How to Start a Trucking Business with trucking management software

How to Start Trucking Business

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The global marketplace is expanding and the need for the product transportation is growing faster than light. Trucking business is on the rise and opening your own trucking company can be a profitable endeavor. You have the dream, the goal, the funding… what’s next? It may be the time to Start Trucking Business with trucking management software.

  1. Decide Which Trucking Business You Need

You can choose from two commonly used trucking company operating standards.

  • Company that uses sub-contracted drivers

This is a cost-cutting option, which has you using drivers who are employed by another company. You own the business and deal with the contracts while your drivers are managed by someone else. While such business requires significantly less spending, it brings lower profits. However, you can still find profit maximizing solutions by working with trucking management software.

  • Company that uses privately hired drivers

This is a more common type of trucking business that requires substantial initial funding. You hire your own drivers, deal with contracts, buy equipment, cover insurance costs, etc. You exercise full control over your business and the drivers.  Accordingly, you get higher profits. Such business owners benefit from trucking management software to cut operating costs and get fuller control of their company.

  1. Draft a Business Plan

Just as any other startup, a trucking company needs a good business plan. Outline the information about your goals, timelines, and strategies. Determine which accounts you will be servicing. Mention your profit-generating plans and approximate deadlines. Underline your goals, values, and wishes.  Include purchasing trucking management software in your plan since it will help you reduce the costs and improve the output.

  1. Get a commercial driver’s license (CDL)

Even if you are not planning to drive a truck yourself, you need to make sure that all your private truck drivers have valid commercial driver’s licenses.

  1. Obtain the Necessary Documents

 

  • Federal DOT number and Motor Carrier Authority Number
  • IRS tax form 2290
  • International registration plan
  • International fuel tax agreement
  • BOC-3 filing

 

  1. Get Insurance

Since trucking business carries certain hazards, the insurance requirements for it are rather strict. You need to closely study your insurance requirements and purchase the policies. It’s better to consult with your local expert. Make sure all you truck drivers have health insurance as well.

 

  1. Buy the Equipment

If you decide to hire drivers on your own, you need to acquire the vehicles. Depending on your initial funds, you can evaluate how many trucks you can afford. Remember, that most of the trucking businesses start small. You can expand your fleet as your company grows.

Before choosing the right vehicles for your company, consider the type of cargo you are planning to carry. You might need additional equipment for various types of cargo. You can also consider leasing the trucks instead of buying them. Consider using trucking management software to help you service your fleet on a regular basis.

 

  1. Find Customers

Building a client base is hard work, so start as soon as possible. Make a list of potential clients and pick up the phone.  Be ready to start with small local contracts.

Make sure to take full advantage of your business by using trucking management software. In the modern world of technologies, having an online assistant is vital to keeping up with the workload.

Women in Trucking

Women in the Trucking Industry

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When we talk about truckers, we tend to imagine a 200-pound guy with a crew cut sitting behind a wheel of a huge vehicle with his large elbow sticking out the window. This stereotype is a thing of the past. Ever since the trucking business started experiencing a rise in popularity, more and more women are thinking of getting on to the bandwagon.

Being a Trucker is a career, which is becoming attractive to women in North America. The work hours, the benefits, and the freedom that trucking offers women of all ages is truly impressive. If 50 years ago a woman driver might have had serious trouble surviving in the male-dominated world of trucking, the 21st century is slashing the stereotypes thanks to the shortage of the truck drivers on the roads.

Women in trucking can take advantage of larger salaries. While in the female-dominated professions, males can count on more benefits, the same works when the tables are turned. In order to attract female truckers, many companies are raising pay and offering additional perks just to get them working. Women can count on tuition reimbursement programs just as men do.

Many fleet operators are happy to hire women since they have a lower accident rate. Surprisingly or not, women do not get into accidents as often as men do. Moreover, when it does happen, the damage is usually much smaller. Now, only about 5 % of all truckers are women, but more and more fleet owners realize the advantages of hiring a female truck driver. Some companies have more than 10 % of women truckers working for them.

Becoming a truck driver is a great opportunity to travel. Getting on the road is usually a big advantage for women who used to be homemakers. While a truck driver is a great career for a young woman, it’s also a solid choice for housewives, whose children are old enough to take care of themselves. More often than not, such women are looking for ways to earn money without spending years on education.

At the same time, there are some disadvantages to becoming a truck driver for a woman, and the main one is safety. Even though men face the same safety problems as women do, they often have an easier time dealing with it. Knowing how to protect her is a skill a woman can master just as well as a man can.

Another disadvantage of the life on the road is, well, life on the road. Women are usually tied to a home and family and have a harder time being away for weeks at a time. That’s one of the major reasons why women don’t take up truck driving. Most of the time, it is either suitable for girls, who are just out of college, or for middle-aged women.

Trucking has plenty of benefits to offer female drivers. That is why we should expect to see more of them behind the wheel in the near future.

 

Self Defense for Truckers on the Road

Self Defense for Truckers on the Road

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While it might seem that you are safe when locked in your vehicle, truckers often face security threats that make them consider self-defense. Defending yourself when you are a trucker is tricky. Each state has its own set of laws about weapons. One state might allow you to carry a firearm while another will frown upon a Taser. Some truckers go through over 40 states in one month and keeping all the requirements in mind is not just frustrating but often impossible. What can a truck driver do to keep himself safe without breaking the law?

  1. Carry a Stun Gun

Stun guns and Tasers are probably as close as you can get to carrying a firearm without actually holding a deadly weapon. Most of the states have loyal laws regarding the stun guns. If a Taser or a stun gun are your choices for self –defense, be careful when entering the following states:

  • Connecticut – Legal, but only at home
  • Hawaii – Illegal
  • Massachusetts – Illegal
  • New Jersey – Illegal
  • New York – Illegal
  • Rhode Island – Illegal
  • District of Columbia – Illegal

 

Pros:

  • Easy to use
  • Compact

Cons:

  • Costly
  • Illegal in some states

 

 

  1. Buy a Baseball Bat

Striking weapons are another good option for a trucker’s self-defense. However, carrying a baseball bat in the driver’s cabin might be suspicious. Truckers are subjects to various searches and finding a baseball bat lying around can cause certain problems.

In order to minimize the suspicion factor, you might want to carry the bat together with a glove. The main disadvantage of a bat as a striking weapon is its size. You might not have enough room to maneuver a bat when you need to defend yourself and, just like any other weapon, it can be turned against you by an attacker. You can consider other “harmless” things to become your defense weapons, such as brooms.

Pros:

  • Legal
  • Moderately-priced

Cons:

  • Bulky
  • Might be suspicious

 

  1. Get a Pepper Spray

This compact and effective self-defense weapon can be very useful for truckers. Manufacturers claim that the pepper spray is legal in all the states. However, there are some restrictions as to the strength of it. By doing some research and studying the restrictions closely, you can buy a great weapon that won’t cause any suspicion while being surprisingly effective. Pepper sprays are often disguised as pencils, pens or other things that allow you to wield them unexpectedly. This weapon can be used up to 20 feet away from the attacker.

Pros:

  • Legal
  • Versatile
  • Affordable

Cons:

  • Affected by the wind
  • Some risk of explosion

 

  1. Master hand-to-hand Self Defense

This is one of the most useful ways to protect yourself since you don’t need any extra weapons to deal with an attacker. At the same time, this method can’t be used against you. However, it requires you to take classes and get yourself into a good shape. Can there be a better reason to start exercising?

Pros:

  • Always with you
  • Completely legal
  • No extra expenses

Cons:

  • Time consuming