C.H. Brown - July/August 2024

Strawberry Shortcake

FUEL YOUR FINANCES

• 2 cups all-purpose flour • 2 tsp baking powder • 1/2 tsp salt • 1/2 cup butter, softened • 1/2 cup granulated sugar INGREDIENTS

OVERCOMING TOP MONEY CHALLENGES IN TRUCKING

• 1 large egg • 2/3 cup milk • 1/2 cup heavy cream • 2 tbsp granulated sugar • 2 cups sliced fresh strawberries

Navigating financial highways can be as challenging as maneuvering a 40-ton rig through a tight city street. Trucking companies must deal with unpredictable fuel costs, expensive repairs, and fluctuating freight rates. In this edition, we’ll explore the top financing challenges trucking companies face and provide you with tools to keep your business cruising smoothly. Access to Capital Trucking companies need enough working capital or funding to pay daily operating costs. A lack of access to capital is one of the main reasons companies fail. Having money available for short-term obligations is crucial because a truck will incur daily expenses. If you rely on any external financing, you must meet all the obligations of that agreement to maintain funding.

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 375 F. Grease an 8-inch round cake pan. 2. In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt. 3. In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg and mix until blended. 4. Gradually add dry ingredients to wet ingredients, alternating with milk, beginning and ending with dry ingredients; mix until blended. 5. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake for 25–30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pan before serving. 6. Whip cream and sugar together until stiff peaks form. 7. Arrange strawberries on top of cake and spread whipped cream over top before serving.

To ensure you have access to the capital you need, you must:

• Monitor your credit. By watching your credit, you will better understand your finances. It will also help protect your identity and alert you to errors. Tracking your status as a borrower and identifying your position with lenders is essential. • Use credit cards wisely and pay them off every month. A business credit card can be a helpful tool for quickly raising capital and meeting short-term goals. They can get you into trouble if you’re not careful, so always pay them off each month and pay more than the minimum. Dependable Cash Flow Due to the nature of the business, trucking companies see high daily operating expenses. A healthy cash flow is necessary to cover essential bills, driver pay, and all the unexpected and on-the-road costs that can occur. Any time you don’t have enough incoming money to cover your costs, it will slow your operation down and make financial planning difficult. Suppliers may also become less responsive.

Help Us Welcome Regen Ainley! Regen Ainley is joining the PVC family as a Document Technician at CHB in Wheatland. He grew up in southeast Michigan and has lived in Wyoming for the past three years. Regen attended Eastern Michigan University, where he earned his Bachelor’s degree in Political Science. Outside of work, Regen enjoys photography and hiking.

Here are some tips to ensure you have a dependable cash flow:

• Make sure you are spending less than you are earning. This method will help you accumulate wealth and keep a positive cash flow. Don’t spend money you don’t have. • Use freight factoring. This popular technique takes invoices for the loads you run and lets you pay them immediately instead of waiting up to 90 days for a client to pay. This gives you helpful capital between invoices.

With these strategies in your toolkit, you’ll have the financial horsepower to keep your business rolling smoothly, mile after mile.

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