June 23, 2025 • 49 mins
Today, our first guest for the week, Garrett Bowers of Bowers Trucking, explains the significance of face-to-face networking and its role in building relationships within the transportation industry!
Garrett highlights how crucial it is to create a personal connection with potential clients, build systems for business development, prospect consistently, enhance transparency, and operate teams efficiently for scalability and profitability!
About Garrett Bowers
Born and raised in Ponca City, Garrett is a proud alumni of PO-HI where he played football, wrestled, and was highly involved in 4H and FFA. Garrett earned a scholarship to attend Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College for livestock judging and his success there led to scholarship opportunities to join the Oklahoma State University judging team. At OSU, Garrett served as a Senator for the College of Agriculture. His livestock judging team members won several national contests including the coveted national collegiate championship in 2006. He graduated OSU with a bachelor’s degree in May of 2007.
Although Garrett grew up working alongside his father, Ranond, and grandfather, Glen (who was the founder of Bowers Trucking) – he was no stranger to entrepreneurial ventures. Before the age of 10, he had as many as 20 bottle-fed calves and even sold watermelon and corn in front of the truck yard alongside Highway 60. Later on, at age 16 he started his own custom hay business, which earned him the National FFA Degree recognition in 2004.
When Garrett joined the family business after graduation in 2007, Bowers Trucking operated a dozen trucks within a 150-mile radius concentrated on end dump, aggregate, and construction material hauling. By 2010, Garrett diversified operations by redirecting focus to service the vast manufacturing industries located in Ponca City. By 2013, Bowers Trucking was operating in all 48 states and expanded into Canada and Mexico. Increased customer demand ultimately led to Garrett starting his own logistics company to help coordinate customer overflow. In 2016, Bowers Logistics was formed and the first agent was hired to meet the growing customer base with partner trucking companies looking for freight. By 2018, Bowers Trucking and Bowers Logistics became Department of Defense certified – the first trucking company based in Oklahoma to do so. Today, Bowers Trucking and Bowers Logistics employs 58 full-time employees. Together, the companies operate 50 trucks, and 108 trailers and service 5,000+ carrier partners while still retaining their core customer base from over a decade ago.
Garrett met his wife Melissa in Athens, Georgia when the Oklahoma State Cowboys played their season opener against the University of Georgia. With some irresistible charm and a truckload of luck, Garrett convinced Melissa to relocate to Ponca City in 2009. Garrett and Melissa have been married for 13+ years, and they have a son, HB, who graduated PO-HI in 2021 and attended Oklahoma State University. Garrett coached HB’s elementary year football teams and served on Osage County’s Livestock Board, the FFA Booster Club, and the Quarterback Club. He is a graduate of Ponca City Leadership. He currently serves as seat # 3 commissioner for the City of Ponca City and has been an appointed trustee with the Ponca City Development Authority since 2018 and was chosen to serve two terms on U.S. Senator Inhofe’s Service Academy Selection Committee.
Connect with Garrett
- Website: https://bowerstrucks.com/
- Email: garrett@bowerstrucks.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/garret
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
All right, Christian, we are going to start in 3, 2 and 1.
What is up, everybody?
We are back.
We are not live.
This is actually a rare pre recorded episode out there for the Freight Coach podcast, you guys.
But like I say, all of my guests have day jobs and sometimes I got to catch them later on in the day because, you know, we are actively moving freight.
(00:23):
And that is why all of you love tuning into this show day in and day out is because everybody who is on here is a transportation professional, you guys.
And today's guest embodies that.
He's been in the industry for a long time.
He.
He owns trucks, he's a broker.
He's got all of that.
And he's building his dream out there, you guys.
So I have Mr.
Garrett Bowers of Bowers Trucking back on the show today.
(00:45):
So, Garrett, thank you so much for taking the time to join me, man.
Speaker 2 (00:48):
Chris, thanks again for having me now, dude, absolutely.
Speaker 1 (00:52):
It's a pleasure and it makes it all the more special because you and I were just hanging out the other weekend at SPI's Rendezvous event up there in Vancouver, and, you know, it's great to finally meet you know, and I think, like, that's what I love the most about, you know, going out to these shows and, you know, meeting the guests who I've, you know, we've known each other for a few years now and, you know, we've communicated and stuff like that.
(01:12):
And to be able to, like, shake your hand, look you in the eye and be like, all right, man, it just.
It just brings another level to this shit to me.
Speaker 2 (01:18):
Yeah, it really does.
You know, it's been a while, obviously, since I've been able to.
To hit a trade show or be able to go to even a truck show and whatnot and just really kind of get myself back out there in the industry and just talk to people, you know, put faces with names, and it just.
It just warms everything back up, you know, all of a sudden you start getting that.
(01:38):
That kind of inside joke going.
You get these other things going, and then pretty soon you find out what other people are capable of and how you can, you know, start networking and really just increasing your brand.
Speaker 1 (01:50):
Yeah.
Now, dude, it's the truth, man.
And I think, like, that's what I love the most about probably the.
The trucking industry as a whole is everybody is truly willing to help you for the most part.
Right.
I'm sure there's those outliers that are out there, but for the majority of the people that I've met out there, it is very much like, hey man, how can I help?
(02:10):
You know, and I think that when you're out there building a business, like getting around the right support, the supporting cast, we could call them, it's crucial, man, because like, you know this just as well as I do, man.
Like there is no straight line to anything.
There is no one size fits all.
(02:31):
Follow this plan, you're going to be successful no matter what reality hits you at times.
And you know, I know I'm, I'm actually, you know, this is going to come out afterwards but like I'm going to be doing a podcast tomorrow about, because I just crossed the five year mark of being self employed and I'm going to put out a show tomorrow based on the lessons that I've learned out there in that time frame because I want to continue to deliver that.
(02:59):
And you know, I feel like the best way to kind of help others is to show like, hey, this is what I tried, this is what didn't work.
And you know, for me in particular, when it comes down to like developing business and stuff, it is like, you know, building a system has been probably the biggest eye opener of how much of a lack of a system I was operating off of prior to where I am right now.
(03:23):
Because I truly feel like every minute of my day is accounted for from like building my book of business, reaching out to my current customers and you know, trying to grow because dude, it's so fragile to get a business off the ground and running and then, you know, have the sustainable revenue coming in every single month to cover your overhead to where you're not at a loss and everything else, man, I, it's a lot, dude, as you know.
Speaker 2 (03:47):
Oh, totally, man.
And I, I think obviously to live and, or to start to live and survive in the transportation industry, obviously innately you've got to be a problem solver, right?
You got to be willing to solve problems.
And I think that's probably why a lot of the right characters in the industry are able to collaborate and collaborate well, you know, with each other.
(04:10):
Kudos for you.
You have definitely set the tone for how diverse you can make your.
I mean, not only just with the Freight coast podcast here, but you got freight coast logistics going on.
You're building your brand and you're doing those things.
And people need to think outside the box too.
I mean, sometimes it's not about just moving freight that can help Elevate you in this industry as much as it is, you know, just providing insight, listening and answering calls on some of the voids in the industry.
Speaker 1 (04:42):
Yeah man.
Like I, dude, I just look at it as, I have accepted that a.
I don't know anything, you know, Like, I know a little bit but like I'm a constant student.
Like I am always out there looking like, how do I just get a little bit better, you know, because it's like any sales rep that's out there trying to develop a book of business in any market, but especially right now, there's literally nothing you're going to say on the phone right away that these guys have never heard before.
(05:10):
The prospects, they've heard it.
All right?
So it's like I, I look at it as, all right, how do I shave a couple of seconds off of my outreach to increase my outputs, you know, so it's like, how do I, if something's taking me three hours, what can I do to shave it down to two and a half hours so I can free up my time to, you know, to focus on revenue producing activities.
(05:31):
Those RPA is out there that I need because you know, we're, when we started our brokerage with SPI, I mean this is our third world, like two and a half years in, right?
Like I put it January 1st of 2023 is really when we started.
and so, you know, we're two and a half years in right now.
And yeah, we've had some pretty exciting growth over this time frame.
(05:53):
But now it's like we need consistency, right?
Like we need that five loads a day, six loads a day, every day.
We need that baseline and we need to minimize the gaps where it's like, hey, if we're busy for three to four weeks, how do we not have a down week?
You know, maybe it's just a down, it's limited to a down day we or a down, you know, couple of days in a week.
(06:14):
So it's really kind of closing those gaps.
So I'm trying to have that system in place to where it's like all of my time is accounted for when I'm not working on the show or moving freight.
I'm actively cold calling new prospects, just trying to get in front of as many people as I possibly can that fit inside of our target market.
Speaker 2 (06:34):
So there's so many things like I kind of want to impact on what you just said.
So first of all, yes, establishing systems.
Huge something that I, I will tell you that I have learned that I think not only do you have to have systems, you need to have systems written down.
You need to figure out how you can get so many things that go back to.
(06:58):
Only Chris Jolly knows, right?
Or only Garrett Bowers knows.
And, you know, how can you put those systems in front of the folks that are working with you and want to help you?
Because right or wrong, most of the people that you put in the seat right there, if you're going to put them in the seat, they want to perform, you know, and they want to figure out what it takes to answer that question without tugging on your shirt tail, right?
(07:21):
You know, to do those things.
Secondly, you know, not only do you mention system, but then you mentioned friction, right?
How are you taking so much time, right, that surrounds yourself over one particular process, that it's tedious or, you know, it requires a lot of detail only to get, you know, just a little bit of gross profit margin, you know what I mean?
(07:45):
Sustained in whatever, whatever customer shipment you might have, right?
So how can you ease that friction between order and cash and get your sustainable revenue built in there to where it's a little bit more automated, right?
And I think obviously proven systems over time is going to get you there training.
(08:06):
I will tell everybody, like, you sit here and say that you don't know anything.
That's, that's kind of bullshit.
I'll talk to you.
But like, I mean, you know, I, I am the world's worst trainer.
I feel like I'm better at like, transportation theory and like, truthfully trying to put the people and the customer and whatnot together and saying, all right, you know, what do we need to do here, you know, do those things, but man, when it comes to some of the tedious things with regard to softwares, whether we're talking about McLeod or Revenova or anything like that, my people can walk all over me when it comes to, you know what I mean, really creating the shortcuts and making the software work faster, you know, for them, which I think is really a pretty good job.
(08:56):
I mean, I don't know, I consider myself more into sales and problem solving and customer account management than I do really anything else in the business.
But, you know, it's tough.
It's tough because you want to put yourself in that role and you're going to grind and you're going to cold call and you're going to do those things.
But then, Jolly, how are you maybe setting people up then to take that part over for you?
(09:21):
So that you can concentrate on the other bigger fish.
Speaker 1 (09:24):
And, and that's one thing that, you know, I, I was talking to a really good friend of mine, and he's built a really successful company and, you know, he's kind of like my.
Essentially, for the next.
From now until we're probably 50, 60 million a year in revenue, Garrett is.
Is.
I'm going to be leading the charge in sales, and we're going to build operations behind us, you know, and, you know, and again, this is all more of just kind of like a framework at the end of the day that we're going to be following off of.
(09:54):
But I look at it like, man, my strength is sales.
You know, like, dude, I love getting out there.
I love meeting customers.
I love learning more about their businesses.
I want to.
Because, like, truly the only way I'm going to help any of our shippers out is when we're actively moving their freight.
And I can see those inconsistencies that are in there of like, hey, let's try this, not that.
(10:17):
Have you ever tried this before?
You know, I'm noticing these things and it's tough to kind of get there.
And I've just noticed, though, that, you know, ultimately, Garrett, there are very few actual hunters out there.
There are a lot of guys.
There are a lot of people who are really good account managers, and there's nothing wrong with that.
But I, I think I've only met a handful of guys, Garrett, who are not afraid to make 60, 70, you know, 50, 60, 70 cold calls a day, go do site visits and develop something from nothing.
(10:49):
A lot of people are really good at taking over an established relationship and growing that, and there's a time and a place for that.
But for me, man, like, dude, we need to develop business and we need to get it.
And if I'm going to be the one to take those arrows, that's fine with me, man.
I'll go out there and I'll do it.
Because, like, I love the thrill of the unknown more than anything, you know, Like, I love calling somebody and not knowing what's going to be on the other end.
Speaker 2 (11:12):
Well, and that's in this market right now especially.
I mean, it's sparse, right?
I don't have to tell you dat Truck Stop, they've all pended out there right now, and you've got everybody that's kind of like all of our routine.
Shippers might be bracing themselves for what tariffs might do to them, whether it's you know, the rules this week or the changed rules next week, you know, we don't quite know.
(11:35):
So that foundation of business isn't necessarily there.
So you have to figure out how you get those people in front of those prospective customers that closer, that winner, that guy that can take a five load customer and get six loads out of them.
You know, I mean that particular person and I agree, I mean that is a certain dynamic that is pretty rare in the business.
(11:57):
I, I say that account management is its own art as well because you've got to keep that business coming back.
Right.
And you know, doing the deep sell again.
You know, sometimes account management, you start leading into other things that you had no idea this shipper did, you know, and some other things and I think you've had some success with that.
(12:23):
I've got accounts that luckily, you know, by referral or other means necessary, other modes necessary, we've been able to get in there and exercise not just our trucks, but as well the brokerage, you know, which brokerage Sales.
Yeah, let's talk about that right now.
Speaker 1 (12:41):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (12:42):
What shipper out there says, oh my gosh, you're a brokerage.
Please, please on board right now.
Speaker 1 (12:48):
Dude, none.
You know, like I'm trying to pull any and all tricks out of the bag and I.
Tricks is just a statement there.
But like anything that I can do to get noticed, you know, and I look at it as is like when I call people, you know, again, I'm very direct at why I'm calling them.
I'm not going to sugarcoat anything.
(13:09):
If they're like, what's the purpose of your call?
100%.
It's a sales call.
It's a 100% introductory phone call.
This is what we do, this is who we are.
I'm really just trying to introduce ourselves.
I have found that has garnered way less resistance than anything because I am just, there's no bullshit.
This is who I am.
This is what we do.
This is why I'm calling.
I'm not here to waste your time.
(13:29):
I've actually gotten a fast track to the decision maker in the sense of like a.
I could transfer you, but they're not going to answer.
But here's our email.
Try that.
That'll be your best way of getting out there.
And you know, again, I'm always about meeting my prospects where they are because if they're not going to answer the phone, but if they prefer email, cool, I'm going to email.
But I'm Going to go a little bit further than just a basic general email.
(13:50):
I'll send them, you know, one first, but my follow up email, I got this fancy little set up here.
I'm going to record a quick 20 second, 30 second video.
Hey, it's Chris Jolly.
I just wanted to put a face behind all this outreach that's out here.
Here's who we are, this is what we do.
I understand how everything is right now and in the event you need to change, love an opportunity to speak with you at that time.
(14:11):
But again, I'm trying to do little things just to stand out, which I know most people aren't doing.
Speaker 2 (14:16):
No, yeah, I mean, the video right there, that's pretty solid.
I kind of resort to being a little bit funny and sarcastic, you know, Like, I remember my heading on an email just the other day was not another freight provider.
Like just instantly, you know, they're going to open that and go, okay, yeah, all right.
(14:36):
This guy's got a sense of humor.
You know, maybe I'll read a little bit.
But it's important, you know, don't divulge like all of the things that your company can do, you know, I mean, like again, like you said, they've been sold that for years and years.
And I mean, like, if you have to sit here and articulate that, maybe you don't truthfully know, you know what I mean?
(14:57):
What, what you can and can't do, I think it comes down to.
And most relationships, just like you said, you're going to get to the best part of the relationship by cutting through the bullshit.
What quality relationship have you ever had that relied on vague communication, you know, and just none, you know, and so when you're able to be upfront, honest, hey, this is who I am, this is what I'm doing and this is what I'm after.
(15:24):
Don't even, don't even hesitate to even talk to that account about what it can mean for you.
Yeah, that's my philosophy.
Right.
I mean, maybe let them know how you could, your own financial trajectory could change or what are some of the goals that you have personally that could actually, you know, if they open their doors, if they gave you the freight, what does it mean not just for them, but for you know, specifically as that person.
(15:52):
And obviously if you're going to be the guy that opens up the door, be the guy that runs point on the account.
Speaker 1 (15:58):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (15:58):
You know, for a while.
Because I guarantee you one thing that people do not want is getting pat.
Oh, I've got your account open.
Here's so and so.
Yeah, see you later, you know, and I'll never hear from you again.
Speaker 1 (16:10):
No, I'm.
I'm right there with you, man.
And I, you know, for me, personally, I am.
I'm just looking.
Like, I always try and sell to people how, like, I want to be sold, and I just like, dude, I don't, like, don't me on.
On anything.
Like, if we're going to talk, like, let's talk, right?
Like, we can build rapport later, you know, but like, in the beginning stages, man, like, let's just keep it as business as possible early on.
(16:39):
Because I just think, like, a lot of other people, let them run their mouths, let them try and be the buddy.
Hey, how's.
Blah, blah.
What?
You know, how's Oklahoma senior football going?
You know, like.
Speaker 2 (16:49):
But then.
Oh, God, wrong team.
Jolly Wrong.
Speaker 1 (16:52):
Oh, sorry.
Sorry, man.
I took a calculated swing and you did.
Speaker 2 (16:57):
Oh, big miss.
Speaker 1 (16:58):
Are you Oak State, then?
Speaker 2 (16:59):
Oak State, man.
Go.
Speaker 1 (17:02):
All right, all right.
But you see, right, like.
Yeah, that's what I mean, man.
Speaker 2 (17:05):
But no, it was good.
It was good to me, though, Garrett.
Speaker 1 (17:08):
I just want to stay as on task as possible early on because it's an inconvenience to reach out to anybody for the first time, second time, third time to their day, you know, and it's like, I also look at it as, you know, realistically, they got their own.
It's like there's a high probability they got their own shit going on in their lives, right?
(17:29):
And the last thing they're thinking about is Chris Jolly in that moment.
So, again, if we're going to.
If I'm just going to be trying to be noticed, I want it to be, hey, these guys are at least, like, there's a reason why they're reaching out.
They're not wasting my time.
And I feel like if you switched over too soon to the niceties, the.
How's the weather?
How's this.
You're just going to be passed off to the wayside and they're just going to get bored with you, right?
Speaker 2 (17:52):
Really bored?
Yes.
Yeah, really bored.
I.
I've got a theory and I'm interested to hear your take on it.
Do you feel like it's better to cold call in the morning or the afternoon?
Speaker 1 (18:02):
I think it's better to cold call in the morning.
Straight up.
Speaker 2 (18:05):
Yes, I agree.
Speaker 1 (18:07):
I look at it, Garrett, where I want to rip the band aid off for my day, I am A morning person.
Speaker 2 (18:12):
There you go.
Speaker 1 (18:13):
I am that disgusting person that at 5am I am ready to rock.
And if you're not a morning person, I'm the last person you want to see at that time.
So for me, that's.
Those are my power hours, right?
So it's like when I get in, man, I don't want to waste any time because I am inherently a lazy person.
Garrett.
If I give myself as an excuse to not do something, I never will.
(18:35):
And for me, it's like I structure out my day where the first 30 minutes I'm in my office at 6:30am Pacific time every single day, by 7am I'm dialing.
I do not wait.
And I'm out there and I'm making those calls.
And I'm going to get 35 calls in every day before my live show.
I'm going to get 35 dials in and I'm going to rock that out.
(18:56):
Because I know that there is a higher probability that the my prospects days haven't been completely torpedoed by that point.
Speaker 2 (19:04):
That's it.
Speaker 1 (19:05):
And I would rather reach out to them.
Then again, don't get me wrong, there is no right or wrong time to ruin somebody's day with a cold call.
But me personally, I think that people are in way better moods earlier in the day than they are.
Speaker 2 (19:20):
I agree with that.
I agree with that.
Especially if you rely on the substance like I do, called caffeine, which, and you know, people that work here know that I am a Red Bull fanatic, okay?
So if I am a just on that sugar free Red Bull high, just for a little bit, you can really start to hear a pitch just come out of my mouth instantly, like, which is typically the time like.
(19:48):
And I used to make this mistake.
I'm like, okay, I need to track and trace.
I need to, you know, be an account manager.
I need to, you know what I mean, make sure that people know where they're, where their freight is first thing in the morning, right?
Which, that's when you're getting those questions, okay?
But if you think about it, that's also when your customer is reaching out to freight people.
So that is when your customer has freight on their mind.
(20:11):
And it's always in the mornings, right?
We all know that.
You know, typically from 7am till about 10:30, 11am everybody is tracking and tracing.
They want to know, is this on the way?
Has this delivered?
Is this picking up?
Who's my driver?
You know what I mean?
You're getting all Those questions, that was a huge transition I think I made over the last couple of years ago.
(20:34):
Wait, this is when my customer has freight on their mind.
This is when I need to approach my customer about freight.
Speaker 1 (20:41):
Yeah, yeah.
I look at it also as this, man.
When people get back from lunch, most of the time, they're already like, all right, I got three hours left, man.
Speaker 2 (20:49):
Yes.
Some people are.
Speaker 1 (20:51):
Yeah, yeah, they got.
They got that.
The shades pulled down in their office, man.
They're not.
They're not taking a call unless it's their boss or somebody they need to talk to at that time.
And, you know, but again, rest assured, anybody out there who's listening to this, there is no perfect time.
There is no perfect day.
I definitely have some data on, like, the friendliness level of certain people when you.
When you reach out to the week and stuff like that.
(21:14):
But again, I don't ever want to deter anybody, because if you're in a position like I'm in, like, I don't.
I can't.
Like, I look at it like this, Garrett.
I don't care about port congestion.
I don't care about tariffs.
I don't care about the market being what it is.
I got a family to feed, and if I sit back and look for a reason to not do something, I.
(21:34):
I won't do it.
And then I will be bankrupt, I will lose my home, and I will be homeless.
So it's like, I could sit there and look at that and take that as a reason to not do it, which I know a lot of people out there do.
A lot of people see tariffs and uncertainties in business, and they're like, oh, I'm going to take a play off here.
And then they fail to adjust.
They fail to pivot, and then they wake up in a year from now, and they're like, why don't I have any customers?
(21:57):
Why is all my freight down?
Why is everything down?
It's because you've been sitting on your hands for the last year.
Speaker 2 (22:02):
There you go.
Speaker 1 (22:03):
Do that.
Right?
Like, I would rather, like, get told no, 70 times a day, every single day, and get that one.
Yes.
Than sit back and wait and then have to look my.
My wife in the eye and be like, hey, babe, I didn't feel like selling this week.
We're.
We're not able to eat dinner now.
You know what I mean?
Speaker 2 (22:23):
Like, through that, I.
I totally understand, man.
So you.
You mentioned about pivoting 20.
What.
What are we talking here?
Latter part of 22, all the way to.
Basically now We've seen, like, a whole bunch of contraction.
Speaker 1 (22:41):
Yeah, right.
Speaker 2 (22:44):
Margins compressed.
We've seen some M A activities from some of the.
Some of the big flake, sorry, freight players.
We're seeing a great deal of, I don't want to say, like, economic uncertainty, I think, you know, probably even more so than the pandemic in.
(23:07):
In some cases, you know.
What do you.
What are you thinking here?
I mean, is capacity going to tighten up?
What.
What's the adjustment that you're.
That you're willing to forecast?
Speaker 1 (23:19):
I mean, I look at.
It is.
I think that there's a lot kind of up in the air right now.
I think that with the fmcsa, depending on how much they push what the state of Arkansas just put into effect there, with the English proficiency, depending on how aggressive they want to get with that, I think that could cause capacity to evaporate.
(23:44):
I.
Speaker 2 (23:45):
And what timing with that, too.
I mean, we got the big road check.
What, next week?
Speaker 1 (23:50):
Yeah, next week or two weeks from now?
I think it's like around the 19th or something like that.
Speaker 2 (23:53):
And yeah, maybe it's two weeks.
Yeah, that's right.
Speaker 1 (23:56):
But, dude, I look at it as is, you know, I think that there's a lot of businesses out there that are hanging on by a thread right now.
I truly feel that way.
I think that any change out there in the market that tightens capacity at all, even a sliver, I think could push a lot of businesses over the edge.
(24:18):
and I think, like, that bullwhip effect, because I like, dude, I look at it like, at this point, Garrett, I'm willing to go on record in saying, like, I think we're all going to leave on a Friday afternoon.
It's going to be a normal week, how it's been the last couple of years, and we're going to walk in Monday and there's going to be fucking nothing.
And then it's going to be tight capacity.
(24:38):
There's going to be shipments sitting on docks.
Shippers are going to be like, we need more providers.
We need.
And I truly feel like at this point that's the only logical thing that could happen and that it kind of.
Speaker 2 (24:49):
Brings a little bit of uncertainty, too.
I don't know how many RFPs you filled out in the first quarter, but it seemed like for me, maybe the latter part of February, but, like, March, I was inundated with RFPs.
April got thrown a few more RFPs.
Don't get me wrong, customers, thank you for those.
But like, you.
You also want to sit here and go.
(25:10):
I mean, our tender rejection rates about to just, you know, explode because of some of these enforcement accidents.
And, and I don't know, you know, I don't think that it necessarily.
It's obviously not going to solve the driver count problem, you know, here domestically, whether that's, you know, good or bad in a lot of respects for capacity providers, I think, you know, ourselves.
(25:39):
All I could share is ourselves, like at the end of 2022, were running close to 60 trucks.
Today we have 38.
I mean, if that gives you any kind of indication on, you know, just kind of the backsliding, the adjustment, the.
What we have done to obviously not only try to respond to operating costs and the other things that have inflated, you know what I mean, over this time, but then answer to the lack of opportunity, I'm going to say, for, you know, to chase larger margins or to figure out ways to grow.
(26:15):
It's really going to be interesting because I could sit here and tell you that, yeah, I'd like to sell, you know, Chris, a few more trucks, but what is this going to do to the used truck market if all of these trucks all of a sudden start getting empty?
So you got to really.
And you know, there's a lot of creditors out there, you know, banks and other things like that are holding the bag also wondering what this is going to do, you know, in the particular industry.
(26:42):
I say all that to say we take all these CDLs and we make them, you know, no longer, I'm going to say no longer needed, but they're obviously no longer valid.
Right?
Yeah, we're.
Does.
Are we removing.
Is that really responding to public safety?
(27:03):
You know, are those drivers necessarily, you know, less safe than other drivers?
I think the biggest thing is, you know, we have some bad actors, some bad capacity providers in the industry that are running two or three different DOT numbers, right?
And they're running some of these people ragged and they're doing those things.
And I think it's really hard for legitimate companies to respond to that, especially if they are subject at all to the freight markets and spot trends and other things like that.
(27:33):
Every single shipper is going to look at what they should be paying for freight.
If they don't, they're obviously not acting in their own best interest, you know, but I'm really hesitant to say that some of these RFPs that were filled out here in the first quarter are going to hold up by the time Q3, Q4 rolls around, I, I.
Speaker 1 (27:53):
I'm right there with you, man.
I, I think 2025, when we look back at it in a couple of years, might come out as it's either going to be, I can't believe it lasted all of 2025, or it's going to be, holy shit, did it get wild.
Speaker 2 (28:11):
Right?
You know, 2020, a light switch, man.
I mean, you know, we've got, you know, so many drivers that are out there that drove during the pandemic.
They saw, you know, March transitioned into April, and that was like a light switch when things just fell off.
You better book your spot freight for a dollar a mile or you're getting hung up on.
(28:32):
Yeah, you know, I mean, we all live through it as capacity providers, you know, and now it could definitely be the other way around.
But is that necessarily good, bad?
I, I, Chris, I don't know.
I, I think I.
What's really great about is it just touches so many different industries and it affects so many different things.
(28:53):
And I'm really excited to see what 2025 is going to bring, but again, apprehensive in the sense that we just don't know.
Speaker 1 (29:02):
Yeah, I'm right there with you, man.
But, you know, I also look at it as, you know, at the end of the day, you know, as a business owner, this is just going to be another thing that you're going to have to overcome.
You know, I, I look back over these last five years now, and it's been just one thing after another.
But I think ultimately, like, when you decide to go out on your own, this is literally what you're signing up for, you know, and it, it's, you know, there's going to be tough decisions that you're going to have to make.
(29:31):
I mean, you're, you know, you had mentioned that you went from, you know, 60 trucks down and you guys are down to 38 right now.
As a leader of an organization, Garrett, how did you approach that?
As, you know, because there's tough decisions that you have to make at any given time out there.
What led you to be like, all right, we have to make this decision, and then what are some of those pivotal changes that you've made to keep the lights on here over these last couple of years?
(29:59):
When you see, you know, it's every day now there's another headline of another company that went under and more drivers got laid off and this brokerage closed, and everything else Man.
Speaker 2 (30:09):
So humility has definitely entered my vocabulary.
You go from, you know, assumingly making or it's what I felt, all the right decisions between 2016 and about 2022 to just getting the other side of the market slammed in your face.
(30:31):
You realize that, you know, when the margins compress, the cash flow starts to slide, and you've got to let some good people go.
You've gotta, you've got to make some harsh decisions.
You've got to figure out how the brand, you know will survive.
And then, of course, you figure out who are those people that are left and who are you going to fight for, you know, who are those.
(30:54):
What are those services?
What are those customers?
And you know, what are those things that you've got to hold on to that you got to know that you can survive with?
I can tell you that we, as a fleet, we became extremely, much more efficient with every one of our moves.
So much more efficient than I think were in, in a lot of respects, because were getting lazy.
(31:18):
Right.
We didn't have the processes in place to take advantage of when the market was just wild and on fire.
Right.
And, you know, there's several ways that I think people can respond.
And I'm not going to sit here and tell you that I'm necessarily full of the right answers, but I can tell you, for me personally, I had a really great brokerage that I owned for a while that I, I fell on the sword of trying to save the asset company.
(31:56):
And why did I do that?
Chris, this is my grandfather's company.
I was, I'm third generation, you know.
No, the company is nothing like it was whenever my grandpa was around.
I mean, it was a rock stand gravel company, as you know, we kind of discussed in the first podcast that you and I had together.
But, you know, trying to figure out what it's going to take because I've got so many good drivers and families that depend on those things.
(32:27):
And then of course, is our sales momentum as good if Bowers doesn't have trucks?
So, yeah, I supplemented the balance sheet of what once was a good brokerage to save that trucking company.
We were able to save the trucking company and then I was able to transition over, work out an agreement with SPI Logistics.
(32:56):
I want to thank you obviously, for that referral in that regard because I'd looked at a lot of different agency models and it was something that just felt like a better fit, you Know, not only was the margin, you know, did it make sense for the margin split, but I think the technology was just what blew me away in the demo, as, you know, that brokerage that I said that were the technology that we have access to now, Chris, it would have taken me a decade to develop.
Speaker 1 (33:30):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (33:31):
You know, on my own, bootstrapping it on my own to have those things just laid out and put forth.
You know, Chris, you and I are able to transactionally go to, you know, any size of shipper and swing a 200 million dollar stick at them to show them what the resources are, what the capabilities are, what the true level of technology and investment and advancement that has taken place, you know, in our industry over the last 15 years, what it can do.
(34:05):
And you know, were in competition on a shipment I think a couple Saturdays ago with some other smaller providers and were able to exercise that and we showed the customer the difference.
Not only did we come under budget, but were able to, you know, were able to respond that much quicker.
You know, making those market pivots like this I think has allowed us to see daylight at the end of the tunnel.
(34:34):
Both of us talked about, we don't know when that daylight really comes, but I'm going to tell you that I think it flicked and I think that it gave my team so much more breathing room, so much more confidence than what were doing before because they can actually get out there and play offense again.
And that's what's important, right?
(34:55):
Just the morale.
You know, I feel sorry for you and I'm sure there's a lot of capacity providers listening to me right now that have had to make those harsh cuts or they're cutting back on these particular things right now, or maybe they've even had to renegotiate, you know, contractor wages and other things like that, you know, their percentages.
(35:15):
I mean, who knows what that looked like, right?
To try to get that cash flow back into the business, to save it as a whole.
But I can tell you that small adjustments, proven processes, getting things on paper, making sure that you have the right, Johnny's and Joe's and you know, James and Sally's with you that know exactly what the mission is and so crucial is so important because, you know, in the end a company is just people.
(35:47):
And you know that I had a question asked to me, you know, a long time ago whenever I kind of started was would you rather have the best customers in the world?
Would you rather have the best people in the world, you know, the best employees in the world.
It's like, man, you put the best employees in the world together and I mean, there's not a customer out there you can't go get.
Yeah, you know, I mean, yeah, you can have some great customers and whatnot, but I mean, if you're subject to, you know, these certain things or, you know, these volatilities in the market that we've all experienced right now, it hasn't been me.
(36:19):
It hasn't been any one decision or anything that I've made, Chris.
It's been the conglomeration of people out here that have believed in what we can do that I think are still keeping us in business today.
Speaker 1 (36:32):
Yeah, I mean, you brought up a lot of great points there.
You know, it's easy in today's day and age, Garrett, for people to go out on social media and pound their chest about how great they are in business and how nothing like they just seemingly are always winning.
Right.
Like, you scroll through any social media site right now, all you see is a highlight reel out there and it makes you think, what am I doing wrong?
Speaker 2 (36:58):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (36:59):
And that's one of those things that was always in my head is I'm like sitting there and I'm like, man, I'm like, in my opinion, I'm the best freight broker in North America and you're not going to convince me any differently.
And I would expect every other high performing individual out there to share that exact same sentiment about themselves, you know, and if you don't, like, you got to work on that shit.
(37:21):
Right?
But I was like, you know, I'm sitting there and I'm like, I'm experiencing these things in my business and I'm like, man, what am I doing wrong here?
And then, you know what I have come to realize though is I'm like 99% of this people you see on social media are full of shit.
For starters.
(37:41):
You know, they're all lying about something.
Especially if they're only.
Let me rephrase that.
If they're only posting about how much money they're making and how great they are.
Speaker 2 (37:48):
That's right.
Speaker 1 (37:49):
Probably all that's right.
Speaker 2 (37:50):
Or that they're growing.
If I see any transportation provider is talking about that they've been growing the last, you know, 12 to 16 months, I'm like, how?
Yeah, you know what?
Speaker 1 (38:02):
Yeah, you know, it's one of those things where I look at it as like, you know what you just brought up There, Garrett, like that.
That's the stuff that people need to hear, right?
They also need to know, like, there are alternatives out there.
If you feel like, you know what, maybe you're.
You're in a pinch because things didn't go the way that you seem.
Because everybody starts their businesses, Garrett, and they think, I'm going to be a millionaire within six months.
(38:27):
Everything's going to be great.
I'm going to have a mansion, I'm going to have supercars.
I'm going to have all of this stuff.
And then reality inevitably hits you.
And, you know, and this is like, you know, a lot of the situations that I'm in is.
Is, you know, and when I.
When I talk about a lot of stuff on all of my podcasts is that I'm like, you guys.
It's a lot different when you're on the sidelines collecting a salary, as opposed to when you're making a decision and you're like, if I'm wrong, I fucking lose everything.
(38:52):
That's, you know, there's a different stress that comes along with that when you're out there trying to make things happen.
And, you know, going through that, though, I feel like this is what is going to make you sustainable for the next 50 years.
This is what's going to keep Bowers trucking for the next 50 years, is going through these situations.
And if there's one lesson I've learned over these last five years is adversity is actually there to help you in business.
(39:20):
It's actually there to realign you and to help you get prepared to take things to that next level.
And, you know, you brought up, you know, like, with SPI and having that tech infrastructure in place, that would have taken you 10 years to bootstrap yourself.
And, you know, you.
You brought up something about being on all offense.
And that's the way that I approach this, like, with my operation is it's like, dude, I don't have to worry about a lot of stuff right now.
(39:47):
I can focus on being on offense.
I can focus on selling.
I don't have to look at how am I going to pay my insurance premium this month.
I don't have to look at how am I going to afford to pay for my TMS this month.
Right?
Because that's all in that, you know, like, spi, in my opinion, is an investor in me, you know, and they'll be the opposite, you know, because they are.
(40:09):
They're a phenomenal organization.
But, like, dude, they're business partners of mine.
They're they're out there helping me play offense at a high level to pack that punch.
Because I have that confidence, Garrett, that there is, like you had mentioned, there is not one shipper in North America that I could get set up with that I would have to ask myself, can I afford to actually move their freight because it cost $5,000 a month in EDI just to process all their tenders that come through.
Speaker 2 (40:33):
That.
That was another thing.
Yeah, we did get an EDI award.
And you know, I was comparing the cost with our current TMS, McLeod, which kind of charges you to do everything, you know, every twist and turn.
And then, you know, SPI says, yeah, bring those awards over here and it's free.
(40:54):
It's wow.
You know.
You know, so we can get systems talking, you know, back and forth with these other transportation management firms and you know, bam.
Auto tenders and like we talked about before, we're releasing friction, you know, and not having to extend the capital and hoping that you're going to get enough awards later on to you know, establish a real ROI for that deal.
(41:20):
And, you know, what does that business truly cost?
Speaker 1 (41:23):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (41:23):
You know, when you get awarded and, you know, I say all that to say, you know, I think any good business person has the ability to look down the road a little bit further than I have in, you know, in years past.
I think what this has shown me is where the vulnerabilities lie and what I want to do and what I want my balance sheet to look like ever before.
(41:52):
We, you know, do take on other risks and other, you know, chase other prospective gains.
You know, cash is king and cash flows the emperor.
You know, when SPI is able to provide such a support around their agents to where they treat their agents like customers, it's an awesome model because we are the ones that go out there and exercise what we're good at to be able to, you know, get that cash flow coming in, you know, not just for us, not just for our businesses, but as well for them.
(42:31):
And I think it's just a really important thing to look at.
Especially if anybody's considering, you know, becoming an agent or figuring out some type of investment opportunity that would allow them to do so.
Speaker 1 (42:43):
Do you think, you know, as we're kind of wrapping things up, Garrett, do you think that you are going to be more risk averse making business decisions moving forward?
Do you feel like maybe you.
I'm not going to say that.
You, you know, you made the wrong decisions in certain aspects.
But do you think now with all of this.
But you know, I mean, more like all of this experience, do you think you're going to look at.
Speaker 2 (43:06):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (43:06):
Expansion in a lot different light?
In a lot.
Speaker 2 (43:09):
A lot different light.
A lot different light.
I think it's good.
I think it's important to be as a service provider to be good at a certain number of things and not all the things.
Right.
You know, I used to pride myself on being able to do just so many different modes and types and other things like that.
And so that's definitely something you want to focus on because each one of those modes can be, you know, another investment, another thing.
(43:35):
Right.
More.
More cash out.
I think, I think that I'm going to be definitely more picky and critical of the people that we bring on that we decide to.
To train and really put our time and our investment and other things into.
(44:01):
And then I think also more importantly, we need to make sure that we're exercising business to the right customers, the right clientele, you know, people that value quality of transportation and other things like that, not just chasing numbers.
You know, while the SPI strategy does allow you know, to quote freight and numbers and all those things with the best of them, the fact of the matter is we all have a certain level of operating cost and other things like that we have to ascertain that we have to harvest to be able to establish, you know, true roi.
(44:41):
And I, you know, I think as far as trucks are concerned and some of those things, the liabilities and the other aspects that go along with that.
I mean, you're talking to a guy that just had a 30 increase on his fleet.
And really, I mean, one of the few tokens that I could get away from that insurance renewal was that we traveled so many miles in Texas.
(45:03):
Well, as an Oklahoma, you know, service provider, we have to travel into Texas.
Right.
But hell, Texas is the number one state now for uninsured motorists.
Speaker 1 (45:12):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (45:12):
And, you know, and so if we, if I package all of those things that I just said, yeah, risk averse is definitely a certain way that I would term it.
But I would tell you that growth just has to make more sense now.
You know, I just turned 40 last year, and if you would have talked to me when I was, you know, 30, I would have had a way different picture of what I would be doing or who I would be at 40.
(45:45):
The fact of the matter is I'm not there, but I see how to get there, and I see how to get there more clearly, I think, through.
Through some of the years right here that we've been through.
Speaker 1 (45:57):
And I love.
I can't add anything onto that.
Garrett, I just appreciate your transparency with all of this.
And, you know, for me, it's like, this is.
This is why I, like, I love doing this show because, you know, I love learning from others and I love helping.
Like, this show is going to help a lot of people, man.
(46:18):
Because, like, ultimately, at the end of the day, I mean, more times than not, I felt lost in my life.
Right?
Like, let alone in my entrepreneurship journey here.
These last five years, I've felt lost.
And when, you know, and I think, like, this is, like, one of the greatest assets of this show is.
Is it's relatable to a lot of people, and it makes them not feel like they're on an island with stuff.
(46:40):
And I just appreciate you sharing everything today, man.
But how does anybody reach out to you, man?
How does anybody connect with you?
Find out more what you got going on.
Speaker 2 (46:48):
Yeah, well, please, I mean, if you can reach out via LinkedIn, you know, Garrett, bowerstrucks.com G A R R E T T Just, you know, shoot me an email, whatever.
I.
I love talking freight.
And I think if these.
If these years have taught me anything, I mean, it is that this industry is my passion and I'm not going anywhere.
Speaker 1 (47:09):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (47:10):
No matter what.
You know, I mean, it's just we're going to figure it out.
We're going to do what we can to.
To get around it and.
And solve the problem.
So, you know, if anybody wants to take a look at our website, bowerstrucks.com and then, of course, you know, if anybody wants to talk to me about the SPI partnership, I'd be great, you know, greatly open to talking about it.
(47:31):
And, you know, maybe some things that somebody might consider if they're considering some of the same moves.
Speaker 1 (47:37):
Dude, I appreciate it, man.
Garrett, thank you so much.
And that's going to be it for today, ladies and gentlemen, as always, if you got value in what you heard and you're not subscribed, subscribe to the show.
You guys, if you're feeling really ambitious after this one, which you should because Garrett just laid out a master class for you all, and you haven't ranked the show yet on itunes and Spotify rank it, because if you saw value, that's how your network's going to see value as well.
(47:58):
I appreciate you guys.
I love you guys, and we'll be talking to you soon.
All right, Christian, we are going to start in 3, 2 and 1.
What is up, everybody?
We are back.
We are not live.
This is actually a rare pre recorded episode out there for the Freight Coach podcast, you guys.
But like I say, all of my guests have day jobs and sometimes I got to catch them later on in the day because, you know, we are actively moving freight.
(00:23):
And that is why all of you love tuning into this show day in and day out is because everybody who is on here is a transportation professional, you guys.
And today's guest embodies that.
He's been in the industry for a long time.
He.
He owns trucks, he's a broker.
He's got all of that.
And he's building his dream out there, you guys.
So I have Mr.
Garrett Bowers of Bowers Trucking back on the show today.
(00:45):
So, Garrett, thank you so much for taking the time to join me, man.
Speaker 2 (00:48):
Chris, thanks again for having me now, dude, absolutely.
Speaker 1 (00:52):
It's a pleasure and it makes it all the more special because you and I were just hanging out the other weekend at SPI's Rendezvous event up there in Vancouver, and, you know, it's great to finally meet you know, and I think, like, that's what I love the most about, you know, going out to these shows and, you know, meeting the guests who I've, you know, we've known each other for a few years now and, you know, we've communicated and stuff like that.
(01:12):
And to be able to, like, shake your hand, look you in the eye and be like, all right, man, it just.
It just brings another level to this shit to me.
Speaker 2 (01:18):
Yeah, it really does.
You know, it's been a while, obviously, since I've been able to.
To hit a trade show or be able to go to even a truck show and whatnot and just really kind of get myself back out there in the industry and just talk to people, you know, put faces with names, and it just.
It just warms everything back up, you know, all of a sudden you start getting that.
(01:38):
That kind of inside joke going.
You get these other things going, and then pretty soon you find out what other people are capable of and how you can, you know, start networking and really just increasing your brand.
Speaker 1 (01:50):
Yeah.
Now, dude, it's the truth, man.
And I think, like, that's what I love the most about probably the.
The trucking industry as a whole is everybody is truly willing to help you for the most part.
Right.
I'm sure there's those outliers that are out there, but for the majority of the people that I've met out there, it is very much like, hey man, how can I help?
(02:10):
You know, and I think that when you're out there building a business, like getting around the right support, the supporting cast, we could call them, it's crucial, man, because like, you know this just as well as I do, man.
Like there is no straight line to anything.
There is no one size fits all.
(02:31):
Follow this plan, you're going to be successful no matter what reality hits you at times.
And you know, I know I'm, I'm actually, you know, this is going to come out afterwards but like I'm going to be doing a podcast tomorrow about, because I just crossed the five year mark of being self employed and I'm going to put out a show tomorrow based on the lessons that I've learned out there in that time frame because I want to continue to deliver that.
(02:59):
And you know, I feel like the best way to kind of help others is to show like, hey, this is what I tried, this is what didn't work.
And you know, for me in particular, when it comes down to like developing business and stuff, it is like, you know, building a system has been probably the biggest eye opener of how much of a lack of a system I was operating off of prior to where I am right now.
(03:23):
Because I truly feel like every minute of my day is accounted for from like building my book of business, reaching out to my current customers and you know, trying to grow because dude, it's so fragile to get a business off the ground and running and then, you know, have the sustainable revenue coming in every single month to cover your overhead to where you're not at a loss and everything else, man, I, it's a lot, dude, as you know.
Speaker 2 (03:47):
Oh, totally, man.
And I, I think obviously to live and, or to start to live and survive in the transportation industry, obviously innately you've got to be a problem solver, right?
You got to be willing to solve problems.
And I think that's probably why a lot of the right characters in the industry are able to collaborate and collaborate well, you know, with each other.
(04:10):
Kudos for you.
You have definitely set the tone for how diverse you can make your.
I mean, not only just with the Freight coast podcast here, but you got freight coast logistics going on.
You're building your brand and you're doing those things.
And people need to think outside the box too.
I mean, sometimes it's not about just moving freight that can help Elevate you in this industry as much as it is, you know, just providing insight, listening and answering calls on some of the voids in the industry.
Speaker 1 (04:42):
Yeah man.
Like I, dude, I just look at it as, I have accepted that a.
I don't know anything, you know, Like, I know a little bit but like I'm a constant student.
Like I am always out there looking like, how do I just get a little bit better, you know, because it's like any sales rep that's out there trying to develop a book of business in any market, but especially right now, there's literally nothing you're going to say on the phone right away that these guys have never heard before.
(05:10):
The prospects, they've heard it.
All right?
So it's like I, I look at it as, all right, how do I shave a couple of seconds off of my outreach to increase my outputs, you know, so it's like, how do I, if something's taking me three hours, what can I do to shave it down to two and a half hours so I can free up my time to, you know, to focus on revenue producing activities.
(05:31):
Those RPA is out there that I need because you know, we're, when we started our brokerage with SPI, I mean this is our third world, like two and a half years in, right?
Like I put it January 1st of 2023 is really when we started.
and so, you know, we're two and a half years in right now.
And yeah, we've had some pretty exciting growth over this time frame.
(05:53):
But now it's like we need consistency, right?
Like we need that five loads a day, six loads a day, every day.
We need that baseline and we need to minimize the gaps where it's like, hey, if we're busy for three to four weeks, how do we not have a down week?
You know, maybe it's just a down, it's limited to a down day we or a down, you know, couple of days in a week.
(06:14):
So it's really kind of closing those gaps.
So I'm trying to have that system in place to where it's like all of my time is accounted for when I'm not working on the show or moving freight.
I'm actively cold calling new prospects, just trying to get in front of as many people as I possibly can that fit inside of our target market.
Speaker 2 (06:34):
So there's so many things like I kind of want to impact on what you just said.
So first of all, yes, establishing systems.
Huge something that I, I will tell you that I have learned that I think not only do you have to have systems, you need to have systems written down.
You need to figure out how you can get so many things that go back to.
(06:58):
Only Chris Jolly knows, right?
Or only Garrett Bowers knows.
And, you know, how can you put those systems in front of the folks that are working with you and want to help you?
Because right or wrong, most of the people that you put in the seat right there, if you're going to put them in the seat, they want to perform, you know, and they want to figure out what it takes to answer that question without tugging on your shirt tail, right?
(07:21):
You know, to do those things.
Secondly, you know, not only do you mention system, but then you mentioned friction, right?
How are you taking so much time, right, that surrounds yourself over one particular process, that it's tedious or, you know, it requires a lot of detail only to get, you know, just a little bit of gross profit margin, you know what I mean?
(07:45):
Sustained in whatever, whatever customer shipment you might have, right?
So how can you ease that friction between order and cash and get your sustainable revenue built in there to where it's a little bit more automated, right?
And I think obviously proven systems over time is going to get you there training.
(08:06):
I will tell everybody, like, you sit here and say that you don't know anything.
That's, that's kind of bullshit.
I'll talk to you.
But like, I mean, you know, I, I am the world's worst trainer.
I feel like I'm better at like, transportation theory and like, truthfully trying to put the people and the customer and whatnot together and saying, all right, you know, what do we need to do here, you know, do those things, but man, when it comes to some of the tedious things with regard to softwares, whether we're talking about McLeod or Revenova or anything like that, my people can walk all over me when it comes to, you know what I mean, really creating the shortcuts and making the software work faster, you know, for them, which I think is really a pretty good job.
(08:56):
I mean, I don't know, I consider myself more into sales and problem solving and customer account management than I do really anything else in the business.
But, you know, it's tough.
It's tough because you want to put yourself in that role and you're going to grind and you're going to cold call and you're going to do those things.
But then, Jolly, how are you maybe setting people up then to take that part over for you?
(09:21):
So that you can concentrate on the other bigger fish.
Speaker 1 (09:24):
And, and that's one thing that, you know, I, I was talking to a really good friend of mine, and he's built a really successful company and, you know, he's kind of like my.
Essentially, for the next.
From now until we're probably 50, 60 million a year in revenue, Garrett is.
Is.
I'm going to be leading the charge in sales, and we're going to build operations behind us, you know, and, you know, and again, this is all more of just kind of like a framework at the end of the day that we're going to be following off of.
(09:54):
But I look at it like, man, my strength is sales.
You know, like, dude, I love getting out there.
I love meeting customers.
I love learning more about their businesses.
I want to.
Because, like, truly the only way I'm going to help any of our shippers out is when we're actively moving their freight.
And I can see those inconsistencies that are in there of like, hey, let's try this, not that.
(10:17):
Have you ever tried this before?
You know, I'm noticing these things and it's tough to kind of get there.
And I've just noticed, though, that, you know, ultimately, Garrett, there are very few actual hunters out there.
There are a lot of guys.
There are a lot of people who are really good account managers, and there's nothing wrong with that.
But I, I think I've only met a handful of guys, Garrett, who are not afraid to make 60, 70, you know, 50, 60, 70 cold calls a day, go do site visits and develop something from nothing.
(10:49):
A lot of people are really good at taking over an established relationship and growing that, and there's a time and a place for that.
But for me, man, like, dude, we need to develop business and we need to get it.
And if I'm going to be the one to take those arrows, that's fine with me, man.
I'll go out there and I'll do it.
Because, like, I love the thrill of the unknown more than anything, you know, Like, I love calling somebody and not knowing what's going to be on the other end.
Speaker 2 (11:12):
Well, and that's in this market right now especially.
I mean, it's sparse, right?
I don't have to tell you dat Truck Stop, they've all pended out there right now, and you've got everybody that's kind of like all of our routine.
Shippers might be bracing themselves for what tariffs might do to them, whether it's you know, the rules this week or the changed rules next week, you know, we don't quite know.
(11:35):
So that foundation of business isn't necessarily there.
So you have to figure out how you get those people in front of those prospective customers that closer, that winner, that guy that can take a five load customer and get six loads out of them.
You know, I mean that particular person and I agree, I mean that is a certain dynamic that is pretty rare in the business.
(11:57):
I, I say that account management is its own art as well because you've got to keep that business coming back.
Right.
And you know, doing the deep sell again.
You know, sometimes account management, you start leading into other things that you had no idea this shipper did, you know, and some other things and I think you've had some success with that.
(12:23):
I've got accounts that luckily, you know, by referral or other means necessary, other modes necessary, we've been able to get in there and exercise not just our trucks, but as well the brokerage, you know, which brokerage Sales.
Yeah, let's talk about that right now.
Speaker 1 (12:41):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (12:42):
What shipper out there says, oh my gosh, you're a brokerage.
Please, please on board right now.
Speaker 1 (12:48):
Dude, none.
You know, like I'm trying to pull any and all tricks out of the bag and I.
Tricks is just a statement there.
But like anything that I can do to get noticed, you know, and I look at it as is like when I call people, you know, again, I'm very direct at why I'm calling them.
I'm not going to sugarcoat anything.
(13:09):
If they're like, what's the purpose of your call?
100%.
It's a sales call.
It's a 100% introductory phone call.
This is what we do, this is who we are.
I'm really just trying to introduce ourselves.
I have found that has garnered way less resistance than anything because I am just, there's no bullshit.
This is who I am.
This is what we do.
This is why I'm calling.
I'm not here to waste your time.
(13:29):
I've actually gotten a fast track to the decision maker in the sense of like a.
I could transfer you, but they're not going to answer.
But here's our email.
Try that.
That'll be your best way of getting out there.
And you know, again, I'm always about meeting my prospects where they are because if they're not going to answer the phone, but if they prefer email, cool, I'm going to email.
But I'm Going to go a little bit further than just a basic general email.
(13:50):
I'll send them, you know, one first, but my follow up email, I got this fancy little set up here.
I'm going to record a quick 20 second, 30 second video.
Hey, it's Chris Jolly.
I just wanted to put a face behind all this outreach that's out here.
Here's who we are, this is what we do.
I understand how everything is right now and in the event you need to change, love an opportunity to speak with you at that time.
(14:11):
But again, I'm trying to do little things just to stand out, which I know most people aren't doing.
Speaker 2 (14:16):
No, yeah, I mean, the video right there, that's pretty solid.
I kind of resort to being a little bit funny and sarcastic, you know, Like, I remember my heading on an email just the other day was not another freight provider.
Like just instantly, you know, they're going to open that and go, okay, yeah, all right.
(14:36):
This guy's got a sense of humor.
You know, maybe I'll read a little bit.
But it's important, you know, don't divulge like all of the things that your company can do, you know, I mean, like again, like you said, they've been sold that for years and years.
And I mean, like, if you have to sit here and articulate that, maybe you don't truthfully know, you know what I mean?
(14:57):
What, what you can and can't do, I think it comes down to.
And most relationships, just like you said, you're going to get to the best part of the relationship by cutting through the bullshit.
What quality relationship have you ever had that relied on vague communication, you know, and just none, you know, and so when you're able to be upfront, honest, hey, this is who I am, this is what I'm doing and this is what I'm after.
(15:24):
Don't even, don't even hesitate to even talk to that account about what it can mean for you.
Yeah, that's my philosophy.
Right.
I mean, maybe let them know how you could, your own financial trajectory could change or what are some of the goals that you have personally that could actually, you know, if they open their doors, if they gave you the freight, what does it mean not just for them, but for you know, specifically as that person.
(15:52):
And obviously if you're going to be the guy that opens up the door, be the guy that runs point on the account.
Speaker 1 (15:58):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (15:58):
You know, for a while.
Because I guarantee you one thing that people do not want is getting pat.
Oh, I've got your account open.
Here's so and so.
Yeah, see you later, you know, and I'll never hear from you again.
Speaker 1 (16:10):
No, I'm.
I'm right there with you, man.
And I, you know, for me, personally, I am.
I'm just looking.
Like, I always try and sell to people how, like, I want to be sold, and I just like, dude, I don't, like, don't me on.
On anything.
Like, if we're going to talk, like, let's talk, right?
Like, we can build rapport later, you know, but like, in the beginning stages, man, like, let's just keep it as business as possible early on.
(16:39):
Because I just think, like, a lot of other people, let them run their mouths, let them try and be the buddy.
Hey, how's.
Blah, blah.
What?
You know, how's Oklahoma senior football going?
You know, like.
Speaker 2 (16:49):
But then.
Oh, God, wrong team.
Jolly Wrong.
Speaker 1 (16:52):
Oh, sorry.
Sorry, man.
I took a calculated swing and you did.
Speaker 2 (16:57):
Oh, big miss.
Speaker 1 (16:58):
Are you Oak State, then?
Speaker 2 (16:59):
Oak State, man.
Go.
Speaker 1 (17:02):
All right, all right.
But you see, right, like.
Yeah, that's what I mean, man.
Speaker 2 (17:05):
But no, it was good.
It was good to me, though, Garrett.
Speaker 1 (17:08):
I just want to stay as on task as possible early on because it's an inconvenience to reach out to anybody for the first time, second time, third time to their day, you know, and it's like, I also look at it as, you know, realistically, they got their own.
It's like there's a high probability they got their own shit going on in their lives, right?
(17:29):
And the last thing they're thinking about is Chris Jolly in that moment.
So, again, if we're going to.
If I'm just going to be trying to be noticed, I want it to be, hey, these guys are at least, like, there's a reason why they're reaching out.
They're not wasting my time.
And I feel like if you switched over too soon to the niceties, the.
How's the weather?
How's this.
You're just going to be passed off to the wayside and they're just going to get bored with you, right?
Speaker 2 (17:52):
Really bored?
Yes.
Yeah, really bored.
I.
I've got a theory and I'm interested to hear your take on it.
Do you feel like it's better to cold call in the morning or the afternoon?
Speaker 1 (18:02):
I think it's better to cold call in the morning.
Straight up.
Speaker 2 (18:05):
Yes, I agree.
Speaker 1 (18:07):
I look at it, Garrett, where I want to rip the band aid off for my day, I am A morning person.
Speaker 2 (18:12):
There you go.
Speaker 1 (18:13):
I am that disgusting person that at 5am I am ready to rock.
And if you're not a morning person, I'm the last person you want to see at that time.
So for me, that's.
Those are my power hours, right?
So it's like when I get in, man, I don't want to waste any time because I am inherently a lazy person.
Garrett.
If I give myself as an excuse to not do something, I never will.
(18:35):
And for me, it's like I structure out my day where the first 30 minutes I'm in my office at 6:30am Pacific time every single day, by 7am I'm dialing.
I do not wait.
And I'm out there and I'm making those calls.
And I'm going to get 35 calls in every day before my live show.
I'm going to get 35 dials in and I'm going to rock that out.
(18:56):
Because I know that there is a higher probability that the my prospects days haven't been completely torpedoed by that point.
Speaker 2 (19:04):
That's it.
Speaker 1 (19:05):
And I would rather reach out to them.
Then again, don't get me wrong, there is no right or wrong time to ruin somebody's day with a cold call.
But me personally, I think that people are in way better moods earlier in the day than they are.
Speaker 2 (19:20):
I agree with that.
I agree with that.
Especially if you rely on the substance like I do, called caffeine, which, and you know, people that work here know that I am a Red Bull fanatic, okay?
So if I am a just on that sugar free Red Bull high, just for a little bit, you can really start to hear a pitch just come out of my mouth instantly, like, which is typically the time like.
(19:48):
And I used to make this mistake.
I'm like, okay, I need to track and trace.
I need to, you know, be an account manager.
I need to, you know what I mean, make sure that people know where they're, where their freight is first thing in the morning, right?
Which, that's when you're getting those questions, okay?
But if you think about it, that's also when your customer is reaching out to freight people.
So that is when your customer has freight on their mind.
(20:11):
And it's always in the mornings, right?
We all know that.
You know, typically from 7am till about 10:30, 11am everybody is tracking and tracing.
They want to know, is this on the way?
Has this delivered?
Is this picking up?
Who's my driver?
You know what I mean?
You're getting all Those questions, that was a huge transition I think I made over the last couple of years ago.
(20:34):
Wait, this is when my customer has freight on their mind.
This is when I need to approach my customer about freight.
Speaker 1 (20:41):
Yeah, yeah.
I look at it also as this, man.
When people get back from lunch, most of the time, they're already like, all right, I got three hours left, man.
Speaker 2 (20:49):
Yes.
Some people are.
Speaker 1 (20:51):
Yeah, yeah, they got.
They got that.
The shades pulled down in their office, man.
They're not.
They're not taking a call unless it's their boss or somebody they need to talk to at that time.
And, you know, but again, rest assured, anybody out there who's listening to this, there is no perfect time.
There is no perfect day.
I definitely have some data on, like, the friendliness level of certain people when you.
When you reach out to the week and stuff like that.
(21:14):
But again, I don't ever want to deter anybody, because if you're in a position like I'm in, like, I don't.
I can't.
Like, I look at it like this, Garrett.
I don't care about port congestion.
I don't care about tariffs.
I don't care about the market being what it is.
I got a family to feed, and if I sit back and look for a reason to not do something, I.
(21:34):
I won't do it.
And then I will be bankrupt, I will lose my home, and I will be homeless.
So it's like, I could sit there and look at that and take that as a reason to not do it, which I know a lot of people out there do.
A lot of people see tariffs and uncertainties in business, and they're like, oh, I'm going to take a play off here.
And then they fail to adjust.
They fail to pivot, and then they wake up in a year from now, and they're like, why don't I have any customers?
(21:57):
Why is all my freight down?
Why is everything down?
It's because you've been sitting on your hands for the last year.
Speaker 2 (22:02):
There you go.
Speaker 1 (22:03):
Do that.
Right?
Like, I would rather, like, get told no, 70 times a day, every single day, and get that one.
Yes.
Than sit back and wait and then have to look my.
My wife in the eye and be like, hey, babe, I didn't feel like selling this week.
We're.
We're not able to eat dinner now.
You know what I mean?
Speaker 2 (22:23):
Like, through that, I.
I totally understand, man.
So you.
You mentioned about pivoting 20.
What.
What are we talking here?
Latter part of 22, all the way to.
Basically now We've seen, like, a whole bunch of contraction.
Speaker 1 (22:41):
Yeah, right.
Speaker 2 (22:44):
Margins compressed.
We've seen some M A activities from some of the.
Some of the big flake, sorry, freight players.
We're seeing a great deal of, I don't want to say, like, economic uncertainty, I think, you know, probably even more so than the pandemic in.
(23:07):
In some cases, you know.
What do you.
What are you thinking here?
I mean, is capacity going to tighten up?
What.
What's the adjustment that you're.
That you're willing to forecast?
Speaker 1 (23:19):
I mean, I look at.
It is.
I think that there's a lot kind of up in the air right now.
I think that with the fmcsa, depending on how much they push what the state of Arkansas just put into effect there, with the English proficiency, depending on how aggressive they want to get with that, I think that could cause capacity to evaporate.
(23:44):
I.
Speaker 2 (23:45):
And what timing with that, too.
I mean, we got the big road check.
What, next week?
Speaker 1 (23:50):
Yeah, next week or two weeks from now?
I think it's like around the 19th or something like that.
Speaker 2 (23:53):
And yeah, maybe it's two weeks.
Yeah, that's right.
Speaker 1 (23:56):
But, dude, I look at it as is, you know, I think that there's a lot of businesses out there that are hanging on by a thread right now.
I truly feel that way.
I think that any change out there in the market that tightens capacity at all, even a sliver, I think could push a lot of businesses over the edge.
(24:18):
and I think, like, that bullwhip effect, because I like, dude, I look at it like, at this point, Garrett, I'm willing to go on record in saying, like, I think we're all going to leave on a Friday afternoon.
It's going to be a normal week, how it's been the last couple of years, and we're going to walk in Monday and there's going to be fucking nothing.
And then it's going to be tight capacity.
(24:38):
There's going to be shipments sitting on docks.
Shippers are going to be like, we need more providers.
We need.
And I truly feel like at this point that's the only logical thing that could happen and that it kind of.
Speaker 2 (24:49):
Brings a little bit of uncertainty, too.
I don't know how many RFPs you filled out in the first quarter, but it seemed like for me, maybe the latter part of February, but, like, March, I was inundated with RFPs.
April got thrown a few more RFPs.
Don't get me wrong, customers, thank you for those.
But like, you.
You also want to sit here and go.
(25:10):
I mean, our tender rejection rates about to just, you know, explode because of some of these enforcement accidents.
And, and I don't know, you know, I don't think that it necessarily.
It's obviously not going to solve the driver count problem, you know, here domestically, whether that's, you know, good or bad in a lot of respects for capacity providers, I think, you know, ourselves.
(25:39):
All I could share is ourselves, like at the end of 2022, were running close to 60 trucks.
Today we have 38.
I mean, if that gives you any kind of indication on, you know, just kind of the backsliding, the adjustment, the.
What we have done to obviously not only try to respond to operating costs and the other things that have inflated, you know what I mean, over this time, but then answer to the lack of opportunity, I'm going to say, for, you know, to chase larger margins or to figure out ways to grow.
(26:15):
It's really going to be interesting because I could sit here and tell you that, yeah, I'd like to sell, you know, Chris, a few more trucks, but what is this going to do to the used truck market if all of these trucks all of a sudden start getting empty?
So you got to really.
And you know, there's a lot of creditors out there, you know, banks and other things like that are holding the bag also wondering what this is going to do, you know, in the particular industry.
(26:42):
I say all that to say we take all these CDLs and we make them, you know, no longer, I'm going to say no longer needed, but they're obviously no longer valid.
Right?
Yeah, we're.
Does.
Are we removing.
Is that really responding to public safety?
(27:03):
You know, are those drivers necessarily, you know, less safe than other drivers?
I think the biggest thing is, you know, we have some bad actors, some bad capacity providers in the industry that are running two or three different DOT numbers, right?
And they're running some of these people ragged and they're doing those things.
And I think it's really hard for legitimate companies to respond to that, especially if they are subject at all to the freight markets and spot trends and other things like that.
(27:33):
Every single shipper is going to look at what they should be paying for freight.
If they don't, they're obviously not acting in their own best interest, you know, but I'm really hesitant to say that some of these RFPs that were filled out here in the first quarter are going to hold up by the time Q3, Q4 rolls around, I, I.
Speaker 1 (27:53):
I'm right there with you, man.
I, I think 2025, when we look back at it in a couple of years, might come out as it's either going to be, I can't believe it lasted all of 2025, or it's going to be, holy shit, did it get wild.
Speaker 2 (28:11):
Right?
You know, 2020, a light switch, man.
I mean, you know, we've got, you know, so many drivers that are out there that drove during the pandemic.
They saw, you know, March transitioned into April, and that was like a light switch when things just fell off.
You better book your spot freight for a dollar a mile or you're getting hung up on.
(28:32):
Yeah, you know, I mean, we all live through it as capacity providers, you know, and now it could definitely be the other way around.
But is that necessarily good, bad?
I, I, Chris, I don't know.
I, I think I.
What's really great about is it just touches so many different industries and it affects so many different things.
(28:53):
And I'm really excited to see what 2025 is going to bring, but again, apprehensive in the sense that we just don't know.
Speaker 1 (29:02):
Yeah, I'm right there with you, man.
But, you know, I also look at it as, you know, at the end of the day, you know, as a business owner, this is just going to be another thing that you're going to have to overcome.
You know, I, I look back over these last five years now, and it's been just one thing after another.
But I think ultimately, like, when you decide to go out on your own, this is literally what you're signing up for, you know, and it, it's, you know, there's going to be tough decisions that you're going to have to make.
(29:31):
I mean, you're, you know, you had mentioned that you went from, you know, 60 trucks down and you guys are down to 38 right now.
As a leader of an organization, Garrett, how did you approach that?
As, you know, because there's tough decisions that you have to make at any given time out there.
What led you to be like, all right, we have to make this decision, and then what are some of those pivotal changes that you've made to keep the lights on here over these last couple of years?
(29:59):
When you see, you know, it's every day now there's another headline of another company that went under and more drivers got laid off and this brokerage closed, and everything else Man.
Speaker 2 (30:09):
So humility has definitely entered my vocabulary.
You go from, you know, assumingly making or it's what I felt, all the right decisions between 2016 and about 2022 to just getting the other side of the market slammed in your face.
(30:31):
You realize that, you know, when the margins compress, the cash flow starts to slide, and you've got to let some good people go.
You've gotta, you've got to make some harsh decisions.
You've got to figure out how the brand, you know will survive.
And then, of course, you figure out who are those people that are left and who are you going to fight for, you know, who are those.
(30:54):
What are those services?
What are those customers?
And you know, what are those things that you've got to hold on to that you got to know that you can survive with?
I can tell you that we, as a fleet, we became extremely, much more efficient with every one of our moves.
So much more efficient than I think were in, in a lot of respects, because were getting lazy.
(31:18):
Right.
We didn't have the processes in place to take advantage of when the market was just wild and on fire.
Right.
And, you know, there's several ways that I think people can respond.
And I'm not going to sit here and tell you that I'm necessarily full of the right answers, but I can tell you, for me personally, I had a really great brokerage that I owned for a while that I, I fell on the sword of trying to save the asset company.
(31:56):
And why did I do that?
Chris, this is my grandfather's company.
I was, I'm third generation, you know.
No, the company is nothing like it was whenever my grandpa was around.
I mean, it was a rock stand gravel company, as you know, we kind of discussed in the first podcast that you and I had together.
But, you know, trying to figure out what it's going to take because I've got so many good drivers and families that depend on those things.
(32:27):
And then of course, is our sales momentum as good if Bowers doesn't have trucks?
So, yeah, I supplemented the balance sheet of what once was a good brokerage to save that trucking company.
We were able to save the trucking company and then I was able to transition over, work out an agreement with SPI Logistics.
(32:56):
I want to thank you obviously, for that referral in that regard because I'd looked at a lot of different agency models and it was something that just felt like a better fit, you Know, not only was the margin, you know, did it make sense for the margin split, but I think the technology was just what blew me away in the demo, as, you know, that brokerage that I said that were the technology that we have access to now, Chris, it would have taken me a decade to develop.
Speaker 1 (33:30):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (33:31):
You know, on my own, bootstrapping it on my own to have those things just laid out and put forth.
You know, Chris, you and I are able to transactionally go to, you know, any size of shipper and swing a 200 million dollar stick at them to show them what the resources are, what the capabilities are, what the true level of technology and investment and advancement that has taken place, you know, in our industry over the last 15 years, what it can do.
(34:05):
And you know, were in competition on a shipment I think a couple Saturdays ago with some other smaller providers and were able to exercise that and we showed the customer the difference.
Not only did we come under budget, but were able to, you know, were able to respond that much quicker.
You know, making those market pivots like this I think has allowed us to see daylight at the end of the tunnel.
(34:34):
Both of us talked about, we don't know when that daylight really comes, but I'm going to tell you that I think it flicked and I think that it gave my team so much more breathing room, so much more confidence than what were doing before because they can actually get out there and play offense again.
And that's what's important, right?
(34:55):
Just the morale.
You know, I feel sorry for you and I'm sure there's a lot of capacity providers listening to me right now that have had to make those harsh cuts or they're cutting back on these particular things right now, or maybe they've even had to renegotiate, you know, contractor wages and other things like that, you know, their percentages.
(35:15):
I mean, who knows what that looked like, right?
To try to get that cash flow back into the business, to save it as a whole.
But I can tell you that small adjustments, proven processes, getting things on paper, making sure that you have the right, Johnny's and Joe's and you know, James and Sally's with you that know exactly what the mission is and so crucial is so important because, you know, in the end a company is just people.
(35:47):
And you know that I had a question asked to me, you know, a long time ago whenever I kind of started was would you rather have the best customers in the world?
Would you rather have the best people in the world, you know, the best employees in the world.
It's like, man, you put the best employees in the world together and I mean, there's not a customer out there you can't go get.
Yeah, you know, I mean, yeah, you can have some great customers and whatnot, but I mean, if you're subject to, you know, these certain things or, you know, these volatilities in the market that we've all experienced right now, it hasn't been me.
(36:19):
It hasn't been any one decision or anything that I've made, Chris.
It's been the conglomeration of people out here that have believed in what we can do that I think are still keeping us in business today.
Speaker 1 (36:32):
Yeah, I mean, you brought up a lot of great points there.
You know, it's easy in today's day and age, Garrett, for people to go out on social media and pound their chest about how great they are in business and how nothing like they just seemingly are always winning.
Right.
Like, you scroll through any social media site right now, all you see is a highlight reel out there and it makes you think, what am I doing wrong?
Speaker 2 (36:58):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (36:59):
And that's one of those things that was always in my head is I'm like sitting there and I'm like, man, I'm like, in my opinion, I'm the best freight broker in North America and you're not going to convince me any differently.
And I would expect every other high performing individual out there to share that exact same sentiment about themselves, you know, and if you don't, like, you got to work on that shit.
(37:21):
Right?
But I was like, you know, I'm sitting there and I'm like, I'm experiencing these things in my business and I'm like, man, what am I doing wrong here?
And then, you know what I have come to realize though is I'm like 99% of this people you see on social media are full of shit.
For starters.
(37:41):
You know, they're all lying about something.
Especially if they're only.
Let me rephrase that.
If they're only posting about how much money they're making and how great they are.
Speaker 2 (37:48):
That's right.
Speaker 1 (37:49):
Probably all that's right.
Speaker 2 (37:50):
Or that they're growing.
If I see any transportation provider is talking about that they've been growing the last, you know, 12 to 16 months, I'm like, how?
Yeah, you know what?
Speaker 1 (38:02):
Yeah, you know, it's one of those things where I look at it as like, you know what you just brought up There, Garrett, like that.
That's the stuff that people need to hear, right?
They also need to know, like, there are alternatives out there.
If you feel like, you know what, maybe you're.
You're in a pinch because things didn't go the way that you seem.
Because everybody starts their businesses, Garrett, and they think, I'm going to be a millionaire within six months.
(38:27):
Everything's going to be great.
I'm going to have a mansion, I'm going to have supercars.
I'm going to have all of this stuff.
And then reality inevitably hits you.
And, you know, and this is like, you know, a lot of the situations that I'm in is.
Is, you know, and when I.
When I talk about a lot of stuff on all of my podcasts is that I'm like, you guys.
It's a lot different when you're on the sidelines collecting a salary, as opposed to when you're making a decision and you're like, if I'm wrong, I fucking lose everything.
(38:52):
That's, you know, there's a different stress that comes along with that when you're out there trying to make things happen.
And, you know, going through that, though, I feel like this is what is going to make you sustainable for the next 50 years.
This is what's going to keep Bowers trucking for the next 50 years, is going through these situations.
And if there's one lesson I've learned over these last five years is adversity is actually there to help you in business.
(39:20):
It's actually there to realign you and to help you get prepared to take things to that next level.
And, you know, you brought up, you know, like, with SPI and having that tech infrastructure in place, that would have taken you 10 years to bootstrap yourself.
And, you know, you.
You brought up something about being on all offense.
And that's the way that I approach this, like, with my operation is it's like, dude, I don't have to worry about a lot of stuff right now.
(39:47):
I can focus on being on offense.
I can focus on selling.
I don't have to look at how am I going to pay my insurance premium this month.
I don't have to look at how am I going to afford to pay for my TMS this month.
Right?
Because that's all in that, you know, like, spi, in my opinion, is an investor in me, you know, and they'll be the opposite, you know, because they are.
(40:09):
They're a phenomenal organization.
But, like, dude, they're business partners of mine.
They're they're out there helping me play offense at a high level to pack that punch.
Because I have that confidence, Garrett, that there is, like you had mentioned, there is not one shipper in North America that I could get set up with that I would have to ask myself, can I afford to actually move their freight because it cost $5,000 a month in EDI just to process all their tenders that come through.
Speaker 2 (40:33):
That.
That was another thing.
Yeah, we did get an EDI award.
And you know, I was comparing the cost with our current TMS, McLeod, which kind of charges you to do everything, you know, every twist and turn.
And then, you know, SPI says, yeah, bring those awards over here and it's free.
(40:54):
It's wow.
You know.
You know, so we can get systems talking, you know, back and forth with these other transportation management firms and you know, bam.
Auto tenders and like we talked about before, we're releasing friction, you know, and not having to extend the capital and hoping that you're going to get enough awards later on to you know, establish a real ROI for that deal.
(41:20):
And, you know, what does that business truly cost?
Speaker 1 (41:23):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (41:23):
You know, when you get awarded and, you know, I say all that to say, you know, I think any good business person has the ability to look down the road a little bit further than I have in, you know, in years past.
I think what this has shown me is where the vulnerabilities lie and what I want to do and what I want my balance sheet to look like ever before.
(41:52):
We, you know, do take on other risks and other, you know, chase other prospective gains.
You know, cash is king and cash flows the emperor.
You know, when SPI is able to provide such a support around their agents to where they treat their agents like customers, it's an awesome model because we are the ones that go out there and exercise what we're good at to be able to, you know, get that cash flow coming in, you know, not just for us, not just for our businesses, but as well for them.
(42:31):
And I think it's just a really important thing to look at.
Especially if anybody's considering, you know, becoming an agent or figuring out some type of investment opportunity that would allow them to do so.
Speaker 1 (42:43):
Do you think, you know, as we're kind of wrapping things up, Garrett, do you think that you are going to be more risk averse making business decisions moving forward?
Do you feel like maybe you.
I'm not going to say that.
You, you know, you made the wrong decisions in certain aspects.
But do you think now with all of this.
But you know, I mean, more like all of this experience, do you think you're going to look at.
Speaker 2 (43:06):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (43:06):
Expansion in a lot different light?
In a lot.
Speaker 2 (43:09):
A lot different light.
A lot different light.
I think it's good.
I think it's important to be as a service provider to be good at a certain number of things and not all the things.
Right.
You know, I used to pride myself on being able to do just so many different modes and types and other things like that.
And so that's definitely something you want to focus on because each one of those modes can be, you know, another investment, another thing.
(43:35):
Right.
More.
More cash out.
I think, I think that I'm going to be definitely more picky and critical of the people that we bring on that we decide to.
To train and really put our time and our investment and other things into.
(44:01):
And then I think also more importantly, we need to make sure that we're exercising business to the right customers, the right clientele, you know, people that value quality of transportation and other things like that, not just chasing numbers.
You know, while the SPI strategy does allow you know, to quote freight and numbers and all those things with the best of them, the fact of the matter is we all have a certain level of operating cost and other things like that we have to ascertain that we have to harvest to be able to establish, you know, true roi.
(44:41):
And I, you know, I think as far as trucks are concerned and some of those things, the liabilities and the other aspects that go along with that.
I mean, you're talking to a guy that just had a 30 increase on his fleet.
And really, I mean, one of the few tokens that I could get away from that insurance renewal was that we traveled so many miles in Texas.
(45:03):
Well, as an Oklahoma, you know, service provider, we have to travel into Texas.
Right.
But hell, Texas is the number one state now for uninsured motorists.
Speaker 1 (45:12):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (45:12):
And, you know, and so if we, if I package all of those things that I just said, yeah, risk averse is definitely a certain way that I would term it.
But I would tell you that growth just has to make more sense now.
You know, I just turned 40 last year, and if you would have talked to me when I was, you know, 30, I would have had a way different picture of what I would be doing or who I would be at 40.
(45:45):
The fact of the matter is I'm not there, but I see how to get there, and I see how to get there more clearly, I think, through.
Through some of the years right here that we've been through.
Speaker 1 (45:57):
And I love.
I can't add anything onto that.
Garrett, I just appreciate your transparency with all of this.
And, you know, for me, it's like, this is.
This is why I, like, I love doing this show because, you know, I love learning from others and I love helping.
Like, this show is going to help a lot of people, man.
(46:18):
Because, like, ultimately, at the end of the day, I mean, more times than not, I felt lost in my life.
Right?
Like, let alone in my entrepreneurship journey here.
These last five years, I've felt lost.
And when, you know, and I think, like, this is, like, one of the greatest assets of this show is.
Is it's relatable to a lot of people, and it makes them not feel like they're on an island with stuff.
(46:40):
And I just appreciate you sharing everything today, man.
But how does anybody reach out to you, man?
How does anybody connect with you?
Find out more what you got going on.
Speaker 2 (46:48):
Yeah, well, please, I mean, if you can reach out via LinkedIn, you know, Garrett, bowerstrucks.com G A R R E T T Just, you know, shoot me an email, whatever.
I.
I love talking freight.
And I think if these.
If these years have taught me anything, I mean, it is that this industry is my passion and I'm not going anywhere.
Speaker 1 (47:09):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (47:10):
No matter what.
You know, I mean, it's just we're going to figure it out.
We're going to do what we can to.
To get around it and.
And solve the problem.
So, you know, if anybody wants to take a look at our website, bowerstrucks.com and then, of course, you know, if anybody wants to talk to me about the SPI partnership, I'd be great, you know, greatly open to talking about it.
(47:31):
And, you know, maybe some things that somebody might consider if they're considering some of the same moves.
Speaker 1 (47:37):
Dude, I appreciate it, man.
Garrett, thank you so much.
And that's going to be it for today, ladies and gentlemen, as always, if you got value in what you heard and you're not subscribed, subscribe to the show.
You guys, if you're feeling really ambitious after this one, which you should because Garrett just laid out a master class for you all, and you haven't ranked the show yet on itunes and Spotify rank it, because if you saw value, that's how your network's going to see value as well.
(47:58):
I appreciate you guys.
I love you guys, and we'll be talking to you soon.
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