10-4 Magazine September 2024

10-4 Magazine / September 2024 47 really belong to you, as you are just renting it from us.” Then, they will offer you another opportunity to drive one of their company trucks, just like before. Wash, rinse, and repeat. If this were Las Vegas they would be charged with racketeering! If you are not sure what that means, here’s the definition, according to the internet. “Racketeering is a set of illegal activities aimed at commercial profit that may be disguised as legitimate business deals. Racketeering is defined by a coordinated effort by multiple people to repeatedly earn a profit. Typically, by extortion, fraud, bribery, violence, or other illegal means.” I’m not a tin foil hat wearing conspiracy theorist, but that is a pretty good description of some fly-by-night trucking companies and brokers. Not everyone is meant to be in the position of ownership. What’s my number one rule? Just because you can doesn’t mean you should. I see far too many new drivers being pushed into a role as lease operator to companies that only want a market for their used trucks. If you are serious about running your own trucking company, then do it the right way. Invest yourself in the business world and learn some skills – driving is not enough to see you through. Money and time management, along with a basic understanding of the supply chain, are basic components of business. That doesn’t mean you’re not in business. All of us are some place in the chain of command for the people we represent. As the driver behind the wheel, we have the most responsibility for the health of that organization. Every decision while performing the task of loading, unloading, and transporting is a visual representation of the front office. Owning or leasing a piece of equipment doesn’t mean you are in control. While listening to Mr. Sweetman, I was reminded of so many people I know who continually jump from one bad decision to the next, each time walking away with less than they had the last time. Ownership is not the end all be all. If you’re going to do this, you might want to do like the young man who contacted me – he has reached out to folks outside his circle of friends for advice (people who have been down this road, survived the experience, and gained a bit of insight along the way). Note to self: even a bad experience can be a good lesson, as long as you remember it. It’s much better to be proactive than reactive. Back in the day, people would say it’s better to close the gate before the horse gets out of the barn or you will spend all your time chasing the horse, not riding it. Small changes now may save your investment later. I think I can, I think I can... if only I believe in myself, and use every asset available. We are back to the tools in your toolbox thing. Knowledge can be the difference between success and the loss of all your hard work. Today, if I were to give advice, it would be to trim your liabilities and lose the things that are not important to your current business. Most of your routine expenses aren’t going to go away in this economy or get cheaper anytime soon. However, that boat or motorcycle are expenses you could do without. Do you really need a four-wheel drive dually pickup to show off to your friends? You probably don’t have time to use them anyway. This year may be the time to skip the family vacation and set that money aside for the possibility of a breakdown. I realize this is an unfortunate inconvenience to the family, but they will be the ones who benefit the most when you succeed. If and when we get over this downturn, our trains, the ones who persevere, will coast down the other side of the hill, being pushed by the very ones who said you can’t do this anymore. Business is always an exercise in leadership, the ability to forge a path through uncertainty, and to show strength when weakness would be the easiest path. Leadership doesn’t have to be a plan for the multitudes – a party of one still has to have a plan for success and then follow through. “I think I can, therefore I must” is the fuel for your future. Lead through example, follow proven programs that route your successes, and limit your failures. Who knows, in 40 years some new operator might call my young friend and ask his advice on what to do. My hope is he will not say, “Mr. Mitchell said this to me,” but rather he will say, “I too had difficulty when I started, but I listened to others who had gone down the same path. They encouraged me to fight on and to not stop chugging uphill until the last car crosses over the crest.” Then, and only then, can you let up. I think I can, I think I can, 10-4! n