Has prosperity finally arrived in 2026? I’m feeling all good vibes! This year we hope for new and better things, more freight, better rates and cheaper money. What we get still remains to be seen. It’s now up to us to find those things, to fight for better rates, and to search out cheaper money (or at least to secure a line of manageable funding). The question is: where do we look?
If you routinely follow this column you have seen my article called “Hidden in Plain Sight” about finding old trucks and drivers along the path or routes of our daily travels. Then, recognizing them not as junk or worn out relics, but as the standard of our industry. What happens when we become so wrapped up in the day to day struggles of making payments and satisfying time constraints we stop registering new opportunities. We only focus on the road ahead, never looking side to side, except to ward off dangers from unexpected mishaps.
As a driver, I’m on constant alert for deer, moose and elk. Not because I’m sightseeing and want a photo, but because I don’t want to find one deeply embedded in my radiator or wrapped around my fender. The main reason I make mention of this example is because while we are holding a constant vigil for land-based dangers we often miss the potential for aerial assaults, like turkeys, birds of prey, or even rocks or concrete falling from an overhead structure. I’m not sure which I fear more – turkey under glass or venison on the grill – either way, it’s not a meal worth eating.
A few months ago, I was inspired by a family of eagles nesting not far from my front door. I spent many months watching them grow and learn to fly. Now they are accomplished aviators traveling many miles from their home base. Part of their training is to search out new and available food sources (opportunities). Just like any newborn, they start out with appropriate diets, consisting mostly of small rodents and fish then, with time, work up to larger game or road kills (company drivers vs. ownership). Finding food is a constant task that requires vigilance for survival. Second to finding food, they need to have the skillset to strip and consume it (brokering, billing and collecting).
We would not normally consider this to be a team sport, but while in the early stages of their training, the adult birds strip the meat and leave it for the eaglets to eat. After a few days, the young birds learn quickly and strip the meat for themselves. The adult birds then stand guard and watch for predators (lenders, accountants and business partners). This complete process runs like a well-oiled military machine – there are thinkers, doers and protectors. Someone once said, “The military doesn’t run on bullets and bayonets, it runs on shoe leather and the hope for a better tomorrow.” If today is tomorrow’s yesterday, then there is no time to waste. That desire for a better tomorrow is what drives us to seek solid opportunity today. Never stop searching or seeking out new opportunities!
I read a quote this week that got me thinking. It was written about the media, in general, and I found it to be amusing, given today’s impression of self-worth. “Self-importance has ruined more good journalists than hard drink ever has.” I couldn’t find a good way to incorporate it into the trucking industry without offending some of our readers, so I will leave it as it is. It does, however, remind me of a time when I was serving with the 1st Marine Division and we got a new 2nd lieutenant straight from college with a fresh commission.
Officers aren’t enlisted, they are commissioned, and they start as 2nd lieutenants or O-1s. He was undoubtedly one of the favored few who had lived a pampered lifestyle up to that point. While he had spent four years studying theory and execution, we (the enlisted troops) had spent those same years in wet boots and jungle fatigues. He may have considered himself a visionary and hoped to change the way war was waged, but he lacked the expertise to find his lunch. There is a considerable difference between the advantage of high ground and the distinction of a visionary person. Learning to study your field and the trends of your adversary can mean the difference between strong trends and real movement rather than projected or expected possibilities.
Over 50 years ago, I graduated high school, shook hands with my father, said goodbye to my mother, and boarded an airplane. From that point forward, for the next four years, I was transformed from a simple country farm kid into a person I never knew I could be. My first stop was boot camp at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot (MCRD), which is often referred to as the San Diego war college. Most officers attended elite Ivy League institutions like West Point, Quantico, or possibly Annapolis, whereas the enlisted personnel were sent to boot camp.
As a marine corps recruit I was shipped off to San Diego, CA, for basic training. If you are unaware, marines are not born, they are made. They are also not called “Marines” until after they successfully complete the regiment of training, discipline and regulations we adhere to. The marine corps motto is three simple words: Honor, Courage, Commitment. To some, these are just words, but to us, they are the bedrock we live the rest of our lives on. It is the basic understanding of our purpose, and it is drilled into us before we wear the title of United States Marine.
All branches of the military have boot camps, and at these places, we (military personnel) learned the art of warfare – in some, it’s how to wage it, and in others, it’s how to survive it. It was the responsibility of our officer grade leaders to develop a strategy to reach the mission objectives. It has always been the task of the non-commissioned officers or enlisted personnel to ensure the safety of those officers and the troops under their command. Someone once said, “The most dangerous opponent in the field is a boot lieutenant who has read a book!” Information without experience is just words of encouragement – too much and you become your own worst enemy, and too little, well, you are defeated before you even get started.
How we react and respond to any adverse condition is the mark of a good leader, regardless of their rank or status in the organization. It has been my experience that there isn’t much space between “stupid” and “strategists” in the dictionary. However, if the words are left in that order, there are far more words available to describe a potential outcome than when you invert the two. Words like success, opportunities and learning are a fine place to start.
You may wonder how I got on this subject at this time of the year. FYI… any article submitted to this magazine is done so with four weeks of lead time so the process of organizing, editing, and printing can be done, before that entire distribution thing even starts. That means for a January publication, I need to write and submit my contribution by about the end of November. Why is that important? Because here in the upper Midwest, that’s deer season – the time when many of us park our trucks, pack our breakfast, lunch and dinner, along with a camp stool, then head to the woods. Regardless of our success with the four legged quarry, we still go through “The Hunt” ritual. For me, that is the time I go through all the steps I learned years ago in boot camp.
Along with preparation, I also pack in a generous helping of patience, and a good pair of field glasses. Okay, where am I going with this? First, it’s the new year – a time when this industry tends to move around or stretch the limits of what we used to do. In other words, when the new license and permits arrive, some of us will have a new name on the door, as well… or will we?
Normally, I spend every available minute in the deer stand or combing my area for signs of activity and movement. Ask yourself: what constitutes activity? In the natural world, that is the routine and repetitive actions that occur during the cycle of life. Learning to read those signs is the mark of experience, and your ability to interpret these signs will greatly affect your rate of success.
Now comes the hard part. First I mentioned the military, then hunting, and now trucks – so what gives? As I have mentioned many times before, the pipeline from military service to truck driver is a four-lane highway that is mostly going one direction. And given the amount of camouflage clothing and hats I see on the road, hunting must have a connection, too. So, let’s get back to my motivation for this article.
In a normal year, I hunt the same little patch of river ground. I know the game patterns and route of travel in and out of the area. I have hunted there long enough to have the timetable for them (whitetail deer) narrowed down to a fairly accurate schedule. I know the pinch points or natural barriers that move them through a given path, right in front of my observation place, or my field of fire. It’s close to the house, so I can walk there quickly, and if need be, my wife can walk out some hot coffee or my lunch in just a minute or two. I mention this because of the convenience – it does not require a great effort to pop in or out at a moment’s notice to accommodate an opportunity that might arise. It’s kind of like the Spot Market or load boards. This is not the only place I can hunt, but it’s the one I have grown accustomed to. How many of us look at our lease agreement or freight contracts the same way? Are we really committed to it, or is it just convenient, available, and close to home?
Back in my November column, I mentioned the use of an E-tool to clear your field of fire when in a military engagement. In that case, the tool was a folding, handheld multi-use instrument for clearing obstructions from shielding your vision down a concentrated area. This month, I want to use a different tool: the “I-tool” – intelligence, insight, and inspection, along with a heavy dose of observation. It’s the point of observation that is our main concern.
This year I have been warned by my medical staff to sit out deer season and stay in the house. They tell me I need to let the body heal before I jump back into a full time schedule of activity. Who knew I might actually follow their advice, but here I am. It’s on their advice that I gained a whole new perspective of my hunting area. I’m no longer limited to the same old three acres of woodland and scrub brush to see potential. In fact, that whole area is shielded from my view by a row of trees and a bank of dirt. I have been so preoccupied with my “little old wood lot” that I have overlooked a much larger and more productive space. Yes, I was successful, but was I getting my best opportunity?
With any worthwhile endeavor, preparation is a key element. Having the right tools and knowing how to use them is essential. Next, know what you’re looking for so there is no time wasted on window shopping when you are not qualified or capable of fulfilling the requirements. Have you committed to an appropriate time schedule for your search? Most hunts start long before sunrise, so you are in place before any action starts. Remember that old cliche, the early bird gets the worm?
When you’re seeking new business choices, be vigilant. If you wait too long to seek opportunities, they may already be filled, or the value may have reduced due to overexposure. If you move too soon and make a lot of noise getting in place, your element of surprise may be lost. The potential for change may go to a stealthier opponent – one with a better vantage point. In other words, don’t wait until the last minute to jump ship and land in a worse situation than you were in before.
We had a friend stop over while I was confined to the home-20. If you’re not familiar with that terminology, it’s trucker talk for “home base” (my house). While we were visiting, she commented on what a striking view we had of the surrounding area from that vantage point, which is our family room. That was the spark that connected a long list of options I had been thinking about for this article. First, in any business, the experts always claim the key to success is location, location and location! Using that analogy, the key to the new year and possible opportunities will be relative to your vantage point or location.
Are you only looking at last year’s options or are you moving in new circles and getting different views from a better perspective? Are you getting the eagle’s point of view, circling high above the competition, or are you still only looking over your three-acre wood lot, sitting under a tree? Yes, it has been reliable, and you feel safe hunting there, but is it time to step back, look ahead, and start actively seeking better opportunities? Chances are good that 2026 can offer new looks and greater potential for your future. But where you look is up to each of us, and what you’re looking for is also in your command.
How far you travel to seek your next challenge will be determined by your vantage point, and understanding the signs will definitely improve your potential for success. However, it will require more than just acting on good intelligence, sound business practices, and the determination to keep advancing forward. It will also require faith in yourself, the ability to lead others who depend on your support for their safety, and the unwavering strength of a warrior. “It’s hard to soar with eagles when you hang out with turkeys.”
There is no “season” for success. The hunt for our survival is a yearly endeavor, but you can find opportunities in every direction. If you can’t see the future clearly from where you are now, then move to a different location with a new vantage point and perspective and begin to see your surroundings through a fresh set of eyes. Here’s to the New Year and all the new opportunities that await you. Now stop waiting and just go get them, 10-4!