How I started a trucking business. Where and how to open a transport company? Pros and cons

Trucking as a business is a promising investment. It is impossible to imagine modern life without cargo transportation. Delivery of goods to shops, medicines to pharmacies, personal belongings and other objects requires specialized transport. If you properly organize a cargo transportation business, you can get a good profit.

What services can a cargo transportation company provide

The main task of the company is to move cargo from one point to another. By the specifics of the activity, services can vary greatly. They can be conditionally divided into several types:

Moving objects to different localities in Russia. The service is often required for enterprises that deliver manufactured goods from a warehouse to a customer, to a retail outlet, to another warehouse, etc. The type and size of the transported cargo will depend on the capabilities of the machines available in the company's vehicle fleet.
Moving from one point to another. This can be a private, warehouse, office move, etc. It is necessary to transport furniture, personal belongings and other items.
Garbage removal. This service can be carried out not only with special equipment, but also with small trucks. Manufacturing companies and private citizens can become customers.
Specific cargo transportation. They are carried out in the presence of special equipment. For example, timber trucks, manipulators, etc.
Additional services

A trucking company, in order to generate more income and interest from customers, can provide the following additional services:

Loader services. Often, along with a cargo transfer service, loaders are required who can load objects at the beginning of the journey and unload at the destination.
Cargo packing. When moving, the service of packing things is relevant so that they do not deform when moving. This service can also be offered to customers.
Cargo insurance. With the help of this service, customers will be able to compensate for losses if, during transportation, the cargo receives any defect that depends or does not depend on the driver's fault.
Customs declaration. The offer is relevant when transporting goods between countries. Here you will have to draw up a package of papers for the declaration and movement of goods through customs.
Autoexpedition. This is a door-to-door service. All transportation concerns are undertaken by the carrier company. She arranges delivery without the presence of the consignor or consignee.

Registration of documents

The trucking business belongs to a type of small business, since the number of staff will be less than 15 people. So you can open an LLC or individual entrepreneur. Each option has its own advantages and disadvantages.

A limited liability company (LLC) is a legal entity that will be responsible for the company's property and authorized capital. An individual entrepreneur is a natural person. He will have to answer with his personal property. On the other hand, it is easier for individual entrepreneurs to open, close and keep records.

To register an individual entrepreneur, you need to visit the tax office at the place of registration. There, statements are written in the form of P21001. It includes data about the future businessman and OKVED codes. Before submitting an application, you must pay a state fee of 800 rubles.

After registering a business, the following tasks are performed:

becoming an employer registered with an insurance fund;
printing production;
establishment of a checking bank account;
ensuring the availability of accounting.

If LLC is chosen as the legal form, then it is better to choose the UTII taxation system. When registering an individual business, there will be a choice between five tax regimes. To determine the right one, you will need to take into account the number of units of equipment and many other factors. The most acceptable forms for individual entrepreneurs are STS and UTII.

Room selection

After completing the paperwork, the organization of cargo transportation consists in finding an office space and a vehicle fleet. The first space can be rented in a large business center. It will accommodate the dispatcher and receive clients. You can rent an office in a call center for a cheaper price. Dispatchers can comfortably accommodate 20 m2.

When choosing a car fleet, you should give preference to fenced and protected areas, which are located near transport interchanges. You can even pay attention to warehouses and hangars, which can accommodate a fleet of vehicles and premises for office workers.

If you have money, you can buy your own commercial space for an office. A large trucking company must have its own garage with a mechanic to repair and service vehicles. You may also need a warehouse where customers' goods can be temporarily stored.

Arrangement of a control room

You need to buy furniture and office equipment for the control room. This will require the purchase of chairs, tables, laptops or computers, telephones and printers according to the number of employees in the office. The Internet, telephone line must be connected, stationery is bought.
To receive clients, you need to install a small sofa in the office. You will also need a filing cabinet. The office must have electricity. The arrangement of the control room will take about 100,000 rubles. Every month you will have to buy additional stationery, pay for electricity, telephone and Internet.

Purchase of transport

When purchasing equipment for starting a trucking business from scratch, the size of the start-up capital and the nature of the services that the company will provide are important. You can have only one Gazelle in your fleet, or you can acquire a number of heavy vehicles. Used foreign cars are comfortable and rarely break down, but Russian cars are cheaper to repair.

For the transportation of goods within the settlement, "Gazelles" are suitable. They are maneuverable, so they quickly solve assigned tasks in an urban environment. They can be driven by a person who does not have a truck license. Such a machine is inexpensive to maintain and has low fuel consumption. To save money, you can install gas equipment on it. Buying a used Gazelle will cost about 300,000 rubles.

For the transportation of products, tilt machines are chosen. For large loads, transport with a trailer is suitable. Perishable food must be transported in insulated vans or refrigerated trucks. “Zil-Bychok” is perfect for crossings, as it has good cross-country ability.
For 800,000 rubles, you can buy a Mercedes / MAN car that can hold up to 5 tons of cargo. But with such an amount, you can only count on a used model, since a new car costs 10 million rubles. To drive a 5-ton truck, you need a license with an open cargo category. When buying such a transport, the range of services is wider, the ability to transport large masses and volumes, so the profit will be higher.

More than 2 million rubles will be needed to purchase 10 and 20 ton trucks. The highest quality brands are SCANIA and Volvo. The main purpose of such vehicles is the transportation of goods over long distances.

Trucks "Gazelle"

A full-fledged vehicle fleet for the transportation of goods consists of the following pieces of equipment:

small-sized machines up to 8 tons;
large-sized machines up to 25 tons;
cars with thermal booth;
special equipment, including lifting equipment;
container ship;
tow truck.

Staff recruitment

Conditionally, the employees of a cargo transportation company are divided into two categories:

Operator-dispatcher, manager, accountant.
Drivers, auto mechanic, loaders.

Support staff

The operator-dispatcher must communicate with customers, take orders, contact drivers, help other office workers in the absence of workload. The main requirements for the operator of the dispatch service:

correct speech;
sociability;
the ability to work in multitasking mode;
good logic and memory.

The approximate salary of an employee is 20,000 rubles.

A good manager is needed to manage an organization, write contracts, reports and other responsibilities. He can also handle the marketing affairs of the company. Main requirements:

work experience;
higher education in this profile (for example, logistics manager);
literacy;
responsibility.

His salary will be 45,000 rubles.

Depending on the size of the company, an accountant and a lawyer may be required. You can contact an outsourcing company for their services. In large organizations on the state there are medical workers who examine drivers before the shift begins.

Vehicle fleet for cargo transportation

Drivers

The number of drivers will depend on the number and type of vehicles. It is desirable to have 2 drivers for one large cargo in order to increase the speed of cargo delivery. If the company was to work daily, then each car would have to hire several drivers and schedule weekends with weekends. What is required from the driver:

open category for the required transport;
driving experience;
work experience.

The driver's salary is formed based on the work performed. For example, for an employee on a Gazelle, it can be 30,000 rubles, and for a truck from 70,000 rubles. The salary of each employee is average. The exact value depends on the region.

It will be possible to save money on car mechanics if the drivers themselves know how to repair the car. If not, he will have to be hired. You will also need to hire movers who are qualified and do not drink alcohol. They must be able to carry out loading and unloading manipulations manually and with the help of special equipment.

The choice of employees must be approached responsibly. You can stand out among other shipping companies with the help of high-quality service, which largely depends on the literacy of employees.

Advertising of a trucking company

Where to start a trucking business in order to provide the company with work and customers - with promotional events. To find customers, use the following actions:

posting ads on special boards;
advertising of the company on Internet resources visited by city residents;
advertising in print media;
distribution of leaflets near the salons of household appliances and furniture;
advertising in local media;
distribution of business cards.

It is necessary to conclude a contract with dispatch services. If you intend to cooperate with legal entities, then you need to send them commercial offers. You can offer competitive conditions and participate in tenders. Customers need to issue discount cards. Or order a batch of souvenirs or stationery with company logos.

The right marketing strategy can make the company a leader among similar organizations in the field of cargo transportation in the region. It is necessary to try to attract more customers, and to offer regular customers favorable terms of cooperation in the form of bonuses.

Is business expansion possible

If the company has reached the stage when all the resources for cargo transportation are fully loaded, then you can think about expansion. It will be aimed at buying new cars and developing new markets. It is necessary to purchase new cars based on the workload of a particular type of equipment. The development of markets is carried out in the following way:

opening an office in another city;
following new routes;
provision of various additional services.

To open a full-fledged cargo transportation company, a large start-up capital is required. If it is not there, then you can start working independently for Gazelle and strives to further expand your small business.

A trucking company can provide a wide range of additional services to generate more income and interest from customers.

Here you will learn about a trucking business, how to open it, start, you can download an example plan for organizing this business

Having your own business and working for your own profit is an idea that everyone can like. But just what kind of business to do? If you have the right to drive category C and B cars, then the answer suggests itself. You can organize a service that specializes in trucking. In order to open cargo transportation, you need to draw up a detailed business plan for your future enterprise, an example of which is presented below.

Where to start and how to start your own business

For many, the expression "I want to engage in cargo transportation" is a key moment in starting a business, but it is not enough just to wish, because you still need to know how to start cargo transportation from "scratch" and open your business correctly.

Your Jedi path should look like this:

Drawing up a business plan.
Drawing up all the necessary contracts and agreements.
Purchase of transport and, if necessary, special equipment: gazelles, trucks, Kamaz trucks, etc.
Registration of a cargo transportation business - we open an individual entrepreneur.
Renting an office (if needed).
Hiring labor (if needed).
Advertising your business.

How to open an IP

Of course, if you have any large organization, then you will already have to open an LLC. But if you decide to engage in small cargo transportation, i.e. have a small number of trucks, gazelles and staff (or do everything yourself), then you need to register as an individual entrepreneur. It's very simple.

How to open an IP for cargo transportation:

It is necessary to prepare a standard package of documents:
Pay the state fee.
Submit an application to the tax office, in which you need to indicate passport data, contact phone number, code of activity according to OKVED - for cargo transportation, code 60.24. Depending on the number of activities, there may be several codes. They are all located next to each other.

You can do all this either yourself or provide a power of attorney to your representative, which he did for you.

Business plan

Overview section of the project

This section indicates the purpose of the project, which is understood as the creation of the enterprise itself, which will provide cargo transportation services on medium commercial transport.

The scheme of the organization's work includes the receipt of an order by the dispatcher for the implementation of cargo transportation, then transferring the order to the driver and, accordingly, its execution by the latter. The enterprise should be focused on consumer demand, i.e. people.

Description of the enterprise

The cargo will be transported by a separate entrepreneur. In this case, this is the most optimal option, which allows you to reduce the tax burden on the organization and minimize accounting. In the event that an entrepreneur carries out cargo transportation in less than 20 vehicles, then a single tax on temporary income is applied to him.

Analysis of the freight market

Before starting your own business, it is worth conducting an analysis of the market segment. Cargo transportation is no exception. Opening the local press, you will see that there are not many ads offering this kind of services. Therefore, initially it is worth finding out:

who is your future competitor;
what machines he carries out cargo transportation;
who are his clients, what kind of cargo is being transported;
what is the cost of the services they provide.

After analyzing all this data, you can find out how to proceed.

If, after analyzing the freight market, you have not abandoned the idea of \u200b\u200bopening your own business, then next you need to develop an action plan for marketing and attracting customers. It must necessarily include the development, placement and distribution of advertisements for the company and freight forwarding services in the media. It will not be superfluous to distribute advertising leaflets, handing out business cards in those stores that sell building materials, household appliances, furniture. You can think over a system of discounts for regular customers.

Production plan of the enterprise

Before the start of the full-fledged functioning of the enterprise, it is worth purchasing several cars, which will be used for cargo transportation. You can take, for example, 1-2 GAZelles. You will also need to rent boxes for storing and parking your cars.

When you are just starting your business, you can refuel cars at retail prices at a gas station. If things go well, and you want to expand your vehicle fleet for cargo transportation, you can conclude an agreement with a gas station, according to which fuel will be purchased at a more favorable price.

As for the personnel, 1 driver and 1 dispatcher will be needed. The entrepreneur himself can act as a second driver. Cargo accounting can be handled by a specialized company. You will also need two or three movers. It is better to agree with them about piecework.

Enterprise expenses

Below is a list of estimated costs (in rubles):

Purchase of cars - 1,000,000
Office space rental (per month) - 10,000
Boxes for rent - 10,000
Fuels and lubricants - 40,000
Wage fund - 30,000
Advertising - 10,000
Other expenses - 20,000
Total - 1,120,000

It can be seen from the data that for the organization of a cargo transportation service, a start-up capital of 1,120 thousand rubles will be required.

Income

On average, a cargo transportation service earns about 150 thousand rubles per month on two cars. Net proceeds will be about 50 thousand. It turns out that self-sufficiency can be achieved within 2 years. In the event that cars are rented, the payback period is reduced to 3-4 months.

Cargo transportation is a rather promising type of activity. People living in villages, cities and towns, use the services of transport companies or private individuals to transport things and goods to different places.

At the moment, cargo transportation is in great demand in our country, so the number of companies offering their services in this area is growing every day. If you want to do this business, you need to take your place and try to organize work in such a way that it generates income, to create conditions that are fundamentally different from those of competing firms.

Trucking: a business from scratch

This is a rather troublesome and costly business. In order to get started, you will have to get your own car. If you are on a tight budget, then a Gazelle car or something like that is fine for the first case.

What is the job? At the first stage, a written agreement is concluded with the client. The next step is packing goods and things. On-time delivery plays a big role in this business: if you miss the delivery times at least once, the reputation of the company will suffer, and then you will have to re-earn a good name for the company. Unpacking and putting things in place - this work is performed by additional agreement with the customer.

How to open a trucking company so that the business brings real benefits? Transportation is often carried out by everyone who does not know what to do with himself. They put the dispatcher on the phone, take orders, but they are in no hurry to fulfill them. The cost of work very often does not coincide with the one stated in the agreement, so people are dissatisfied with the work of such "firms". The final amount is sometimes announced only when things have already been unloaded and the client has to lay out the announced amounts. To avoid such punctures, you need to build your work honestly in relation to the customer. Only then will people use the services of your office, and it will bring a good income.

The relevance of this type of business

It is difficult to overestimate the relevance of cargo transportation in the modern world. Transportation services are in demand more and more every year.

Until recently, the customer had to wait for their shipment for several weeks, or even months. Now the situation has changed radically. People began to value their time more. Therefore, they try to deliver the luggage as soon as possible. Regardless of the purpose of delivery, the relevance of transportation is growing rapidly.

It is difficult even to imagine what will happen if the freight market for any reason ceases to function. Life will rise, especially in big cities. Essential goods and food will not be delivered, medicines will disappear in pharmacies. The list is endless. Therefore, the importance of cargo transportation in the modern world cannot be underestimated.

Basic goals

Competent organization of transportation by vehicles of various types.
Delivery of commercial goods.
Office, apartment, summer cottage, industrial moving.
Transportation of oversized cargo.
Provision of trained personnel for loading and unloading operations.
Provision of services for the forced storage of goods.

The most important thing is to have perseverance and strive to achieve your goals. Confidence in yourself and your capabilities is also not in the last place.

Registration and company taxes

In order to open a freight forwarding company, you need. If you plan to deal with low-tonnage transportation, several small Gazelle cars will work in your fleet, and there will be a small number of employees in the staff, then in this case it is possible.

You will need to pay the state fee and collect a package of necessary documents. Their list will be given to you at the tax office. Then an application of the appropriate format is submitted here. It must indicate your passport details, a telephone by which tax officials can contact you, if necessary, etc. All these manipulations can be done by you personally or through a trusted person.

Every registered carrier must pay taxes to the state treasury on time. In order for taxation to be optimal, the following factors must be considered:

the scale of the future company;
types of transportation.

For sale.

Coffee machines as an easy way to make money. about the features of vending.

Types of taxation for freight carriers

... This is the most acceptable option. It means the following: you will be able to pay 6% of the total income of the company or 15% of income minus expenses.
General system. This is not the best option for small businesses. In this case, all taxes must be paid. In your case, this will be a direct road to ruin.
... It can only be applied if your fleet has no more than 20 cars. If you cannot choose the taxation system for yourself, the regional government will automatically transfer your company to a single tax.

In order to earn decently, make every effort to switch to a single tax. Do not forget to settle accounts with the state in full, and most importantly - on time. There is also the Pension Fund, which will also have to carry deductions. The size of contributions to the Pension Fund changes frequently, so it is necessary to constantly clarify the numbers that are transferred from the accounts of your company.

Where and how to open a transport company?

Room selection

You cannot do without an office space in which the dispatch service will be located.

The premises can be rented. The choice of its location must be taken very responsibly. Saving money by working from home will not achieve good results. The “home” level of work will not bring much income. If you do not have the funds to rent your own premises, you can rent an office in a call center. This will require less cash investment. The dispatch service can accommodate 20 sq. meters.

The office needs to be equipped. Dispatchers must have computers or laptops at their disposal. The presence of a printer and scanner is a prerequisite. Without a landline phone, work will not be up to par. The presence of two telephone lines is a huge advantage in the work of the company. The employees' mobile phones will be used to the same degree. It is advisable to purchase a walkie-talkie for negotiations between drivers and a dispatcher - it is convenient and inexpensive.

Staff recruitment

A company that plans to engage in cargo transportation must have dispatchers on the staff - at least 2 people. Their main quality should be good diction, excellent memory, communication skills and the ability to think logically.

A good manager will help to properly organize the work of the enterprise. A competent accountant will keep all the documentation of the company, and there will be a lot of it.

A prerequisite for successful work is effective advertising. Therefore, an advertising manager will also be useful.

Buying cars

Business in this area starts with buying a car. When choosing cars, you need to clearly understand for yourself what goals you set for yourself and what means you have. Used foreign cars are more reliable than domestic cars and more convenient to operate. But Russian cars are much cheaper to repair. At the same time, imported cars break down less often.

Which car to buy is up to you. Gazelles are often bought for cargo transportation within the city. Thanks to their maneuverability, they perfectly cope with the assigned tasks in urban areas. Gazelles are economical in fuel consumption and inexpensive to maintain.

If you are planning to transport products, tilt cars are suitable for this purpose. For large volumes of cargo, cars with additional trailers are suitable - in this case, the carrying capacity will increase to 24 tons. For perishable products, you need to buy special refrigerators or isothermal vans. For the transportation of furniture or office moves, a Russian-made car "Zil-Bychok" is indispensable. This car will drive where a large truck cannot move.

What kind of car to buy to develop your freight transportation business? This question is individual. One point is worth remembering for sure - in order to provide quality services to the population, it is necessary to have an appropriate fleet of cars.

Road transport services for the transportation of goods

It is very important if you can organize the work of a company that will provide clients with a full range of services. It will be nice if you provide the customer with not only a suitable vehicle, but also loaders.

Companies that specialize in this area provide the following services:

cargo insurance;
services for customs clearance of documents;
office, suburban, apartment moving;
transportation of oversized and heavy cargo;
transportation of dangerous and especially valuable items.

In order for the quality of services to be at a high level, it is necessary to adhere to the following rules:

develop a clear route to follow;
calculate the cost of the entire procedure;
prepare the necessary documentation;
carry out continuous control over the movement of cargo along the entire route.

Marketing plan for the development of the company

Before starting the paperwork for starting your own business, you must have a well-developed marketing plan. What does this include?

Conducting an active advertising campaign that will fully reveal the services provided by your company. In this case, it is necessary to involve the local media, arrange and distribute the company's business cards as much as possible.
For the near future, try to attract as many customers as possible and interest regular customers with beneficial offers and bonus discounts.
A well-developed strategy for the development of the enterprise, which will spell out effective measures to promote and develop business.

A well-designed marketing strategy and the right tactical actions will lead your company to a leading position among similar firms in the region.

Marketing research is needed before drawing up a detailed shipping business plan. These data will be the basis for the successful operation and development of the enterprise.

Financial issues: is it profitable to engage in cargo transportation?

You must understand that it is unrealistic to draw up a detailed financial statement to create a carrier company. To obtain specific figures, you need accurate data on the state of the future enterprise. An approximate picture will look like this:

Gazelle will bring about 10 thousand rubles of net profit;
Zil - Bychok - 20 thousand rubles;
a machine with a carrying capacity of 5 tons will give a profit of up to 25 thousand;
truck - 100 thousand rubles.

These figures show the picture of a company that regularly pays taxes and employees' salaries.

If you are planning to start a business by buying 2 cars, you will face the following expenses:

expenses for the purchase of cars - 900 thousand – 1 million rubles;
repair of cars and expenses for fuels and lubricants - 40–45 thousand rubles;
rental of premises - 10 thousand rubles;
boxes - 10 thousand rubles;
salary for employees - 40 thousand rubles;
advertising - 15 thousand rubles;
other expenses - 30 thousand rubles.

Thus, you will need about 1 million 200 thousand rubles. This is provided that you have 1 dispatcher, 1 driver and 1 loader on your staff.

If you need to bring in a second car, you yourself will have to drive. The accounting reports will be kept by a specialist from another firm. This scheme of work assumes an income from one car of 30 thousand rubles. per month.

All your expenses will pay off no earlier than 1.5–2 years. If you use rented cars, then this period can be halved.

More accurate calculations depend on many factors. So, one of the main components is the location of the company.

Drawing a conclusion, we can say that organizing a small-tonnage transportation business is a profitable and promising business that should be paid attention to aspiring businessmen.

Freight transport is considered a promising business. People living in cities and towns use transport services if they need to deliver bulky items. Therefore, potential customers can be found anywhere. This is very important for those who are interested in where to start a trucking business. After all, any product or service needs a buyer. The higher the demand, the more profit the business owner gets.

Where to begin?

The business of cargo transportation may seem very simple to someone. In practice, however, it is costly and troublesome. Unsurprisingly, only a few remain in this market.

So, the first place to start a trucking business is to find a transport. If the starting capital is low, it is recommended to start with a Gazelle car.

This type of business involves considerable investments, which will be spent on the purchase of at least a small fleet of vehicles, as well as parking rent.

A potential businessman has two ways to get a truck for transportation: purchase or lease. In the second case, it is possible to significantly reduce the initial investment and quickly achieve payback. Indeed, for a minimum profitability, it is recommended to organize a fleet of vehicles for at least six trucks.

Client search

This is the next important question to be answered by those who are interested in where to start a trucking business. You need to understand that in the absence of demand, you will not be able to earn.

That is why you need to choose the most suitable place and time to start your own business. In addition, you need to be prepared to withstand the competition that exists in the freight market.

Potential clients want to get the most favorable conditions for themselves: quickly, inexpensively and efficiently. However, compliance with such requirements will put the carrier on the brink of bankruptcy. We need to find a middle ground.

It is necessary to fulfill orders for cargo transportation with high quality. This will create a loyal customer base, which will become a stable source of income in the future.

What is needed to open cargo transportation

So, in order to start a business in this area, it is important not only to find transport and attract customers, but also to take care of the legal side of the issue. In particular, you need to register an individual entrepreneur. A license is required only if the businessman plans to transport hazardous substances.

The registration process includes several stages.

First of all, you need to transfer the documents to the tax office. This can be done in person, by registered mail or remotely using the website.
Then comes the verification of documents.
The final stage is the registration of an individual entrepreneur. This happens after the relevant information is entered into the USRIP.

Taxation

As you know, tax is required on any profit in the Russian Federation. To do this, you need to choose the most appropriate option. It can be STS, UTII or a patent for transportation of goods for individual entrepreneurs.

It is impossible to say unequivocally which option will be more profitable in a particular case. For each business, you need to perform calculations on an individual basis. Only on the basis of their results it is possible to draw conclusions about the advisability of using one or another taxation scheme. You need to decide on it before registering an individual entrepreneur.

By submitting the relevant application, the future entrepreneur must choose the OKVED codes of transportation. These are numerical values \u200b\u200bcorresponding to his activities. They are collected in a separate reference book. An entrepreneur just needs to select one or more codes and then indicate them in the application for registration of an individual entrepreneur.

Features:

Interested in where to start doing cargo transportation, first of all it is worth understanding the essence of this work. From the outside, the whole chain seems incredibly simple. Conclusion of a contract, packing and loading, delivery to the destination address.

However, there are many nuances that make up the specifics of the business associated with freight transportation. For example, delivery must be on time. This is very important, as failure to meet deadlines undermines the company's reputation by scaring off potential customers.

It is worth considering the possibility of additional services. Some clients need not only delivery, but also subsequent unpacking and installation of things. Such services can be fixed in an additional agreement and set for them a separate fee.

How not to do it?

There is an opinion in the market that the sphere of cargo transportation is preferred by those who could not find a place for themselves in other industries. These entrepreneurs are not ready to provide quality service. They register individual entrepreneurs, hire a dispatcher and start taking orders, but they are in no hurry to fulfill them.

In addition, they often announce the final cost after unloading things. Usually it differs significantly from the original in a larger direction. That is why clients remain unhappy and are not even going to recommend such a company to their friends. Accordingly, one cannot count on the effect of word of mouth.

When curious about how to start a trucking business from scratch, try to avoid such mistakes, including neglecting your customers. Otherwise, this activity is unlikely to turn into a stable source of income.

Relevance

You already know what it takes to open cargo transportation. However, it is equally important to assess the relevance of this business area. Otherwise, there is a high probability that all efforts will be wasted.

It is believed that in the modern world people especially value time, therefore high-quality logistics is important for them. The relevance of cargo delivery companies is growing.

To understand this, just imagine that this field of activity has ceased to function for some reason. What will happen? Goods will not be delivered to shops, people will not be able to transport bulky items, etc.

Cargo transportation is an actual business. But this does not guarantee profitability yet.

Should I start?

The business plan of a transport company can answer this question.

There are different opinions. Someone believes that cargo transportation can become a stable source of income. Others, on the other hand, are convinced that in order to make a profit, it is better to focus their own efforts on other industries.

In the case of a business plan, instead of subjective opinions, you will receive more specific numbers that allow you to draw conclusions about the advisability of opening a company in this area.

However, to obtain reliable information, preliminary work needs to be done. In particular, define the audience segment to which your services will be targeted, and then find out its needs and financial capabilities. Even the highest quality service will be difficult to sell if potential customers have nothing to pay for it.

Also, when drawing up a business plan in the field of cargo transportation, it is important to take into account the start-up investment. In this case, they will be significant. Since the business is related to the purchase of vehicles.

Staff

A freight business cannot be organized alone. At a minimum, drivers will be required to deliver the goods.

To ensure profitability, you need to properly schedule your employees. For drivers, it should be continuous. Therefore, for each vehicle, you will have to find at least two drivers with the right to drive freight transport.

You also need to hire one or more dispatchers who will take orders.

Each employee needs to pay salaries and make contributions to the Pension Fund. Therefore, you will have to hire a professional accountant.

How do I find orders?

Businessmen who start cargo transportation from scratch try to first assess the prospects with minimal costs. That is why at first they can do without a dispatcher and temporarily act as a driver.

However, it is impossible to grow a business without clients. You can start by looking for ads on the Internet. But you need to understand that this is a laborious way.

Aspiring entrepreneurs often prefer to receive orders for cargo transportation from third-party dispatching companies. In return, you will have to share part of your own profit.

An alternative option would be your own advertising. You can post ads on the Internet, try banners and signs. It is difficult to say for sure in advance which method will work best. However, the second option is considered quite expensive. It is not known whether these costs will pay off.

Important conditions

If you want to get a profitable trucking business, there are some conditions to be met.

Full load. The less free space is left in the car, the more profitable the transportation becomes.
Permanent job. The less cars are idle, the more profit they bring. Ideally, you need to calculate the potential demand at the start, and, taking it into account, calculate the amount of transport.
Maintenance. Do not neglect regular checks and maintenance of cars, especially if they are running at constant load.

2005 year. Several years have passed since the end of my studies at the university, but I still haven't found any sensible application. I am a historian by profession, but history did not interest me. However, since his youth, he has repeatedly noticed his interest in commerce, in managerial impulses and all kinds of financial schemes. While studying at the university, I created the Youth Public Organization "Our Choice" under the Committee on Youth Affairs of the city N (later they even prepared me for the position of Chairman of the Committee on Youth Affairs). However, at that moment I did not become well-fed with social activities, and the desired Mercedes did not appear either (I had a very big addiction to the automotive industry since childhood).

And then one day, driving along the Moscow - St. Petersburg highway on an autumn day, I noticed an insanely large number of trucks flying along the road. Apparently, at that moment the idea came to me to do the automobile business, more precisely, the business related to cargo transportation. I immediately opened the Internet, magazines, newspapers, in short, I was looking for information about what kind of business it is and what it is eaten with! As a result, I realized one thing - that I did not understand anything, in addition, either the former heads of the "Sovdepovskie ATP", which fell into their hands during the "times of general division", or criminal structures are engaged in this business. Something at that moment of enthusiasm diminished, but interest did not disappear, I would even say it increased. I even had to take a ride on the track, talk to the "carriers", they say, too, so, I want to buy a truck. In the next two or three months, I studied the type of this business and calculated the math for this project. I found out that there are two types of this "transportation" business. The first one is when you went, bought yourself a truck, put the driver behind the wheel, sent him on a flight and you sit for yourself, waiting for him to bring you a lot of money for your well-traveled flights (this is how I told you in a simplified version). This option was somehow not suitable for me, since there was no money to buy myself a used Mercedes, which I had dreamed of so much, let alone a truck! But the second type of this business somehow immediately attracted me. I thought, that's my topic! It consisted in the following ... All these truck owners, after all, are turning to someone for cargo, looking for cargo to load the truck and transport the cargo? That's right, they are looking for and find all sorts of different dispatchers (although in Russia there were several tens of thousands of them). The dispatcher's task is to find someone who needs to transport their cargo, and find someone who can transport it. True, there are still many details and subtasks for the dispatcher, but ... more on this separately sometime later. It was in this simple formula "out of thin air" that a small but frequent profit was formed from each flight. And the more trucks you load and the more often they ride back and forth, the more and more the profit.

As a result, I borrowed 50 thousand rubles from a friend. I registered an LLC (7,000 rubles), rented an office for a month (8,000 rubles), bought a computer, fax and printer (20,000 rubles) and, of course, connected to the Internet. I left the rest of the money for "pro-reserve", you never know what!

First work day. I am browsing the Internet. What I am looking for there, I myself do not understand. I climb on different sites (profile, of course). By that time, I already had contacts with several drivers, who agreed that if I had any cargo (for good money), they would be ready to transport it. So I'm surfing the Internet, looking for clients, so to speak. And suddenly, by accident I find myself on a site in which there is a large list of these drivers themselves and the clients themselves, and even all the contacts are, however, for a fee (guys who came up with that site, thank you so much, I will not forget you for a century!).

As a result, I paid a couple of thousand from my current account, got 30-day access to my contacts ... and off you go! This is where my work began. I call one, offer the cargo, call the others, offer transport. And so from 8:00 to 18:00 every day. And I am not the only one, there are thousands of them in the network and throughout Russia. After 18:00 I make up all sorts of lists (now these are databases) of drivers and customers who are somehow interested in my proposals. True, sometimes I had to lie, like the fact that the trucks are mine. Who else would work with me? One would think, another intermediary! Even though I was at that time. Well, what to do, it was worth starting with something.

As a result, in the first week I shipped about 8 cars and earned 12,000 rubles, for the second 12 more cars, and so on ... in a month I beat off the "debt" 50 thousand rubles and was very pleased! With accounting and reporting, thank God, my mother helped, she is my accountant with experience.

I work, I work, and in the middle of the second month I go to one customer who ships a lot of cars a day with his products. I'm calling. I suggest. They kick me off. Like, they say, "we have a cloud of our carriers, you were still missing here!" Okay, I think you are not alone in Russia. And I forget about them. Fortunately, this business allows you to cover a large geography, if only there is a telephone and the Internet. Then I found a couple of small customers and so little by little, "all over the world" like money began to appear.

Several weeks pass, it is already approaching the New Year. And then a call. A representative of that plant calls me that I was kicked off and says that they do not have enough cars before the new year, but they began to supply products to a new region and did not have time to develop connections with local carriers. They ask to help. I, of course, am not a vindictive guy! I agreed. But the representative says that we need to meet, discuss the nuances. I agree, meaning by this official acquaintance and the conclusion of a written contract with a price agreement. In principle, everything happened like this, however, in my office, and not at the customer's plant (which surprised me a little). And it was not for nothing that it surprised me, because at the end of the conversation I was told that the cost of each transportation to which I agreed should be increased by 1000 rubles, and this amount should be transferred to this representative personally and monthly as a reward for the provided contract and support For all questions. I took a couple of days to think. After consulting with "experienced people", I came to the conclusion "apparently everyone works like that."

The client really turned out to be a very serious client, I supplied 8-10 cars a day to only one of his plants with a profit of 2000 rubles. And there were three factories. By that time, I had already hired a deputy, an accountant, a couple of managers-dispatchers and a secretary-operator. The work was in full swing. I am constantly on the road, meeting new clients, carriers, constantly discussing directions of transportation, rates, resolving controversial issues, etc. In short, what I dreamed of was real business activity! Everything was going well, new directions in business were added, even the entire business had to be transported to Moscow. Of course, with most of the staff. Moving to Moscow was accompanied by emotional joy. Buying an apartment, a car, renting a beautiful and spacious office in a modern business center. In short, life has improved!

The business also grew, the company became recognizable in its field. By that time, the main clients already included Wimm-Bill-Dann, Russian Alcohol, Rostekloprom, Russian Aluminum, etc.

In general, an interesting story happened to Wimm-Bill-Dann. For a very long time they refused to cooperate with us in the field of freight transportation. And I got them so bad that they could no longer see me, except perhaps I had not spent the night with them. As a result, I was very familiar with the logistics department and its head, who would not mind working with us, but there are no instructions from above, therefore, there is no contract. As a result, in two months I "entice" almost the entire transport department with the head to my company. Of course, for very good money. And literally three days later, I receive a call from the management that almost the entire transport department has quit their job, and there is no one to deal with the supply of transport. As a result, now my guys were busy supplying transport to their former plant. As you understand, I had no problems and now my employees did not have this. True, all this was revealed after four months, in the end they were offered an even better salary, and they again changed employers. Although that was to be expected, since they came so easily, they should have left just as easily. But I made a lot of conclusions from this situation. First of all, I worked closely with the personnel and their motivation, so that in the future employees would not leave me so easily.

So 2006-2007 passed, then 2008 ended, and by the end of the year I felt that something was wrong. Clients began to pay for services in a strange way, or rather, I would say, they stopped paying at all. And .... here it is CRISIS!

Back in August 2008, our company created a new direction, more precisely, new relationships with financial institutions. The name of the direction: "Management of illiquid transport assets of banks and leasing companies." We understood perfectly well that the problems in the banking sector, first of all, would affect our company. By that time, we were planning to expand the truck fleet and were preparing for a deal with the leasing company "N" to purchase 40 units of vehicles. The contract value was about 4.8 million euros. Preparation and verification took about two months, then the leasing company requested additional documents, the consideration was delayed for several more months. As a result, when everything was agreed, and we were even given a positive decision of the credit committee with the signature of the management and the seal, and we were ready to make an advance payment, this leasing company sends us a notification about the suspension of financing, because the head office (in Europe) was not ready for funding. It became clear that if everything is so vague at the leasing company "N", what can we do with others! Then it was decided to start working with the banking sector under the program "Management of illiquid transport assets". By that time, the crisis had greatly affected the field of cargo transportation, and many companies that were unable to prepare for cost optimization measures and develop an anti-crisis strategy began to go bankrupt. Since our company mainly works with mono-customers (where at least 30 regional shipments are made daily from a client), we were ready for the harsh conditions of competition.

The leased property was seized and returned to creditors on a daily basis. Banks and leasing companies had no idea what to do with it, sell it? And to whom? All car dealerships and dealers themselves cannot sell their equipment.

We approached banks and leasing companies with a proposal for the management of these trucks. Our lawyers and financiers have developed several management options. Basically, we relied on the fact that when managing illiquid assets of banks and leasing companies, their balance of payments remains positive (we pay for debtors), delays in payments are significantly reduced, and assets are bought back at the residual value by our company over a year. These measures allowed many banks and leasing companies to get rid of illiquid (problem) assets.

This direction of "Management of illiquid transport assets" allowed our company to avoid risky investments, adapt to the crisis liquidity of transport assets and create the necessary fleet of vehicles, which is one of the most important competitive advantages in the field of road freight transportation.

Briefly, but this is one of the options for how we solved the problem with the lack of funds to increase the fleet.

It might be helpful to read: