1203. #TFCP - Why Are Shippers Pushing For Longer Payment Cycles!? - podcast episode cover

1203. #TFCP - Why Are Shippers Pushing For Longer Payment Cycles!?

May 22, 202532 min
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Episode description

Jeff Carlson of Cass Information Systems is back in today’s episode to discuss the extended shipper payment cycle and its potential impact on startups and small carriers in the industry! Stay connected to the show for more market updates!

 

Here’s What to Learn From This Episode:

  • Freight Market Stabilization: Freight volumes and rates showing stability in 2024; CAS Freight Index indicates steady average transaction sizes. Minor fluctuations noted during events (e.g., DOT blitz week) may signal capacity shifts.
  • Extended Shipper Payment Terms: Shippers shifting focus to cash position; increasing payment terms up to 120 days. Large enterprises favor financial stability with carriers, making it tougher for startups to enter the market without proven track records. Supply chain finance programs target transportation to improve liquidity.
  • Impact on Small Carriers: Small/startup carriers advised to avoid enterprise shippers initially to build stability; extended receivables and large credit lines are essential for handling substantial accounts. Effective cash flow management is critical; recommend lines of credit or factoring to prevent negative cash flow amid extended payment terms.

 

About Jeff Carlson

Jeff joined Cass Information Systems in April of 2019 as Vice President Global Sales & Marketing. Jeff joined Cass with more than 20 years’ experience in the freight payment industry, where he served in several strategic management roles. While at U.S. Bank, he played a significant role in the development of key aspects of the PowerTrack solution, pricing model, and marketing and sales processes. He also was part of the supply chain finance team to help build out aspects of that service offering. Jeff also served as a vice president of the technology, consumer products/retail, and manufacturing industry verticals at freight payment provider Trax Technologies.

Prior to his experience in the freight payment industry, Jeff spent time with Dart Trucking, Canadian Pacific Railroad after starting his career at Koch Industries.

Website: https://www.cassinfo.com/

 

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Transcript

Speaker 1

Came back with a bank window down yelling now money anything hey oh Got the foot on the gas pedal to the metal when I'm getting to the bag hey Got the foot on the gas pedal to the metal when the lane moving fast hey Let them all cross if they hate then let them made them make a bigger boss hey.

Speaker 2

What is up ladies and gentlemen? We are back.

Speaker 3

We are live.

Speaker 2

It is the Freight Coach Podcast, the top podcast in transportation coming to you guys every single weekday, 8:30am Pacific, 10:30 Central to break down some industry headlines. But most importantly, you guys provide some actual insight into what you can do with all of this information. If this is your first time tuning in, welcome. This is the real side of freight, ladies and gentlemen. And I do say that before every single show. And what I mean by that is I only speak with transportation professionals because at the end of the day, you guys, I want to talk to the right individuals who have done what you're looking to do or who are currently doing what you're trying to achieve. So you can take that information, apply it, utilize it and see a meaningful difference in your business and your life. Happy Thursday, everybody.

It's a holiday weekend, so I know most people are trying to wrap up as soon as possible out there today and you're going to start to see that. So if you're moving freight this weekend, you guys make sure to get ahead of it. Call all shippers, all receivers, find out about their hours of operation or is anything limited this weekend because the last thing you want to do is load some freight with the anticipation that just because they're first come, first serve normal times that they're going to be like that over the holidays. So get ahead of it, you guys. Call them and just be prepared for that, you guys. But today I got a very special guest for you guys, repeat guests. I'm having them come back on. You know, we're going to take it from a different angle today.

We're going to be talking about what, what can we do if shippers change their payment terms or if they're starting to extend them. What, what does all of that mean? And my guest today in his company, they represent a lot of shippers out there. And with that being said, I got Mr. Jeff Carlson with cast back on the show today. So, Jeff, thank you so much for taking the time to join me.

Speaker 3

Yeah, thanks, Chris. Really appreciate the time and looking forward to the conversation here today.

Speaker 2

No, definitely, man. So what's new in your world, Jeff? It's been, it's been a while, you know, and he's a Phoenix local as well, but he's out in the office this week in St. Louis. So what's new in your world, man?

Speaker 3

Yeah, it's just been busy, crazy busy right now at this point here too. So we've got a lot of different things going on here, 2024 for CAS ourselves and everything was a year of change. So we added a couple new products and new partnerships and everything here too. And now 2025 is getting those all launched and going here and just having a chance to work with a lot of the top shippers and carriers in the world here quite honestly right now at this point too.

Speaker 2

Yeah, you know, it's been interesting this year, right, Because I feel like from there was a lot of anticipation that things were going to change and they were going to change quick. Especially with the change in the administration. People thought that was going to rush in, massive influx of business and opportunity and that necessarily hasn't really happened out there. I think from, you know, if you look at overall data, there hasn't been much change out there from freight volumes. Rates have pretty much stayed the same. There was, you know, a little bit of blip during dot blitz week. You kind of saw a little bit of change during that. And I think that is from my seat as a broker, that's at least a sign that there is capacity dropping in the market. Right.

Because last year at this time there was nothing that went happen. So again, it's like if we're looking for little breadcrumbs out there of is anything looking any different? I think we're starting to see maybe somewhat of a normal freight market right where you're going to see that just like this weekend. I mean, heck, I'm trying to cover some freight right now and I can all but guarantee you guys people are asking for way more money to try and ship something out this weekend than they would during normal times.

But again, I look at it is as like that is a good sign that things are starting to shift out there and people aren't as desperate to take freight because they're like, well, volumes are maybe starting to increase or they're just putting their foot down like, hey, if you want me to move, this is my rate and I'm kind of here for it, right? Like I, I, I signed up for the good and the bad, Jeff.

Speaker 3

Exactly. And we've definitely seen that stabilize also within our cash rate index here at this point too. You know, definitely some stability kind of coming into the, in the market here as opposed to what we saw, you know, over the last several months and everything, or two.

Speaker 2

So, so what for the viewers out there who aren't aware of what the cash freight index is, Jeff, what is that? What data points are you guys looking at and kind of go with that?

Speaker 3

Yeah, at the high level, really kind of. If you think about our cash shippers, they represent some of the largest shippers in the world, quite honestly, and move a lot of truck business. And so we basically can take a look at a lot of that data and really start to analyze it as far as what's taking place here. You know, do we see rates declining, stable, Are they starting to go up? And then also too, it just sort of gives us an indication as to where we see the market. Definitely see more of a stability in the marketplace right now at this point, which is positive. I mean, I think we've all been looking for that for a while and we are seeing some of the prices sort of stabilize here too, as far as the average transaction size right now too.

Speaker 2

So I kind of look at it, you know, from my seat. You know, I want to be, I'm an optimistic realist, Jeff, when it boils down to it. And I think that a lot of people spend way too much time hoping that things are going to change, get easier and get better, but they don't ever ask, what if it stays the same. Right? Like, what if everything stays the same? Because I think like there's, you know, and you know, our topic today is, you know, talking about payment terms kind of getting extended shuffling around from the shipper side of things and what that looks like. But I think there's a lot kind of riding on what's going to happen with interest rates out there, what is actually going to happen with tariffs?

Because no matter what anybody says, that's a very big sticking point for how much are people going to order inventory, what are they going to store? How does that look? And you know, and then like again with interest rates, that's another thing too, where if you look at overall consumer spending right now, credit card debt is at, I believe it's at an all time high. Right though from a consumer standpoint. So again, is there going to be any form of financial relief where the individual can restructure their debt? And if you look at it from an individual basis, what do you think happens in big business? You guys, they just play that exact same game at A larger scale. So as you guys are out there talking to your customers, Jeff, like, what are those conversations looking like right now?

Is it a big hey man, we're. Is it a big wait and see?

Speaker 3

It's been, it's a little bit of that, you know, it's interesting. There's a few different pieces going on. I mean, the tariff impact when it first hit was a major impact, really, more or less for us. Sort of stop. Some of the discussions we're having with them. Really. Kind of what we kind of heard as a recurring theme on the shipper side is that they're just trying to keep up day to day on the tariffs and sort of what that impact was and everything or two. And so starting to see that stabilize right now at this point. What we are seeing though too is the more attention being paid to kind of where a company's cash position is at this point here too. Right. And that's a major focus here that I'm really been seeing happen over the last few years.

As a matter of fact. From that side.

Speaker 2

Do you think that, you know, because I'm thinking from like a broker and a trucking company standpoint right here, because you guys represent very large industries. Right. How much are your guys's clients went like, if a new broker like myself comes knocking on their door, they're asking for more of my financial stability. Like, hey, are you going to be around in the next year? Because you know, you see bankruptcies happening all the time in every industry. But again, this is a freight show, so we're talking freight here. Is that a point of concern for them to even shift providers in this market?

Speaker 3

Yeah, absolutely. No, that's an excellent point right there. Right. I mean, it's one thing to be able to offer a low rate and everything here too, but I mean it is, it's kind of what's the stability, what's the history of that particular carrier too. Right. Because they are looking for. The one thing I will say is that I see a lot of our shippers use the word partnership a lot and really mean it too. Right. They are looking for a carrier that's going to be their long term or you know, when I say long term doesn't mean that, you know, they're going to get a load every day, but you know, a broke relationship, a carrier relationship, and they're really kind of looking for that more than anything else. They're looking for that stability. I'd say I've seen that a Lot more.

As opposed to what, you know, you and I've spoken. I've got started in the industry in the 1980s just to date myself here and everything. So I've seen a lot of things sort of take place along the way here from that side, but definitely some more stability from the carrier side too.

Speaker 2

Do you think that, you know, because people are out there starting businesses all the time, Jeff, do you think that poses a risk for small businesses right now to get in or does this make like from your standpoint, would it be more financially viable for startup companies to maybe go after the non enterprise level accounts? Because you know, they are looking at like, you know, when it comes down to payment terms and stuff, like, hey, can you afford to go from a 30 to a 60 day payment term? What does that do to your balance sheet? So do you think, you know, like from your seat and again, you've been like, you dated yourself there, Jeff. So I gotta ask this. You've, you've seen this before, right? Like nothing that we're experiencing right now is anomaly.

Tough times have happened and they're going to happen again. But for those small businesses that are out there and those startup businesses that are out there, how do you think they should be approaching a customer acquisition strategy at this moment?

Speaker 3

Yeah, no, that's a great question. Really. You know, when I look at it from our standpoint here too, I think that it is probably staying away from the large enterprise because they are going to probably look at a startup carrier a little bit differently than somebody that's been established, really kind of find your niche with some other, you know, shippers and really kind of start to prove yourself, you know, develop a history from that aspect and everything here too. And, you know, it's something that, you know, once you've got that going and some stability, you know, I don't see any of our shippers that steer away from a smaller carrier just because of their size. They're looking more for what's their history and what's their stability from that side.

Speaker 2

Yeah. And you know, and I try and talk about this on the show often, right. Like when you're going after some of those enterprise level shippers, like, I don't think people understand how long of a sales cycle that comes with that. Right. Like we're looking, you know, maybe two years on the low end, but five years probably on the high end and you know, and kind of everything in between. So it's like I try and tell people like if you're going to turn revenue, I know it's appealing to want to go after the large logos out there in the world. And yeah, they got a ton of freight, don't get me wrong. But there's a lot of requirements that comes along with it and financial stability is of their top concern.

I would probably argue that they're looking at like, yes, obviously service is a thing, but can you afford to move their freight? And I talk about this often, right, because it's like if you want to go in and move enterprise level freight, you know, like the term, you know, seven figures. Can you handle a seven figure freight pay or receivable? Can you, can you handle that? But then can you handle that 10 times over if you're set up with multiple of them? Do you have that financial ability to kind of stretch that out? Because I've worked for one of the largest freight brokers in North America. I sat in on some of those calls when you know, some of these very large logos are telling us like, hey, we're changing our payment terms from 60 to 120 days.

You give us a seven figure credit line, we need you to potentially double said seven figure credit line. Are you able to financially afford that? So it's like that's like those are things that you don't necessarily think about as you're going in prospecting, right? Because your big thing is I need revenue, I need business. Oh, hey, I see that product all over the shelf in the store. I'm going to call them and you don't want to get to the finish line with this. And they're like, do you have $1 million to give us?

Speaker 3

I'm sorry, go ahead.

Speaker 2

No, no, go.

Speaker 3

And that's the key right there, right? I mean, because one thing I do see kind of the smaller and midsize shippers, they're not. Their push right now is not as much for terms extension per se across the entire, not entire but most of the portfolio of our shippers. I'm seeing things that are taking place as you're saying 30 days to 60 days to 90, several that are going to 120 and that is really a push. And you know, one of the things that I was kind of thinking about the other day here too is that when I first started back, like I said in the early 80s, it was pretty much defined that you know what a truck bill was this much, that's many days to pay. A rail bill is this many days to pay.

Right now it is just really Kind of based upon the business relationship they're looking for. And when I talk about the partnership piece here too, it's also a big driver now as far as will you accept the payment terms of the 60 or 90 and everything here too? Because what's happening is that a lot of times before the company is, let's say a large enterprise company got a supply chain finance program with a large bank. Right. And one of the restrictions or constraints of supply chain finance is that they're only going to go after the top, say 10, 15, 20% of the spend by individual vendor. Most of the time, the trucking industry and everything, the individual carriers is not going to represent that.

And so there's always been a pushback by the logistics to kind of hold off on that area and going out to extend the terms. However, though, now treasury is extremely actively involved in kind of pushing out the terms on the transportation side because it's one of the last segments in the companies sort of cost of goods sold that has not been kind of subjected to the essential terms here. So I'm seeing it very actively across a majority of our shippers that we're either talking to potentially or that are currently in our portfolio right now at this point.

Speaker 2

So what are the financial advantages? Do they gain by extending outpayment terms?

Speaker 3

Yeah, it's all about the working capital. What's the liquidity that they can generate for their company? Right. It's basically, you know, kind of current assets versus minus current liabilities is where you kind of come up with working capital calculation. And really it's their determination of how they manage their cash flow. And then they're also looking at opportunities. Then if I've got enough of a positive cash flow that's providing a benefit to me, do I also have opportunities to invest in other products or solutions or just infrastructure and everything here too? So it's all about the working capital for them from that standpoint here.

Speaker 2

I mean, from a provider standpoint, like if I'm a broker or carrier, I'm looking at this of, you know, are they facing cash flow challenges that are going on out there? And you know, is there, you know, cost pressures that are coming down from, you know, the C suite saying like, hey, we got to find a way to free up our cash flow out there? You know, like, should that be a point of concern if you're a provider and your customer who you might be working with for 3, 5, 10 years is now coming to you and saying, hey, we need you to extend your days or work changing our days to pay to from 30 to 90 days or whatever that looks like great question here.

Speaker 3

I mean the short answer basically is, you know, if it's a publicly traded company, take a quick look at their balance sheet and you know, the kind of their financial positions and everything here too, there are some situations where sometimes it is the company that's under financial pressure on their side from cash flow aspect where they're trying to push that out. I'd say typically list within our portfolio of customers. What we're really seeing is it's more just again kind of we want to improve working capital even more. You know, they're in a very strong position, I can tell you. I'm working with a number of different companies right now that are extremely highly rated from an investment grade aspect here. But they're definitely working to get out another 30 or 60 days on their payment terms. Again just because of the working capital desire.

Speaker 2

So like when this happens, you know, like when we're talking longer payment cycles and stuff like that, what is like, you know, when they're thinking internally is a lot of it going into R and D, do you think Jeff, where they are looking for new product lines and stuff like that, or maybe they're looking to acquire a competitor or something. Because I feel like, you know, we can sit here and talk like that, but I also like from my seat I'm like, well what are they going to do with all of this money? Are we going to see some new stuff? Like if I'm buying from a specific company, am I going to see some new product lines that are coming with it? Are they going to swallow up a competitor? You know, is that a thing out there? Or.

Obviously there's some of this stuff is probably proprietary, but I just wanted to throw that out there.

Speaker 3

Yeah, yeah, absolutely. No, that's exactly what it is, right? The companies and the companies we're working with are very well managed from financial aspect and everything. Or two, that's exactly what they're looking to do, right? It's kind of like I've got a project coming up, right. I'm trying to free up cash without having to hit my bank lines of credit and everything. Or two, right. Kind of go to the debt market. And so it's that it's new products, it could be new infrastructure, you know, a new plant, a new warehouse, new something along those lines here too. So typically they're not going to do it just so that they can sit on the money and not have a Very good return on it.

They are looking at opportunity costs as far as if I take this dollar and invest it here, can I generate another $5, let's say, from that aspect? So yeah, they are definitely looking at that. There's going to be some play within there. The challenge sometimes is that maybe the folks in the logistics side don't fully understand on the shipper side and logistics don't fully understand maybe what the play is. But there's definitely some push by Treasury C suite here to have better cash flow so they can make more investments.

Speaker 2

Is there any specific industries out there? You know, because people on the broker side and you know, the trucking company side of things here, Jeff, you know, some of them are very niche specific, right. For the most part they're out there, you know, they might be more retail style, freighter, you know, they're going direct to manufacturer and stuff like that. Is there. Are you seeing any industries that are more likely to push for this or change this up right now? Just to, you know, kind of prepare the people who are out there listening like, hey, it might not have happened yet, but this might be coming down the pipe here soon?

Speaker 3

Absolutely. No, that's a good question here. I mean, I'd say it still goes across all industries. Now with that said, you know, you do have certain industries too that are going through different pressures right now at this point here too. So let's say like a retail industry is a good one right there. From, from that standpoint here too, we see some, you know, activity in that area quite a bit. We see a lot also with some of the big manufacturers we've got here at this point. We've got a number of very large manufacturers in the different industries. And I'm seeing a lot more activity in that area too right now at this point here, but pretty much across the board though, without fail. But those would be two I'd call out here in particular, do you think.

Speaker 2

With the uncertainty of interest rates and stuff. And I kind of want to go back to this and the ties to inflation because some of the economic data that was coming out here about inflation is it's like stabilized and starting to go down here for the most part. Right. So. But it's still a point of concern because again, in today's society we look at stuff as like the second we don't look at, you know, just so just because the headline said today that tariffs were done or, you know, inflation's going down or employment numbers are that doesn't mean that's going to sustain like that over an extended period of time. So do you think that from the shipper side of things, this is also having them call out to their suppliers and they're trying to renegotiate their terms with, you know, their. On.

On all of those things. So do you think that this is an all around strategy that a lot of these manufacturers and distribution centers and everything are going through is they're looking at their total cost structure right now? Because it's. To me, Jeff, it sounds like the c. The CFO is very busy right now on how they are stabilizing their companies and looking to protect it for the next six months here.

Speaker 3

Yeah, no, that's a great point right there. I mean it's definitely something we're seeing out there from that side is. It's really kind of that focus here. Really kind of how do I generate more cash? And you know, again, there's, you said uncertainty, right? And you know, is inflation going to take off, you know, some more? Is it trending down? I think there's, I'm seeing a lot of, I will say it this way, maybe conservative moves, you know, from that aspect. Really kind of more trying to protect themselves from that standpoint here. But that's again, kind of with all their other suppliers, even other than transportation side, you know, this sort of extension of terms and everything is definitely taking place here too.

Speaker 2

Do you think that they're all, you know, like, would it also be a strategy from their perspective just with uncertain freight demand and fluctuating shipping costs going on right now, that they're going to just utilize some, you know, these payment terms to kind of buffer against that and to just to try and you know, CH Put in some contingency plans in place where they're, you know, again, where I look at a lot of this. You know, when you're looking at some of the largest companies that are out there, publicly traded or not, they have so much more data than the average person does. They see so much more than we do. And this is why I always caution a lot of providers in the transportation space. When you look at the larger, you know, the C.H.

Robinsons, the Schneiders, the Night Swifts, the ones who are the top 10 that were out there, yes, pay attention to what they're doing. But also they are looking at things vastly differently than we are. Just like the large manufacturers and stuff out there that you guys represent. Jeff, the publicly traded companies, they have so much more data. They, they are able to see years in the future where most of us again are like, how am I going to pay my bills in the next 30 days?

Speaker 3

Yeah, no, that's a great point. Right. I mean, we have an opportunity to talk to some of the senior financial folks at some of these large carriers that you kind of mentioned, everything here too. But you know, for the most part they're all in pretty good cash position too. Right. And they are actually also focusing on their working capital too. Right. You know, from that standpoint here too, because they've got investments to make in trailers and different other infrastructure and everything here too. And so, you know, that's definitely the key that one of the things for them is the fact that they also tend to have a very good, strong bank line of credit. So if they do run into a liquidity issue and everything here too, they can tap into that here for 30, 60, 90 days.

And so, I mean, back to kind of your point here too, when you're talking about kind of a startup carrier or even just a carrier that's out there right now and everything, if you're going to need to have, you know, a set number of dollars that, you know, could be outstanding, let's say a million dollars or something like that, the question is, can you withstand that and still pay for fuel, maintenance, drivers, everything here too, or do you kind of look at and say what other alternatives are out there? Right. And so it's always, where I'm going with this is more. It's always good to have kind of the plan B. Right. You know, if I have my cash flow coming in and I can manage it, that's great.

But also have a plan B in place here too, where it's a, like an automatic backup, you know, that you can fall back into here because you do not want to get into a securer or any business into a, you know, negative cash flow from the.

Speaker 2

From that standpoint here, you know, speaking of negative cash flow, it kind of does lead into my next question is, you know, how have recent bankruptcies and financial very well published financial struggles of businesses out there, especially inside of transportation, how are they using this and how does that influence their risk strategy out there when they're choosing providers, you know, when it comes down to it?

Speaker 3

Yeah, that's a good question right there. Right. You know, because, you know, like you said, there have been some well, large and well publicized, you know, bankruptcies here, you know, over the last couple of years. And everything too. So that does definitely, you know, influence it also. Right, again, back into the standpoint of they want to have a strong partnership that they can rely upon from that side. They're not looking to necessarily. Most shippers are not looking to necessarily churn their carrier base and broker base on a regular basis here. Really. They want to rely on that part of it.

Speaker 2

And I think, like, people's appetite, we'll call it for risk drops exponentially when we are in a down cycle in the market for as long as we have and when there are so many published bankruptcies and mass layoffs at companies and you know, every headline out there. I know, like, you know, it can be. I can only imagine the phone calls that some of these larger providers get from their customers when they're like, see, you know, Company x laid off 250 people. If I had, if you were my number one or if you were in my network of transportation providers and I saw layoffs happening, I would be calling you instantly to find out what is actually going on here.

And, you know, and especially because it's like, I also look at technology, you know, how many people get ahead of it because they do implement AI, they do implement technology inside of their operations, and now they've identified redundancies in their head cats, so they lay off people. Are you taking a proactive approach in that moment? Because again, I also think long term negotiation here because it's like, what power do I have as a broker or a carrier if my largest customer comes to me and says, hey, we need to do this, or, you know, or what? Because I feel like that's kind of if it's coming to that point.

I feel like that's a very realistic situation, Jeff, where your largest customer, if I'm a broker, my largest customer comes to me and says, hey, we're going from 30 to 90 days and if you can't do it, you're out. You know, like, what power do you have? You know, and that's why it's like some of these relationships, you can sit here and be like, dude, we've been working together for 10 years. Like, how is this a thing? How did we get here?

Speaker 3

Yeah, yeah. And I honestly, I am seeing that in the marketplace now at this point too. It's something that, you know, I've been doing, you know, business together for 10, 20, 30 years in some cases and everything too. And, you know, it's really kind of where, again, logistics is maybe not the main driver here. Again, keep in Mind that it's kind of the treasury side, but same time though, too, it's coming from the C suite. And so at the end of the day, you know, logistics is not going to have a lot of options, you know, as far as what they can and can't do from that side here. You know, and this goes back to where I was sort of mentioning too, is it's good to be able to then have a, you know, additional avenue for cash flow.

You know, whether that's kind of some of the traditional, you know, bank line of credit on your side as a carrier or broker, you know, there's always factoring. And then the other thing that's taking place here too is there's a lot of other financing options that are coming into the marketplace here too right now at this point. So I kind of don't see the whole push for the extension of payment terms slowing down. As a matter of fact, I think I see it accelerating over the next couple years. And so again, it's something to probably really look, to try to get ahead of as much as you can as a carrier broker.

Speaker 2

No, and that's the thing, right? Like, I'm glad you brought up factoring and stuff because, like, ironically, I'm doing my monthly financial Friday show with my friends over at Denim tomorrow, so. You know, it is one of those things though, Jeff, that I, I, I feel like the, this is a side of things that is not, it's like almost overlooked out there in the media because it's not sexy, right? Like, there's no attention grabbing headline that comes, there's no clickbait that can come for this for the most part, until the after effect that you see, right? Because if you pay attention to a lot of these large bankruptcies that are out there and you do your research on them, because I, I have. Right.

A lot of it is, hey, we lost a key strategic account that we have been working with for 30 years due to whatever reason and that bankrupted them. So it's like as a business owner and I talk about the importance of cash flow on this show literally on a weekly basis and how fragile most businesses are. Most businesses are truly 30 days from going out of business every single month for the most part. Right? And this is why it's like protecting that cash flow. But also pay attention to these signs, you guys. Pay attention to everything. Literally, Jeff was telling you, because you might have an idea that this is happening and if you're out there and you fall into that category of 80% of your revenue comes from 20% of your customers.

You might want to start having these conversations and throw some feelers out there and see, because if something's coming down the pipeline, you might need to get with your bank sooner than you think or your factoring company sooner than you think about your credit line that comes along with this and, you know, maybe identifying any potential risk factors that are starting to become evident. And if you are working with those publicly traded companies that are out there, fortunately all their data is public. So you should be scouring their 10k. You should be scouring any public data that is out there to protect yourself. Because ultimately, as a business owner, no matter what you guys, you got to play the hand you are dealt. Fair and unfair is irrelevant.

You have to play the hand that you're dealt if you're going to play at the highest levels.

Speaker 3

Well said. That's low key right there, right? I mean, it is kind of. You're going to be dealt that hand and you know, and again, start looking also for some of the alternative financing options out there. There's different freight payment companies such as ourselves that are also offering financing alternatives here too. Right. And so, you know, kind of evaluate it, but also be looking for, just as I was saying, the shippers want a long term stable partner and vice versa, be looking for your financing partner to also be a long term stable, you know, provider and everything or two, because you'll have to rely on them at different times here too.

Speaker 2

No, definitely. Jeff, I appreciate your time. You guys check out the Cash Freight Index. It's one of my favorite data points out there to look at. And you know, and honestly, you have to be looking at multiple data sources out there. You have to be paying attention to people who are representing, you know, the shipper side of things and all side of the industry right now. Because we are at a pretty crucial point, right, where there could be some very big things that happen here over the next 12 months, you know, whether good or bad. But at the end of the day, you have to be prepared for it. You have to be able to provide for your customers and execute for your customers. So, Jeff, as always, thank you so much for your time.

How does anybody reach out to you guys to find out more?

Speaker 3

Yeah, check out our website, www.casinfo.com and you'll see some information out there about us. And we're always happy to just have a conversation, just to kind of, you know, talk about what we see in the industry.

Speaker 2

Perfect, Jeff, thank you so much for your time today. That's going to be it. If you guys can't find Jeff or my friends at cast, hit me up. I'll gladly put you guys in contact with them, but that is going to be it for today. Ladies and gentlemen, as always, if you got value in what you heard, subscribe to the show. You guys, if you're feeling really ambitious after this one, which you should be, rank the show on itunes and Spotify as well, because if you saw value, that's how your network's going to see value. I appreciate you guys. I love you guys, and we'll be talking to you soon.

Speaker 1

Came back with a bank the bag a got the foot on the gas pedal to the metal when the lane moves fast a let them all cross if they hate then let them? Made them make a bigger boss?

Speaker 3

Hey.

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