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Truck Drivers: Plan Your Cashflow Ahead of the Holiday Rush

The holiday season is always an anticipated one for the trucking industry. The holiday season is the time of the year when gift shopping peaks, which translates to the influx of packages that need to be shipped. That means double the work, the effort, and the manpower need in the trucking industry. This is the time of the year when trucking companies complain of being short of drivers, mechanics, and other personnel to keep all the trucks going and all the packages moving.

truckers-planning-cashflow-ahead-of-the-holiday-rush

The holiday rush

Truck drivers will have a lot of on their plates during the holiday season. They normally experience an increase in travel time because the roads become congested. Added to this problem is the demand of freight agent brokers and shippers to rush their deliveries to keep store shelves stocked for the holiday shoppers. And don’t forget the tricky weather that could instantly dump a pile of snow on the roads, making travel a lot slower.

Additional expenses

Preparing for the holiday rush entails a lot of expenses for the trucking industry. Truck drivers prepare for the extended holiday runs by conducting a thorough inspection of all vehicles before sending them out for the long haul. Radiator and the cooling system needs to be services, oil needs to be changed, fluids need to be top off, tires checked or replaced, and other small things that will ensure that the units will be in good running condition.

Emergency kits for the drivers need to be prepared before their long trips such as flashlight, blankets, battery-powered radio, first aid kit, tire chains, and other emergency items that will come in handy in the event that the truck stalls in bad weather.

Cash Flow

All the preparations for the holiday rush will entail a bigger problem – cash flow. The expenses of getting ready for the big season overwhelm most truck drivers. There must be extra fund available in case a truck gets stuck on the snow for days. Truck drivers need to efficiently manage their cash, especially for this particular period of the year.

Truck drivers can ensure that there will be available cash for the holiday operation by observing the following:

  • Track where money goes – A truck driver cannot just be spending money indiscriminately even if he earns much during the holiday season. He has to watch his expenses to ensure that there will be available money for his operational expenses.
  • Spend money based on what is needed instead of what he wants.
  • Get professional help in preparing the budget and keeping track of the expenses if he does not have the expertise to do it himself.
  • Make sure there is enough cash to start with before the onset of the holiday rush.

Having enough cash and not worrying how to cover the expenses will enable the truck driver to focus on his job of delivering packages for the holiday season.