Don’t just reprise 2011

By Timothy D. Brady

It’s that time of year. Many folks are sitting down and looking over how 2011 went for them, looking to develop goals that will make 2012 an even better year. In that vein, here’s a list of 10 suggested goals to consider for 2012. They’re divided into three different groups of goals: the first one is for small motor carriers, the second for the lease operator and the third for company drivers. Some, or maybe even all, may/may not apply to your situation; however, each one might spark an idea that grows into an action that makes 2012 a much improved year over the previous ones. 

10 New Year’s Goals for Small Carriers For 2012: 

1)  Invest more time in studying the nuances of logistics through courses and publications, particularly ones directed toward shippers, and how they pertain to your trucking operation.

2)  Calculate the break-even points of each of the trucks you own.

3)  Look at all your costs and determine where you can reduce or eliminate excess. 

4)  Determine what profit range targets are needed to grow. 

5)  Figure into these hauling rates a reasonable and fair compensation for your company and contract truckers along with a fair profit for your carrier. 

6)  Know the hauling rate range of every piece of equipment you operate so that it’s within the costs and profit ranges you’ve set. 

7)  Develop freight lanes with customers that fit within the revenue requirements you’ve set to be profitable. 

8)  Uphold a maintenance schedule that will insure CSA compliance. 

9)  Set targets for revenue, expanding new customers and finding new shippers over the next year that fit the needs you’ve established. 

10) Start, continue and actually accomplish the other nine Goals.

10 New Year’s Goals for Lease Operators 

1)  Study and learn as much as you can about the business of trucking. 

2)  Know your truck’s cost in terms of fixed cost per day, operational cost per mile and fuel cost per mile. 

3)  Pay yourself a fixed salary per week that leaves (at a minimum) 25% of your net revenue for a reserve for the future. 

4)  Realize that it’s not how much you make per mile, but how much you earn over a period of a month and a quarter that determines your trucking success. 

5)  Look at all your costs and determine where you can reduce or eliminate excess. 

6)  Establish a monthly revenue target that exceeds your monthly costs (including salary) by a minimum of 25%. 

7)  Understand what a hauling rate range is, and how to calculate it. 

8) Develop a maintenance schedule that will insure CSA compliance. 

9)  Work with the carrier you’re contracted to in developing specific monthly, quarterly and annual revenue goals that will help you meet your personal income needs for the year. 

10) Keep up with and actually accomplish the other nine Goals. 

10 New Year’s Goals for Company Drivers  

1)  Study and learn as much as you can about the business of trucking. 

2)  Set a monthly, quarterly and annual earning goals which take into account the ebbs and flow of the freight and lanes you operate within.  

3)  Communicate these goals and how realistic they are with the carrier for which you drive.  

4)  Manage your truck with an eye toward making it profitable. The more profitable your truck, the more valuable you are to the carrier. 

5)  Stay up on all the maintenance and repairs on the truck(s) you drive to help your carrier stay CSA compliant. 

6)  Communicate your available hours to dispatch or your fleet manager before they need the information to determine your availability for a load.

7)  Provide dispatch and your fleet manager with 5 dates you’d like to be home over the next year, highlighting the 3 most important ones. Then, once a month, remind them of the dates, especially ones coming up the next month. 

8)  Set up the means to spend time with significant others even while on the road. This could be anything from sending postcards to a child’s school class to posting a short YouTube video to your spouse and kids from the road, to scheduling time to read a bedtime story to a young child during a driving break. 

9)  Establish a savings plan that takes a specific amount from each paycheck and sets it aside toward doing something special with your family. 

10) Start, continue and accomplish the other nine Goals.

Remember, just like in basketball, business and life, if you don’t have a goal at which to shoot, there’s no possible way for you to improve your game. 

May your new year be successful, and in the spirit of Spock, may you live long and prosper.

Here’s to great loads and good roads for 2012. Happy New Year!
Timothy Brady © 2011     Contact Brady through  www.timothybrady.com/contactus  
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