Who needs a transportation logo design?.
Transportation companies, also known as trucking companies, move things from one place to another. These things can be overseas containers, items stored, or boxes of goods destined to go from a warehouse to a storefront. I think we will always need transportation companies, no matter how many items are made in other countries and shipped to the United States. After all, someone needs to move those goods from point A to point B. Starting a trucking company involves quite a bit of paperwork and decision-making before the first shipment is moved. You will also need a transportation logo design but first let me explain what I mean.
Founding A Company. Is it easy?.
I believe that first step in founding a trucking company is to name your business. To have a good transportation name that will be memorable to potential customers is really important. The name is crucial since it will be on all of the paperwork, branding. It can even the sides of the trucks. It’s not unusual to see a trucking company that’s named after its owner, although that isn’t a rule that must be followed. Instead, I would name the business after the city that it’s in and the type of shipping that it does.
A permanent name, so make it memorable.
You do need to keep in mind that your business name will be somewhat permanent, thanks to the regulatory paperwork, so pick one that you like. It’s you who have to love it so go with your gut feeling when creating a name for your transportation logo design.
Buying or renting trucks?.
Do you need to buy or lease trucks to start?. Do you need to rent an office for your trucking business?. Once you have a name and a logo design for your company, it’s time to find an office, lease some trucks (which is much less expensive than buying them), and determining exactly what type of shipping you’ll specialize in.
Do I need office space ?
Yes, the office space that you choose needs to have enough room for a small shop – someplace to repair the trucks if necessary. If you plan on getting into warehousing as well, then you’ll need a building with this type of space available. The building also should have room for a few office employees, since you’ll need someone to handle the billing, dispatching, and other tasks. This is too much for one office employee to take on, even if you’re planning on starting out slow. Think about the logistic of it all and realize that you only have 24h in a day.
Types of shipping.
Another big decision revolves around the type of shipping that you want your company to handle. There are long-haul companies that send their drivers all over the country. There are also local trucking companies that stay within a certain geographic region. Which one are you?.
How do you pay drivers?
How you plan to pay your drivers, per mile, per load, or per hour, depend on the type of shipping that your company will handle. Long-haul drivers are paid per mile or load, while local ones tend to be hourly. You can compare the salaries online.
The Next Parts Of The Process
Now that your business has a name and a purpose, it’s time to start filling out that paperwork. Your business will need a tax identification number from the federal government. It should of course adhere to all department of transportation regulations, both state and federal. Trucking is heavily regulated, due to the nature of the business. This makes sense since it involves hauling around heavy loads of goods. Your employees will also need to keep log books that note how much time they spend on and off the road. I believe it’s very important to follow all the rules or there could be serious accidents on the road.
When do I need a logo design for my trucking business?.
Like I mentioned earlier do include a transportation logo design into the costs of creating a new business. The logo will be placed on the sides of the trucks, on the driver’s work shirts, and on the company branding. Take a look at our portfolio to see recent transportation logo designs.
The logo will go on business cards, the website, marketing materials, and more. A good trucking company logo usually includes an image of a tractor-trailer or box truck of some sort. If not the whole truck, then at least a trailer or an overseas container should be in the logo. Something has to indicate exactly what your business does. After that, the font and coloring of the logo are really up to you. I would make it colourful so that your transportation company stands out. Don’t make it boring. Use your imagination. Don’t forget insurance!.
You will need good drivers.
Finally, before you can officially open your doors, you need some drivers. They’ll have to have commercial driver’s licenses with the proper endorsements, as well as some experience. The experience is the important part. Many of the insurance companies that will cover trucking company employees require drivers to have at least six months or one year on the road. This is for liability reasons. You’ll have to run background reports on each driver and see if they’re cleared by the insurance company before hiring them. Make sure to follow the rules. Read more on FMCSA regulations
Advertising Your Business. How do I do that?.
Once all of the other pieces are in place, it’s time to set up your advertising and marketing materials. This includes setting up a website and social media accounts, as well as placing ads and hiring a few salespeople. Let’s start with the website. Your business needs one that explains exactly what it does. We have made a lot so do take a look Web design services I would include a map that outlines the shipping areas, as well as a way for potential clients to contact you. The address of the business and other identifying details need to be on the website as well. Don’t forget the logo.
Think about the social media
Set up your social media accounts and see if you have any talented employees to manage the different channels. Remember it is very time consuming and it needs dedicated employees with the right education. I would get at least profiles on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. They provide some outreach and allow you to place advertisements on them. You can also set up advertising through other means, including television and radio, as well as in newspapers and business publications. Since your company is new and not many people have heard of it, every step that you take in order to create awareness helps.
Salespeople are needed.
In order for your business to truly succeed, you’ll need to hire a few salespeople. If you want to, you can have them work on commission at first. This will encourage them to find some accounts. It also makes it a bit easier on your budget, most of which will go towards the office and shop space and everything else that’s needed to get started.
Conclusion
As you can see, setting up a trucking company requires some careful thought, money and a lot of paperwork. Thankfully, you don’t need to do everything on your own. Hiring employees to tackle some of these tasks, such as marketing and regulatory paperwork, will lighten the load, no pun intended. Good luck and drive safely. NHTSA