4 tips for staying steady in a volatile trucking market

What's the most challenging part of being a trucking leader in today's market?

The constant change. The market, rates, costs and customer demands are always shifting, and you have to be able to adapt without losing sight of what it actually costs to operate. One of the biggest challenges right now is defending sustainable rates in a market where there can be pressure to operate below your true costs. You have to know your numbers, know your value and be willing to stand behind both.

What are you hearing from shippers right now, and have you made adjustments to your operations based on that?

I'm seeing more shippers wanting to have direct conversations with asset-based carriers. Companies I've been reaching out to for two or three years are now willing to have conversations about bringing us on as a carrier. I think shippers are putting more emphasis on relationships, reputation and knowing who is actually moving their freight.

For us, that's reinforced the importance of continuing to build around our strengths as an asset-based company and being very intentional about the relationships we're developing.

Is there a mistake you've made while running the business that stuck with you, and what did you learn from it?

I've learned not to ignore my gut when it comes to people. There have been times when I've put someone's experience or expertise ahead of what my instincts were telling me, and I've learned from that.

When you're building a team, you really need to feel 100% confident about the people you're bringing in. If you're already in an "I don't know" place, that's usually telling you something. Experience matters, but so do trust, character and fit.

How do you remain focused on building your business for the long term, especially when short-term headwinds like diesel or insurance costs rise?

I keep the bigger picture in mind. Almost everything in your home, your office and the world around you was brought to you by a truck at some point. Trucking is vital. It's necessary, and it's not going away anytime soon. There are always going to be difficult cycles and rising costs, but somebody still has to do this work. My attitude has always been: Why not us? That keeps me focused on building something sustainable rather than getting consumed by whatever challenge the market is throwing at us today.

For someone looking to advance their career to the trucking C-suite, what's one piece of advice you'd give them?

Be all in, keep educating yourself and build relationships. Go to the networking events. Talk to people, including the people you don't immediately think can help you. You never know when one connection will lead you to another opportunity or introduce you to someone who changes the direction of your career. Being a strong networker and genuinely building relationships has been one of the most important things I've learned along the way.