Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/696174
To rise above the crowd as an inde- pendent requires finding your niche and properly quoting rates, says Kenny Long, who runs the Patriot Star small fleet. Long, who also produces the Truck- ing with Authority podcast, spoke at the Certified Master Contractor training event in May in Omaha, Neb. The five-day training seminar is produced by Kevin Rutherford, trucking radio host and long-time presenter with Overdrive's Partners in Business program. Long stressed highlighting your points of business distinction, incor- porating them into a business plan, and putting the plan on paper. "In a nutshell, it's a written sales pitch to yourself," he said. Once you begin operating with your own authority, flexibility and hav- ing a plan B is critical. "You have to 14 www.bigrigowner.com J U LY 2 0 1 6 Looking At You > By James Jaillet Honing your edge as an independent trucker