Welcome! As most of our loyal readers know, we have been posting on two blogs for the last few months. Well the time has come to finally shut the door and turn off the lights here! This has been a good location for us and we will miss it dearly. Change is a good thing and we hope you will visit our new blog address which is on our website. Please click the link below and join us at our new home!!
Showing posts with label advertising. Show all posts
Showing posts with label advertising. Show all posts
Sunday, December 16, 2012
Wednesday, December 5, 2012
The Great Sign on Bonus Hoax
The Great Sign On Bonus Hoax
One thousand, two thousand, three thousand, 4... Don't wait, just step right up to the golden door!
The good old sign on bonus... A re-engineering, re-invention, a re-wording of the classic bait and switch, ye ole switcheroo, applied to recruiting drivers. For Shame!
Hear Ye, Hear Ye, Here ye go, just sign right here and go with the flow...We have a $4000 sign on bonus, Bubba's Trucking next door will only give you Three, that's right, uh huh, you're at the right place... Join our company, we'll give you a bonus over the next 6 months, a year, you'll earn less while you work here, but don't worry 'bout that, you got a bonus! Just step on up and through the golden door.
It's nothing new. When did this madness start in our industry? In the early 1990's, I'm not sure by whom or what company, but that's when it became prevalent. And now, everybody has to do it.
Nearly every trucking company in the country offers a sign on bonus. Why? Because they have to. How much weight should you give it in your decision process? Very little. Don't fall for the hype.
The drivers and operators who watch what companies offer and do their research know this and
drivers and operators who have fallen for it once, know even better.
The lure of easy money, the temptation of a fast buck loses its appeal with the reality of: "Now, I have to actually work here?" and "My paychecks sure seem small".
How many carriers have clauses that will deduct the bonus you were paid if you don't stay the required minimum of 6 months? Or a year? I believe you would be surprised at some of these contracts, or maybe not.
Why do we have turnover? Is it the drivers fault? The company's fault? A case of not seeing the forest for the trees? If you want turnover, this is a great way to increase it.
I personally admire companies and people who try new and creative approaches to solve problems. Applying traditional product selling ideas to recruiting drivers. It was innovative and effective at grabbing attention and drivers when it first appeared years ago, but now it's just fun with numbers.
A $5000 bonus paid over a year is nothing compared with 500 less miles run every week on average. The miles you will get is always the mystery of starting any driving position.
Ask the trucking company about average miles per week! Read the fine print and do your homework and the math. Get your wife, husband, father, mother whomever to go over the details. A second opinion from someone who cares about you and your well-being has never hurt anyone.
Monday, December 3, 2012
Ask 18 Wheels of Justice Debut! "Soft Taco" asks...
Welcome to "Ask 18 Wheels of Justice". All questions are welcome, anything and everything Trucking... Column will run every Monday and more often as some important questions can't wait and need to be answered immediately. Thank you for submitting all of all of your questions and what great questions they all were. It was difficult to pick only one...
Let's Get Started! You can sense the excitement here at 18 Wheels of Justice HQ, please make sure there's room on the edge of your seat and continue reading...
Names have been changed to protect the innocent and the guilty.
From "Soft Taco" Chino, CA...
"Soft Taco" asks - I have been driving for three years, I have had 7 jobs. I take my work seriously and want to own my own truck. I quit these jobs because I get promised all of these things before I start and then they never happen. I think it looks bad on my record and I'm afraid it will affect me buying a truck in the future.
Thank you for your question, "ST". I wouldn't worry too much about your past, you can't change that. You are right in that it can effect buying a truck in the future. Changing jobs does "tell your story" so to speak. This is important for all drivers to think about when deciding to switch jobs. It's not discussed very often, but it does reflect poorly on your credit if you switch jobs a lot. Not just for buying a truck, but a home, car etc.
We realize, "ST" that this is a common problem in our industry. So stop changing jobs, Soft Taco! It's not that easy and takes work, but it does payoff. Do not be discouraged, there is a process to finding a job. I wrote an article about the 10 best ways to find a driving career and not just a job a few months ago(click here to read).
The most important thing to remember is to take your time! Sometimes we tend to wait too long to look for another job before we quit. Don't wait until you have finally had enough and quit when your angry or upset. Be a gentlemen and give two weeks notice. There is a lot to consider and please read the article(follow link above), because you lose a lot more money than you think when you switch jobs.
If were to try and guess what switching jobs 7 times in 3 years cost you. I would bet that you lost between 2 weeks and a month of work and pay each time you changed jobs. Between trying to get your last paycheck, deductions, withholding, time lost waiting for MVR approval and drug testing, driver orientations, and on and on. Hiring is not a quick process in our company.
Let' be conservative and say you lost two weeks worth of income every time you changed. If you average $1000 per week.
$2000 Lost Per Job Change
x 7 Job Changes in 3 years
$14,000! Yes, $14,000 Cash. $14k would have been a nice down payment on a truck plus some cash for emergencies. It also would have bought a car, a pick up truck, or a whole lotta' chrome...
The moral of the story is to take your time and do your research! It pays off time and time again...
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One of my favorite trucks - check out How bad do you want it? W-900
Friday, November 30, 2012
The Ugly Truth About Empty Trucks
What exactly does an empty truck cost a trucking company? "Not that Much" said one brave soul. "A whole lot!" replied another. "I don't know!" he said quietly to himself, and he was right.
Let's jump right in and figure it out, because the water is warm and getting hot. The purpose of this blog is not to cause grown men to cry, nor put the fear of God or additional pressure on already nervous Driver Recruiters, but quite the opposite. Where are your resources going? Are you giving your recruiting departments enough resources?
Now, you may not want to know what that an empty truck costs you and I don't blame you... You may purposely avoid driving around the side of the building where all the empty trucks are parked when you arrive in the morning. I don't blame you for that either... Now, settle into your favorite bar stool, grab yourself a pencil and cocktail napkin, turn the napkin over onto its back, and lets do some accountin'...
Feel free to insert your own costs here, if you don't know these off the top of your head, these are good averages to use. (These descriptions and amounts all meet again in a column near the bottom, I felt some explanation was needed as to just how I arrived at my numbers.)
Tractor Payment - $2075.00 - Just an average payment amount based on a new truck with 5 year straight financing.
Trailer Payment $300 - $600 (Oh wait, multiply that $300 trailer payment number by two! Remember the person(salesmen, operations manager, VP of this and that, CFO) who convinced you that you need to be at a 2 to 1 trailer to tractor ratio? (Yes, Sir, you now have two trailers for every tractor. You did that so you could do some fancy dropping and hooking and increase your revenue, yes, Sir.)
Actual Depreciation - $1541.00 5 Year to $7500 (I don't care about how you speed up or slow down depreciation for taxes, doesn't matter here, stop thinking it's a good thing, and stop thinking about it entirely for this exercise, please.)
Overhead - $900 Includes (Non-driving Employees, Office Staff, Mechanics, Phones, company cars and so on. I'm going to peg this at $.09 per mile as a good average, basically all admin costs divided by number of trucks by 10,000 miles per month. Again, please feel free to use what number you feel is a realistic representation of your company.
Profit per truck - How much do you make per truck per month? I don't know how much you make, but the 5 - 25 - 100 empty trucks on your lot play a major role in your overall profitability - Please feel free to insert your profit per truck number here. I left it at ZERO
To Summarize -
Tractor Payment $2,075
Trailer Payment $600
Depreciation $1,541
Overhead $900
Profit $0
Cost per Empty Truck per Month $5,116
The trucking business makes for a good mistress but she's a mean wife. She's very cyclical as we all know and full of mood swings. "And Boy, I Say Boy", she's been in a mood for the last year or two. The carriers who understand the cost of an empty truck and address it head on are sure to weather the storm. Stay strong, our time to shine is coming again...
COPYRIGHT 2012 Michael H. Komadina
Monday, November 12, 2012
Happy Veteran's Day
Happy Veterans Day!
18 Wheels of Justice would like to express our sincere gratitude to all who have served and are currently serving our beloved country protecting our citizen’s rights and freedom! God Bless America and the Armed Forces! For all our veterans returning from service, and returning to a slow economy, the trucking industry is hiring and training drivers. Becoming an OTR Driver is full of opportunities, good pay and security. There are many opportunities to buy your own truck and become an owner opportunity after a few years. The future is bright for you in our Industry!
I was blessed with spending opening week-end deer season with my Dad, two of my brothers and my 10 Year old son, Joe, at our family farm in Northern Missouri. After a very enjoyable week-end, my son and I embarked on our two-hour journey home on a rural two lane highway. With a ten year old boy, many rapid fire conversation start and stop abruptly, change course and reignite later at random times. One of many conversations involved the lines on the two lane highway. What do the dotted lines mean? Can I change the radio station? Why is there a dotted line next to a solid line? Look at that cow… Why are there two solid lines? Dad? Why didn’t they make this highway wider?
They made the lanes wide enough for a truck to safely haul freight.
Joe: Why is a truck that wide?
Because the machines they used to make railroad cars are the same machines they used to make trucks and trailers with.
Joe: Why are railroad cars that wide?
The axles and tools that were used to make wagon axles were used to make railroad car axles.
Joe: Why were the wagons that wide?
Because of the Romans
Joe: What does this have to do with Bible?
Nothing, the Roman Empire built Chariots and all of the major roads throughout Rome and much of Europe, and wagon axles were built the same width as the chariots. That way the wagon wheels would fit in the ruts that already existed in the road. The wagons would ride level and the wagon wheels wouldn’t break in a rut.
Joe: Do you mean the rut during deer season?
Not that rut, a rut in the road.
Joe: Ok, then why did the Romans build the Chariots that wide?
Roman Emperor Julius Caesar declared that all official Roman Chariots be built to the width of two horses. There has to be a standard width or nobody would be able to fit on the roads, it would be chaos.
Joe: Hmm. Look at that cow over there…
18 Wheels of Justice would like to express our sincere gratitude to all who have served and are currently serving our beloved country protecting our citizen’s rights and freedom! God Bless America and the Armed Forces! For all our veterans returning from service, and returning to a slow economy, the trucking industry is hiring and training drivers. Becoming an OTR Driver is full of opportunities, good pay and security. There are many opportunities to buy your own truck and become an owner opportunity after a few years. The future is bright for you in our Industry!
I was blessed with spending opening week-end deer season with my Dad, two of my brothers and my 10 Year old son, Joe, at our family farm in Northern Missouri. After a very enjoyable week-end, my son and I embarked on our two-hour journey home on a rural two lane highway. With a ten year old boy, many rapid fire conversation start and stop abruptly, change course and reignite later at random times. One of many conversations involved the lines on the two lane highway. What do the dotted lines mean? Can I change the radio station? Why is there a dotted line next to a solid line? Look at that cow… Why are there two solid lines? Dad? Why didn’t they make this highway wider?
They made the lanes wide enough for a truck to safely haul freight.
Joe: Why is a truck that wide?
Because the machines they used to make railroad cars are the same machines they used to make trucks and trailers with.
Joe: Why are railroad cars that wide?
The axles and tools that were used to make wagon axles were used to make railroad car axles.
Joe: Why were the wagons that wide?
Because of the Romans
Joe: What does this have to do with Bible?
Nothing, the Roman Empire built Chariots and all of the major roads throughout Rome and much of Europe, and wagon axles were built the same width as the chariots. That way the wagon wheels would fit in the ruts that already existed in the road. The wagons would ride level and the wagon wheels wouldn’t break in a rut.
Joe: Do you mean the rut during deer season?
Not that rut, a rut in the road.
Joe: Ok, then why did the Romans build the Chariots that wide?
Roman Emperor Julius Caesar declared that all official Roman Chariots be built to the width of two horses. There has to be a standard width or nobody would be able to fit on the roads, it would be chaos.
Joe: Hmm. Look at that cow over there…
Thursday, September 20, 2012
Cortes on Recruiting and Retention II
Return to 18 Wheels of Justice Home
Continued from Part I - Senor Cortes on Recruiting and Retention
Cortes may not have been the most qualified to lead the expedition. Though he was experienced and renowned for his courage, another reason for his appointment was his promise to help finance the expedition. Cortes emptied his personal wealth and poured it into the trip. He mortgaged his lands. He called on friends to both help prepare for the trip and to join his small army.
The first land Cortes and his crew of 508 men spotted was the coast of Yucatan, at one time the central nervous system of the Mayan empire. Cortes had ordered his scouts to the coast a month ahead of time to travel to the borders of the Aztec Empire to see what sort of trouble they might face when they approached to pillage the Aztec gold. They set up camp on the beach and prepared for the perilous journey ahead into the heart of the Aztec's and waited for the scouts to return to the coast with their report.
As Cortes' men waited for the scouts and prepared horses, guns and provisions for the nearly 200 mile inland journey, some curious local tribesmen had visited the encampment. The subject of Montezuma, gold and armies were the main topic of discussion. The locals told them of Montezuma's city of gold, the homes were decorated with and the streets were paved with gold. They were amazed with the white, bearded man's peculiar interest in gold. They also told them of Montezuma's fearless army, some 10,000-20,000 men strong by the locals count.
Within a few days the scouts returned, and they met with Cortes in the conquistadors large tent. Some of the Cortes' men, eager to learn what they were facing, hid behind the tent and listened carefully to the discussion. The scouting report was worse than any had imagined, Montezuma's army numbered well over 100,000 men, armed with spears, bows and arrows. Although the expedition was well armed with guns and a large cannon, victory with 500 men vs. 100,000 well trained warriors, seemed an impossible feat. Cortes took all of this in, swore his scouts to secrecy, and retired to his tent for the evening.
Cortes, meanwhile, weighed his options. He faced imprisonment or death for defying the governor, Velasquez, if he returned to Cuba. Cortes knew the want of gold and riches was not a big enough motivator for his men to face such a daunting task. They were Soldiers of Fortune, not the soldiers one needed in such a battle. All the gold in the world is worth nothing to a dead man. The best soldiers are the soldiers who are fighting for God, Country and for the safety of their homes and family.
Cortes decided to take a walk on the outskirts of the encampment and try and get a feel on his men and their morale. The men who had been eavesdropping on the scouts and Cortes, had of course spread the word quickly about the 100,000 plus warriors. Panic ensued within the men and everyone felt Cortes had surely lost his mind if he wanted to proceed, and there was no amount of gold worth marching into a certain slaughter. They knew his situation at home in Cuba, but they were merely following Cortes' orders when they set sail from Cuba, and felt any of the consequences of joining Cortes would be dismissed. The majority of them came to the conclusion, that life was good enough in Cuba, and it was time to return to their families and plantations.
Cortes knew his only option was to move forward with the expedition, he knew Velasquez's anger at his disobedience would be cooled off by returning with ship loads of gold, of which the Cuban Governor would get his fair share, of course.
Hernando Cortes had heard all of this mutinous planning discussed at length by his men well into the late evening. They had finally decided to seize all the ships at first light and sail back to Cuba, with or without Cortes. Cortes, in a bold stroke of genius, sent his personal entourage of 50 loyal soldiers to the ships in the darkness.
He ordered his men to set all 11 ships on fire and send them out to sea.
They followed Cortes' orders, set the ships on fire, pushed them out to sea, and watched them burn and eventually sink, in a glorious sight in the darkness.
The next morning, Cortes and his army of 508 men marched toward Montezuma.
How does this relate to the trucking industry's seemingly never ending battle with recruiting and retention? Join us here on Monday, September 24th to explore more on this fascinating subject.
Negotiating with Freight Brokers. Gain much needed additional revenue by learning superior negotiating skills - Order Today!
Continued from Part I - Senor Cortes on Recruiting and Retention
Cortes may not have been the most qualified to lead the expedition. Though he was experienced and renowned for his courage, another reason for his appointment was his promise to help finance the expedition. Cortes emptied his personal wealth and poured it into the trip. He mortgaged his lands. He called on friends to both help prepare for the trip and to join his small army.
The first land Cortes and his crew of 508 men spotted was the coast of Yucatan, at one time the central nervous system of the Mayan empire. Cortes had ordered his scouts to the coast a month ahead of time to travel to the borders of the Aztec Empire to see what sort of trouble they might face when they approached to pillage the Aztec gold. They set up camp on the beach and prepared for the perilous journey ahead into the heart of the Aztec's and waited for the scouts to return to the coast with their report.
As Cortes' men waited for the scouts and prepared horses, guns and provisions for the nearly 200 mile inland journey, some curious local tribesmen had visited the encampment. The subject of Montezuma, gold and armies were the main topic of discussion. The locals told them of Montezuma's city of gold, the homes were decorated with and the streets were paved with gold. They were amazed with the white, bearded man's peculiar interest in gold. They also told them of Montezuma's fearless army, some 10,000-20,000 men strong by the locals count.
Within a few days the scouts returned, and they met with Cortes in the conquistadors large tent. Some of the Cortes' men, eager to learn what they were facing, hid behind the tent and listened carefully to the discussion. The scouting report was worse than any had imagined, Montezuma's army numbered well over 100,000 men, armed with spears, bows and arrows. Although the expedition was well armed with guns and a large cannon, victory with 500 men vs. 100,000 well trained warriors, seemed an impossible feat. Cortes took all of this in, swore his scouts to secrecy, and retired to his tent for the evening.
Cortes, meanwhile, weighed his options. He faced imprisonment or death for defying the governor, Velasquez, if he returned to Cuba. Cortes knew the want of gold and riches was not a big enough motivator for his men to face such a daunting task. They were Soldiers of Fortune, not the soldiers one needed in such a battle. All the gold in the world is worth nothing to a dead man. The best soldiers are the soldiers who are fighting for God, Country and for the safety of their homes and family.
Cortes decided to take a walk on the outskirts of the encampment and try and get a feel on his men and their morale. The men who had been eavesdropping on the scouts and Cortes, had of course spread the word quickly about the 100,000 plus warriors. Panic ensued within the men and everyone felt Cortes had surely lost his mind if he wanted to proceed, and there was no amount of gold worth marching into a certain slaughter. They knew his situation at home in Cuba, but they were merely following Cortes' orders when they set sail from Cuba, and felt any of the consequences of joining Cortes would be dismissed. The majority of them came to the conclusion, that life was good enough in Cuba, and it was time to return to their families and plantations.
Cortes knew his only option was to move forward with the expedition, he knew Velasquez's anger at his disobedience would be cooled off by returning with ship loads of gold, of which the Cuban Governor would get his fair share, of course.
Hernando Cortes had heard all of this mutinous planning discussed at length by his men well into the late evening. They had finally decided to seize all the ships at first light and sail back to Cuba, with or without Cortes. Cortes, in a bold stroke of genius, sent his personal entourage of 50 loyal soldiers to the ships in the darkness.
He ordered his men to set all 11 ships on fire and send them out to sea.
They followed Cortes' orders, set the ships on fire, pushed them out to sea, and watched them burn and eventually sink, in a glorious sight in the darkness.
The next morning, Cortes and his army of 508 men marched toward Montezuma.
How does this relate to the trucking industry's seemingly never ending battle with recruiting and retention? Join us here on Monday, September 24th to explore more on this fascinating subject.
Negotiating with Freight Brokers. Gain much needed additional revenue by learning superior negotiating skills - Order Today!
18 Wheels of Justice Series available at: 18 Wheels of Justice
EMAIL - Negotiator@18wheelsofjustice.com
Friday, August 10, 2012
Need to reach Owner Operators? Drivers?
Advertise in "Negotiating with Brokers"
Negotiating with Freight Brokers - Special Edition Book & CD Package.
First 1,000 Copies given away directly to Owner Operators and Drivers personally by Author in September to promote the book and soon to be released ebook.
Ads will continue to be printed in all copies sold September 15th to November 1st.
Unique opportunity to reach your target audience, advertising pages will be on opposing pages only next to our most popular content. Ads will be placed on the Negotiating Strategies pages only. Advertisers will be limited by category. Ideal for all trucking and transportation industry advertisers. Anyone who wants a captive audience of owner operators and drivers, you will have their attention.
This is a professionally printed, attractive high gloss cover paperback book, included in a 9.5"x7" Padfolio with note pad and pen. This item will be used over and over for years and includes CD.
Same old advertising and approach not working? This will bring results!
Distribution Date September 15th, 2012.
Please see our Media and Advertising page for more exciting details - Advertising - Media
COPYRIGHT 2012 © Michael Komadina
18 Wheels of Justice "The Book"©
negotiator@18WheelsofJustice.com
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