What do you wish you had more time to do at work?

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“That’s a difficult question. From an owner’s standpoint, there are so many things that happen. I wish I had more time to deal with general operations rather than continually putting fires out.”
– Richard Ahrens, president
Peet Frate Line, Inc., Woodstock, Ill.

“I have enough time to deal with all my drivers effectively, and my customers are all pleased, but I wish I had more time for planning. I never have enough time for planning. I need to be planning for things three to four months down the road. It’s easy to just get caught up in the day-to-day things.”
– Randy Yates, operations director
Freight All Kinds Inc., Omaha, Neb.

“It would probably be to spend more time washing and polishing my trucks for a cleaner and better company image.”
– Sequane Johnson, owner
Platinum Inc., Lusby, Md.

“To be honest, the thing that I need to spend more time on – and it’s funny you asked because I’ve got your magazine lying here, and I’ve been reading the fuel-buying article. That’s been one of our downfalls. We’ve not done nearly enough work at trying to find discounted fuel. We need to get into that. There’s some definite cost savings that could be done there. Most of my time is spent on the day-to-day stuff. I need to spend more time getting into the detail stuff. Most of my day spent in management is trying to put out fires and implement new policies.”
– Michael Riggan, president
TanTara Transportation, Muscatine, Iowa.

“There are a million things, but I’d like to try and visit customers and drivers and get to know them better. It seems like it takes a year for me to get around to doing it. I have a hard time knowing what town they live in, if they’re married, how many kids they have. We only have 30 trucks, so it’s not like we have 500 drivers to keep track of. Many times they just come in the office, get their paperwork and get out of here. I’m trying to project a small company image, but I’m probably the worst one here at doing it. There’s just too many things to do.”
– Terry Haas, president
Haas Carriage, Inc., Sellersburg, Ind.

“Make more sales calls.”
– Ray Hughes, vice president of transportation
Warehouse Associates Inc., Lima, Ohio

“The most enjoyable part of business is meeting with shipper clients. As we continue to grow, I face other obstacles like insurance and cargo problems. Administration duties are taking more and more of my time. I don’t get out nearly as often as I used to. But the demands of customers to see me personally has waned in recent years. I credit that to our sales and operations people. They don’t need me as much as they used to. I’ve had a difficult time dealing with that, but I say that in jest.”
– John Cox, president
Cox Transportation Services, Ashland, Va.

“Clean my office. I’d love to do it, but I don’t have time.”
– Beverly Ranthum, vice president
Dundee Sand and Gravel, Campbellsport, Wis.

“That’s a tough one. Sometimes I get wrapped up in day-to-day things and the nuts and bolts of it all. I wish I had more time to maybe spend with customers and do more productive planning for future growth.”
– Scott Cromartie, president
Cromartie Trucking Co., Inc., Wilmington, N.C.

“I wish I had more time to play golf and get out of here. Really, though, I wish I had more time to spend with customers and accounts.”
– Harold Boyle, president
Ho Ro Trucking Co., Carteret, N.J.

“I have a long list of things. What I really wish I could do is spend more time with the drivers. For a while I was able to get out one day a week and spend a day or so with the drivers, but I can’t do that anymore. I just don’t have the time anymore.”
– Mac Hardaway, director of logistics and warehouse
American Paper and Twine, Nashville, Tenn.

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