Overdrive Magazine | Trucking Business News & Owner Operator Info
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/93143
DOLLARS & SENSE You can be a change agent O By Kevin Rutherford nly one of every five owner- operators tracks fuel mileage on every tank. That means most operators aren't working effectively to reduce their No. 1 expense. Only one in 10 produces and analyzes a monthly profit-and-loss statement. If you're not measuring your business, you're not working to improve it. Virtually no owner- operators receive any in-depth continuing business education. I know, because I have one of the few comprehensive programs in the nation and I train only about 150 owner-operators a year. So it's no surprise that many struggling owner- operators, looking for an easy fix, bounce from carrier to carrier, yielding turnover rates that are absolutely embarrassing. Fleets have lease-purchase programs that try to create owner-operators, but most are massive failures. The public perception Read further on leadership Scan the code or surf to your online retailer to download a copy of the "Tribes" audiobook by Seth Godin. If you are intrigued by his ideas, e-mail me at kevinonxm@mac.com, and I'll explain how I would like to start a program to create leaders in our industry. of owner-operators is horrible. Partly because of it, groups lobby the federal and state governments to regulate us even further. Honestly, I don't blame them. Look around. Our industry needs help – and I want you to help me make it better. The philosophy I have used over the years to help owner-operators improve their businesses and become industry advocates is based on a book by Seth Godin, "Tribes: We Need You to Lead Us." We need more of the common- interest groups that Godin calls tribes, and I want to help you create and lead your own. This industry Participation in continuing education, such as Overdrive's Partners in Business program, is one way to improve the efficiency of your operation and develop skills you can pass on to others. is full of great owner- operators who need to step up and become leaders. One benefit of doing so is that the best way to learn something is to teach it. By instructing owner-operators how to run a better business, I've learned much more for my own business. You, too, will see ways to improve your own. There are opportunities not only in terms of business, but also safety, compliance, efficiency and time management. You can start now with the carrier you are leased to or the owner-operators you spend time with. Here are some ways: program for new owner- operators with your carrier. Offer to be the first mentor, then find other business- minded owner-operators there and get them involved. training seminars within your carrier. specific area, and become the expert on that issue. carrier's newsletter or other outlets. state's trucking association. The opportunities for engagement are endless. Be creative. Kevin Rutherford is an accountant, small-fleet owner and the host of "Trucking Business & Beyond," which airs on Sirius XM Radio's Road Dog Trucking Radio. Contact Rutherford through his website, LetsTruck.com. December 2012 | Overdrive | 17