From the Road
Straight talk from the owner of Houser Family LLC — how he runs his trucks, in his own words.
Manage Your Fuel
Manage your fuel consumption — it’s the largest bill you have.
Owners understand that every truck driven 11 hours a day and idling 14 hours a night will use an excess of fuel, in addition to having to be repaired.
Drivers
Fill up at large truck stop chains for the shower and the points credits.
Owners
Fill at the cheapest place and pay for a shower.
Are You a Driver or a Business?
It comes down to the everyday decisions:
Drivers idle all the time, regardless of weather conditions.
Drivers
Will sit and wait for a road call for a blown tire.
Owner-operators
Will drive there and have a spare on board.
Owners carry spare filters and belts and parts, so they get the lowest price — starters, AC compressors.
Drivers
Expect a set check amount every pay period.
Owners
Understand that some months are lighter than others. Some months are heavier.
Drivers don’t take responsibility for breakdowns and lost wages due to repair bills. Owners do.
Preventive Maintenance
Drivers don’t want to do regular PMs on their trucks. Owners realize that truck is the thing that is allowing you to generate $20,000 to $40,000 per month in gross revenue.
Trucks need an oil change every 15,000 miles.
That’s 5 trips from WA to AZ and back, or 3 round trips to TX.
Tires
The second easiest expense to mitigate is tires.
Early detection of a low tire can save you the cost of a replacement, a road call, or trailer cross members.
Haul with us
That’s the standard we run our own trucks by. If you want your freight moved by a carrier that treats equipment and costs like a business, get in touch.