Meet Alex, Form 1 truck to 27 to Out Of Business

WEBVTT 1 00:00:09.759 --> 00:00:14.080 Come on, Hole Brook here with the road forward, and I've got Alex 2 00:00:14.160 --> 00:00:18.719 Chubinko with me, also known as the toe piglet. Alex, how you 3 00:00:18.760 --> 00:00:22.600 doing, good man? How are you good? Good, so this is 4 00:00:22.679 --> 00:00:26.199 this is kind of a fun episode. Like, Um, first I want 5 00:00:26.199 --> 00:00:30.120 to introduce Alex. so, Alex is, I don't know. I would 6 00:00:30.120 --> 00:00:35.119 call you like a master content creator on the Internet. Um, Youtube, 7 00:00:35.159 --> 00:00:38.079 I don't know. Are you a youtube influencer? I call you a youtube. 8 00:00:38.159 --> 00:00:41.439 You're way, way more of an influencer than I am. I wouldn't 9 00:00:41.479 --> 00:00:45.719 say I wouldn't use the mat word master. Okay, I would say I 10 00:00:45.920 --> 00:00:49.560 just started uploading videos for fun and then it kind of turned into something and 11 00:00:49.960 --> 00:00:52.439 you know, and it's like you you get a little bit of experience from 12 00:00:52.479 --> 00:00:56.479 there. So I would not necessarily a master, but proficient. Yeah, 13 00:00:56.560 --> 00:00:59.600 yeah, there, there you go. Right. So, Um, yeah, 14 00:00:59.600 --> 00:01:03.039 I guess all proficient at different things. So, uh, and Youtube's 15 00:01:03.039 --> 00:01:06.280 are pretty cool and to be proficient at. So I met Alex. I 16 00:01:06.280 --> 00:01:08.040 mean, if you listen to the show, we haven't had an episode in 17 00:01:08.040 --> 00:01:12.920 a while, Um, and that's because I got super busy as the host 18 00:01:12.959 --> 00:01:18.040 of this show, running a software company and doing a great job for our 19 00:01:18.040 --> 00:01:22.640 customers and I just I just ran out of time to go out and find 20 00:01:22.760 --> 00:01:27.159 great guests to bring onto the podcast. Um and so inner, inner, 21 00:01:27.200 --> 00:01:32.480 Alex. right. So I ran upon Alex. I just happened upon his 22 00:01:32.519 --> 00:01:37.319 youtube channel and this video where he's talking about how his trucking companies going out 23 00:01:37.359 --> 00:01:41.120 of business. So he built this whole Youtube Channel right around how do you 24 00:01:41.159 --> 00:01:44.359 start a trucking company? How do you run a trucking company? Like a 25 00:01:44.359 --> 00:01:47.959 lot of the stuff that we talked about on this show, maybe at a 26 00:01:48.000 --> 00:01:51.040 more advanced level, because a lot of times, for my safety and culture 27 00:01:51.079 --> 00:01:55.040 and and strategy and how do you differentiate and these kind of things, not 28 00:01:55.120 --> 00:01:57.120 so much about how do you get your fmsca authority and your d o t 29 00:01:57.280 --> 00:02:01.200 going and whatever. And so I reached out to Alex because I think his 30 00:02:01.319 --> 00:02:06.560 video is pretty interesting and I'm kind of like hey, Alex, like, 31 00:02:06.599 --> 00:02:09.199 if you don't have anything going on, I've got a podcast that you can 32 00:02:09.280 --> 00:02:13.840 run and a few other things that you could help with on our team. 33 00:02:13.960 --> 00:02:17.560 And he responded and it was like all in so here we are on the 34 00:02:17.560 --> 00:02:21.759 podcast. I think I called. I think yeah, because I get that. 35 00:02:21.800 --> 00:02:23.960 I get the automation that texted to my phone right away with the responses, 36 00:02:24.159 --> 00:02:27.360 and I think I was like, oh great, this sounds really interesting, 37 00:02:27.360 --> 00:02:30.680 because I just called right away. It was like a Saturday afternoon or 38 00:02:30.680 --> 00:02:32.360 Saturday evening, I think it was. Yeah, yeah, it was. 39 00:02:32.479 --> 00:02:36.280 And then and then we connected again. I don't maybe it was Sunday, 40 00:02:36.319 --> 00:02:38.319 I don't remember, but anyway, we kind of worked out the details and 41 00:02:38.360 --> 00:02:42.240 Alex was like what you're working on is pretty cool and I was like, 42 00:02:42.240 --> 00:02:45.240 Hey, your youtube channel is pretty cool, like, let's see what we 43 00:02:45.280 --> 00:02:51.000 can do together. Um, and so I all that to say introducing Alex 44 00:02:51.159 --> 00:02:54.759 as a new host on the road forward. Well, not full time, 45 00:02:54.800 --> 00:02:58.520 okay, you know, Flint, you're gonna be in here occasionally. Okay, 46 00:02:58.560 --> 00:03:01.639 we still do of course, but yes, for some episodes I'll be 47 00:03:01.680 --> 00:03:06.879 popping in here here, you know, every so often. But but yeah, 48 00:03:07.080 --> 00:03:09.840 I'm super excited and that I'm I'm pumped, Dude. I appreciate that. 49 00:03:09.840 --> 00:03:13.639 That's awesome. Yeah, look, this is gonna be so much fun. 50 00:03:13.639 --> 00:03:15.080 I mean you bring you bring a whole lot of energy to the team. 51 00:03:15.719 --> 00:03:22.000 You've already created some great marketing stuff for us on Youtube, some great 52 00:03:22.039 --> 00:03:24.080 content, and you were at the line whole summit. So, for those 53 00:03:24.120 --> 00:03:28.599 of you who don't know, we hosted the first ever, uh, two 54 00:03:28.639 --> 00:03:32.639 day meet up of Fedex ground contractors. I went phenomenally well. We had 55 00:03:32.680 --> 00:03:37.080 like seven people there, a lot of great content, a lot of good 56 00:03:37.120 --> 00:03:42.719 vendors, uh, good food, good drinks. I think everybody maybe got 57 00:03:42.879 --> 00:03:45.879 too drunk at the convention, which I think is a good thing. I 58 00:03:45.879 --> 00:03:46.800 don't know if I can say that on the air, but everybody was a 59 00:03:46.800 --> 00:03:51.240 little bit hungover, which is kind of fun. Um and so yeah, 60 00:03:51.280 --> 00:03:53.800 you you were there. You you videoed a lot of stuff, so there's 61 00:03:53.840 --> 00:03:58.159 probably more to come on that, right, right. No, definitely the 62 00:03:58.280 --> 00:04:00.840 UM. So I've been to convence and similar to this, but not necessarily 63 00:04:00.879 --> 00:04:04.400 so specific, like specifically Fedex. You know, Line Hall Um. I 64 00:04:04.439 --> 00:04:09.120 was at the mid America truck show literally four months ago in in March, 65 00:04:09.159 --> 00:04:12.879 I think it was Um and it's it's a very similar but all of the 66 00:04:13.039 --> 00:04:17.439 all of the vendors are basically more specialized for Fedex contractors. Um and and 67 00:04:17.480 --> 00:04:21.360 it's super important because, you know, again, Fedex does dictate. You 68 00:04:21.360 --> 00:04:24.839 know, it's like hey, here's how much this lane pays or how much 69 00:04:24.959 --> 00:04:29.199 these routes pay. So it's like using some of the tools that those vendors 70 00:04:29.279 --> 00:04:33.759 had to optimize your fleet and make it more efficient. It's like super phenomenal 71 00:04:33.759 --> 00:04:38.879 as of seeing how in depth some of those tools went. Was Really, 72 00:04:38.920 --> 00:04:41.480 really great, Beau, and you'll have some fun. You'll get to drink 73 00:04:41.519 --> 00:04:44.040 some free booze paid for by US, which is, uh, you know, 74 00:04:44.079 --> 00:04:46.120 which is always a plus. So, Um, yeah, look, 75 00:04:46.160 --> 00:04:48.360 I mean it was. It was a lot of fun. So, Alex, 76 00:04:48.399 --> 00:04:50.519 I want to take this episode, like, now we've kind of introduced 77 00:04:50.560 --> 00:04:55.639 you, I want to take this episode like a step deeper and dive into 78 00:04:56.319 --> 00:05:01.519 like your experience in trucking and what happened right like you went out of business. 79 00:05:01.680 --> 00:05:04.439 Give us the play bipolling. Wait, hold on, so you want 80 00:05:04.439 --> 00:05:06.319 me to do this story of how I went out of business, or you 81 00:05:06.360 --> 00:05:10.319 want me to like from way back when when I first started? Well, 82 00:05:10.399 --> 00:05:12.560 yeah, let's start from the beginning, like I want to end to the 83 00:05:12.560 --> 00:05:15.920 part where you go out of business. Yeah, okay, I'll do the 84 00:05:15.920 --> 00:05:17.839 short and sweet version. So I started, Um, I don't, I 85 00:05:17.839 --> 00:05:21.480 don't do truck normal trucking. It's like hot shot, basically a pickup truck 86 00:05:21.519 --> 00:05:26.879 with the flatbed trailer. and Um, I started as a company driver in 87 00:05:26.920 --> 00:05:30.000 the summer of two thousand and fifteen and somewhere in November of two thousand and 88 00:05:30.040 --> 00:05:33.560 fifteen I end up getting my own truck in preparation to become an owner operator. 89 00:05:33.920 --> 00:05:38.680 And then I, instead of going and hitting the road as an owner 90 00:05:38.720 --> 00:05:42.600 operator, I end up taking an office job dispatching my truck and trying to 91 00:05:42.639 --> 00:05:45.920 put a driver into the truck. And so for six months that didn't work 92 00:05:45.920 --> 00:05:48.959 out because the dispatcher pay was not enough and they didn't let me as a 93 00:05:49.000 --> 00:05:53.959 dispatcher. The company didn't let me dispatch my own truck. They didn't want 94 00:05:54.040 --> 00:05:58.319 like nepotism or favoritism or whatever whatever it is. They didn't want the like 95 00:05:58.399 --> 00:06:00.839 you to load your truck really well and then disregard all the other owner operators 96 00:06:00.879 --> 00:06:04.600 you're supposed to be loading. And the guy that was dispatching my truck wasn't 97 00:06:04.600 --> 00:06:09.199 doing a great job. And so, like, I had no experience and 98 00:06:09.240 --> 00:06:12.120 how to manage a driver, how to manage a truck. I didn't have 99 00:06:12.160 --> 00:06:15.560 any processes in place, and so for six months it was just like losing 100 00:06:15.600 --> 00:06:17.000 money. Basically, and so then I told them like, Hey, let's 101 00:06:17.040 --> 00:06:19.560 it, Bro I'm done, I'm going broke. This is ridiculous. So 102 00:06:19.639 --> 00:06:23.879 then, Um, you know the driver, he wanted to do something else 103 00:06:23.920 --> 00:06:26.680 anyways. So it worked out. And so I just ended up driving, 104 00:06:26.720 --> 00:06:30.240 starting driving my truck in the summer of two thousand sixteen, roughly, Um, 105 00:06:30.360 --> 00:06:33.920 and so from there I was an owner operator on the road, Um, 106 00:06:35.160 --> 00:06:39.560 I think, till the end of two thousand nineteen, Um, and 107 00:06:39.600 --> 00:06:44.759 then in I end up getting my own authority and actually going out as like 108 00:06:44.839 --> 00:06:47.480 my own company, booking my own flow loads, doing my own and voicing 109 00:06:47.519 --> 00:06:53.079 all that, and so so. And then in Um I was running under 110 00:06:53.079 --> 00:06:56.079 my own authority now and booking my own loads, and that's of course, 111 00:06:56.399 --> 00:06:59.639 and covid happens, and so Um, I would say that was the first 112 00:06:59.759 --> 00:07:04.160 time time where I was simultaneously concerned and grateful for trucking, because I was 113 00:07:04.199 --> 00:07:06.639 concerned. He's like, well, hold on, everything is shutting down. 114 00:07:06.920 --> 00:07:12.279 This is really scary. And I did end up, like I usually would, 115 00:07:12.279 --> 00:07:15.920 have a load for the weekend every weekend, like I don't like sitting 116 00:07:15.959 --> 00:07:20.480 the weekends, and there was only one weekend in March where I sat I 117 00:07:20.560 --> 00:07:26.160 didn't get a load and but that's it. The entire I was working. 118 00:07:26.160 --> 00:07:28.839 And so as I'm working, I'm still able to pay for food. I 119 00:07:28.920 --> 00:07:30.319 hear, you know, people are getting laid off, all this stuff, 120 00:07:30.439 --> 00:07:34.600 and so it's like I was and it went from concern to being grateful, 121 00:07:34.680 --> 00:07:40.360 like Oh, even in the craziest times, they're still work to be done 122 00:07:40.800 --> 00:07:44.600 and that's phenomenal. And so in you it's like, okay, this is 123 00:07:44.600 --> 00:07:47.680 actually a pretty cool industry. It's like, at the end of I'm like, 124 00:07:47.800 --> 00:07:51.079 Hey, let's let's try to grow something, right. So then I, 125 00:07:51.319 --> 00:07:55.399 you know, save up for one truck or for another trailer, and 126 00:07:55.439 --> 00:07:58.240 so then I try it out with a driver and then in the beginning of 127 00:07:58.240 --> 00:08:01.920 the year, in January of Um like, okay, great, we got 128 00:08:01.920 --> 00:08:05.720 two trucks meat and one driver on the road. And so then it's like, 129 00:08:05.759 --> 00:08:09.439 okay, how do you build out the infrastructure to run and manage a 130 00:08:09.519 --> 00:08:13.000 trucking business? Right, so you hire a dispatcher and then you how do 131 00:08:13.000 --> 00:08:16.720 you train dispatchers? And so all these things start to go through ahead and, 132 00:08:16.800 --> 00:08:18.120 slowly but surely, it's like, okay, then we got a third 133 00:08:18.160 --> 00:08:20.680 company driver and then I made a pivot. I was like, look, 134 00:08:20.959 --> 00:08:24.680 company drivers might take a really long time because you're tying up your own capital. 135 00:08:24.839 --> 00:08:30.360 So you're waiting to reinvest your thin margins from your one to three trucks. 136 00:08:30.720 --> 00:08:33.399 You're waiting to get that enough to where you get another truck on the 137 00:08:33.440 --> 00:08:35.679 road and to be really slow growth. And so somewhere halfway, you know, 138 00:08:37.639 --> 00:08:41.679 the in the beginning, first quarter two, in between first quarter and 139 00:08:41.720 --> 00:08:46.519 second quarter of the year, I'm like, let's take on owner operators, 140 00:08:46.720 --> 00:08:50.519 right, let's feed this thing up. And sure enough, once, once 141 00:08:50.559 --> 00:08:52.480 you start taking out o o operators, you realize like, Oh wait, 142 00:08:52.480 --> 00:08:56.080 this is actually really nice. I don't have to buy any trailers, I 143 00:08:56.120 --> 00:08:58.639 don't have to buy any trucks, I just build out the team and the 144 00:08:58.639 --> 00:09:03.240 interest structure in the technology. And so then that just works, finding loads 145 00:09:03.279 --> 00:09:07.080 for these guys. And so it started to work really well, Um, 146 00:09:07.120 --> 00:09:11.559 so well that like I ended up going through like fifty, almost fifty, 147 00:09:11.559 --> 00:09:16.519 owner operators, right, and so it's like that means fifty owner operators did 148 00:09:16.559 --> 00:09:20.399 all the onboarding, least on delivered a load and then eventually quit and so 149 00:09:22.080 --> 00:09:26.600 and that was all under one insurance company. And so when the time came 150 00:09:26.600 --> 00:09:30.159 to renew, which was, you know, to two months ago, we're 151 00:09:30.360 --> 00:09:33.960 down to seventeen trucks. So out of like fifty people that came through the 152 00:09:33.000 --> 00:09:37.840 company, only seventeen. Twelve of them were owner operators and five of them 153 00:09:37.840 --> 00:09:39.720 were company trucks, right, so really only twelve. So it's like my 154 00:09:39.840 --> 00:09:45.440 retention was really terrible. My Churn is really high, which is terrible. 155 00:09:45.519 --> 00:09:48.000 Insurances, like insurance, probably saw that and they're like God, no, 156 00:09:48.399 --> 00:09:52.639 like no, not even with a ten foot stick while I touched this company. 157 00:09:52.679 --> 00:09:56.440 And unfortunately the way they do that is they don't say no, they 158 00:09:56.519 --> 00:10:00.240 just give you a price that's ridiculous. And so that's exactly what they did. 159 00:10:00.320 --> 00:10:03.720 They gave me a price that was almost double of what my for the 160 00:10:03.840 --> 00:10:07.720 same seventeen trucks. It was almost double what I was currently paying. And 161 00:10:07.759 --> 00:10:09.919 then trucking. It's one of those things where it's like, you know, 162 00:10:09.000 --> 00:10:13.600 there's articles about trucking businesses, trucking companies going out of business for insurance, 163 00:10:13.679 --> 00:10:15.559 and it always never made sense to me. It's like, why are trucking 164 00:10:15.559 --> 00:10:18.759 companies going out of insurance? Insurance is not that bad. Now it makes 165 00:10:18.759 --> 00:10:20.519 sense. Now, it absolutely makes sense because at the end of the day, 166 00:10:20.519 --> 00:10:24.279 your insurance cost needs to be a fit like a rough person, like. 167 00:10:24.279 --> 00:10:28.600 It needs to be around ten percent of your gross revenue. It needs 168 00:10:28.639 --> 00:10:31.519 to be less than ten percent, right. So if you can get your 169 00:10:31.519 --> 00:10:33.720 insurance costs to five, six, seven percent of your gross revenue, you're 170 00:10:33.720 --> 00:10:37.879 doing really well. Well, insurance double then. So My insurance was like 171 00:10:37.879 --> 00:10:41.600 almost twenty percent of my gross revenue. It's like twenty cents of every dollar 172 00:10:41.679 --> 00:10:45.960 you make goes just to insuring the company. It's ridiculous, right, Um. 173 00:10:46.000 --> 00:10:48.519 And so, unfortunately, like I had no choice, I had to 174 00:10:48.559 --> 00:10:50.720 make the decision. So I ended up shutting down. It was it sucked 175 00:10:50.720 --> 00:10:54.320 because I had to lay everyone off, Um, you know, a good 176 00:10:54.360 --> 00:10:56.799 chunk of the more of the owner operators, and so they were contractors. 177 00:10:56.799 --> 00:11:00.919 But it sucked for the drivers. I really like all my like my retention 178 00:11:00.960 --> 00:11:05.120 with drivers was drastically different. Drivers that are hired stayed with me. One 179 00:11:05.120 --> 00:11:09.519 guy was almost two years, another guy was a year in four months and 180 00:11:09.519 --> 00:11:11.840 another guy was six months and he was like, I'm not going anywhere. 181 00:11:11.919 --> 00:11:13.480 Dude, Alex, you treat as well, you pay US fair Um, 182 00:11:13.559 --> 00:11:16.440 you take care of the trucks and trailers. You have a very refined system, 183 00:11:16.519 --> 00:11:20.879 dude. We I love it here. And so with drivers the retention 184 00:11:20.960 --> 00:11:22.279 was much better, and so I think I realized my strong suit was like, 185 00:11:22.399 --> 00:11:26.240 if I'm gonna give trucking another shot, it might be with with with 186 00:11:26.320 --> 00:11:28.519 company drivers, instead of with owner operators. Um. But so, yeah, 187 00:11:28.600 --> 00:11:31.080 I did. And and so I end up by making this this decision 188 00:11:31.279 --> 00:11:35.200 to not renew the insurance. And so that's when I, you know, 189 00:11:35.240 --> 00:11:39.240 posted on my Youtube Channel and Flint reached out and uh, it's it's awesome 190 00:11:39.320 --> 00:11:41.799 and like the cool thing that like really, I don't know, Flinn. 191 00:11:41.840 --> 00:11:45.720 Do you like hype yourself up or no, I don't know. What do 192 00:11:45.759 --> 00:11:48.000 you mean? Hide myself up? Well, like, like, I don't 193 00:11:48.000 --> 00:11:52.919 think you realized that, like a lot of companies don't do a tms with 194 00:11:54.000 --> 00:11:56.960 their own hardware. But on top of that, you know, and this 195 00:11:56.000 --> 00:12:00.440 is what I realized, they don't do their own navigation either. Nope, 196 00:12:01.399 --> 00:12:05.639 and navigation was actually one of the things that I struggled with a lot, 197 00:12:05.159 --> 00:12:09.039 and because it's like, well, we're in a pickup truck and so technically 198 00:12:09.080 --> 00:12:13.639 we could use google maps. And then you find yourself on on in New 199 00:12:13.720 --> 00:12:16.039 York State on a parkway and you're like, Oh, this is not good 200 00:12:16.039 --> 00:12:18.200 because the bridges are only eight and a half feet tall. So it's like 201 00:12:18.480 --> 00:12:22.279 and so it's like all, I don't know of any other companies. And 202 00:12:22.320 --> 00:12:24.600 this was this was why I was exciting. That's why. This is what 203 00:12:24.720 --> 00:12:28.120 the enthusiasm when you reached out, it's like hold on, like looking at 204 00:12:28.159 --> 00:12:33.000 what you're doing is like, there's a lot of potential here for to bring 205 00:12:33.000 --> 00:12:37.039 a ton of value to trucking companies. Why? Because I had seventeen trucks, 206 00:12:37.159 --> 00:12:39.559 like I guys asked me all the time. Hey, Alex, should 207 00:12:39.559 --> 00:12:41.960 I buy a trucking GPS for seven hundred dollars or should I use an APP? 208 00:12:41.960 --> 00:12:45.399 And it's like, I don't know what to tell them because their trucking 209 00:12:45.399 --> 00:12:48.960 GPS doesn't integrate with anything. So then they manually have to type in their 210 00:12:48.960 --> 00:12:52.639 addresses. It would be nice to hey, here's the dispatch and here's the 211 00:12:52.720 --> 00:12:56.720 Dang turn my turn directions. It's like, how easy is that? So, 212 00:12:56.039 --> 00:13:01.279 like all the things that you're working on combine together, Dude, it's 213 00:13:01.279 --> 00:13:03.639 phenomenal. It's gonna be something like I'm hoping it's gonna be some awesome yeah, 214 00:13:03.720 --> 00:13:07.000 well, absolutely so, like something. I mean this. Yeah, 215 00:13:07.039 --> 00:13:11.919 this was my experience too, and I owned a trucking company similar story to 216 00:13:11.000 --> 00:13:15.960 you right, like the market dynamics changed on me overnight. I didn't have 217 00:13:15.960 --> 00:13:18.679 the insurance problem, but all of a sudden, like we just could not 218 00:13:18.759 --> 00:13:24.080 run profitably like our you know, the market changed and people were running for 219 00:13:24.080 --> 00:13:26.799 the price of fuel and it just didn't make sense anymore. So we had 220 00:13:26.799 --> 00:13:28.480 to shut her the business. But Yeah, look, I mean I had 221 00:13:28.519 --> 00:13:31.720 the same challenge and that's why I started this company. was, um, 222 00:13:31.759 --> 00:13:35.360 I had four or five, six different systems. None of them talked to 223 00:13:35.360 --> 00:13:39.559 each other. They were all miserable to use, both for the drivers and 224 00:13:39.600 --> 00:13:43.440 the office staff. Um, it was just like it was a disaster, 225 00:13:43.600 --> 00:13:46.759 like there just had to be a better way, uh, to to run 226 00:13:46.799 --> 00:13:52.639 that business, and so that was really kind of where this whole idea for 227 00:13:52.679 --> 00:13:56.720 truckspy came from. But I'm curious, I want to dive in just a 228 00:13:56.720 --> 00:14:01.440 little bit more into your story, because you obviously ruggled with retention, which 229 00:14:01.039 --> 00:14:05.559 I think a lot of people in this industry struggle with. Very few people 230 00:14:05.799 --> 00:14:09.480 find a way to get that right. Uh. So, like, let's 231 00:14:09.679 --> 00:14:11.600 dig into that a little bit. Why do you think your retention sucked? 232 00:14:13.600 --> 00:14:18.039 So, I mean for owner operators specifically, I think the main issue is, 233 00:14:20.679 --> 00:14:22.399 Oh, you know, a lot of guys when it comes to hot 234 00:14:22.440 --> 00:14:26.440 shot, with trucking it's obviously a little bit different, but when it comes 235 00:14:26.480 --> 00:14:28.879 to hot shot, they think it's like, Oh, I'm gonna work my 236 00:14:28.080 --> 00:14:31.159 nine to five and then I'm just gonna go run a couple of loads on 237 00:14:31.200 --> 00:14:37.440 the weekend. Like now, that's not that's and a lot of times it's 238 00:14:37.440 --> 00:14:39.559 like, Bro, if you're not putting in three weeks on the road, 239 00:14:39.600 --> 00:14:41.919 it's not worth it, because then you're making as little as if you had 240 00:14:41.919 --> 00:14:46.320 a normal job. And it's like, if you're not doing long haul to 241 00:14:46.360 --> 00:14:48.320 make it more, or sometimes twice as much as your normal job would pay, 242 00:14:48.440 --> 00:14:50.679 it's like then, why are you doing long haul? Right, it's 243 00:14:50.679 --> 00:14:54.360 like the whole point of long haul is that you're making twice as much as 244 00:14:54.399 --> 00:14:58.200 you'd be making at a normal job. Right, it's like why do guys 245 00:14:58.240 --> 00:15:01.720 not like local because they're only making you know, the average salary or the 246 00:15:01.759 --> 00:15:03.919 average income of a trucker is like fifty six thousand a year. It's like, 247 00:15:05.120 --> 00:15:07.039 okay, well, since most truckers are local, it's like, well 248 00:15:07.080 --> 00:15:09.639 then, that's what you can expect when you're local. Right when you're home 249 00:15:09.679 --> 00:15:13.399 every night, it's like about a thousand bucks a week. And so when 250 00:15:13.399 --> 00:15:16.200 you're long haul owner operators, they're making two, three, four thousand dollars 251 00:15:16.240 --> 00:15:20.080 a week after all the expenses. And that's when long hall becomes worth it 252 00:15:20.120 --> 00:15:24.799 because for a very short amount of time you can set yourself up financially, 253 00:15:24.200 --> 00:15:28.919 Um, dig yourself out of a hole. Maybe that like that. It 254 00:15:28.919 --> 00:15:33.799 can be beneficial. But the problem is not everyone can do three hard weeks 255 00:15:33.799 --> 00:15:35.720 on the road, and so it's like guys are coming in, they're like, 256 00:15:35.720 --> 00:15:39.799 oh, hey, I got my pickup truck and Oh yeah, what's 257 00:15:39.799 --> 00:15:43.240 your family situation? Yeah, I got four kids and a wife and uh, 258 00:15:43.279 --> 00:15:46.840 and like and you're gonna be on the road three weeks. Like you 259 00:15:46.879 --> 00:15:48.639 know, don't be wrong, I was on the road, but when I 260 00:15:48.679 --> 00:15:50.440 was on the road I had one daughter and that's it. So my wife 261 00:15:50.440 --> 00:15:52.480 was okay with that, you know, and then, you know, when 262 00:15:52.519 --> 00:15:56.200 when my wife gave birth to our our other kids, is like, well, 263 00:15:56.320 --> 00:16:00.440 that's when I slowly started transition to get off the road right but still 264 00:16:00.440 --> 00:16:03.639 it's like I'm getting guys that are, you know, they're just not ready 265 00:16:03.679 --> 00:16:04.759 to be three weeks on the road. They have no idea what it's like 266 00:16:04.799 --> 00:16:08.360 to not have a beer every weekend with your buddies. They have no idea 267 00:16:08.399 --> 00:16:11.200 what that's like. No, they just they're stuck in their routine where it's 268 00:16:11.200 --> 00:16:14.840 like they wake up in the morning, they have a cup of coffee that 269 00:16:14.879 --> 00:16:18.279 they made or whatever, and they know they can live for Friday. It's 270 00:16:18.320 --> 00:16:19.320 like, Hey, I know Friday is gonna be there, we're gonna go, 271 00:16:19.519 --> 00:16:22.440 you know, to play some pool with my guys and, you know, 272 00:16:22.519 --> 00:16:26.000 drink a couple of beers. Like you can't do that. You can't 273 00:16:26.000 --> 00:16:27.080 do that, you can't see your kids, you can't see your wife, 274 00:16:27.120 --> 00:16:30.320 you can't see your buddies, you can't see anything. It's like complete dedication 275 00:16:30.360 --> 00:16:34.240 to the job and a lot of people underestimate what kind of told that plays 276 00:16:34.759 --> 00:16:38.399 on like a lot of relationships at home. Yeah, yeah, absolutely. 277 00:16:38.399 --> 00:16:41.840 I mean I think you nailed it right. Like the companies that are really 278 00:16:41.840 --> 00:16:44.960 good and they don't have, or I say really, you know, really 279 00:16:44.960 --> 00:16:48.200 good in the retention department have, I think, done like a few things 280 00:16:48.279 --> 00:16:52.320 right. They've figured out, whether it's long haul or local, they figure 281 00:16:52.360 --> 00:16:56.399 out a way to set expectations and find the right kind of driver for their 282 00:16:56.519 --> 00:17:00.679 company, for their role, and then I think that they do a really 283 00:17:00.679 --> 00:17:07.480 good job at supporting those drivers through that difficult period of work, whether that's 284 00:17:07.519 --> 00:17:10.319 long haul or local or whatever it is, like they find a way, 285 00:17:10.359 --> 00:17:17.960 both financially and, like the intangible part of management and support, like they 286 00:17:18.079 --> 00:17:21.720 make that they make those drivers feel like they're really a part of something right, 287 00:17:21.759 --> 00:17:23.440 which which they are in a lot of cases. And I think it's 288 00:17:23.440 --> 00:17:26.640 really hard. I don't know if what your experience was with this, but 289 00:17:26.720 --> 00:17:30.880 I think it's really hard when you're a smaller company, whether you're doing hot 290 00:17:30.880 --> 00:17:33.519 shot or trucking or whatever it is. I think it's really hard to build 291 00:17:33.559 --> 00:17:40.759 that culture in your organization, especially in transportation, because it's not like it's 292 00:17:40.759 --> 00:17:44.680 not like you've got the flexibility of having three hundred trucks right where, Oh, 293 00:17:45.160 --> 00:17:47.799 a truck's broken down, like we'll just swap some equipment. Oh, 294 00:17:47.920 --> 00:17:51.480 driver didn't show up or driver needs a weekend off, like I'll just swap 295 00:17:51.480 --> 00:17:55.240 my drivers around, like you just don't have that kind of flexibility. You 296 00:17:55.240 --> 00:18:00.400 don't have the financial and the human capital resources in the office to like fully 297 00:18:00.440 --> 00:18:04.240 support drivers. Right. So it makes in my opinion, at least from 298 00:18:04.240 --> 00:18:08.519 my experience, it made it really hard to compete with big companies in the 299 00:18:08.559 --> 00:18:14.759 market. Right. And another thing I want to add is, like, 300 00:18:14.920 --> 00:18:21.160 yes, big companies have have certainly done like they've they've won. Is, 301 00:18:21.200 --> 00:18:23.960 they've outlined expectations, probably a little bit better than I did. Right, 302 00:18:25.039 --> 00:18:29.160 for sure. Two is they are looking for the right people and they offer 303 00:18:29.240 --> 00:18:33.440 them support in the position to but three is, I think a lot of 304 00:18:33.480 --> 00:18:37.880 times they go for different customers, right. And so it's like these companies 305 00:18:37.920 --> 00:18:41.880 are going for the local customers. They're not going for the long haul customers. 306 00:18:41.920 --> 00:18:45.359 Right. And because I was spot market, basically, like spot market, 307 00:18:45.720 --> 00:18:49.279 I could go kind of where the load pays to go and that's it. 308 00:18:49.319 --> 00:18:52.440 I don't really have a choice. If it pays to go to, 309 00:18:52.680 --> 00:18:55.839 you know, California or New Jersey, I have to go because that's what 310 00:18:56.000 --> 00:18:59.240 it pays to go. Like they're not paying me enough to go to Oklahoma, 311 00:18:59.279 --> 00:19:02.279 because then I'm gonna Stuck in Oklahoma and I'd rather make money than not 312 00:19:02.359 --> 00:19:04.480 make money, right. So, Um, and so I think like when 313 00:19:04.480 --> 00:19:08.319 you start growing your fleet bigger and bigger and bigger, you can then start 314 00:19:08.599 --> 00:19:12.640 focusing on the customers. That can make it so your retention is better. 315 00:19:12.799 --> 00:19:17.119 It's like, darn it, but with hot shot. That's impossible. No, 316 00:19:17.240 --> 00:19:18.640 I just I just think it's really interesting. I mean we, you 317 00:19:18.680 --> 00:19:22.160 know, talk a lot about kind of culture and safety and all these things, 318 00:19:22.599 --> 00:19:27.119 and what's funny is when you're like in a smaller transportation company, like 319 00:19:27.160 --> 00:19:30.799 a lot of times that stuff is not even on your radar, right, 320 00:19:30.880 --> 00:19:33.680 and I from your experience it probably should have been, right. I mean 321 00:19:33.720 --> 00:19:37.200 I don't know if you were involved like you. I'm sure your company was 322 00:19:37.240 --> 00:19:41.799 involved in some accidents, right, and you probably maybe we're invited to a 323 00:19:41.880 --> 00:19:47.279 lawsuit, like. I mean should like, in hindsight, should you have 324 00:19:47.359 --> 00:19:48.880 been more focused on those things, on those things? Do you think you 325 00:19:48.880 --> 00:19:56.839 want to set you up for success more? Okay, uh UH. So 326 00:19:56.880 --> 00:20:00.920 that's tough, because I I didn't have any law suits. So thank thank 327 00:20:00.920 --> 00:20:03.440 God for that. Um, I only had one accident. Um, that 328 00:20:03.599 --> 00:20:08.319 was like a claim on the insurance accident. Driver pulled out incorrectly and ended 329 00:20:08.359 --> 00:20:11.200 up hitting a car, Um, and like totally messed up. It was 330 00:20:11.200 --> 00:20:15.519 a tacoma. Totally messed it up. Um. But yeah, I mean 331 00:20:15.640 --> 00:20:23.799 there's you underestimate as a company owner what like a good driver document can do 332 00:20:23.960 --> 00:20:29.680 for you. Are Good like company policy document, like Hey, here's how 333 00:20:29.680 --> 00:20:33.160 we do things. Every morning you do your preacher inspection and here's what that 334 00:20:33.200 --> 00:20:37.400 preacher inspection looks like, you know, and it's like Um. And so 335 00:20:37.640 --> 00:20:40.799 I think as a company, right, and I remembered what we were talking 336 00:20:40.839 --> 00:20:42.119 about as we were talking about like the number of trucks and whatnot, and 337 00:20:42.119 --> 00:20:47.400 so I I know why that is because you know, like you said, 338 00:20:47.400 --> 00:20:49.480 when you have four trucks on the road and one of them doesn't have a 339 00:20:49.599 --> 00:20:56.799 driver and is down, that's of your revenue and that is terrifying. That 340 00:20:56.880 --> 00:21:00.000 fourth truck might be your entire trucking company margin. Right. So it's like 341 00:21:00.039 --> 00:21:03.680 the three trucks will break even on your insurance and all your overhead, where 342 00:21:03.680 --> 00:21:07.079 that fourth truck will essentially bring in just the profit for the whole company. 343 00:21:07.160 --> 00:21:11.319 And so it's like you, you don't focus on building out or typing up 344 00:21:11.319 --> 00:21:18.640 a company policy document because that truck is sitting you need to get right. 345 00:21:18.799 --> 00:21:22.279 So you tell the guy and so you're doing more a like one on one 346 00:21:22.640 --> 00:21:29.839 for every little issue. Everything is a Um like single individual issue handled manually 347 00:21:29.839 --> 00:21:33.559 by you, whereas instead I probably should have done is like, let me 348 00:21:33.599 --> 00:21:37.319 just type up all the issues that I think could happen and then refine it 349 00:21:37.720 --> 00:21:42.039 with each hiring step, instead of doing each one manually and then going like, 350 00:21:42.279 --> 00:21:45.880 Oh, you know what, twelve trucks, I should probably get a 351 00:21:45.880 --> 00:21:48.920 company policy document. Huh. It's like no, no, you should have 352 00:21:48.960 --> 00:21:52.519 done that right away. Hired one truck and then refined it to to refine 353 00:21:52.799 --> 00:21:55.920 the three refined and then by the time you get to your twelfth one, 354 00:21:56.119 --> 00:22:00.640 this thing is gonna be wrong every time on board to drive. Or you 355 00:22:00.680 --> 00:22:03.519 say look, this is the two days of training or the three days of 356 00:22:03.559 --> 00:22:07.599 training that I give you, right, and it's standard across the fleet and 357 00:22:07.640 --> 00:22:11.240 you set them up for success like that's the stuff. If you go look 358 00:22:11.240 --> 00:22:14.440 at the mega carriers like J B, Hunt and Schneider, like it seems 359 00:22:14.440 --> 00:22:17.920 so stupid right, like we can sit here and talk about it, but 360 00:22:18.279 --> 00:22:21.680 they do that stuff really well. Not that they don't have retention problems, 361 00:22:22.039 --> 00:22:26.279 but they do that stuff really well and they manage their risk right. And 362 00:22:26.440 --> 00:22:32.480 Yeah, they definitely have retention problems. But the yeah, like and if 363 00:22:32.480 --> 00:22:36.759 you go through it, you're like this is so boring, this is like 364 00:22:36.799 --> 00:22:38.599 do you guys really have to explain this to me? And it's like, 365 00:22:38.759 --> 00:22:41.480 well, no, they don't, but you're gonna be mad when they enforce 366 00:22:41.599 --> 00:22:47.039 it. And so that's why they explain it, because you can bet your 367 00:22:47.160 --> 00:22:51.359 money that something's gonna Happen and you're gonna be like Hey, can you guys 368 00:22:51.400 --> 00:22:56.640 advance me this like cash right away? Like No, our driver documentary, 369 00:22:56.720 --> 00:22:59.720 driver policy agreement, says that we don't advance. It's like. So it's 370 00:22:59.759 --> 00:23:03.279 like and then, like, unfortunately, sometimes drivers will throw a fit like 371 00:23:03.279 --> 00:23:04.400 Oh, that's so dumb. It's like, Dude, this is why we 372 00:23:04.400 --> 00:23:07.480 went over in the beginning, if were you even started here right right, 373 00:23:07.559 --> 00:23:11.680 like yeah, there was tons of issues like that too, you know. 374 00:23:11.759 --> 00:23:14.920 So, Um, but so. But to answer your question, I think 375 00:23:14.960 --> 00:23:17.640 you asked it, is like would that have set you up for success? 376 00:23:17.839 --> 00:23:22.160 possibly. I think the main issue with hot shot is, Um, it's 377 00:23:22.240 --> 00:23:26.720 really difficult to get any type of freight consistency and tow from like looking back 378 00:23:26.759 --> 00:23:33.519 at it now. I saw like when semi trucking companies reached the twenty five 379 00:23:33.640 --> 00:23:37.599 is truck mark and at a peak in March of this year I had twenty 380 00:23:37.599 --> 00:23:41.960 seven trucks deliver in one month. Seven. So I was renewing my insurance 381 00:23:41.319 --> 00:23:47.079 at seventeen, but peak was twenty seven. And right around that twenty something 382 00:23:47.160 --> 00:23:53.079 truck mark, a lot of trucking companies start to switch to contract freight, 383 00:23:53.680 --> 00:23:57.160 which is they're starting to win contracts. So to answer the question of, 384 00:23:57.240 --> 00:24:00.119 like wood, doing those things in advance set me up for success, the 385 00:24:00.119 --> 00:24:04.839 answer would be no, because it's really difficult to get any level of contract 386 00:24:04.839 --> 00:24:08.119 freight. And hot shot. Yeah, well, that's yeah, that and 387 00:24:08.200 --> 00:24:14.000 that. That makes complete sense. I mean hot shots like obviously really tough 388 00:24:14.000 --> 00:24:17.640 because you, I mean, you have to play the spot market very what 389 00:24:17.839 --> 00:24:19.960 strategic league, as you can't, like you're not a tractor trailer. You 390 00:24:19.960 --> 00:24:25.000 can't just jump on there and take anything Um, and there's probably very limited 391 00:24:25.079 --> 00:24:30.359 number of of even direct customers that you can support. Like not very many 392 00:24:30.400 --> 00:24:33.119 companies, I've got to think, are are moving freight that can be moved 393 00:24:33.119 --> 00:24:38.759 on a flatband. hotshots right right now. What what's crazy, though, 394 00:24:38.839 --> 00:24:42.000 and this is this is where I was trying to get to, which is 395 00:24:42.039 --> 00:24:47.720 like I want to use the content that I upload right and this is why 396 00:24:47.759 --> 00:24:51.839 I was so aggressive in uploading youtube videos. I want that to be like 397 00:24:51.880 --> 00:24:56.119 my customer funnel. And so when, like towards the end, it was 398 00:24:56.160 --> 00:25:04.119 about Split or eight twenty maybe, was spot market, was customers, direct 399 00:25:04.119 --> 00:25:07.000 customers, and why were they reaching out? Because, like Alex, I 400 00:25:07.000 --> 00:25:12.160 watch the Youtube video and now I need this item ship. And it's like, 401 00:25:12.240 --> 00:25:17.200 over the course of about two years of, you know, consistently uploading, 402 00:25:17.680 --> 00:25:21.359 I was able to get so like, but we were gaining traction much 403 00:25:21.440 --> 00:25:23.640 quicker than we started out, and so it's like it was really coming to 404 00:25:23.680 --> 00:25:27.400 where it's like, man, if the insurance redual was like in December or 405 00:25:27.440 --> 00:25:30.839 something like, I really think we would have gotten to a point where we've 406 00:25:30.839 --> 00:25:37.519 been like direct customers and and if we had the capacity, and this is 407 00:25:37.559 --> 00:25:40.079 why, again, you want to build quick is because, well, you 408 00:25:40.079 --> 00:25:42.759 know, when a customer watches like it's not like the people that are watching 409 00:25:42.759 --> 00:25:47.000 me are only in Texas, where I am. They're not, they're everywhere, 410 00:25:47.200 --> 00:25:48.839 and so it's like you have to have the capacity when a customer callegy 411 00:25:48.880 --> 00:25:52.680 and says hey, man, I bought a flatbed in North Dakota. Can 412 00:25:52.720 --> 00:25:55.880 You bring it to me in New Jersey? Like you gotta have that capacity, 413 00:25:56.160 --> 00:25:57.279 and it's like if you know that you have, you got a guy 414 00:25:57.359 --> 00:26:02.960 going from Washington across the way to North Dakota to Chicago to deliver the load 415 00:26:03.119 --> 00:26:04.200 and he has a space to pick it up. It's like then you can 416 00:26:04.240 --> 00:26:07.079 tell the customer yes. So it's like it's a two edged sort of you 417 00:26:07.079 --> 00:26:11.119 gotta build capacity really quickly, but you also want to make sure direct customers 418 00:26:11.119 --> 00:26:14.759 can call you from all over the country with the content that you're uploading, 419 00:26:14.960 --> 00:26:18.400 and so it's like both of these things are happening super fast and you know, 420 00:26:18.480 --> 00:26:22.400 unfortunately, timing. Yeah, well, look, I mean that's that's 421 00:26:22.920 --> 00:26:26.000 you have an interesting point about differentiation, because I think a lot of a 422 00:26:26.039 --> 00:26:30.000 lot of companies, trucking companies especially, struggle with how do we differentiate like 423 00:26:30.799 --> 00:26:34.279 commodity, the freight market is so commoditized right like a drive in is a 424 00:26:34.359 --> 00:26:38.359 drive in point a to point B, loaded up, haul and deliver it. 425 00:26:38.440 --> 00:26:42.079 Done. We don't get paid dwell time because if you asked for dwell 426 00:26:42.119 --> 00:26:45.319 I'll give it to company B. So a lot of people struggle with how 427 00:26:45.359 --> 00:26:49.359 do we differentiate in this market? And you just brought up another interesting point 428 00:26:49.359 --> 00:26:52.799 in differentiation that I hadn't thought of. was, like content on the Internet. 429 00:26:53.160 --> 00:26:56.880 Right, like sounds kind of silly sitting here as a trucking company guy, 430 00:26:56.920 --> 00:27:00.000 because, like, who's got time to go around and film stuff, 431 00:27:00.000 --> 00:27:04.599 often produce it? We talk a lot about safety being a differentiator, but 432 00:27:04.720 --> 00:27:11.519 that's a really kind of a cool idea. Right, UM, right, 433 00:27:11.559 --> 00:27:14.079 and don't be wrong. It's not like the only thing I did that was 434 00:27:14.119 --> 00:27:15.759 different was, oh, I was uploading youtube videos. No, Um, 435 00:27:15.799 --> 00:27:19.440 I I do think like relative to all the hot, other hots hot companies, 436 00:27:19.519 --> 00:27:23.640 it's like I provided tracking with an automated system that I built on my 437 00:27:23.640 --> 00:27:29.039 own, like tracking on every shipment, live connected to the driver's Eel d 438 00:27:30.119 --> 00:27:33.160 seven loud location tracking. It's like a lot of eel these, like a 439 00:27:33.160 --> 00:27:36.839 lot of companies don't do that. A lot of EEL demnu factors don't do 440 00:27:36.920 --> 00:27:40.640 that. Like that. That's not I provided a picture of your load because 441 00:27:40.680 --> 00:27:44.400 we had flatbeds. Customers want to know how their load is put on the 442 00:27:44.400 --> 00:27:49.079 trailer. I provided a load picture for every load and I built that automation 443 00:27:49.200 --> 00:27:52.759 myself. So it sends the customer like Hey, driver's loaded, here's a 444 00:27:52.799 --> 00:27:56.039 picture of your load, and it's like, okay, right, it's like. 445 00:27:56.240 --> 00:28:00.079 So it's like I would say like like it was getting to a it 446 00:28:00.160 --> 00:28:06.000 where I was like also like one of the most technologically that's even possible, 447 00:28:06.000 --> 00:28:08.960 I don't think. And and then another problem that a lot of brokers have 448 00:28:10.440 --> 00:28:14.160 is they have to go chase down the carrier when the load gets delivered. 449 00:28:14.480 --> 00:28:18.359 Well, I had like when a driver, like a driver own owner operator, 450 00:28:18.400 --> 00:28:22.920 has to submit the bill to me to get paid, right. So 451 00:28:22.079 --> 00:28:26.119 carriers do that really well. Well, when the driver submits it to me, 452 00:28:26.319 --> 00:28:30.000 my automation runs it to send it directly to the broker. And so 453 00:28:30.039 --> 00:28:34.440 then they they get a notification your load is delivered, here's your delivery paperwork 454 00:28:34.680 --> 00:28:37.160 and on it says the person that received it, the date, at the 455 00:28:37.200 --> 00:28:41.400 time, everything they could possibly need. And so it's like I built all 456 00:28:41.440 --> 00:28:45.160 of those tools out by myself, you know. And so it's like, 457 00:28:45.480 --> 00:28:48.720 man, I didn't just learn how to do Youtube, I also learned how 458 00:28:48.720 --> 00:28:52.319 to actually manage a trucking business, you know. And and so I think 459 00:28:52.440 --> 00:28:56.480 that's some of those things that we're setting US apart. Unfortunately, it's like 460 00:28:56.960 --> 00:29:03.480 the churn, you know, kind of kicked my butt first before I could 461 00:29:03.559 --> 00:29:06.720 fix some of those other issues. That chard kind of got me first. 462 00:29:06.759 --> 00:29:08.759 You know, it's like Dart it, but but it was, it was 463 00:29:08.799 --> 00:29:11.799 fun. It's like it got me. It was I mean, I gained 464 00:29:11.839 --> 00:29:15.960 so much experience, so much knowledge, and it's like that's the and the 465 00:29:15.960 --> 00:29:18.480 main reason is now I can like provide trucks by value. It's like all 466 00:29:18.519 --> 00:29:22.839 because I was able to just put in the work, and that's and that's 467 00:29:22.839 --> 00:29:26.880 what it's all about, right like literally, entrepreneurship. You just what's the 468 00:29:26.880 --> 00:29:30.440 definition of an entrepreneur? You you find a way, and I'm gonna Butcher 469 00:29:30.480 --> 00:29:33.920 this, but you find a way to accomplish a lot with very few resources. 470 00:29:33.279 --> 00:29:37.359 Right like that, that is the path that you went down and it 471 00:29:37.400 --> 00:29:41.000 sounds like you learned a lot from it. Um, look, I think 472 00:29:41.240 --> 00:29:45.000 you're gonna be great on the PODCAST, Alex. so welcome to the team. 473 00:29:45.599 --> 00:29:51.119 Uh, I can't wait to hear more podcast episodes from you. Right, 474 00:29:51.279 --> 00:29:52.880 dude, I appreciate it a lot. Man Um, I don't know. 475 00:29:53.079 --> 00:29:56.519 You know, I don't know how much value I'll be able to bring. 476 00:29:56.880 --> 00:29:59.839 Um, you know, telling my story over and over. I think, 477 00:30:00.039 --> 00:30:02.880 flint, maybe when the time comes me and you open a trucking business, 478 00:30:02.960 --> 00:30:04.400 you know, you know, once, we once we sell trucks by, 479 00:30:04.680 --> 00:30:07.079 we build up trucks by, we sell it and then we open a 480 00:30:07.119 --> 00:30:11.160 trucking company and we show them how to do maybe, maybe, we'll, 481 00:30:11.200 --> 00:30:18.720 we'll put on the Vision Board. Well, Hey, look, if you're 482 00:30:18.759 --> 00:30:22.359 enjoying the show, we really appreciate reviews. There's like a little couple of 483 00:30:22.400 --> 00:30:26.319 stars somewhere beneath your episode, wherever you're listening to your podcast. Girl Down, 484 00:30:26.599 --> 00:30:30.759 give us however many stars you think we deserve. We obviously like five 485 00:30:30.799 --> 00:30:33.200 star reviews, but if you think we're worth less than that, feel free. 486 00:30:33.680 --> 00:30:38.000 We appreciate any reviews, Um, and look, we we really appreciate 487 00:30:38.000 --> 00:30:41.200 you listening. Alex, I gotta ask you, uh, since this is 488 00:30:41.319 --> 00:30:47.440 the road forward, what do you have on your radar for the twelve months? 489 00:30:47.480 --> 00:30:49.799 Your road forward for the next twelve months? Um, well, I 490 00:30:49.839 --> 00:30:55.119 mean, I'm I'm really excited about like truckspy. I think what you're what 491 00:30:55.200 --> 00:30:57.559 you're making, is actually really cool and it's like I'm saying it's cool, 492 00:30:57.599 --> 00:31:00.720 not because, you know, I'm doing the you know, the channel or 493 00:31:00.720 --> 00:31:03.599 helping out with the marketing. I'm saying it's really cool because it was actually 494 00:31:03.599 --> 00:31:08.079 a legitimate thing that my my transport companies struggled with. So, Um, 495 00:31:08.200 --> 00:31:14.440 I want to see like where, like we can go with trucks by and 496 00:31:14.480 --> 00:31:18.960 then from there, Um, I would actually like to take another stab at 497 00:31:18.000 --> 00:31:22.400 being a motor carrier eventually. Um, I'm certainly not ready right now and 498 00:31:22.680 --> 00:31:27.960 I want to. Um, I now have a more like a better understanding 499 00:31:29.039 --> 00:31:33.000 of how to differentiate myself, and so it's like I will be Um putting 500 00:31:33.119 --> 00:31:38.559 making sure that differentiation sets me aside, like sets me apart from the competition, 501 00:31:38.839 --> 00:31:41.279 so that maybe I don't have to be on the spot market anymore. 502 00:31:41.680 --> 00:31:45.880 Um. So that's definitely in consideration, but probably probably about eight to ten 503 00:31:45.960 --> 00:31:49.920 months out for sure. Um. So in the short term definitely want to 504 00:31:49.920 --> 00:31:52.960 help trucks by and then in the long term I want to open my own 505 00:31:53.000 --> 00:31:57.960 carrier company again and actually install trucks by and be a user of trucks by 506 00:31:59.200 --> 00:32:00.960 and giving all I want to give you live feedback, you know, because 507 00:32:01.359 --> 00:32:07.319 like as good as it is with software. It's never finished. There's always 508 00:32:07.359 --> 00:32:09.160 there's always all right. So it's like I actually want to be a user 509 00:32:09.279 --> 00:32:12.519 as well, you know, I want to be like that. I think 510 00:32:12.519 --> 00:32:15.680 it would be really cool and then like give you live feedback to of like, 511 00:32:15.000 --> 00:32:17.559 you know, maybe what drivers are recommending to you know, to me, 512 00:32:17.640 --> 00:32:21.720 and so I it's gonna be super interesting, but that's that's kind of 513 00:32:21.720 --> 00:32:23.880 what I want to do. I want to like blow up trucks by like 514 00:32:23.960 --> 00:32:28.160 make it huge, make it awesome, and then from their open my own 515 00:32:28.200 --> 00:32:30.359 care company and be a customer as well. I love it. I love 516 00:32:30.359 --> 00:32:34.000 it. I like think so much for making some time. This was a 517 00:32:34.039 --> 00:32:37.359 really fun episode. I agree, Dude. Thank you so much for having 518 00:32:37.359 --> 00:32:38.200 me. Yes, sir, all right, thank you.