When I first pulled the profit and loss statement for this month, I was disappointed because the profit was lower than I was hoping. Then I dove into the numbers and felt much better. All-in-all, this is actually one of the best months we have had in a while. Craig and I will go over all the details so make sure you listen to learn what made the difference. What To Expect From Episode 120 We start off the episode by talking about a driver we let go at the beginning of the month. We learned some ...
Jan 18, 2023•34 min•Ep. 122
This is an episode, comparing the profitability of a new semi-truck verses a used rig has been a long time coming and is one people have been asking for. I have been super excited about doing this since the early days of Haulin Assets. This was an eye-opening deep dive into profitability for me and to say the least, I am pretty shocked with the results, the difference was bigger than I thought it would be. I have some really good data and hopefully you feel like it has been well worth the wait. ...
Jan 04, 2023•49 min•Ep. 121
Every month that goes by I tell myself we are closer to getting through this rough patch. I am really optimistic that we are either at the bottom of the valley or very close to it and by March of next year we will be climbing out to better times. I'm not sure how steep that climb will be, it may be gradual, but at least we will be moving in the right direction. What To Expect From Episode 118 We start off the episode by talking about some recent meetings we had with shippers and some of the less...
Dec 21, 2022•33 min•Ep. 120
To start off the episode I tell a story about a problem I have never faced with one of our loads and answer a question I get asked all the time by people who are in the process of starting a trucking company. After that, Craig and I talk about the crazy month of October. What To Expect From Episode 117 October was another tough month. We had two trucks sitting and a third truck that only ran about half as many miles as it should have. That put us nearly 25,000 miles short of where we would like ...
Dec 07, 2022•36 min•Ep. 119
My favorite episodes are ones where I feel like listeners get some good nuggets of wisdom out of them. I think this is one of those episodes. You are probably expecting a financial review for this episode, but we're not ready and you'll get something else. Instead, we tell an interesting story from the road and we review a book that can be life changing, if you embrace it's principles. What To Expect From Episode 116 I have been talking about the incident that I haven't been ready to talk about ...
Nov 23, 2022•37 min•Ep. 118
Managing your Accounts Receivables well so you are paid promptly by your customers can be the difference between operating smoothly and being tight on cash. We recently had a glitch in our accounting system that prevented a bunch of invoices from being sent out. We didn't notice the problem for several weeks, which delayed payments and almost caused us to have to dip into our savings account so we had money to operate. It was a good reminder that in business invoicing clients and staying on top ...
Nov 09, 2022•44 min•Ep. 117
Another month has come and gone and it's time for a financial episode. It's a pretty interesting market right now and we start off the episode talking about that. I also mentioned a Soldier I work with who had an accident that is likely to leave him paralyzed from the waist down. If you are able to donate to help him and his family, it would be greatly appreciated. He has a Go Fund Me page you can access here . What To Expect From Episode 114 BLUF (Bottom line up front), we lost money in Septemb...
Oct 26, 2022•30 min•Ep. 116
Every once in a while it is good to be called on the carpet. A couple of months ago a listener did that and I really appreciate the time and thought he put into his comments. He put a bit of a novel into a Facebook comment about episode 105. You can find his original comment here . He had some nice things to say, suggested some things he thought we should do better and made some general comments about the podcast. Craig and I spent most of this episode addressing most of the points of his commen...
Oct 12, 2022•48 min•Ep. 115
I feel like my head won't stop spinning. There has been a lot going on and to be honest, I think that is going to be the new normal for us until we can bring on another admin employee. At our size, we are on the cusp of being big enough to justify someone to help us out in the office, but we just aren't quite there yet. We'll probably be redlined until we get there. What To Expect From Episode 112 Profitability has improved, but we are still struggling with cashflow. The loss we had last month a...
Sep 28, 2022•26 min•Ep. 114
Typically, you can make more money working for yourself than you can working for someone else, but doing so comes with challenges most people don't want to deal with. It it was easy, more people would do it. Growing a business is never easy and we have dealt with some pretty big challenges over the last couple of months. I want to share some of the experiences we have had and hopefully some of the lessons we have learned to help you manage some of these challenges as smoothly as possible. What T...
Sep 14, 2022•46 min•Ep. 113
July was a crazy month and this episode is jam packed with lots to talk about. In true trucking fashion, there were lots of ups and downs. Driver challenges, unexpected expenses, mistakes, a new revenue source and we'll talk about it all. What To Expect From Episode 110 We lost money in July. July must be a tough month, out of curiosity I wanted to see when the last time was that Haulin Assets lost money, it was July of last year. There are a lot of factors that contributed to the loss and we'll...
Aug 31, 2022•32 min•Ep. 112
This was another really cool episode for Craig and I. We got to talk with some of our listeners and hear about their experiences. What To Expect From Episode 109 We asked each guest a version of the 8 questions listed below. Tell us about your story. What was the tipping point for you? When did you decide to take the plunge into ownership? What has been the biggest impact of listening to Haulin Assets? What has been your biggest challenge of starting and owning a trucking company? What has been ...
Aug 17, 2022•31 min•Ep. 111
It's another listener questions episode! This is another fun one, where we let listeners ask questions that we answer for them. You probably have some of the same questions, so give the episode a listen. Everyone who had a question that was answered on the air got a free Haulin Assets T-Shirt. If you want one, you can order one here. What To Expect From Episode 108 Here are the questions we answered: Barry "Are there avenues to produce the same amount of income in a local delivery situation as o...
Aug 03, 2022•27 min•Ep. 110
June 2022 made for the third tough month in a row for financials. With that being said, I am a bit more optimistic about July than I was about May or June. We also have a pretty exciting development that we are going to talk about. Listen to the episode and Craig and I will talk all about it. Visit haulinassetsllc.com and motorcarrierhq.com What To Expect From Episode 107 There is a lot going on in June's numbers that are not really apparent just by looking at the raw data. This is a good episod...
Jul 20, 2022•32 min•Ep. 109
This was a really cool episode for Craig and I. We got to talk with some of our listeners and hear about their experiences. What To Expect From Episode 106 We asked each guest a version of the 8 questions listed below. Tell us about your story. What was the tipping point for you? When did you decide to take the plunge into ownership? What has been the biggest impact of listening to Haulin Assets? What has been your biggest challenge of starting and owning a trucking company? What has been the mo...
Jul 06, 2022•29 min•Ep. 108
April and May are almost mirror copies of each other. We'll break down the numbers and talk about what went well for the month and what didn't. Trucking is a good business, but like every industry there are ups and downs and this month is a good example of that. What To Expect From Episode 105 I don't think we have ever had two back to back months that look so similar. I don't think we could have replicated a month so perfectly if we had tried. The fact that things are so similar leaves me optim...
Jun 22, 2022•26 min•Ep. 107
This is a fun episode, we let listeners ask questions that we answer for them. You probably have some of the same questions, so give the episode a listen. Everyone who had a question that was answered on the air got a free Haulin Assets T-Shirt. If you want one, you can order one here . What To Expect From Episode 104 Here are the questions we answered. Doug M. "What is your opinion on using a dispatch service for a 1 truck owner operator?" Vanita J. "During your 1st year as an owner operator, d...
Jun 08, 2022•45 min•Ep. 106
What a difference a month can make. April of 2022 was nothing like March. Craig and I will dive into what happened and a little about what I expect to see in the next couple of months. What To Expect From Episode 103 The peaks and valleys of trucking are not for the faint of heart. We went from our most profitable month ever in March to one of the least profitable, since we have been running multiple trucks, in April. We will talk about what happened. Fuel is on everyone's minds, as it should be...
May 25, 2022•28 min•Ep. 105
There is a lot going on in the economy right now so I thought it would be a good idea to provide an economic update that focuses on what small fleets and owner operators might expect and how to be prepared. What To Expect From Episode 102 I'll give a summary of what we talk about in this episode here in the show notes, but you'll need to listen to hear all the nitty gritty details. The economy is experiencing a lot of uncertainty right now, which makes people nervous. You have probably experienc...
May 11, 2022•28 min•Ep. 104
Click here to tell us your story and enter to win prizes (including possibly $1,000) We break all kinds of financial records this month. We have some fun with this episode and try to trick Craig with some trucking acronyms. What To Expect From Episode 101 We hade all 5 trucks running strong for the entire month. By the end of the month we basically had completed 3 full years in operation and having our strongest month ever was a great way to celebrate. One thing that has a tendency to surprise p...
Apr 27, 2022•37 min•Ep. 103
We’re making an episode with listener's questions and stories about how listening to the podcast has helped them be successful. Everyone who submits a question and/or story will be entered in a drawing to win a $100 gift card. If your question or story makes it onto the podcast you will get a free Haulin Assets T-Shirt and be entered into a drawing for a $1,000 gift card. Go to Episode 100’s show notes at haulinassetsllc.com to submit a question and/or story. Holy Cow!! I can't believe we have m...
Apr 13, 2022•42 min•Ep. 102
The war in Ukraine has been fascinating to watch. Seeing how the Ukrainians have stepped up and how badly Putin has messed up is one of the most interesting things I have seen in a long time. The war in Ukraine has made me do a lot of thinking and I notice myself trying to take lessons from what I am watching and applying them to business. A famous saying in the military is, “Tactics win battles, logistics wins wars.” Logisitics isn’t usually the sexy thing in war, but it really is one of the bi...
Mar 30, 2022•35 min•Ep. 101
The good start to the year continues in February. We cover some really great topics in this episode including what is going on with fuel these days and looking at expenses as a percentage of income. If you have never heard of that last topic, you need to listen to this episode. It's a great bit of knowledge and tool to have. What To Expect From Episode 98 Had all 5 trucks running starting on about the 10th of the month, so almost a full month with 5 trucks. Total miles ran – 48,682 (Warning, thi...
Mar 16, 2022•39 min•Ep. 100
I can't believe we have been doing this for almost 3 years and we have never dedicated an episode to mentors. Shame on me. This is such an important topic. A good mentor can be the difference between spending several years gaining experience to solve a problem or achieve a goal or spending a couple of hours of discussion with someone who has been there and done that. A good mentor(s) can have an enormous positive impact on your business. Your business needs one or maybe 2 or more. What To Expect...
Mar 02, 2022•37 min•Ep. 99
January was a good start to the year. I couple of episodes ago I left a teaser about $7,000 in preventable damages we had to payout and Craig and I start the episode off diving into exactly what happened. It's a pretty good story with a lot of nuggets of wisdom you can gain from the experience. The other great news, Truck 05 is finally on the road. What To Expect From Episode 96 As usual, we cover the ins and outs of what happened financially this month. Here are some of the highlights. Total mi...
Feb 16, 2022•35 min•Ep. 98
Get full show notes at haulinassetsllc.com . Watch this episode on YouTube . It is the time of year when all smart business owners start getting ready to file their taxes. In this episode Craig and I cover some important to dos in order to be prepared with your taxes and to make sure you file and pay on time. What To Expect From Episode 95 Filing your taxes can feel like a daunting task, but if you stay on top of things and start early, it isn't too bad. The most important thing you can do is ke...
Feb 02, 2022•38 min•Ep. 97
To start off the episode, Craig and I talk about how knowledge is power. As an example, I talk about a conversation I recently had with someone who had a load dropped on him by a broker, we suspect because the broker found another carrier who would haul it for less. The excuses the broker used was he had to cancel because there was something wrong with the carrier's authority on the FMCSA website, that was not the case, but the carrier didn't know how to check himself. If you are an O/O or fleet...
Jan 19, 2022•22 min•Ep. 96
Get full show notes at haulinassetsllc.com . Watch this episode on YouTube . I listen to and watch a lot of content about business. This episode about being better this year was inspired by a podcast and a YouTube video I recently watched. They have made me be introspective and make some positive changes in my viewpoints and in my life. I hope they do the same for you. What To Expect From Episode 93 I was recently listening to a podcast that is published by the Harvard Business Review called Ide...
Jan 05, 2022•36 min•Ep. 95
Check out full show notes and past episodes here . Grab merch here. Good times keep coming, November 2021 was another good month for the financials. It wasn't as good as the last several months, but still a solid month. In this week's intro, Craig and I talk a little about the ownership mentality. What To Expect From Episode 92 As always, Craig and I dive into the numbers you see below. There are a few things that stick out in this month's P&L so make sure to listen as we talk about them. To...
Dec 22, 2021•29 min•Ep. 94
Planning for the coming year is one of the most important things you can do for you company. My brother Chet is going to cringe when he reads this, because he hates over used cliches, but I am going to use it anyway. If you fail to plan, you plan to fail. Or a the very least, you are not going to be as successful as you could have been. Over the years I have become a big fan of planning. It's not my favorite thing to do, but I have seen how much of a positive impact it has had on all of my busin...
Dec 08, 2021•43 min•Ep. 93
