Southern California-based unbiased owner-operator Ken Brodeur has discovered his area of interest in trucking and is sticking to it.
Headquartered in Escondido, California, simply north of San Diego, Brodeur’s specialization in flatbed freight out of the realm places him in a singular place, he feels.
“What number of truck drivers, solo acts, are working out of Southern California within the flatbed world?” he requested. Only a few in his estimation, contemplating the inhabitants density within the area. “While you get into an business, generally you notice how small it’s.“ He wagers „there’s most likely no more than 10 or 15 flatbedders which have their very own enterprise” with authority in San Diego County. “You’re speaking tens of millions of individuals, and there’s most likely a dozen of us.”
Brodeur takes delight in not solely his capability to take care of profitability as one man, one truck, one trailer, but in addition to make it within the regulatory hotbed that has been the state of California over his time on the wheel of the enterprise. He is adopted his personal recommendation for anybody who asks about moving into trucking as an owner-operator: „Study to be sensible,“ he mentioned. „To function a small enterprise on this nation, I don’t care what you do, it’s important to be fairly savvy, which suggests you’ve acquired to suppose, you’ve acquired to be taught.”
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He is actually carried out that, delivering Ken Brodeur the feather within the cap of being named Overdrive’s Trucker of the Month for January, placing him within the working as a semi-finalist for the 2025 Trucker of the Yr award.
Overdrive’s 2025 Trucker of the Yr program, sponsored by Industrial Car Group and Bostrom Seating, acknowledges clear enterprise acumen and distinctive or time-honored recipes for fulfillment amongst owner-operators. Nominations are open for distinctive owner-operators, whether or not leased or unbiased. Nominate your online business or that of a fellow proprietor (as much as three vehicles) by way of this hyperlink for an opportunity to win a customized reproduction of your tractor and prizes and perks from Bostrom and CVG.
Taking the ’street much less traveled’
Driving a truck wasn’t Ken Brodeur’s first profession. Actually, he didn’t get into trucking till he was 55 years outdated.
Ken Brodeur is Overdrive’s January Trucker of the Month.
He went after the music enterprise and had his personal recording studio nearing the top of the final century, but he knew he needed to determine one thing out to make a greater residing within the meantime.
He went to enterprise college at Kent State College, however ultimately dropped out. “I believe enterprise college teaches you find out how to function for a enterprise,” he mentioned. He wished to be in enterprise for himself, and landed at a technical college to be taught digital engineering. He spent practically three many years in IT. “Whilst a technician within the laptop business, I fairly a lot did the whole lot you may do” apart from “make 1,000,000 {dollars}.”
All through this time, although, he nonetheless “most likely all the time knew I wished to have my very own enterprise, be my very own man.“
His IT revenue dropped quick as work went offshore, notably beginning across the starting of the Nice Recession in 2007. He jumped into the music enterprise together with his studio with each toes, but the downturn swallowed him complete — Brodeur filed for chapter in 2010, but was primed for a comeback.
He’d carried out lots driving in help of his IT work via years, to not point out college, visiting household and pals and all else. Interested by work and life behind the wheel led him straight to the Roadmaster Drivers Faculty in November 2012. His first official day trucking was Jan. 10, 2013, age 55.
“I assume you may say I take the street much less traveled,” he mentioned.
He acquired his begin as an organization driver for Swift, then went to work for Prime and wished to do flatbed “as a result of sitting in a field truck was simply too a lot inactivity for me,” he mentioned. “I figured at the very least if I’m throwing chains and straps and tarps … that’s at the very least a great bodily exercise.”
He stayed with Prime for a few 12 months, then he went to the oilfields of North Dakota for 5 months surrounding a summer time. He hung out trucking as a staff driver with an acquaintance, all of the whereas constructing expertise towards going into enterprise for himself.
Although his credit score was shaky given the previous chapter, Brodeur discovered the Lone Mountain Truck Leasing outfit, prepared to work with people with spotty credit to buy a truck. By December 2016 he’d saved $10K for a down fee in Lone Mountain’s lease-to-own program, able to enterprise into enterprise for himself with the lease of a 2016 Kenworth W900L. He’d be doing enterprise as Arianne Worldwide Cartage, leased to Landstar.
His first 12 months in that truck, which he runs to today, he drove 160,000 miles and generated $250,000 in income, he mentioned. “I used to be scared to loss of life I’d fail,” he mentioned. “And my poor spouse, God bless her, she needed to cope with me not being round, and she or he nonetheless does, and it’s powerful.”
He made it, although, via freight ups and downs by being affected person sufficient to attend out the powerful instances and putting when the iron’s sizzling. Admittedly, the final couple years with charges as little as they have been, he is slowed down, spending extra time at house.
“I’m simply type of like taking it simple till when charges are actually good,“ he mentioned, when he’ll strike. „I’ll most likely go actually onerous, … make some good cash and stash it away.” He’s taken a while off this final 12 months to care for his personal well being, which at 67 years outdated is crucial, he mentioned. He additionally had an accident final 12 months that broken his trailer, necessitating an axle alternative.
Enter your online business in Overdrive’s Trucker of the Yr competitors for an opportunity to win a customized scale reproduction of your tractor as trophy but in addition perks from program sponsor Bostrom Seating.
“He’s a great, reliable employee,” Gonzalez mentioned. “Each time I name him, he’s there. For his age, he offers it his all.”
Rod Myrick, a one-truck unbiased hauling reefer freight as Rod Hauling and who met Brodeur round 2016-’17 when each had been leased to Landstar, mentioned Brodeur is “one in all them good outdated success tales” in trucking. Myrick mentioned Brodeur’s an operator who “began with an enormous firm and moved his approach up, purchased himself a truck, acquired himself a trailer and watched his Ps and Qs. … Only a true owner-operator.”
[Related: A plan for better business: Why do you want to be an owner-operator?]
‚Enterprise is warfare‚
With the freight downturn of latest years, Brodeur mentioned he “discovered to go gradual, and I’m extra desirous about making an attempt to determine methods to chop prices“ than increase revenues. „I’m restricted in how a lot I could make due to the charges and what number of hours a human being can work. So, I can solely make a lot cash, however I can actually management my prices.”
As such, he is became one thing of an in-cab chef lately, cooking his personal meals on the street to save lots of. That’s additionally helped his well being, together with day by day exercises in and across the truck, all of the flatbed exercise.
Whereas he was off the street throughout components of the previous 12 months, he is piled up some debt, but he is assured he’ll have the ability to “burn it off.“ He invoked the outdated “warfare is enterprise and enterprise is warfare” cliche, noting that he went to enterprise college and “didn’t learn to do enterprise,” so as a substitute, he determined to review warfare. “It’s carried out extra to assist me survive in enterprise, learning warfare, than the rest.”
He’s spent an excessive amount of time on Napoleonic historical past, and Napoleon’s staff of marshals.
“No man is an island. You want your staff,” he mentioned. “I’m a solo operator,” however “I do have people who help me. I’ve an agent that I rent. He offers with the federal government stuff. I’ve an accountant that does my books. I have a tax individual, separate from my accountant, that does my taxes. And he’s additionally my monetary advisor.”
He leans on fellow truckers and others “which are sources to good locations to do upkeep.”
Brodeur is specific about his upkeep and conserving a clear truck — keys to success as a one-truck unbiased, as he sees it. He stays on high of any points that crop up, not letting them compound into greater issues. He provides Xtreme Friction Fighter lubricant to his oil with each change, with a aim of getting 2 million miles out of the facility plant.
Brodeur’s principally centered on the spot marketplace for freight, following the demand from place to put. He’s “thought-about contract work, and I search for it,“ he mentioned, however tends to hit his income targets by using brokers and staying sensible about load selections. He is cautious to maintain any vacation spot in thoughts for the power to get a great load coming again out of the realm.
His candy spot for size of haul is about 1,000 miles, with at the very least an evening’s downtime in-transit to plan for the following load. “Once I cease“ mid-run, „I’m making an attempt to get my subsequent load.“
The truck as we speak is paid for, and he has a 12 months left on his trailer earlier than it’s additionally paid off. He is optimistic for his enterprise‘ prospects in 2025, partially because of the new administration, attainable vitality worth drops (together with oil, diesel), and a usually higher enterprise setting. “I’m wanting ahead to ’25,” he mentioned. “I believe Trump may make some good adjustments that encourage enterprise.”
Time will inform.
[Related: Staying young, learning more: Trucker of the Year Alan Kitzhaber]
Enter your individual or one other deserving proprietor’s enterprise (as much as 3 vehicles) in Overdrive’s 2025 Trucker of the Yr competitors by way of this hyperlink.
