Are You Profitable?

I suppose if one can make it through this storm they'll come out stronger and, hopefully, wiser. My shoestring don't look so bleak atm seeing some of these established companies going under.

 

I agree. Toyota managed to sell the simple idea of "lean" management practice to the entire world.

Its what my grandparents and everyone else who endured the depression lived as an existence, without any fancy explanation, and its why they were misers who died with a savings account.

If you can start up and survive in lean times you will harvest all the fruits of rising prices. Before i was a trucker i hired a machine move and the guy who hauled it said $5 a gallon was when he made the best money ever. Competitors dropping like flies and no shipper on earth who expected to move a load without a fat FSC thrown in.

In investing, you make money by doing what the herd is not. Buy when there are no other buyers and sell when the herd is talking about buying the dip in order to get in on the action. Reenter again at the next selloff frenzy.

A rising tide lifts all boats so success looks eaay. Check again at low tide and see who hasnt run aground yet.

 

Like some have said, sometimes the little guy has the advantage over the midsize size companies. I can't imagine having to maintain a fleet of trucks over 100 or so driven by what is readily available to hire these days.
A one man show can make it through lean times especially if he has been in business long enough to have a grasp on what he needs to do.

 

Pretty what I wa stalking about when I mentioned a guy that has been around for a while.
Someone that is on their first truck and learning the ins and outs, is going to struggle some, but anybody that has learned how to be profitable with all this industry has to throw at you will make it a lot easier, even if it is just maintaining. Someone that has been around long enough to learn the ins and outs has been around long enough to have already survived worse times I suspect too.

I jumped in with little knowledge as far as getting my own authority in about as bad a time as I have ever seen, and I made it, but it was sure touch and go what with low freight and lower rates and me being as green as they come for finding freight, but I didn't have a choice either, you could not give a truck away, and I owed way too much.

 

I find it interesting that these established larger carriers are failing vs. the marginal owner op. With that said, I am sure their are numerous solo, independent guys out there are closing shop and we just don't hear about it, but am surprised by some of these names. I used to work with Ready Trucking in my past life.

 

Rates are not as good as last year but still better than 2017 and 2016 for me. I did take August 9 through the 25th on vacation and will be off again next week for the holiday.

Once I get back from that I’ll have to grind it out the rest of the year.

I’ll still plan on being home for weekends, thanksgiving week and Christmas through the end of the year.

 

OO with authority. There are great months and horrible months, but never operating at a loss.

 

The size companies that Have been goin down have things against then we don't. They are not big enough to run on quantity like the megas, yet they have to operate in much he same way to try and compete with them, drop trailers and such, much of the same problems with drivers, and so on.
We don't know why they folded either, I remember when dick simon went down he turned over and let swift run it for a year and swift was suppose to bankrupt it, but ran a profit instead, he had to take it back to bankrupt it. He wanted out and for some reason, it was better to bankrupt the company.