The Perfect Transportation Company

PreacherRich · May 14, 2012

There are a lot of companies out there, many promises kept and broken. Companies rising and companies falling, successes and failures are all over the place. Some are big companies that are struggling and some are small carriers that are living the dream. Companies are being bought, sold and merged. Right now many are putting together business plans for new ventures while others are developing exit strategies.

You have been driving down the interstate and the thought has run through your head, "I should start my own company". If you are anything like me, you have filled up note books of thoughts and ideas; put together spread sheets and maybe even ran some ideas by a few people. You have an idea what the perfect company looks like to you.

I would be awesome to hear what everyone's view of "The Perfect Transportation Company" actually looks like. You probably have even thought that if a company would do this, if a company would have that, a company would just... I would be excited about it. What is the most important attribute to the "Perfect Transportation Company"? Share ONE THING that you think "Company Perfect" would have to do or be. Share a really good or really bad thing that you have seen companies do that contributed to their success or failure.

(We all know that there will never be a "Perfect" company out there, but I believe we should always be heading in that direction)

Monty · May 14, 2012

First of all, I do believe the PERFECT company does exist, and I'm leased to them.

Best: No central dispatch, with high school graduates manning computer screens that know NOTHING of trucking that is not fed to them from that magical device.

If you are thinking of starting your own business, to sell freight, deliver freight, collect revenue, deal with FMCSA rules as it applies to a carrier and driver, maintain a relationship with your clients, and the list continues. I wish you well.

Or, you could lease to a carrier such as Landstar that allows you to operate in the manner you wish, and they cover everything except the cost of operating, and maintaining your vehicle.

That freedom, (my words), only costs you 18% of linehaul. How mauch would it cost to do all the above, in time and revenue?

Yes, I do think there is a perfect company ...

purgoose10 · May 14, 2012

Notanewbie said:
First of all, I do believe the PERFECT company does exist, and I'm leased to them.

Best: No central dispatch, with high school graduates manning computer screens that know NOTHING of trucking that is not fed to them from that magical device.

If you are thinking of starting your own business, to sell freight, deliver freight, collect revenue, deal with FMCSA rules as it applies to a carrier and driver, maintain a relationship with your clients, and the list continues. I wish you well.

Or, you could lease to a carrier such as Landstar that allows you to operate in the manner you wish, and they cover everything except the cost of operating, and maintaining your vehicle.

That freedom, (my words), only costs you 18% of linehaul. How mauch would it cost to do all the above, in time and revenue?

Yes, I do think there is a perfect company ...

And that's why you didn't retire. LOL!

cableguymn · May 14, 2012

purgoose10 said:
And that's why you didn't retire. LOL!

he's still driving on bald tires??? and what does that have to do with driving for landstar...

(expediters don't quit... they take extended vacations)

blizzard2014 · May 14, 2012

I own the company now and you're right newbe, it would cost too much to start up a company just to run yourself. I mean to run one unit. But if you are like me looking to expand to somewhere around 20 or so units and make a decent income sitting at home "not a get rich scheme" but a way to earn a living and get off the road, then starting a company is the way to go.

Rich is one of my drivers and he has a very good head on his shoulders. He is out there delivering loads for my company each and every day helping to build up our reputation one customer at a time. I wish I could be the perfect company to him - but i'm not necessarily one of his highest paying companies. What I do offer is a respectful attitude, quick payment for services rendered, and I am able to find him decent loads when he falls through the cracks with his other companies.

I just ran him 3040 miles Since Friday night. But like I said, there are other companies that pay him five cents more per mile and they sometimes have a harder time willing bids. If I was to aspire to be like a perfect company, i'd want to be like Load One. I'd give the driver 100 percent of the profit on a load just to be able to bid lower and move that unit out of a bad area. The fact of the matter is that I cannot afford to do that right now because my reputation is not as built up as I'd like it to be.

I think you have to be fair as a company. You have to juggle customer needs with your drivers needs and treat your drivers like people and not numbers. I have all of my drivers names on my contact list so that even if i'm having a brain fart I can still greet them by their first name when I call them. Plus having been a driver I can relate with a drivers needs more than some punk kid who just graduated from college with a degree in Business and Economics. I think it takes a very versatile and level headed person to run a trucking outfit!

The other day I had 4 loads going at the same time and all four loads had problems. I felt like an air traffic controller. I wear all of the hats; dispatcher, load planner, customer service representative, payroll manager, executive, and driver relations manager! I have to juggle many different roles while keeping both my drivers and my customers happy. But I forgot the mention the best benefit of owning your own company which is (if I ever go out of business I have enough skills to move right into the Load One dispatch office and begin dispatching without much training)! I have acquired a very useful skillset by taking the plunge into owning my own company.

Dynamite 1 · May 15, 2012

Perfect company = Load One. !!!!!!!!!!!!!

chefdennis · May 15, 2012

Perfect company, each of us have very different wants and needs from any company or companies...even if you owned your own buisness, there may still be things that you WILL have to do that you will not always believe are in your best PERSONAL interest..and those are based on your personal opinions.

While I have only worked for 2 companies in my 5 yrs in this industry, Both were good for me because while they both aren't perfect, I learned to work their systems to my benefit...That is the key..workng within the given companies system to make the best benefit for you....

The perfect company, as Dynamite wrote...Load 1....

Marty · May 15, 2012

Perfection is a goal to aim for not a reality.

davekc · May 15, 2012

Just honesty and being transparent. Nothing complicated at all. Over the years I have seen more companies waste money, constantly have massive turnover rate with associated costs, and just create plain stupidity all in the name of game playing. Some of these nameless carriers will spend a dollar to screw a driver out of a dime and have countless meetings to figure out how to do it.
Simply amazing, but they know who they are.

dad4evr1 · May 15, 2012

Amen to that Chef, learn to work within the tolerances and just be kind to everyone, you'll feel much better about working in the long run. This is not an industry for the faint of heart, we wrok long hours and no set schedule so enjoy those days you have to sit and wait...carry your golf clubs with you or whatever makes you happy at home and treat the entire thing as a paid vacation...just a personal philosophy.

guido4475 · May 15, 2012

Although this is going to appear to be an *** kissing post, it is not, but merely to point out why I know, without a doubt, that Load One is the best company.Period.

Look at all John does for us.The amount of money he has spent on the "Extras" for us, free of charge to us, is astounding.

The layover pay.Who does that besides Load One? I have heard what he spends on that alone, and I about fell over when I heard that number.

The dispatch approved empty move pay.Awesome!

The bonuses for passing DOT inspections.

The rates.No explanation needed here.

100% of the fuel surcharge.

The fact that the whole company runs like a well oiled machine.Everyone, in every aspect of it, does their job extremely well, and pleasant about it, no grumbling.It comes down from the top.

Always something going on as far as improvements for us at the terminal.

The fact that John can give you any number at any given time about anything, anywhere,instead of worrying about golfing or other things, and the fact that he will stop what he is doing, and talk with us, anywhere, as a human.The same goes for his wife.Awesome people. They work with and for the drivers, not against them.

The turnover rate, as low as it is, and the waiting list of drivers wanting to come on.That speaks for itself.

Dispatch-never before have I had the honor of working with so many kind, courteous, hard working people who absolutely rock!

Who gives out money to the drivers while out on the road during the holidays? Most others do not even send out cards to their drivers!

Never before have I worked at such a place where everyone gets along so well, in every aspect of the company.This is truly a family atmosphere, something almost unheard of in this industry.

I can go on and on, this is just the tip of the iceberg.Once you're here, there is no reason to go anywhere else.Like the Marines, it is a lifetime commitment.Awesome!

xiggi · May 15, 2012

No one company is the best for everyone plain and simple. What works for one will not always work for the next. I love load 1 but they might not be the right fit for a few.

Sent from my SPH-D710 using EO Forums

davekc · May 15, 2012

There are certainly some companies that could take a page or two out of John's playbook.
Now whether they can actually comprehend and apply some of it is a different matter.

LDB · May 15, 2012

There is no perfect company and never will be. They all have warts. The key is finding the company with the fewest warts and that the warts they do have are those which are least annoying to you. As already mentioned, no company is perfect for everyone.

tenntrucker · May 15, 2012

If there was a "Perfect Transport Company", they would be on here asking where can they find "perfect" drivers.

jelliott · May 16, 2012

Well first off thank you. But no company is perfect and we are far from it. In my opinion what makes a company "great" is it's ability to constantly self evaluate, relook at itself, and to look for ways to improve. What made a company great 2 years ago may be outdated today. You have to keep striving to make good, better!

With that, no company will ever be the perfect fit for everyone. Everyone has a different perception or expectations.

For the rest of the non Load One world, we have plenty of warts! Less than many, more than others.

fins_up_fl · May 16, 2012

The perfect company.. The question is.. from whose eyes? The customers, or the drivers? I do believe that there is a think line to walk when trying to please both parties...But to walk that line, comes with alot of trial and error. So, you may not think a company is perfect, but it takes time to get "perfect".... as long as that company, ( and the owner) learns from its mistakes... You guys say load one, or Landstar.., But I have to ask.. did they start off perfect or has been a lot of trail and error. I've been a O/O now for a short 6 months, and plan on turning this into a "small"fleet, but I will tell you, my company, as much as I hate to say, isnt perfect... We are still growing, and with that there WILL be growing pains.... I am and will always try to please not just the customer but also the driver, walking that think line, but knowing I will **** people off on the way, If anyone knows the true PERFECT company .. please put me in contact, .... I need to learn