How I started a trucking business. Where and how to open a transport company? Advantages and disadvantages

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

What services can a shipping company provide?

The main task of the company is the movement of goods from one point to another. The specifics of the activities of the services can vary greatly. Conventionally, they can be divided into several types:

Moving objects to various settlements in Russia. The service is often required for enterprises that deliver manufactured goods from a warehouse to a customer, in outlet, to another warehouse, etc. The type and size of the transported cargo will depend on the capabilities of the vehicles available in the company's fleet.
Moving from one point to another. It 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 in the presence of special equipment, but also small trucks. Manufacturing companies and private citizens can become customers.
Specific shipping. They are carried out with special equipment. For example, timber trucks, manipulators, etc.
Additional services

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

Services of loaders. Often, along with the service of moving cargo, movers 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 during the move. This service can also be offered to clients.
Cargo insurance. With this service, customers will be able to recover damages if the goods receive any defect during transportation, depending or not dependent on the fault of the driver.
Customs declaration. The offer is relevant for the transportation of goods between countries. Here you will have to draw up a package of papers for the declaration and movement of goods through customs.
Auto forwarding. This is a door-to-door service. All transportation concerns are taken over by the carrier company. It arranges delivery without the presence of the consignor or consignee.

Registration of documents

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

Society with limited liability(LLC) is a legal entity that will be liable with the property of the company and authorized capital. Individual entrepreneur is an individual. He will have to answer with his personal property. But IP is easier to open, close and keep records.

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

After registering a business, perform the following tasks:

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

If as legal form LLC is selected, it is better to choose the UTII taxation system. When registering a sole proprietorship, there will be a choice between five tax regimes. To determine the appropriate one, it will be necessary to take into account the number of pieces of equipment and many other factors. The most acceptable forms for individual entrepreneurs are the simplified tax system and UTII.

Room selection

After completing the paperwork, the organization of cargo transportation consists in finding an office space and a fleet of vehicles. The first room can be rented in a large business center. It will house the dispatcher and will receive customers. It is cheaper to rent an office in a call center. Dispatchers can comfortably accommodate on 20 m2.

When choosing a fleet, preference should be given to fenced and guarded areas that are located close to transport interchanges. You can even pay attention to warehouses and hangars, which can accommodate a fleet of vehicles and premises for office workers.

In the presence of Money you can buy your own commercial space for office. At big company the trucking company should have its own garage with a mechanic to repair and maintain the transport. You may also need a warehouse where the goods of customers can temporarily be located.

Arrangement of the control room

In the control room you need to purchase furniture and office equipment. This will require the purchase of chairs, tables, laptops or computers, telephones and printers according to the number of employees in the office. Be sure to connect the Internet, a telephone line, buy stationery.
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

During the acquisition of equipment for starting a cargo transportation 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 get a number of heavy vehicles. Used foreign cars are comfortable and rarely break down, but Russian cars are cheaper to repair.

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

For transportation of products choose tent cars. For larger loads, a trailer is suitable. Perishable products must be transported in isothermal vans or refrigerators. Zil-Bychok is perfect for moving, as it has good cross-country ability.
For 800,000 thousand 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 transport, the range of services is wider, the ability to carry large masses and volumes, so the profit will be higher.

For the purchase of 10 and 20 tons, more than 2 million rubles will be needed. 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 truck fleet for the transportation of goods consists of the following pieces of equipment:

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

Recruitment

Conventionally, 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 others office workers when there is no load. The main requirements for the operator of the dispatch service:

correct speech;
sociability;
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 the organization, draw up contracts, reports and other duties. He can also deal with the marketing affairs of the company. Main requirements:

work experience;
higher education in this profile(for example, a 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. For their services, you can contact an outsourcing company. Large organizations in the state have medical workers who inspect drivers before the start of the shift.

Car park 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 heavy truck in order to increase the speed of cargo delivery. If the company works every day, then each car will have to hire several drivers and schedule working days with weekends. What is required from the driver:

open category for the desired 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 on a truck from 70,000 rubles. The salary of each employee is average. The exact amount varies by region.

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

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

Trucking company advertisement

How to start a cargo transportation business in order to provide the company with work and customers - with promotional events. To search for clients, use the following steps:

posting ads on special boards;
company advertising in Internet resources visited by city residents;
advertising in print media;
distribution of leaflets near salons 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.

correct marketing strategy is able to make the company a leader among similar organizations for cargo transportation in the region. We need to try to attract more customers, and offer regular customers favorable conditions for 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 expanding. It will be directed to the purchase of new machines and the development of new markets. It is necessary to acquire new machines, based on the workload of a particular type of equipment. Market development 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 trucking company, you will need a large start-up capital. If it is not there, then you can start working on your own at the Gazelle and strive 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 business in cargo transportation, how to open it, start it, 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 enjoy. But just what kind of business to do? If you have the right to drive a car of category "C" and "B", then the answer suggests itself. You can organize a service that specializes in cargo transportation. 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 open your own business

For many, the expression "I want to do trucking" is key point in starting a business, but it’s not enough just to wish, because you still need to know how to start cargo transportation from scratch and open your business the right way.

Your "Jedi" path should look like this:

Drawing up a business plan.
Drafting of all 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 IP.
Office rent (if needed).
Hiring work force(if needed).
Advertising your business.

How to open an IP

Of course, if you have some kind of large organization, then you will already have to open an LLC. But if you decide to do small cargo transportation, i.e. have a small number of trucks, gazelles and staff (or even do everything on your own), 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 state duty.
Submit an application to the tax office, in which you need to indicate passport data, contact phone number, OKVED activity code - code 60.24 for cargo transportation. Depending on the number of activities, there may be several codes. They are all located nearby.

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 refers to the creation of the enterprise itself, which will be engaged in the provision of cargo transportation services on medium commercial vehicles.

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

Description of the enterprise

Cargo transportation will be carried out 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 single tax for temporary income.

Freight market analysis

Before you start your own business, it is worth doing a market segment analysis. Is no exception here and cargo transportation. Opening the local press, you will see that there are not so many ads offering this kind of service. Therefore, you should first find out:

who is your future competitor;
on what machines he carries out cargo transportation;
who are his clients, what cargoes he transports;
what is the cost of their services.

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

If, after analyzing the freight market, you have not abandoned the idea of opening 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 advertising of the enterprise and cargo transportation services in the media. It will not be superfluous to distribute flyers, distribute business cards in those stores that sell building materials, household appliances, furniture. You can think of a system of discounts for regular customers.

Enterprise production plan

Before the full functioning of the enterprise, it is worth buying several cars, on which cargo transportation will be carried out. 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 fill up cars at a retail price at a gas station. If things go well and you want to expand your trucking fleet, you can conclude an agreement with gas stations, according to which fuel will be purchased at a better price.

As for the personnel, 1 driver, 1 dispatcher will be needed. The entrepreneur himself can act as a second driver. Accounting cargo transportation can be handled by a company specializing in this. You will also need two or three loaders. It is better to negotiate with them about a piece-rate payment.

Enterprise expenses

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

Purchase of cars - 1000 000
Office space rental (per month) – 10,000
Box rental — 10,000
fuel and lubricants - 40,000
Payroll Fund - 30,000
Advertising - 10 000
Other expenses - 20,000
Total — 1,120,000

It can be seen from the data that in order to organize a cargo transportation service, an initial capital of 1,120 thousand rubles will be needed.

Income

On average, a cargo transportation service earns about 150 thousand rubles on two cars per month. Net proceeds will be about 50 thousand. It turns out that self-sufficiency can be reached in 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 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 go into this business, you need to take your place and try to organize work in such a way that it brings income, create conditions that are fundamentally different from those of competing firms.

Cargo transportation: business from scratch

This is quite troublesome and costly. In order to get started, you will have to acquire a personal vehicle. If you are limited in funds, then a Gazelle-type car or something like that is quite suitable for the first case.

What is the job? At the first stage, a written contract is concluded with the client. The next step is packing goods and things. Timely delivery plays a big role in this business: if you miss the delivery time even once, the company's reputation will suffer, and then you will have to earn a good company name again. Unpacking and setting things in place - this work is carried out by additional agreement with the customer.

How to open a cargo transportation company so that the business brings real benefits? Transportation is often done by everyone who does not know what to do with themselves. 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 match the one stated in the agreement, so people are dissatisfied with the work of such "firms". The final amount is sometimes announced only when the things have already been unloaded and the client has to pay 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

The relevance of cargo transportation in modern world hard to overestimate. Transportation services are in demand more and more every year.

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

It is even difficult to imagine what will happen if the freight transportation market ceases to function for any reason. Life will rise, especially in big cities. Essential goods and food will not be delivered, medicines will disappear from pharmacies. This list can be continued indefinitely. Therefore, it is impossible to underestimate the importance of cargo transportation in the modern world.

Basic goals

Competent organization of transportation on cars of various types.
Delivery of commercial cargo.
Office, apartment, country, industrial moving.
Transportation of oversized cargo.
Provision of trained personnel for loading and unloading operations.
Provision of services for forced storage of goods.

The most important thing is to have perseverance and strive to go to your goals. Confidence in yourself and your abilities is also far from last.

Company registration and taxes

In order to open transport company freight forwarding, necessary . If you plan to deal with low-tonnage transportation, several small Gazelle-type cars will work in your fleet, and there will be a small number of employees in the state, then in this case you can.

You will need to pay the state duty and collect the package required documents. They will give you a list in tax office. Then an application of the appropriate format is submitted here. It should contain your passport details, a phone number by which tax officials can contact you if necessary, and. All these manipulations can be performed by you personally or through a trusted person.

Each registered carrier must pay taxes to the state treasury on time. In order for taxation to be optimal, the following factors must be taken into account:

the scale of the future company;
types of transportation.

For sale.

Coffee machines as an easy way to earn money. about vending features.

Types of taxation for carriers

. This is the most acceptable option. It means the following: you can pay 6% of total income firms or 15% of income minus expenses.
General system. Is not the best way for small business. In this case, all taxes must be paid. In your case, this will be a direct path to ruin.
. It can only be applied if your fleet has no more than 20 cars. If you cannot choose a taxation system for yourself, then the regional authorities 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 pay the state in full, and most importantly - on time. There is also a Pension Fund, to which you will also have to make deductions. The size of contributions to the PF often changes, so you need to constantly update 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 that will house the dispatch service.

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 large incomes. 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 investment. Dispatch service can accommodate 20 sq. meters.

The office needs to be refurbished. Dispatchers must have computers or laptops at their disposal. Availability of printer and scanner necessary condition. Without a landline phone, work will not be carried out at the proper level. The presence of two telephone lines is a huge advantage in the work of the company. Mobile phones employees will be involved in no less. It is advisable to purchase a walkie-talkie for talking drivers with a dispatcher - it is convenient and inexpensive.

Recruitment

In a company that plans to engage in cargo transportation, dispatchers must be 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.

Mandatory condition for successful work- effective advertising. Therefore, an advertising manager will also not be superfluous.

Buying cars

Business in this area begins with the purchase of a car. When choosing machines, 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 use. But Russian cars are much cheaper to repair. At the same time, imported cars break down less frequently.

Which car to buy is up to you. For cargo transportation within the city, Gazelles are often bought. Due to their maneuverability, they perfectly cope with the tasks in the city. Gazelles are fuel efficient and inexpensive to maintain.

If you plan 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. A car is indispensable for transporting furniture or office moves. Russian production"Zil - Bull". This car will go where a big truck cannot go.

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

Motor transport services for the transportation of goods

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

Companies that specialize in this area provide the following services:

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

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 itinerary;
calculate the cost of the entire procedure;
prepare the necessary documentation;
carry out continuous monitoring of the movement of cargo throughout the route.

Marketing plan for the development of the company

Before starting the paperwork for opening your own business, you must have a well-developed marketing plan. What is included?

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

A well-designed marketing strategy and the right tactics will put your company in a leading position among peers in the region.

Marketing research is necessary before drafting detailed business plan transportation of goods. These data will be the basis for the successful operation and development of the enterprise.

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

You must understand that it is not realistic to create a detailed financial statement for the creation of a freight carrier company. To obtain specific figures, accurate data on the state of the future enterprise are needed. An approximate picture would look like this:

"Gazelle" will bring about 10 thousand rubles of net profit;
"Zil - Bull" - 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 numbers paint a picture of an enterprise that regularly pays taxes and salaries to employees.

If you plan to start a business with the purchase of 2 cars, you will have the following expenses:

expenses for the purchase of cars - 900 thousand - 1 million rubles;
car repairs and fuel costs - 40–45 thousand rubles;
rent 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 in your state.

If you need to attract a second car, you yourself will have to drive. Accounting reports will be maintained by a specialist from another company. This scheme of work assumes an income from one car of 30 thousand rubles. per month.

All your expenses will pay off not 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.

Concluding, we can say that the organization of a small-tonnage transportation business is a profitable and promising business, which is worth paying attention to novice businessmen.

Freight transportation is considered a promising type of business. People living in cities and towns enjoy transport services if you need to deliver large items. Therefore, potential customers can be found anywhere. This is very important for those who are wondering how to start a trucking business. After all, every product or service needs a buyer. The higher the demand, the more profit the business owner receives.

Where to begin?

The trucking business may seem like a very simple matter to some. However, in practice, this is a costly and troublesome business. Not surprisingly, only a few remain in this market.

So, the first thing to start a trucking business is finding a vehicle. If the starting capital is low, it is recommended to start with a Gazelle-type car.

This type of business involves a significant investment that will be spent on acquiring at least a small fleet of vehicles, as well as renting a parking lot.

A potential businessman has two ways to get trucks for transportation: buying or leasing. In the second case, it is possible to significantly reduce the initial investment and achieve a faster payback. Indeed, for minimum profitability, it is recommended to organize a car park for at least six trucks.

Finding Clients

This is the next important question to answer for those who are wondering how to start a trucking business. You need to understand that if there is no 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 ready to withstand the competition that exists in the freight market.

Potential customers want to get the most favorable conditions for themselves: quickly, inexpensively and with high quality. 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 do you need to start shipping?

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

The registration process includes several steps.

First of all, you need to submit documents to the tax office. You can do it in person by registered mail or remotely using the website.
This is followed by document verification.
The final step is the registration of IP. This happens after the relevant information is entered into the USRIP.

Taxation

As you know, with any profit in Russian Federation required to pay tax. To do this, you need to choose the most appropriate option. This may be USN, UTII or a patent for cargo transportation 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 can conclusions be drawn about the appropriateness of using one or another taxation scheme. You need to decide on it before registering an IP.

When submitting an appropriate application, the future entrepreneur must select the OKVED codes of cargo transportation. These are numerical values corresponding to its activities. They are collected in a separate guide. It is enough for an entrepreneur to select one or more codes, and then indicate them in the application for registration of IP.

Peculiarities

Being interested in how 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 the contract, packaging and loading, delivery to the destination address.

However, there are many nuances that make up the features 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 reputation of the company, scaring away potential customers.

It is worth considering the possibility of additional services. Some customers need not only delivery, but also the subsequent unpacking and installation of things. Similar services can be recorded in additional agreement and charge them separately.

How not to do?

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

In addition, they often announce the final cost after unloading things. Usually it differs significantly from the original in a big way. This is why customers are not satisfied and are not even going to recommend similar company to their acquaintances. Accordingly, one cannot count on the effect of word of mouth.

If you are interested in how to start trucking from scratch, try to avoid such mistakes, including dismissive attitude towards customers. Otherwise, this activity is unlikely to turn into a stable source of income.

Relevance

You already know what you need to open cargo transportation. However, it is equally important to assess the relevance of this business area. Otherwise, it is likely that all efforts will be spent in vain.

It is believed that in the modern world people especially value time, so high-quality logistics is important for them. The relevance of companies involved in the delivery of goods is increasing.

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

Cargo transportation - actual business. But this does not guarantee profitability.

Is it worth it to start?

This question can be answered by the business plan of a transport company.

Opinions are different. Someone believes that cargo transportation can become a stable source of income. Someone, on the contrary, is convinced that in order to make a profit, it is better to focus your 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, in order to obtain reliable information, it is necessary to preliminary work. In particular, determine the segment of the audience that your services will be aimed at, and then find out their needs and financial opportunities. Even the highest quality service will be difficult to sell if potential clients 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 initial investment. In this case, they will be significant. Since the business is related to the acquisition Vehicle.

Staff

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

To ensure profitability, you need to correctly schedule the work of employees. For drivers, it must be continuous. Therefore, at least two drivers with the right to drive freight transport will have to be found for each vehicle.

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

Every employee needs to pay salaries and make contributions to Pension Fund. So you have to hire professional accountant.

How to find orders?

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

However, it is impossible to develop a business without customers. You can start by looking for ads on the Internet. But you need to understand that this is a labor-intensive method.

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

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

Important conditions

If you want to receive profitable business in the field of cargo transportation, certain conditions must be observed.

Full load. The less free space left in the car, the more profitable freight 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, as well as car maintenance, especially if they are working at a constant load.

2005 year. Several years have passed since the end of my studies at the university, and I have not found a sensible application for myself. I am a historian by profession, but I was not interested in history. However, from his youth, he noticed more than once his interest in commerce, in managerial impulses and all kinds of financial schemes. Even while studying at the university, I created the Youth public organization"Our Choice" at 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, something with social activities at that moment did not become full, and the desired "Mercedes" also did not appear (there was a very big predilection for 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. That, apparently, at that moment the idea came to me to do automotive business more precisely, a 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 didn’t understand anything, in addition, either the former heads of the “sovdepovskie ATP”, who fell into their hands during the “times of general division”, or criminal structures are engaged in this business. Something at that moment decreased my enthusiasm, but my 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, here, I want to buy a truck. Over the next two or three months, I studied the type of business and did the math. 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 steering wheel, sent him on a flight and you sit for yourself, waiting for him to bring you a lot of money for well-trodden 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 a used Mercedes, which I so dreamed of, not like a truck! But the second type of this business somehow immediately attracted me. I thought, this is my theme! It consisted in the following... All these truck owners, after all, turn to someone for cargo, look for cargo in order to load the truck and transport the cargo? That's right, they look for and find all sorts of different dispatchers (however, in Russia there were several tens of thousands of them). The task of the dispatcher is to find someone who needs to transport their cargo, and find someone who can transport it. True, there are many more details and subtasks for the dispatcher, but ... more on that 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 profit you get.

As a result, I borrowed 50 thousand rubles from a friend. Registered "LLC" (7000 rubles), rented an office for a month (8000 rubles), bought a computer, fax and printer (20000 rubles) and, of course, connected to the Internet. He left the rest of the money for "provision", you never know what!

First work day. I'm sitting on the Internet rummaging. What I'm looking for, I don't know. On different sites I climb (profile, of course). By that time, I already had contacts of several carriers who agreed that if I had any cargo (for good money), they would be ready to transport it. So I'm sitting on the Internet rummaging, so to speak, looking for clients. And suddenly, inadvertently, I get to a site in which there is a large list of these drivers themselves and the clients themselves, and even all the contacts are there, however, for money (the guys who came up with that site, thank you so much, I will never forget you!).

As a result, I paid a couple of thousand from my current account, got 30-day access to contacts... and go! This is where my work began. I call one, I offer cargo, I call another, I offer transport. And so from 8:00 to 18:00 every day. And I'm not the only one, there are thousands of them in the network and all over Russia. After 18:00 I make 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 would work with me? Would think, another intermediary! Even though I was like that at the time. Well, what to do something, it was worth starting with something.

As a result, in the first week I shipped about 8 cars and earned 12,000 rubles, in the second 12 more cars, and so on ... in a month I recaptured 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 propose. I'm being "kicked off". Like, they say, “we have a cloud of our own carriers, you weren’t enough here yet!”. Okay, I think you are not alone in Russia. And I forget about them. Fortunately, this business allows you to cover a large geography, as long as there is a telephone and the Internet. Then I found a couple more small customers, and so little by little, “from the world by a thread”, it seems that the money began to appear.

A few weeks pass, and the New Year is approaching. And then the call. A representative of the plant that “kicked me off” calls and says that they do not have enough cars before the new year, and they began to deliver products to a new region and did not have time to develop contacts with local carriers. They ask to help. Of course, I'm not a vindictive guy! Agreed. But the representative says that we need to meet, discuss the nuances. I agree, meaning by this official acquaintance and conclusion written contract with a price agreement. In principle, everything happened just like that, however, in my office, and not at the customer's factory (which surprised me a little). And it was not in vain that I was surprised, 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 contract and support provided. For all questions. I took a couple of days to think. After consulting with "experienced people", I came to the conclusion "apparently everyone works this way."

The customer really turned out to be a very serious client, I delivered 8-10 cars a day to only one of his plants with a profit of 2,000 rubles. And there were three factories. By that time, I had already hired a deputy, an accountant, a couple of dispatchers and a secretary-operator. Work was in full swing. I am constantly on the road, meeting with new clients, carriers, constantly discussing directions of transportation, rates, resolving disputes, etc. In short, what I dreamed of is real business activity! Everything was going great, new lines of business were added, I even had to move the entire business 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!

Business also grew, the company became recognizable in its field. By that time, Wimm-Bill-Dann, Russian Alcohol, Rosstekloprom, Russian Aluminum, etc. were already among the main clients.

With "Wimm-Bill-Dann" in general interesting story happened. They refused to cooperate with us in the field of freight transportation for a very long time. And I got them so badly that they couldn’t see me anymore, except that I didn’t spend the night with them. As a result, I was very well acquainted with the logistics department and its boss, who would not mind working with us, but there are no instructions from above, therefore, there is no contract. As a result, after two months, I “enticed” almost the entire transport department with the boss to join my company. Of course, for very good money. And literally three days later I received a call from the management that almost the entire transport department had quit, and there was no one to deal with the supply of transport. As a result, now my guys were already engaged in supplying vehicles to their former plant. As you understand, I had no problems and now my employees had no problems with this. True, all this was revealed four months later, as a result, they were offered an even better salary, and they again changed employers. Although it was to be expected, since they came so easily, they should have left just as easily. But I drew a lot of conclusions from this situation. First of all, I took a close look at the staff 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 something was wrong. Clients somehow strangely began to pay for services, 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. Name of the direction: "Management of illiquid transport assets of banks and leasing companies". We were well aware 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 vehicles. The contract value was about 4.8 million euros. Preparation and verification went on for about two months, then the leasing company asked for more additional documents The review dragged on for several more months. As a result, when everyone agreed, and we were even given a positive decision of the credit committee signed by the management and stamped, and we were ready to make an advance payment, this leasing company sends us a notice of suspension of financing, because. the head office (in Europe) was not ready for funding. It became clear that if everything is so vague with the leasing company “N”, what should 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 cargo transportation sector, and many companies that failed 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 harsh competitive conditions.

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 to manage this 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), arrears on payments are significantly reduced, and assets are redeemed at the residual value by our company for the year. These measures allowed many banks and leasing companies to get rid of illiquid (problematic) 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 advantage in the field of road freight transport.

Briefly, this is one of the ways we solved the problem of lack of funds to increase the fleet.

It might be useful to read: