We were lucky to catch up with Ryan Day recently and have shared our conversation below.

Ryan, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Are you happier as a business owner? Do you sometimes think about what it would be like to just have a regular job?

In the past, other than the Army, I never could hold a job. I was miserable sitting behind a computer, or doing things in a way I thought weren’t the most efficient, having lazy coworkers, etc. The transportation business is very relationship-based. If you have great people skills, are punctual, self-driven, and have great communication, this business is a perfect fit. I love what I do. I work as much or as little as I want, I get to travel and I get to see family and Army friends I haven’t seen in 10 years. The only downside is that I do travel a lot right now but my goal is to hire quality drivers that will award me the opportunity to work from home more.

Being a one-man show has proven to be difficult but not impossible. I’m actually in the process of on-boarding two drivers this month. One is a former battle buddy of mine from the Army. Having a great team is essential and that’s what I’m building this year.

Ryan, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

Like many other Veterans, my transition into the civilian world was not a smooth one. Directly after my military service, I started college. In three years, I earned my Bachelors of Science in Psychology from Texas A&M University-San Antonio. I surprised myself, and did quite well actually, earning the Outstanding Senior and Senior of Distinction Awards. A very proud moment in my life being a first generational student.

During college, I worked at the campus police department and participated in an internship as an Organizational Psychologist for the Air Force. However, working a 9 to 5 in a confined office space did not sit well with me. I was uncertain what my future held, but I knew that I didn’t want an office job.

Fast forward two years, with no business experience and a month of extensive YouTube research, I applied for my Authority and Department of Transportation (DOT) numbers. I’ve learned a lot through my experience during my first year of entrepreneurship and am still learning.

2022 was one of the worst years for the transportation industry (freight) in a long time. High fuel prices, low pay rates, and increased insurance costs created a difficult market to operate a business in. 90% of new Authorities deactivated by December 2022. Not only did I start a business in this market, but I was able to thrive and am continuing to grow.

I’ve managed to accomplish a lot of things not many can say they have in their lifetime, despite being surrounded by doubt and a lot of skepticism. I went from “zero” knowledge and experience to having to turn down work because I’m a one-man shop. This is something I am very proud of.

I can’t stress enough how much I value customer satisfaction and quality of service in my business. I absolutely love what I do. I take extreme pride in meticulously securing and delivering freight. During the entire trip I keep my customers informed of their cargo and I’m always on time. I care about providing a quality service that sets the standard for the industry. I can’t tell you how many times my customers complain about other carriers leaving them disappointed after using my services. I love leading by example and leaving such a positive impression on my customers that they call me first when they need freight moved.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

I think the number one thing that has helped me build my reputation is my constant communication. The hotshot industry has a bad rep for being poor communicators.

It’s my job to transport freight from one place to the next, and I know if it were my own commodity, I’d want to know where it was at all times. It’s important to me the customer has one less thing to worry about when they hire me to deliver their freight.

It doesn’t take more than a couple minutes to update the person expecting their delivery. And those couple minutes go a long way.

Being on time, paying attention to the details, and professionally presenting myself are other things I think stand out.

Does your business have multiple or supplementary revenue streams (like a ATM machine at a barbershop, etc)?

Yes! I have mentored several friends and other drivers interested in getting started in the trucking business. I’ve enjoyed it so much that I’m offering mentorship calls as a new service starting next week.

I’m also an affiliate for several products and services related to trucking that make our job easier.

Lastly, I’m in the process of developing an online course to help others streamline the process of starting their own hotshot trucking business and more importantly, helping people stay in business. This business can be so rewarding and lucrative with the right guidance, and I’m hoping to provide just that here in the coming months.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.daybydaytransport.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/daybydaytransport/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/daybydaytransport/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/daybydaytransport
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/day-by-day-transport-smethport