Moving Words – Farming

Timothy Brady

“Farming looks mighty easy when your plow is a pencil and you’re a thousand miles from the corn field.” – Dwight D. Eisenhower

Any farmer or gardener knows that without planting seeds, nothing will grow. But there are a whole lot of other tasks that must take place before you put the seeds in the ground; tasks to prepare the seed bed or garden. Without the proper preparation, all the farmer will end up with is a plot full of weeds and insects that strangle and devour any intended crop.

You may be asking, “What has this to do with moving?” The principles behind both farming and the moving industry aren’t very different. Both require diligent planning, preparation and maintenance before executing the purpose of either one.

So, let’s apply this. In the world of moving it’s all about efficiency; getting the customers’ belongings from origin to destination in a timely manner while having the return shipments ready to load so your truck(s) return as soon as required to haul the next outbound load. This doesn’t happen without having a pre-determined load plan that meets each shipper’s requirements while being profitable for the agent or moving company at the same time.

To stay with the farming analogy, let’s look at the shipments hauled as the harvest. The harvest yield (revenue earned) will depend on how well the mover follows through with planning, preparation and maintenance before executing (harvesting) the load.

Planning is the first step towards harvesting quality loads. In this stage, the mover must determine the regions and lanes in which he intends on operating. He must realize that different legs within any lane will produce a different revenue result. Some will produce an abundance of revenue that exceeds the required maximum rate needed to be profitable. Yet other legs of a lane will be producing far less revenue than what’s required. The objective here is to evaluate each leg as to revenue produced versus cost to operate within that lane. The net result within your planning is that at the end of the month, the total revenue produced in the lane covers all costs to operate within the lane and leave a tidy profit. Moreover, this needs to occur for each piece of equipment operating within the lane.

Preparation in moving is similar to what you’d do to get a field ready to plant, but in this case, it’s preparing every aspect of each shipment going onto the trailer so you’ll produce a higher revenue yield from each trip. This is accomplished by establishing the primary shipment for each load: many times, this will be a corporate move with a dependable Line Haul. Next is to choose the secondary shipments to fill the trailers that are going in the same direction as the primary load. You also must have a third list of shipments in case any of the ones in the load plan are canceled so you have several other sources for replacement shipments. The final step to maximizing both revenue and efficiency of operation is to have shipments that can be loaded into the space of a shipment that was just delivered while enroute to the last shipment’s final destination.

Maintenance is the weeding and insect control process for a farmer, ensuring his crop provides a higher yield. In moving, this is where you make sure everything is occurring on schedule and within the pickup and delivery timetable to which you’ve agreed. It’s also where you’re constantly monitoring the cost of fuel, tolls and any variables that can change in a blink of an eye. Make sure you’re adjusting your hauling rates accordingly. You’re also watching for and addressing anything which could delay your trucks and van operators meeting the agenda set with the shippers. This includes maintenance and repairs on your trucks and trailers and being sure your drivers have the necessary hours to deal with anything the road or weather can toss in their way. Moreover, if the unavoidable delay occurs, you have the procedures in place to communicate to all involved what’s happened and what adjustments need to be made to the schedule.

Harvest occurs when the farm crop has made it through the growing season, surviving the weeds, insects and unpredictability of the weather. The farmer’s yield will depend upon how well he planned, prepared and maintained his crop. The mover’s result will be very similar, as it will also depend on how well he planned, prepared and maintained his lanes, and shippers were handled. The net result, if done correctly and, like the farmer, with a bit of luck, will be a higher revenue yield and a higher profit margin.

“Remember that creating a successful marriage is like farming: you have to start over again every morning.” – H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

Timothy Brady

To contact Brady go to www.timothybrady.com

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