SUB-DIVISIONS IN HAULAGE BRING UNENDING JOBS FOR TRUCKS DAILY

Once again, i will like to say hello to you guys this week. I hope i was able to answer your questions on the phone and through mails as you all expected. Today we shall have an overlook of the division of the haulage especially in the containerized type of haulage in Nigeria.

The containerized haulage business is divided into 3 types and this is why trucks are needed on a regular basis for this business. A lot of people concentrate or rather focus on one section only thereby having a feeling that the competition will be too much for trucks.

But i tell you today, rather than pitting your focus on a section alone, there are others you should look into . Below are the divisions in details: 1.IMPORTS:Yes,as you know, our economy is based on the importation. Vessels come into the country everyday.Remember that we have many ports and bonded terminals where people clear their goods everyday. Imports into the country alone amounts to over 200,000 containers monthly.

2.EXPORTS: If you truck is not carrying imports from the ports from the ports,then it must be carrying exports into the ports. Exportation is also a big business nowadays if you know how to go about it. Your trucks can also be assigned to carry exports from a particular location to the ports. We have over 200 export boxes going into the ports on a regular basis.Believe me, i am talking from experience. I have worked in the ports for 6 years with APM Terminals APAPA, so i know what i am saying. You will make money just carrying export boxes every week.

3.EMPTIES:After the imports have been discharged from the container, we call the container "empties". Now many times, the empties are discharged at some bonded terminals and there is a special request for the truckers to help bonded terminals to clear the empties to the ports for the vessels to take back to Europe. Ofcourse, the bonded terminals will pay for the delivery to the ports.

You see why you need not worrying yourself over jobs in container business. IF YOUR TRUCK IS NOT CARRYING IMPORTS, IT MUST BE CARRYING EXPORTS, IF IT CARRYING EXPORTS IT MUST BE CARRYING EMPTIES. NOW IMAGINE SHUTTLING THE 3 DIVISIONS EVERY WEEK.

SO WHO SAID THERE ARE NO JOBS FOR YOUR TRUCKS? OFCOURSE THERE IS. i hope to see you again next week. More Info:haulagemover@gmail.com 07065149588 08185208688

TIPS ON HOW TO MANAGE YOUR TRUCK INSIDE THE JOBS

As an experience hauler or lets say a trucker business operator, i have studied overtime that the lifespan of a truck is 6 to 7 years in Nigeria. There is every tendency that your truck can last more than 5 years if it is properly maintained.But inside the job, it is very important that you know how to maintain the usage of your truck any day anytime. I will be sharing some tips below on how to maintain your truck as it goes about during its daily work routine. 1. Always ensure that you know the tonnage of the job offers you see for the truck everyday. When you collect a Pick-up ticket from your agent, crosscheck the bill of Lading and confirm the tonnes of the job you are pick up. Remember that most times your truck does not weigh more than 30 to 35 tonnes. Then, why carrying goods more than 40 tonnes.

2.It is not advisable that you carry reefer containers most of the time. Infact i will advise that you don't carry reefer containers more than 3 times in a month. Reefer containers are used in carrying perishable goods. It is like a refrigerator used in preserving the goods. These containers weigh more than 35 tonness. And carrying them always will burst your tyres regularly.

3.Ensure that you advise the driver to inflate his tyre regularly especially after each job delivered. It is very important.

SIMPLE TIPS TO BUY A USED TRUCK FOR YOUR TRUCK BUSINESS

Hello Readers. i like t share with you a very simple tips to use in buying a used truck anywhere in the world. It is very simple. I received a lot of calls last week from prospective clients asking me the price of a truck. Some get scared when they hear the price from the dealers or from the internet. Please i want to tell you that you don't need the latest model of MACK truck or DAF truck for you business.

If you are looking for a Mack truck, be it R model or Ch613 model don't look beyond the 1980s model. If you are looking for CH model, don't look beyond the 1999 model. you will get a good price for it. Let me explain this better. Now a new model of a new truck will cost your pocket.In fact it will cost you all your life savings. If you are starting with just a single truck,the same cash a new model of Mack Truck will make is the same profit an old mack will make. The specifics of the post is that when you approach a dealer selling used trucks,explain to the dealer that you need a Mack R model or probably a CH model truck and get to know the year of manufacture.

The year of manufacture is always writing boldly on the engine block where you find the chassis number. Always look for the 1980s Model. If it is 1980, 1981, 1982. 1983 etc, start your bargaining like that.Just a the price of a 1999 Toyota Camry will be more expensive than a 2001 Toyota Camry. Knowing this, the dealer will soft pedal and give the room to negotiate. Because you don't always know the year of manufacture, the dealer will try to pull a wool over your eyes. In summary, i am saying that most times, the year of manufacture most times determines the price of machinery. Therefore, my brother be smart. Till we meet again next wk. More Info:07065149588 08185208688

REQUIREMENTS FOR YOUR TRUCKS TO GAIN ACCESS TO THE PORTS.

Hello Readers,i will give a you a brief post on how your truck can gain access into the ports before it can start having job offers from agents, logistics companies and middle men. Over the years, i have learnt that doing the needful in business no matter the cost will give me rest of mind than trying to do some short cuts. Getting prepared to do truck business is a must otherwise be prepare to fail and have hypertension. Below are the requirements for your trucks to gain access to the ports:

1.SPARE TYRES:Ensure that you buy spare tyres for your truck. It should be tied somewhere around the flatbed or the truck. What i mean is that, the security officials of NPA(Nigerian Ports Authority) must see it so that the truck can be given direct pass immediately it is on sight. 2.PPE(Personal Protective Equipments) Ensure that your driver is putting on his equipments such as safety boots, helmets and reflective jackets. These are demanded because of the nature of the work. Safety first is the watchword of the work.

3.TYRE JACKYour driver must be equipped with a tyre jack to assist him to remove a punctured tyre or fix a good one. We know quite well that a tyre can puncture anytime, so be prepared before time

Till we meet again next time. 07065149588 08185208688 haulagemover@gmail.com

THE TOP 4 ROOKIE MISTAKES OF A TRUCKER/HAULAGER

Many people who start businesses, including me, have little or no experience and just jump in. Thank God that I was able to learn very fast. But over the years, I have seen people make the same mistakes over and over again in the trucking business. I recognize them because I have made them all, too. Mind you, you will make mistakes but never try to make mistakes that will be tantamount to the destruction of the business or to a situation whereby you will have to go back to square one or Zero. Have you heard people saying “oh I want to sell my truck, oh I want to look for a new driver, oh I want to look for a new manager”? It was all bore down on mistakes that keep on repeating itself. That is why I ask people to go for entrepreneurship courses so that they can learn how to handle business. Trucking business or haulage business is not different from other businesses, just that they have different approaches to them. Here is my list of the biggest rookie mistakes:

1. Keeping your rent as low as possible. Never try to rent a battery from all these battery chargers. For goodness sake, what is the rationale behind the renting of a truck battery that is not fully charged? No 24hrs electricity supply in Nigeria, Therefore never expect a battery charger to give you a fully charged battery for your truck. Remember that the battery charger needs money, if he puts a battery on charge for just one hour and you come to rent, if that is the only available battery, he will give it to you. By the time he is gone, you will face the problems all by yourself. But ehh, your money is gone. Simply ask yourself, what the turn around time of your truck is. In trucking business, time is money

2. Hiring someone you know and trust. Competence is more important. While hiring drivers that you know and relatives can work, it severely limits the pool from which you choose. Friends and relatives can also carry baggage. They can also be very hard to manage, which leads to my ultimate advice: if you can’t fire ‘em, don’t hire ‘em

3. Buying used equipment to keep expenses down. This, too, works sometimes, but it is often shortsighted. For example, buying used tyres will guarantee that you will spend valuable time and money fixing the truck when it should be out taking care of customers. Can you really afford downtime with any your truck? This is why truckers have problems with the law enforcement agencies.

4.Saving money on professional advice. It is very important that you save money once you have started your trucking business. Please I beg you, look for a good bank that will help you that have a tenacity to loan you to move to greater heights. See all the transporters with 20 trucks or 50 trucks, they are been supported by the banks. They never walk alone. That is my dream. That is my long term goal; to be a transporter.

I hope this list gives some new truckers or haulagers a little insight, or even keeps some wanna-preneurs from getting in over their heads. And one more thing. In sports, you are a rookie for one year. In entrepreneurship, it can last many years. When you learn from your mistakes, you are no longer a rookie. Better yet, learn from someone else’s. Learn from me The special One “lol”. 08185208688 07065149588

INTERSTATE HAULS OR INTRASTATE HAULS FOR YOUR HAULAGE/TRUCKING BUSINESS

Hello Readers, It is good to be back once again. Today i like to share with you what it means to haul interstate and intrastate. what do i mean by these two terms. Inter-state haul is simply a process where your trucks move from where your point of business is to another state which is entirely far from your point of business. For example, i reside in Lagos State. My point of loading is Lagos State but my truck moves outside Lagos State to places like Oyo State, Osun, Kwara and Other States you may think of.

While intrastate hauls has to do within Lagos State. That means my truck do not move outside Lagos State.I restrict my business in Lagos State only. But i will like to share with you why it is important to know these lanes very well before you decide where to send your trucks to.

As a professional in the haulage business, i know that till tomorrow, no matter the number of trucks i have , no matter the power i have, no matter my autocratic decisions, the driver is the deciding factor(TAKE IT OR LEAVE IT. Therefore,in order to give more leverage to the driver, i choose carefully my lanes. BUT HOW. Remember, that trucking business is capital intensive, therefore you must apply proper money management techniques into the business.

If you have a single truck, it is not advisable to run interstate hauls for the first six months. Let me explain briefly why? No matter how good,how new your truck can be, it is a machinery that will experience wear and tear. You got a job to go to Ondo state, You were paid 180k after,all expenses such as drivers allowances and fuel cost etc, you were left with 110k. Now 4hrs later your driver called you to tell you that 2 tyres got bursted along the way. "Hypertension don start" You dont have any choice but to use the remaining balance to acquire 2 new tyres. Either you like it or not, DRIVER HAS COLLECTED HIS OWN PAY. See what i mean by.

In the first six months of doing intrastate hauls, with a good truck and proper management, you life will have been transformed either has a truck manager or truck owner. You will have saved a lot of money for the rainy days in your business. You have a close monitoring approach over the driver. Your truck is within your reach. your can send your manager or you can go there yourself.

But that is not the case in interstate. The driver is far away from you. He is out of sight.The profit you make between long hauls and short hauls is not that much for God Sake. Be wise and sharp dont be too greedy.I am not saying interstate hauls are bad.Just that it is not good for everybody.The fact that i am comfortable with it does not mean that you can be comfortable with it.

Go and ask Dangote if things have always been sweet.No. The truck will spoil one day. You must repair it. Tyres will burst one day. You must buy new ones. But if you have two trucks as a start in your business, it is not a crime to put one on interstate and the other on intrastate.The money you make will cover for one or the two. If you want to run interstate or intrastate hauls, don't try to cover the whole 36 states or the whole of Lagos State. Learn how to cut losses and and make profits. I have seen people with 2 trucks but have nothing to show for it. I have see people with just 1 truck and their lives have been transformed. They wonder why they have no known about the business a long time ago.

In these trucking business, there is no late or early time to start. The Seaports we have in Nigeria has been there before i was born. Business has been there before i was born. Now i am 32 years.And the business is still there. even when we all die it will be there, until Jesus comes.

So, ask yourself,do i have passion for this business? But i tell you one thing. Passion or no Passion,Fortune favours the brave. God bless you.Till we meet again next week. Keep the calls coming and mails coming. i am there for you. 07065149588 08185208688 haulagemover@gmail.com

LIST OF BONDED TERMINALS IN LAGOS STATE.

in my last post, i wrote about 2 different type of jobs available in the container business in the ports. i mentioned that we have the transfer and the normal delivery. i dealt extensively that the transfer type is the ones moved to the bonded terminals where the truck has to come back again to pick up another container or containers for another trips. These bonded terminals have been licensed by the federal govt on Nigeria to receive these transfer boxes so that there agents can come and clear them over there. although the clearing charges triple up once the containers leave the ports. Here are the list of the bonded terminals below.

1.Lilypond bonded terminal.

2.Denca bonded terminals.

3.Hulyblith bonded terminals.

4.Sapid bonded terminals, mile two.

5.Sapid bonded terminals, abule odu.

6.AML boneded terminals.

7.BCT bonded terminals.

8.Mid maritime bonded terminals.

Now that the season is hot, the driver choose the bonded terminals they want to go due to various reasons.

1.traffic.

2.payments differ.

3.proximity to go forth and back

i received calls from 5 different people asking what happens if transfers begin to fluctuate especially in there odd seasons. Please note that the fluctuation of transfers doesn't affect the work your truck will do. once there is no transfer, simply go for normal delivery. imagine, going for a single transfer in the early hour of the morning and go for normal delivery in the afternoon. this is what i call the proper truck management in haulage in Nigeria.

i hope to meet you again. thanks for reading.