We’ve got New Year’s Day this week and some football games (Look, we’re from Ohio – we’re rooting for The Ohio State University!) And New Year’s Day means resolutions to make this year better than the last. So let’s talk about goal setting for truckers for their trucking companies.
Goal setting for truckers is the process of deciding what you want from your trucking company and turning it into measurable targets, such as more money in the bank, retired debts, or new equipment.
Goals work best when they sit inside a plan. See why you should write a trucking business plan yourself rather than leave it to AI.
Already hit the targets you set? Here is what to do when your trucking business goals are met and it is time to reset them.
Why Bother Setting Goals?
There are plenty of studies out there that say that goal setting is the first step to success. Who are we to disagree.
But maybe we do disagree. We think the first step is a long hard look at what we want, not what our goals should be.
There’s a tool called an Eisenhower Box. It’s a simple 4 square box where you decide what’s urgent, what’s important, and how urgent or how important you feel your tasks are.
There are some things that are urgent and important – like making sure your tires are in good shape. There are some not-urgent but important tasks – maybe your wedding anniversary is in a few months and you need to have a better gift than last year’s. Urgent but not important are those things that we MUST do RIGHT AWAY but aren’t really a crisis – somebody just thinks they are. I wouldn’t want to say to my spouse that I think bringing home a gallon of milk RIGHT NOW is urgent but not important (because why have that fight?) but sometimes these tasks look more important than they are. The final box is Not Urgent and Not Important. Depending on your point of view, is anything in that last box worth thinking about?
What’s the Point?
When President Dwight Eisenhower developed this method of analysis, it helped him decide what to do and when to do it.
I found this explanation and honestly, it’s too good not to give it to you.
Eisenhower’s strategy for taking action and organizing your tasks is simple. Using the decision matrix below, you will separate your actions based on four possibilities.
- Urgent and important (tasks you will do immediately).
- Important, but not urgent (tasks you will schedule to do later).
- Urgent, but not important (tasks you will delegate to someone else).
- Neither urgent nor important (tasks that you will eliminate).
Credit to James Clear at JamesClear.com
If you lay out your dreams and ideas in this matrix, it’s the start of goal setting for truckers.
Delivering Goal Setting for Truckers
When you know what you value and dream to achieve, then it’s time to think about those goals as targets to reach.
Truckers understand the concept of “delivery.” That’s what truck drivers do. So think of this as a delivery – and the receiver is YOU. You’re the one who will benefit from looking at your ideas, setting goals and developing plans to build your future for what you want and need.
Take another look at what you want. If the only point is more money, then that’s your focus for the year. How will you know if you’ve achieved it? More money in the bank at the end of the year? Retired debts?
When people talk about SMART goals, they’re talking about measurement. A measurable goal is specific. Just like you have to know the specific delivery location, you have to know what you need to measure.
Trucker Stats™ For Measurements
Once you’ve got your ideas in mind, it may be time to write your trucking company’s business plan. While that sounds scary, we’re going to walk through business planning over the course of this years blogs, so stay tuned!
If your dream is to make more money, then you have to look not only at the income, but also the expenses that your trucking business has to pay. That’s why Trucker Stats™ are so important. Using TruckingOffice PRO’s unique report system, you’ll know where your expenses are going. That’s the key to cutting expenses – knowledge of the holes where your money falling through.
If your goal is to buy new equipment next year (that’s a great goal!) then watching your expenses is critical to your success. Every penny you keep in your pocket is one penny closer to paying off that new equipment (or paying off that debt.)
TruckingOffice’s reports are the keys to success.
And here’s the deal.
If you have TruckingOffice PRO -you already have what you need. You don’t need to buy another program or to spend hours on a spreadsheet trying to figure them out.
You can see it all in our FREE TRIAL FOR TRUCKINGOFFICE PRO! Sign up today for a great opportunity not just to kick the tires and take it for a spin, but to discover what a powerful tool a trucking management software solution like TruckingOffice PRO can do for you.
“Rising Tide (faster)” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Goal Setting for Truckers: FAQ
What is goal setting for truckers?
Goal setting for truckers means taking a long, hard look at what you want from your trucking company, then turning those wants into specific, measurable targets. You then plan around those targets and check your progress against them.
What is the Eisenhower Box and how does it help with trucking goals?
The Eisenhower Box is a simple four-square box where you decide what is urgent and what is important. The squares are urgent and important, not urgent but important, urgent but not important, and not urgent and not important. Laying out your dreams and ideas in this matrix is the start of goal setting for truckers.
What makes a trucking business goal measurable?
SMART goals are about measurement, and a measurable goal is specific. Just as a driver needs the specific delivery location, you need to know what you are measuring. If your goal is more money, decide how you will know you achieved it, such as more money in the bank at year end or retired debts.
How do I track my trucking company goals?
Look at both income and expenses. If your goal is to make more money, or to buy new equipment next year, watching your expenses is critical. TruckingOffice reports and Trucker Stats give you the measurements, and TruckingOffice PRO includes what you need.
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