cooperrider, & Kelley, 2003). Find out what interests you the most, whether a particular product, sector, or industry. Which items and processes throughout the supply chain am I already acquainted with? Where do they place their key worries, and what do they need the most immediately?

A business plan that has been well considered may provide you with the opportunity to lay out in detail the objectives that you have for your trucking company. When putting this together, be sure you take into account factors like price, operations, fleet management, and advertising. It is possible to write a business plan for a trucking company using either the traditional or lean startup methodology (Seggie, Soyer, & Pauwels, 2017). A standard business plan would typically include the following sections: an executive summary, a company description, a market study, a sales strategy, financial estimates, and a plan for human resources. The lean startup plan often includes less information, making it quicker to execute and allowing for more improvisation than traditional startup strategies.

Compliance Needs

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) requires owner-operators to satisfy several conditions before receiving their operating authority. The authorities may use your USDOT and MC numbers to check your safety and compliance status. You are permitted to operate a motor vehicle in any other state so long as the state you usually reside in has awarded you an IRP license plate (Miller, Golicic, & Fugate, 2018). The UCR system substantiates that the trucking firm has adequate liability insurance coverage in each state where it does business. In order to maintain a positive standing with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), companies that operate trucks that weigh more than 55,000 pounds and travel on public roads are required to pay the Federal Excise Highway Tax. This tax is also called the heavy highway vehicle usage tax.

Thanks to a process server in each jurisdiction, legal documents may be served in any country where your firm does business. In order to update the information about your process agent, you will need to submit a new BOC-3 Form to the FMCSA. If you wish to transport merchandise to the states of Kentucky, New Mexico, New York, or Oregon, you will need to pay weight and distance fees in each of those states.

Other Best Practices

Getting financial backing for your transportation business is another essential step to take. The question “How much does it cost to create a trucking company?” is one that many people who want to start their own trucking business ask, answered here. The cost of insurance, down payments for automobiles, permits, and many other state-specific fees often fall within the budget range of $10,000 to $30,000 (Wang et al., 2012). A personal savings account, a home equity line of credit, the sale of real estate, or even a bank loan are all viable options for securing financial backing for a new business venture, such as starting a trucking enterprise. If your loan source can also supply the required assets, they may be able to assist you in getting started with less money out of your pocket.

When beginning a trucking firm, a significant consideration is the procurement of required assets. When acquiring assets, you should always put quality ahead of cost if you are in a position to do so (Demsetz, 1988). In particular, regarding automobiles used for business. While the upfront cost of buying a new vehicle could be higher, it might save money in the long term by lowering the frequency and severity of repairs, maintenance, and downtimes that influence a current fleet’s ability to produce revenue.

The same principle applies to pre-owned machinery, provided it has been adequately maintained and produced by a reputable company. The following is a checklist of factors that should be evaluated before the acquisition of a pre-owned motor vehicle by anybody interested in doing so: the existence of wounds visible to the public; A variety of elements, including the level of corrosion, the state of the tires, the distance driven by the vehicle, the records of oil changes and any other periodic maintenance, and the number of miles driven, all come into play.

A trucking company’s proprietor is responsible for weighing the pros and disadvantages of insuring the vehicles and other assets. Trucking firms, like any different kind of business, must have insurance to protect themselves from disasters. You can be confident that this will take care of any difficulties that may occur while driving, including the need to repair your vehicles or pay for medical costs resulting from injuries experienced (Tierney, 2007). Trucking discussion forums and online groups are good places to go for guidance if you need assistance choosing insurance coverage that will fulfil your needs to the greatest extent possible.

Another essential step that must be considered is preparing automobiles to be driven on public roads. Before vehicles used for commercial purposes may begin delivering products, cargo carriers must fulfill one more set of requirements. In addition to your USDOT number and the registered name of your company, the Radio Frequency Identification tags for your vehicle are required to be visible on the front windshield of your car. In addition to the license plates required by your state, you will also need to carry International Registration Plates if you do business in more than one state.

Most Track businesses struggle to attract and keep qualified drivers; however, this is the most critical component in the success of their businesses. As reported by the American Trucking Associations, there was a significant increase in driver turnover in 2018 for major truckload carriers. The turnover rate in 2018 is 20% greater than in 2017. The driver turnover rate is much higher at 73% for smaller carriers.

A system to recruit drivers effectively is the first step in successfully developing a plan to retain that fleet’s driving talent. View a potential driver’s collision history for the last five years and roadside inspection reports for the past three years using a pre-employment screening program. If you want to keep your drivers around, it’s not money that will do it  (Bowersox, Closs, & Stank, 2000). Use electronic logging devices (ELDs) and driver safety ratings (DSS) to rate drivers according to performance, safety, and efficiency when awarding bonuses for these factors.

The success of your trucking business will largely depend on your ability to hire and keep qualified drivers. For this reason, it is crucial to have a comprehensive plan for hiring drivers, keeping them happy, and keeping them on the job.

Establishing fleet management systems as soon as possible after starting a trucking business is essential. These systems will affect various aspects of your operations, such as the supervision of driver conduct and practices, compliance, fleet safety, and fuel management. In addition, they will play a role in the upkeep of your vehicles.

Increasing the size of your fleet will make managing your vehicles a more complicated endeavor. Because of this, it is essential to make use of software for fleet management in order to make the process of managing your fleet easier (Tardif, 2020). The management of a fleet requires several activities, such as establishing safety guidelines for drivers, monitoring vehicles to identify any potential issues with their maintenance, and organizing coaching programs for drivers to encourage positive behaviors behind the wheel and discourage things like excessive idling.

Entrepreneurs that want to succeed in the trucking sector need to be proficient at growing their customer base. Even while giving priority to one customer at a time makes intuitive sense, it’s possible that this approach won’t be sustainable in the long term. To ensure financial sustainability, diversification is crucial. It makes no difference how much cash each of your consumers has in their possession.

Diversify your clientele so that no one customer contributes more than 20% of your total revenue. This will prevent you from becoming too dependent on any one client. This indicates that you must get loads consistently from a minimum of five separate consumers. Employing online freight boards to market your company will allow you to reach a bigger audience of potential customers. Create a solid reputation for yourself on the internet and social media. Always make sure your web profile looks good.

Shippers and carriers may connect via the use of freight boards, which are also referred to as load boards. Advertisements for empty cargo may be placed here by shipping firms. The shipments that transportation firms can move may be determined with relative ease (Brouer, Alvarez, Plum, Pisinger, & Sigurd, 2014). Find lucrative clients and lucrative freight loads so you may maintain them and expand your company. Find dependable shippers that can pay you what you’re worth, pay you on time, offer delivery alternatives that are compatible with your freight lines, and regularly send you loads.

Keep in mind that you want the website for your trucking company to accomplish three goals: wow visitors, educate them and maintain their interest in your firm. Create content that is not just current but also informative and well-written. Could you please explain what your trucking company does and its services? Your website’s viewers will be much more impressed if you use recent images of high quality. Invest in web hosting services that can accommodate the projected increase in the number of visits to your site.

Establish connections with shippers in person and online via platforms such as LinkedIn and truck exhibitions, as well as in day-to-day interactions. It is crucial to keep in touch with one another via frequent written communication in addition to regularly scheduling in-person get-togethers. It is essential to earn the trust of your clients. If you want them to continue doing business with you, you will see continued success.

Significantly, you need to utilize social media to boost your visibility. Put out great content, be quick to react to people’s queries, and interact with people in your audience on social media. Advertising on these websites may also assist you in locating new customers and expanding your business.

To expand your transportation business, invest in high-quality resources. It’s not simple to run a trucking firm successfully, but with the correct equipment, you might be able to do it. Use an electronic logbook (ELD) solution to ensure you comply with the FMCSA’s ELD rule; Automate the management of several aspects of your trucking company using fleet management software (Demsetz, 1988). Use a freight load board to find cargo and expand your clientele; Route optimization, lower fuel costs, and shorter wait times can all be achieved with real-time GPS monitoring, geofencing, and facility insights reports. 

Additionally, you may help increase road safety and clear innocent drivers’ names by installing dashcams powered by artificial intelligence. A good example is the Motive AI-Powered Dashcam, which gives you a bird’s-eye view of the road, much like your drivers. Video evidence can also be used to safeguard your trucking company from the dangers of the road, exonerate drivers who aren’t at fault, foster a safety culture, and streamline insurance claims. If you don’t, one serious accident can ruin your trucking company’s bottom line.

A well-oiled back office is essential to developing a thriving transportation company. Outsourcing back-office operations such as finding dispatchers and brokers can be done, but this choice does not come without a price tag. You can employ drivers, dispatchers, and office employees; alternatively, you can handle everything from the comfort of your truck. Using GPS-enabled mobile time tracking that captures every second, your employees may punch in and out using their smartphones (Bouckaert, Deneffe, & Vantrappen, 1997). Electronic reports can be submitted in real-time, including requests for truck repairs, vehicle inspections, and other reports. A powerful platform that enables rapid, two-way, and broadcast group and individual chats and push alerts; significant for managing logistics and operations.

Consider operating a trucking company specializing in transporting particular loads, which large carriers typically avoid. This will make your company successful by having a considerably more extensive market. The transportation of machinery is the most common use for trucks, followed by the transport of electronic goods and motorized vehicles. Because various places and markets feature different distinctive topographies, the first step is to research to determine what aspects are pertinent to the destination you will be visiting.

Business owners in the trucking industry would do well to learn how to read financial statements. Establishing an accounting system to monitor cash flow is crucial to the smooth running of any firm. The logistics of transportation businesses benefit significantly from this, as payments are typically made several weeks or months after delivery, and it cannot be easy to keep tabs on spending while on the road.

The following are some guidelines to keep in mind to avoid the most typical problems that startups face: Pay for accounting software or get a professional bookkeeper. When traveling for work, you can still keep tabs on your finances with the help of Xero or another online accounting app. In addition, they can refer you to a qualified accountant or bookkeeper who can assist you in maintaining accurate financial records.

Verify the payment schedule and terms for delivery services. Typical payment terms in the shipping industry range from 30 to 90 days following delivery. However, if you know about the delay ahead of time, you may plan accordingly. Don’t let your business’s finances slip between the cracks. If you ever need to back up your spending, you’ll have your invoices, receipts, and canceled checks at your fingertips. Don’t mix company and private funds. Another critical component is keeping individual and company finances completely separate.

In conclusion, many positive outcomes result from starting and running your own transportation business. To launch your firm, you must first get an operating license. The FMCSA issues Motor Carrier (MC) numbers for companies that need to move products legally. Because of this, you may legitimately charge people for your transportation services. Beginning a company is a significant undertaking that requires intensive planning, as discussed above.

References

Bouckaert, K., Deneffe, D., & Vantrappen, H. (1997). How Product Companies Are Competing Through Services. PRISM-CAMBRIDGE MASSACHUSETTS, 29-42.

Bowersox, D. J., Closs, D. J., & Stank, T. P. (2000). Ten mega-trends will revolutionize supply chain logistics. Journal of business logistics, 21(2), 1.

Brouer, B. D., Alvarez, J. F., Plum, C. E., Pisinger, D., & Sigurd, M. M. (2014). A base integer programming model and benchmark suite for liner-shipping network design. Transportation Science, 48(2), 281-312.

Demsetz, H. (1988). The theory of the firm was revisited. JL Econ. & Org. 141.

Miller, J. W., Golicic, S. L., & Fugate, B. S. (2018). Reconciling alternative theories for owner-operators’ safety. Journal of Business Logistics, 39(2), 101-122. Retrieved from https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/jbl.12180

Seggie, S. H., Soyer, E., & Pauwels, K. H. (2017). Combining big data and lean startup methods for business model evolution. AMS Review, 7(3), 154-169. Retrieved from https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s13162-017-0104-9

Stavros, J., Cooperrider, D., & Kelley, D. L. (2003). Strategic inquiry appreciative intent: inspiration to SOAR, a new framework for strategic planning. Ai Practitioner, 11, 1-21. Retrieved from https://repository.law.miami.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1151&context=umblr

Tardif, L. P. (2020). Management Training Needs for the Trucking Industry. Retrieved from https://ageconsearch.umn.edu/record/306004/files/agecon-ctrf-0162.pdf

Tierney, K. J. (2007). Businesses and disasters: Vulnerability, impacts, and recovery. In Handbook of disaster research, 275-296.

Wang, X., Hawkins, C. V., Lebredo, N., & Berman, E. M. (2012). Capacity to sustain sustainability. A study of US cities. Public Administration Review, 72(6), 841-853. Retrieved from https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1540-6210.2012.02566.x

Reporting by TMS DASH; Writing by Ben; Editing by Gavlex