TruCost
Wisdom & Quotes

Road-earned wisdom.

Lines from the veterans who shaped a career, a few TruCost originals, timeless business sense, and faith for the long hauls.

Trucking From the people who built it

"Watch your pennies and the dollars will follow."

— John Vaughan, President, Buchanan Hauling & Rigging — Ft. Wayne, IN

The story behind it

Ten years ago at Edwards Moving & Rigging, I walked into John Vaughan's office — he was VP of Finance then — and caught him carefully peeling the stamp off a piece of mail so he could use it again. I asked what in the world he was doing. He looked up and said, "Kyle, watch your pennies and the dollars will follow." He's the President of Buchanan Hauling in Ft. Wayne, Indiana now, but that morning — watching the man save a single stamp — taught me more about running a business than any spreadsheet could. It's the whole idea behind TruCost: the small leaks are where the ship goes down.

"I would rather give the guys a day off than lose money and wear out my equipment and men."

— Mark Edwards, Edwards Moving & Rigging

"Everyone has to eat. No matter how good you are, everyone will get some of your business. That is fair and that is life."

— Mark Edwards, Edwards Moving & Rigging

"Fair and consistent pricing protects you and the whole industry."

— John Vaughan, Buchanan Hauling & Rigging

"Know your number before you say yes."

— TruCost

"$4 a mile sounds better than $11 an hour. Until you do the math."

— TruCost

"Every cheap load you take teaches brokers you'll take cheap loads."

— TruCost

"When enough drivers say no, the rate has to go up."

— TruCost

"The truck doesn't care if you're profitable. The payment is due either way."

— TruCost

"Deadhead miles aren't free. Your truck doesn't know the difference."

— TruCost

"The load you say no to might be the one that saves your business."

— TruCost

"Three hours waiting to unload is three hours you're paying for. Count them."

— TruCost

"Built for the guy whose office is his cab."

— TruCost

"The road doesn't care about your excuses. Neither does the payment book."

— TruCost

"A truck sitting still is losing money. A truck running cheap is losing more."

— TruCost

Grit When the haul gets long

"It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop."

— Confucius

"Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts."

— Winston Churchill

"The harder the battle, the sweeter the victory."

— Les Brown

"You don't have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great."

— Zig Ziglar

"Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off your goal."

— Henry Ford

"The man who moves a mountain begins by carrying away small stones."

— Confucius

"Don't watch the clock; do what it does. Keep going."

— Sam Levenson

"Believe you can and you're halfway there."

— Theodore Roosevelt

Business Timeless sense

"Price is what you pay. Value is what you get."

— Warren Buffett

"Beware of little expenses. A small leak will sink a great ship."

— Benjamin Franklin

"An investment in knowledge pays the best interest."

— Benjamin Franklin

"It's not what you make, it's what you keep."

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"The man who knows his costs is never surprised by his losses."

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"You can make more friends in two months by becoming interested in other people than you can in two years by trying to get other people interested in you."

— Dale Carnegie

"When dealing with people, remember you are not dealing with creatures of logic, but creatures of emotion."

— Dale Carnegie

"Any fool can criticize, condemn, and complain — and most fools do. But it takes character and self-control to be understanding and forgiving."

— Dale Carnegie

"Talk to someone about themselves and they'll listen for hours."

— Dale Carnegie

"The successful man will profit from his mistakes and try again in a different way."

— Dale Carnegie

"Rule No. 1: Never lose money. Rule No. 2: Never forget Rule No. 1."

— Warren Buffett

"It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it."

— Warren Buffett

Faith For the road ahead

"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."

— Philippians 4:13

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding."

— Proverbs 3:5

"For I know the plans I have for you — plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

— Jeremiah 29:11

"Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go."

— Joshua 1:9

"Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you."

— 1 Thessalonians 5:18

"The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want."

— Psalm 23:1

"Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase."

— Martin Luther King Jr.

"Gratitude turns what we have into enough."

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