I have 2 trucks and 1 driver makes enough for himself and very little to me, what to do

by Don j.
(Dallas, TX, usa)

I'm a owner of 2 trucks and 1 driver makes enough money for himself and very little come back weekly.

He has a million excuses why he's not able to do more. What should I do about it

Comments for I have 2 trucks and 1 driver makes enough for himself and very little to me, what to do

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Feb 15, 2024
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You can consider these steps NEW
by: Anonymous

If you find that one driver is making enough for himself but leaving very little profit for you with your two trucks, consider these steps:

Review Your Expenses: Take a close look at your trucking expenses such as maintenance, fuel, insurance, and overhead costs. Identify areas where you can trim expenses without compromising quality.

Boost Efficiency: Look for ways to make your trucking operation more efficient. This might involve optimizing routes, reducing idle time, and improving load scheduling to maximize deliveries.

Hire Additional Drivers: If one driver isn't generating sufficient profit, think about hiring more drivers. This can help increase deliveries and distribute the workload effectively.

Negotiate Rates: Review your contracts and negotiate better rates with clients. If your driver is earning enough, there might be room to renegotiate terms for improved profit margins.

Evaluate Driver Performance: Assess your driver's performance to identify areas for improvement. Offer feedback and support to help them perform better.

Explore New Revenue Streams: Diversify your business by offering additional services or entering new markets. This can increase revenue and offset losses from underperforming drivers.

Seek Professional Advice: Consider consulting with a business advisor or accountant specializing in transportation. They can offer personalized recommendations and help you develop a strategy to boost profitability.

Evaluate these options carefully and choose the ones that align with your business goals. Taking proactive steps can help maximize your trucking operation's profitability.

You can follow me on https://thetruckhow.com/

Dec 17, 2022
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Trucking Profits Come in Cycles
by: The Crazy Trucker

I don't really understand what youre saying with "and very little come back weekly".

But great profits in trucking is cyclical. When rates are way up the profit is good.

Right now the profits are very low.

These types of economic conditions have no room for non productive drivers or poor dispatching/load planning.

If you have a driver with poor work ethic or doesn't want to work a couple of weeks consecutive or is allowed to refuse loads it can be challenging.

I say make an honest assessment of your driver.
Have a serious talk about what you expect and what is acceptable and what is not.

Have boundaries in other words.

That said, if youve been allowing him/her to do as he/she wishes all along this might not be well received.

Which might give you an opportunity to replace him/her with someone else who wants to run.

The best things any owner operator can do is be very selective when hiring someone else to drive his/her truck.

It's better off sitting or being driven by you than to be driven by someone who is not willing to operate like it was his/her company.

An ex-owner operator could be the best type of driver to hire. Because they can see things from the business point of view.

Jun 25, 2021
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Make sure your truck driver is compatible for the trucking company
by: Hervy

Don it depends on what you mean by do more and how much attention you're paying to what's being done.

In other words, is he taking excessive time to drive the miles? For example because he's stopping every hour for 30 minutes. (I'm exaggerating)

Or is it more like, he's taking shorter runs so that the pay per mile is higher. But that means he's spending time at the dock more often during each week.

Or is he only running 2,000 mile trips where the rates is actually lower per mile and leave you with less profit.

So the point is I can't tell you what you need to do because you haven't said where the issue is. And I don't know how much attention you're paying to the logistics.

I don't know if you're dispatching or if someone else is. Are you driving the other truck?

Unfortunately trucking doesn't have as high a profit margin as most people think if you are getting freight off of the load board.

So from what little I know as of right now Don,
it sounds like you need to make sure he's running freight that pays well.

That might mean more midwest and less of Florida.

If he's just a driver who wants to stop all the time or go home more than your bottom line can tolerate you have to get rid of him.

It's always important to hire a driver that is compatible for how you want your trucking operation to function.

If the driver and the way you envision running your company is not compatible, there's is nothing you CAN do.

Because if he's not compatible, he won't be happy and that means he will likely not care about how he takes care of the equipment or perform his job.

You need a driver that is hungry and goal oriented with a personal development friendly mindset.

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