Why I Started Go By Truck
Please allow me to introduce myself, my name is Kevin Hiller and I’m the CEO and co-founder of Go By Truck. I want you to share a few of the things that I believe are important for you to know. I believe we should live in a just world. A world where transparency exists. A world where equal opportunity and fairness for all exists. A world where respect for one another exists. A world where we are happy to give a person a fair profit for services or goods rendered. A world where doing the right thing is most valuable. A world where we, as individuals, take responsibility for our own actions. I believe that not wanting our fellow man to prosper is a sickness. We are all in this world together and we need one another to succeed in order for us to live in a prosperous and happy society.
I would like to share with you an experience I had that demonstrates what I don’t believe in, and what I believe is wrong in the world we live in today.
From 2003 to 2009 I owned and operated a light manufacturing business. We were operating our own equipment, (flatbed) and began to experience many of the issues the small carriers do every day. We were going through brokers to get backhauls, and one broker asked for something that set off a chain of events that has led me to where I am today.
He asked me to pick up a check from the receiver, as he did not trust them. The check was made out to the brokerage, so he knew I wouldn’t get paid unless I sent him the check. He had taken 50% of what he had charged his customer. We had provided the truck and trailer, the driver, the fuel, the risk of breakdowns and accidents, the cost of insurance for the truck and the cargo, wear and tear on the equipment, the time the equipment was used, and he received 50% of what the load paid, for the connection. It isn’t that I don’t think the broker has a value in the relationship, it’s just not relative to what he did. I’m not suggesting this is the standard amount that is taken by the broker, but it does happen to this day, and it is a goal of the broker to make as much as they can, without any regard to what is fair.
This is one of the biggest problems that the small carriers faces today. An overwhelming majority of trucks operated in the US today are owned by small carriers like yourselves. Many of you depend heavily on brokers for your livelihood, which means the broker and this behavior determines your future.
Together, we can bring about the changes that will take the power from the few and put into the hands of the many. It starts with an honest discussion.
Come join me on “Carriers United” and be a part of the movement that’s going to right the wrongs in the industry. You can become a part of the movement by clicking this link to join our group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/CarriersUnited/