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“I get 95% of all my return or next haul freight off The Internet Truckstop, it’s the greatest!” -Bob Beavin
By any standards, Bob Beavin is the epitome of success in the owner/ operator community. He drives a 2005 Kenworth W900L with an 86-inch sleeper, considered by many to be the Cadillac of trucks. Everything on-board is state-of-the-art.
He carefully chooses his freight and if it doesn’t produce a profit, it doesn’t go on his truck. “It makes absolutely no sense to haul any load that you don’t make a profit on. If you do, you’re gonna have a short time in this business.” Bob notes.
Sticking to his philosophy has given Bob an above average income, paid for his house on a golf course and rewarded his hard work with 6 weeks vacation a year. “This wouldn’t have been possible without the use of a computer and the internet.” he stated, “Any independent truckers not carrying and using a laptop to do business, are crippling their potential for success in today’s market.”
When talking to Bob, you would think that he has always been into computers. Not so! Bob is a proud, self-taught computer user. “About seven years ago we got a computer for the house. My wife mainly used it but I’d dabble on it every now and again. Then I began to see the tremendous potential this tool and the Internet had to offer today’s trucker. The opportunities are literally unlimited.” Two years ago Bob bought a laptop and everything needed to set-up a mobile office in his truck.
Bob on WiFi
According to Bob, WiFi is the greatest thing to come down the pike next to a laptop and the Internet. “WiFi lets me get on-line wirelessly and take care of all my business right from the comfort of my truck. With a WiFi card I no longer have to pull into a truck stop, park my truck, haul my laptop into the truck stop, find an Internet connection and deal with all the distractions that come with being in a truck stop. I can just take care of business.”WiFi is not only convenient, it is so cost effective that you can’t afford not to use it.
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“My laptop, the Internet and The Internet Truckstop,
have made the way I truck today
the most satisfying and profitable trucking
I have ever done!” -Bob Beavin |
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Bob on Freight
Whether its getting back home or getting his next haul, Bob's laptop and the internet play heavily into his success. Bob works shipper direct from his house just outside of Denver, but his deliveries can take him almost anywhere in the country.
His favorite freight-matching site, The Internet Truckstop(ITS), is essential to his success. “I mainly look for freight after I deliver my Denver haul. I get 95% of all my return or next haul freight off ITS, it’s the greatest! They have so many tools that make finding freight fast and so easy. I use their Radius and Destination Searches the most. The Load Line on ITS gives me all the information I could possibly need when looking for freight. The part I like best is that they display the rate for the haul whenever it’s available. Saves me a ton of time on wasted calls.” If Bob has any concerns about credit, he simply checks the load-posters credit rating on-line before he ever makes contact. “It’s just good business, I don’t intend to get burned”.
Bob on Doing Business
Bob also uses his computer to take care of all other aspects of his trucking business. “I find my freight, check credit, send and receive all load confirmation paperwork, file my quarterlies, check fuel prices, and do all my books for the business right on my computer. Using a computer has cut the time I spend down to 1%, that’s one percent, of what it used to take me to do all my paperwork manually. I can’t imagine an owner/operator running a trucking business today, without the use of a computer and taking advantage of all the technologies available.” |
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