Haulin Assets

Classifying a truck driver as either an employee or an independent contractor is one of the hottest topics in the trucking industry. If you are considering hiring a driver, this is an important episode. To help us out with this topic, we've brought in the big guns. Ryan Nelson, president of the Utah chapter of Employers Council, has lots of experience and expertise in the trucking industry and joi...

Hiring the first driver for your trucking company is a huge step, and you don't want to screw it up. It is one of the most critical steps you will take if you want to grow your company. This is the first episode of a three-part series on hiring a driver. In the next episode, we will talk about how to classify your driver, as an employee or independent contractor. This is always one of the hottest...

April was a tough month, the first time Haulin Assets lost money in a month. Luckily, the freight market seems to have hit bottom in April and things are picking up. The other good news is that we are still up $9,562.14 for the year. What To Expect From Episode 48 There are a lot of reason April was a bad a month. It's all tied to the Corona Virus hitting the US in full force and wreaking havoc on...

Renewing the insurance on a commercial motor vehicle, especially a semi-truck, is more involved than it is on a personal vehicle. For most small trucking companies, insurance is usually your highest fixed cost and in the top five of all your expenses. It's important to make sure you are getting the best bang for your buck when it comes from insurance. I just went through the renewal process for Ha...

The answer to the question the title of this episode bears is not as simple as you might think. Would I want to be finding loads for a brand new trucking company today? No, but timing is important and things change quickly and everyone’s situation is different. This episode is being released as the United States is in the thick of the coronavirus pandemic. The topics we touch on during this episod...

This is a bitter sweet episode. Bitter, because the US Economy and Trucking Industry are going through an incredibly difficult time. Sweet because March was the best month Haulin Assets has ever had. Before we get into the episode, Craig and I talk about the state of the economy and the challenges we are facing because of the Coronavirus pandemic we are all going through. First, I don't want to do...

I know, it's a weird title, but Tardigrades aka water bears are considered by most, to be the most adaptable living organism on the earth. When the economy hits a speed bump, like it is now because of the coronavirus, those who can adapt are the ones who survive and ultimately thrive. What To Expect From Episode 44 This episode covers some important topics to help Owner Operators and smaller fleet...

This is the final episode of a 3 part series where I go over some of the most important aspects of compliance with the DOT and FMCSA regulations for motor carriers. This specific episode covers the DOT New Entrant Safety Audit. What to Expect From Episode 43 I just went through my DOT New Entrant Safety Audit and I want to share my experience with all of you so you know what to expect and have the...

This is the second episode of a 3 part series where I go over some of the most important aspects of compliance with the DOT and FMCSA regulations for motor carriers. This specific episode covers preparing for a DOT Safety Audit. What to Expect From Episode 42 Even if you don't have a DOT Safety Audit on the horizon, you should always be prepared for one. Going through the process of preparing for...

Over the next three episodes, I am going to take a deep dive into the FMCSA's safety program. For most people, compliance with all the FMCSA's rules and regulations is a daunting task that many are too intimidated to handle. I think there would be a lot of really good people who would make the jump to being an independent owner operator if this one thing did not seem so overwhelming. I hope these...

I'm getting February's financials out a week earlier than I normally would, because I'm going to do a three-part series on safety and compliance, and I want to be able to do them all in a row, without interruption. Here is a sneak peek for what the episodes will be about. Episode 41 - What Is the FMCSA CSA Program? Episode 42 - How To Prepare for a DOT Audit Episode 43 - How To Pass a DOT New Entr...

No one likes to pay taxes and submitting your tax returns is not the funnest thing in the world. In this episode, I’ll share some tips to make the process as painless as possible. What to Expect From Episode 39 Don’t wait until the last minute to get started. Unless you file your taxes as a sole proprietor, your return is due March 15th of every year. You should typically have all your info to you...

Another month has passed by and financials are out. What to Expect From Episode 38 January was a much better month than I was expecting. In fact, it was the best month I have ever had. Listen to the episode to learn what contributed to the success. Here is a quick overview, and Craig and I talk about all the details during the episode. Scroll to the bottom and you’ll see copies of the Profit and L...

Since I started this podcast, I've talked a lot about having the mindset of an owner operator. I going to dive deeper into that topic during this episode. What To Expect From Episode 37 I created a list of 10 questions you can ask yourself to help you know if you have the mindset of a successful owner operator. Craig and I will talk about each one of them in depth. They are listed them from what I...

One of the most common questions Owner Operators ask themselves is whether they should take a lower paying load now, or sit and wait for a better paying load. We try to answer that question during this episode. What To Expect From Episode 36 Math class is in session. Here is a story problem we are going to use to answer the question whether we should take a load or sit. You know you can get a load...

If you have not listened to  episode 33, Bad News, Good News , listen to that first. There is a backstory to this episode, and understanding it will give you better context to this episode as we go over the December financials. What to Expect From Episode 35 December was a tough month. I had to do an engine rebuild, so I was out of commission and did not pick up my first load until the 17th. I ran...

Do you want to know what one thing will have one of the biggest impact on your business? It's giving your business a sold direction with specific goals to meet. Annual planning is one of the things Chris does that has a significant benefit to his businesses. It doesn't have to be complicated or long and drawn out. In fact, simple is better.

The Bad News I like to rip the bandaid off quick and get the bad news over with first. The head on my truck cracked and had to be replaced along with the cylinder sleeves. I was off the road for three weeks. The Good News It was all covered under the extended warranty I purchased. Boy am I glad I bought that warranty. What to Expect From Episode 33 A major engine repair on a truck with as few mile...

One of the most common questions I get from people starting a new trucking company is how to find loads when so many brokers won't work with you. Even though we have had other episodes that talk about finding loads, I still get a lot of questions specific to getting through that first 90 days when your options with brokers is limited. So.... I decided to do a full episode dedicated to just that. W...

Here's another episode where we cover the financials for Haulin Assets. November was an average month. The main reason was I was not on the road for as many days as I would have liked, and there is a reason for that that I'll get into in a future episode. Here is a quick overview, and Craig and I talk about all the details during the episode. Scroll to the bottom and you’ll see copies of the Profi...

I have had a lot of people talk about the economy and the current state of the trucking industry. Things are different now than they were last year. Last year’s rates were better than we had seen in a really long time. You couldn’t help but make money but that might not have been an entirely good thing. I think this year we are seeing some negative consequences from last year’s boom. So what does...

Ben Franklin made the phrase, “a penny saved is a penny earned” popular, and there is no industry where that saying holds more true than the trucking industry. A savings of 6 cents a gallon of fuel is like saving 1 cent per mile. When you are driving over 500 miles a day, 1 cent a mile adds up to thousands of dollars a year. Purchasing fuel smartly is one of the easiest ways to save money. In the...

Things are looking better for the month of October than they were for the few months previous. That's not to say that nothing unexpected or difficult came up, but thanks to Chris's preparedness and the relationships he's cultivated, he was still able to turn a decent profit even while driving slightly less than his monthly average. In today's episode, Chris shares with Craig the numbers for Octobe...

There are good brokers and bad brokers; you need to know how to deal with the guys who don't care about you or your business and just want to get everything out of you that they can. Listen to this episode to learn what to watch out for when dealing with brokers. Why I'm Doing Haulin Assets In this episode I also talked a bit more about my background and why I am doing this podcast. I mentioned a...

What does it mean to control your circumstances, when so much seems to be out of our control? In this episode, Chris argues that there's more within your control than you might think, if you're willing to put in the work to see it. It takes discipline and foresight, but controlling your circumstances -- to an extent! -- is not only possible, it's actually not too complicated either. Chris gives a...