Been A While

Its been a while since I have bern here. It has been a very busy few months. My truck is doing awesome, never drops below 30 mph going up the west side of Homestake pass at 88k gross.

I have 4 direct customers now that are going well. Every load has paid very well, even the broker loads. I have two trucks on the road now. Only took me two drivers to find a decent one. I have had no issues with a new MC like you hear about.

We now have 3 flatbed , one belly dump and we just acquired two extendable pole trailers. These have like log bunks front and rear and they extend to 70 feet long. Great for moving pipe, power poles and long steel or concrete beams.

Just about to convert an old dump truck we have to a tractor to put under the belly dump.

Lots and lots of paperwork. The telemarketing calls are out of control. Especially with the eld mandate.

Hope all is well with everyone. Have a happy thanks giving.

3 1/2 hours and no replies? Maybe you've been gone so long the new people don't recognize the famous TT Flatbed Master?

Welcome back to the fold, Pat.

Hey Pat I never talked to you much, but glad to see you're doing well! Congrats on getting everything going--it's obviously taken a ton of work. I'd love to meet you one of these days but we run different areas. Hope things continue to work out for you and your business thrives.

Happy thanksgiving!

Great to see you back. Glad all is going well.

Happy Thanksgiving to you as well Pat. Glad your business is progressing. Best wishes.

It's great to hear from you Pat!

It sounds like you're working your tail off, but I know you wouldn't have it any other way. Congratulations!

It's funny, when I started visiting this forum there were no flat-bed drivers in here. StarCar was a moderator who had done some flat-bedding, but that was it. Now there are a lot of us, and I believe our longest thread is all about flat-bed loads - of course, you know how that one got started.

Welcome back Pat, and Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family.

I'm glad to hear your business is getting a good start. May your future endeavors be profitable.

Thanks all. It has not been a bed of roses but I did know that going in. Some day I will have to write about it.

Getting new customers is a matter of keeping your ears open and jumping at the opportunity.

You have two ears and one mouth for a reason. Listen twice as much as you talk.

As for the new customer, I was noticing a specific town was having trouble moving loads. I know of this town and it is very small. I was there one time, to purchase my truck almost a year ago. I saw nothing there to indicate that they shipped anything from there so today I started asking around and found the shipper.

I cold called them and got the name and number for their shipping manager. Good thing too because he is half way across the country or all the way north and south. I was going to drive down there today as my errands took me within 60 miles.

After talking to him for a few minutes he was glad to hear that I was not a broker. He had to go but is calling back next week to set things up. Just today I saw loads posted going 6 different places. I can't cover them all at the moment but it is a foot in the door.

That makes 2 direct shippers in two months. It is a lot of work and late nights but I love the challenge. Sales is not my forte but I am getting better.

Just like the single guy sitting at the counter, don't ignore the small towns. They just may surprise you how much they pay.(tip) Better than the larger areas or the table of 5.

Pat I admire and respect your hustle. Best of luck for continued success.