Fuel for Thought

Boredom

Downtime in the world of expedite trucking can drive some people away. Yes, there is downtime. Waiting for that next load leaves many bored and looking for a new job. Obviously, the best thing to do to fill the time would be to find additional loads, but that is not always the easiest thing to do. Sometimes you might have to wait for your next load, scheduled or not. When downtime is unavoidable, as a business owner, you can almost always find other things to occupy your time while waiting for the next load. 

Equipment maintenance tops the list of “between loads” activities. You might be running hard for the next week and your equipment needs to be up to the task. Check tire pressures, lubricate the chassis, get the oil changed, sweep out the back to be ready for the next load and clean all the glass, mirrors and headlamps. 

Bookkeeping for the previous week/month. Many dread the chore of bookkeeping, but if done at regular intervals, the task is less daunting and can be caught up in just a few minutes. It will also keep you informed of how you are doing with revenue and expenses. That “good” load that you had might not look as good after the expenses are paid or it might have pocketed you even more than you anticipated if you were able to deliver it with less expense.

Use the time to learn. There is so much information available online that there is surely something that interests you. Learn more about your industry or regulations (current and upcoming), read your truck owner’s manual (you will probably learn things about your truck that you never knew) or just find a good book. 

Instead of sitting around bored and worrying about your next load, find things to keep you occupied until your next load is available.

See you down the road,

Greg