Posts Tagged ‘Robert Scheper’

2000-2001 was the worst recession for Independent Operators since deregulation. Fields were filled with parked trucks that flooded the markets as financing companies either went bankrupt or were bought out by competitors. Truck financing changed from that time forward. Before that turning point, you could get financing or leases at very reasonable terms. Today, leases…

Another year has gone by, another year in front of us. I’ve been involved in trucking since 1989/90 and specifically Accounting/Tax for Operators since 1995. This is my THIRD recession in the trucking industry. The worst of course was 2000/2001, where failure of Carriers to offer fuel subsidies to Operators had trucks parked in rented…

Selling? Buying? Leasing a truck? Determining the value of a truck is the number one issue in trucking right now. In 2022, truck valuations were through the roof, astronomical, a historical anomaly that may not ever happen again. Truck values today are entirely different simply because the circumstances are dramatically different.  Trucks are not valued…

Under most circumstances, I’m an optimist. My friends say I could be up to my neck in s**t and say, “my goodness, what a beautiful blue sky”. Before the election, I told all the clients who asked me about the future of trucking in Canada, and I said that things will get better. Starting with…

Consistency and predictability are a necessity for profitability in a competitive environment. The key phrase in that sentence is competitive environment. The trucking industry is deregulated, so the entire industry is competitive. Gone are the days of legislating competitors out of our business (though many still try). I have a friend who works in an…

If anyone is in business for more than 10 years they learn to “play the game”. The financial negotiating game. One of the poorest negotiating events I ever witnessed was when a Trucker walked into a dealership’s mechanics shop that was FULL of trucks being repaired and yelled “I don’t care what it costs, I…

Over the last month I know two operators who hung up their keys due to the direct effect of Trump tariffs. I am certain that this situation is being reflected across Canada with varying degrees of intensity in different locations and markets. The net effect is only surpassed in scale by the mandate controversy in…

I have now done consulting and taxes for operators for over 30 years. I finished my master thesis in 1996 with a “cutting edge” synopsis of the future “paperless” society that would be brought on by an invention called “the internet” (I’m not sure if you’ve heard of it – you can Google it if…