Now that the recession is over (what?), what have carriers/drivers learned?

I guess that drivers, carriers, and OOs that have survived, so far, must have developed some strategies for survival in tough times. Which strategies will continue to be good business practices as the economy gets back to "normal"?

 

Folks in their 70s and 80s either experienced The Great Depression first hand or felt the effects from it in their youth. My dad was born in 1925, my mom in 1931. They both have a sort of "Depression-era mentality" as far as money goes, at least to some extent. Excessive, exorbitant, extravagant spending just doesn't happen with them. They see "impulse" purchases as the 8th Deadly Sin. This mentality has stood them in good stead through the recessions they have experienced in their lives.

That's a fair question! Most of us who have been through several recessions look at employment figures as the most reliable indicator of an economic upturn. Even though there are signs the economy is improving (very, very slowly), the U.S. rate of unemployment remains unacceptably high.

I think that recovery, however slight, hits some areas more slowly than others. It's kind of a luck of the draw thing. If you live in a state or region that manufactures goods that are on the top of the list of goods people will spend money on once they have more discretionary income, then recovery happens faster.

What I'm hoping to discover through this thread is basically what strategies and innovations drivers/carriers/OOs have put into practice out of pure instinct for survival. Maybe some of those strategies and innovations will be good business practices even in the best of times.Over the years that my parents have been married, impulse buying simply has not happened. Maybe it's a fear factor!