Trucker CFO

Today’s Challenge: Finishing Strong In 2022 & Planning Ahead For 2023

Everyone is familiar with a pool table, and we’ve all seen golf courses. Many of you reading our blog have played a game of pool in your time and we probably have some avid golfers out there. At this point, I’m certain that you are understandably asking this question: What do the sports of golf and pool have to do with operating a trucking business? 

With the arrival of October, we are entering the beginning of the fourth quarter of the business year. If you are an owner-operator, an independent contractor, fleet owner or any sort of trucking entrepreneur, you rightly want your trucking business to finish on the strongest possible note. At the same time, the arrival of the fourth quarter for any business is also a time when you need to find some time to look back at the first nine months of the year as well as to look ahead to 2023.

At the heart of any well-run business, you will find a plan. The nature of the trucking industry, especially in the fast-paced world of expedite, can at times seemingly create hurdles that make it difficult to establish a plan. But, if you can develop the vision to view the full picture, I am confident that you will see the value of establishing plans and processes. From experience, I also know business owners who can evaluate their business while also moving it ahead most often do so just having a good attention to detail. This is where our sports analogies come into play.

Ask anyone who has played pool more than a few times and they will tell you that making the shot is only half the equation when it comes to running a table and winning. Once you sink the shot, the other part of the equation is where did you leave the cue ball for the next shot.

Applying that concept to trucking and one part of the equation for a successful trucking business is miles for the day, for the week and for the month. But, as those of you who have been in the trucking game for a while know, running a trucking business is more than just running miles. Sustained success is often determined on how your business is positioned for what’s next and the challenges ahead.

For our golfers out there, there are a number of aspects to the game. To be successful at golf, it’s not just about who can have that long drive off the tee. It’s about where your shot lands and being able to look at the course to stay away from hazards. Golf requires that you have many skills, including how to deal with adversity when a shot takes a wrong turn and you land in a hazard.

Our point here is pretty basic. When you are running a trucking business, especially if you are a business owner who is also behind the wheel, you have to be able to address the needs of today – sinking the first shot in pool or drive it off the tee in golf – while also looking ahead to the challenges for your overall operation down the road.

For our Trucker CFO Podcast that accompanies this blog post, we talk about the challenges that trucking business owners face at this time of the year – noting the importance of finishing strong and having a plan. As you’ll hear, we talk about how our Trucker CFO Team works with our clients to get to know your business and how we are able to help you step back and look at all aspects of your business. It’s really our way of helping to make it easy for you to sink the current shot on the table while also setting up the next shot. Our approach to trucking and to planning can allow you to step back and see the entire course for your business planning purposes.

At Trucker CFO, we understand how important Proof of Deliveries are in the trucking game. If your business is designed to work with professional drivers and trucking business owners as we are at Trucker CFO, there are no more important PODs in our world than what our clients think of our service. As part of this edition of the podcast, we wanted to share an interview with Joe and Carol Shelton, who are veteran fleet owners in the expedited sector. The most important insight that Joe and Carol share with all of us through the podcast is the benefits that come from evaluating your business and developing a plan that can address today’s challenges and the opportunities that await you down the road.

At Trucker CFO, we’re ready to help. If you have questions about taxes, accounting or other aspects of your business, or if you would like to learn more about Trucker CFO, please visit us at TruckerCFO.com.