What The Truck – Start A Trucking Company From Home

Posted on Mar 6 2017 - 4:50pm by Editorial Staff

Trucking companies are great business ideas as there’s always a need for the service provided. Plus, they can be run from home, and have very few startup costs. So, if you want to start a trucking company, have a read of this guide:

Creating A Trucking Business Plan

Naturally, the first port of call for any business idea is creating your business plan. With your trucking business plan, you need to think about what you want to achieve with this business. Who are your main target customers going to be, and how do you plan on going about your work? Primarily, your target market will probably be businesses that get their goods shipped in bulk quantities and need a truck to deliver them from shipping containers to the main storage plant, etc. You also need to think about your work schedule, and the type of trucking you’ll do. Will you focus on long-haul work that has you driving long hours every day for one or two jobs or will you focus on short-haul and try to get multiple small jobs done per day. Of course, long-haul jobs pay more, they’re just more draining on your body. All of this has to be thought about and written down in your business plan before you begin your company.

(Picture: http://bit.ly/2lS1SdW)

Get Your Truck Driving License

The whole idea behind this business won’t be conceivable if you don’t know how to drive a truck and don’t have the proper license. You’ll need your commercial driver’s license, which will allow you to drive these vehicles legally. It’s suggested you go to a truck driving school so you can hone your skills and then take your test. It’s very important that you get comfortable behind the wheel of a truck before you start this business. Why? Because trucks are much harder to drive than regular automobiles. Any trucking accident lawyer will tell you there are countless incidents where someone gets into a trucking accident purely because they couldn’t control their truck as they were driving it like it’s a car. Don’t forget that a truck accident can be so damaging to your business. You damage your transport, meaning you can’t make deliveries for a while, which means you don’t make money and could anger many loyal clients. All of this can be avoided if you get your license and learn how to drive a truck properly.

Buy A Truck

Of course, once you have your license you need to go out and buy a truck. There are two ideas you can consider here; buy a new truck or a used one. A new truck has the immense benefit of being completely unused, meaning there are no miles on the clock. Compare that to a used one which could have thousands of miles on the clock, meaning it may not last as long as the new one. However, take into account that used trucks are far cheaper than new ones. So, it’s a catch 22, do you go for the more expensive, new truck? Or, do you save money and buy a used one that won’t last as long? In all honesty, it depends on your budget. If you’ve got enough money to purchase a new one, then there’s no reason you shouldn’t. With a business idea like this, your biggest expense is going to be your truck. You work from home, there are no office costs, this is the only thing that needs significant funding.

(Picture: http://bit.ly/2n5veFV)

Insure Your Truck

Furthermore, you will have to buy insurance for your truck in case anything happens to it. Remember, this is your most valuable business asset, and you can’t afford for it to break down or get stolen. If this happens, then you need a replacement as soon as possible. With insurance, you could get a courtesy truck that allows you to carry out your work while your old one is fixed or looked for if stolen. Insurance is absolutely essential, and you should find a package that covers your truck for everything.

Market Your Business & Find Customers

Finally, we move onto some of the work that you’ll be doing from home. Primarily, you should spend time at your home computer marketing your business to try and find customers. Easy ways to do this are by setting up a website and using online adverts. A website is like an online directory for other people to find your service. Adverts can find your target audience and get your name out there. There are loads of business marketing ideas you can use, and they’ll all be very effective.

Follow this guide if you want to start a trucking company from home and start driving your way towards a successful future.

About the Author

Editorial Staff at I2Mag is a team of subject experts.