With an estimated 890,000 new truck drivers to be needed during the coming next decade, now is a great time to invest in your own used semitruck and create a lucrative career within the trucking industry. After you drive your semitruck off the lot, take some time to deck it out. Doing so will optimize your work opportunities both right away and as time goes on. Here are a few effective ideas to consider:
Buy a Set of Newer Tires
If you want to make sure that you're on the road more often than not, some focus should be put on the tires of your rig. In fact, you'll find that large companies who hire independent truck drivers are willing to offer bonuses and incentives for maintaining high quality parts (such as tires) on their rigs to minimize the chance of breakdowns and flat tires that would delay transport times. If the front tires that come on your used semitruck have a tread depth of less than 4/32 inches, it is a good idea to replace them with less worn options. All the other tires on the rig should have a minimum tread depth of 2/32 inches.
With this kind of tread depth to rely on while behind the wheel, even if the tires you invest in are not brand new, you should not have to replace your tires again for many years to come. You may even find that you're able to deduct your tire purchase as a business expense when tax time rolls around. The bottom line is that an investment in newer tires should pay for itself within just a few months of working on the road.
Do Some Advertising
As an independent contractor, you'll have to advertise your services in order to grow a reliable customer base. A great way to advertise yourself is directly on your semitruck, as you'll be able to market your services no matter where you are while on the road. There are a variety of effective ways you can use your semitruck to advertise your services, including these:
By incorporating one or all of these advertising methods, you should be able to garner attention from a variety of potential customer perspectives.
Think about Expansion
It's a good idea to think about expansion abilities so you can accommodate customers no matter the nature of the products that they want you to transport for them. First and foremost, if your truck is not already equipped with hookups for a refrigeration unit to transport things like produce, you'll want to have these hookups installed as soon as possible so you don't miss out on work opportunities.
You should also set your truck up to accommodate you on long-distance trips by expanding your living quarters enough that you don't need to rely on hotel rooms regularly. Install a small bed frame in the back cab so you can store clothes and food underneath it, and keep a propane stove under one of the seats so you can quickly set up a small kitchenette when it's meal time. By installing a solar panel on the roof of your rig, you should have the power you need to shave, light your cab, and keep your electronics charged up.
You'll find that these tips and tricks are easy to implement, and they should enable you to keep you and your customers happy with your work. To find a good used semitruck, contact a representative from a company like Arrow Truck Sales.
Share30 March 2016
After I got a job at my uncle's car dealership, I realized that the majority of my job was going to be detailing car interiors. I was a little concerned about what would be entailed during the process, but I knew that I could learn. I started focusing on making things impeccably clean, and it was incredible to see how much cleaner the cars were that I worked on as opposed to some of my friends and family members who also worked there. This blog is a vast collection of tips and tricks that relate to cars, and some of my favorites focus on car cleanliness.
