The transportation industry is one of the largest sectors in the world. It takes many people doing many jobs to get a product from point A Add in the full supply chain and all its challenges, and the demand for talented people just grows. The good news is that you do not need to work for a company in order to get work. Many businesses and individuals in your country need professional drivers to transport cargo, furniture, and everything else.
So, if you found that working for a company is not rewarding and are hoping to kickstart an independent career (with dreams of your own fleet in the future), then start right here. This guide will help you transform your driving job into an independent career.
Get All Your Ducks in a Row
Before you take on any job, you first need to make sure that you have all the necessary licenses and certifications in place. Pick out the type of jobs you want to focus on first, and then get the license you need. Keep in mind that you may need a different permit to ship things out of state or out of the country.
In short, you need to know the legal requirements associated with the specific jobs you intend to pick up and be legally allowed to make those trips (especially if you’re crossing state or country lines).
Where to Find Work
Finding work needs to be a two-part process. One, you want to start building up your own network and client base. The best case scenario is for all your clients to hire you directly. Remember, of course, this is very hard to do, and you cannot solely rely on work this way – especially in the beginning.
The good news is that it’s easy to find shipping work and jobs for drivers near you. All you need to do is go online to the job boards. You’ll be able to narrow down listings by load and other essential requirements and then see all of the current bids for that job. Since those bids are transparent, you can make an informed decision regarding what you intend to offer and whether you can compete.
What you offer, of course, is your price. However, you can add more to your pitch than just a low number, such as how many people are working with you, what safety features you have, how long you’ve been working, and so on.
How to Leave Customers Happy
Having happy customers is step one. Once you wow them, you can then ask them to review you highly on whatever site they hired you from. You can even ask if they’d be happy to leave a testimonial on your siteor a review on Google. Offer them a referral code as well as a business card. The goal is to get your happy customers to hire you again if they ever need another professional and recommend your business to their friends.