TruckTalk:
LESSON 4
Know Your Customer, Serve Your Business
By Kevin Rutherford
It's time to talk about something that doesn’t get nearly enough attention in trucking: the customer. Not the shipper. Not the freight broker. Not the carrier—unless they’re paying you.
Let me ask you a direct question: Do you know who your customer is? And more importantly, are you serving them well?
See, this isn’t just a trucking thing. It’s a business thing. But in trucking, it often gets murky. You’re out there hauling freight, taking the calls, logging the miles, but most drivers couldn’t tell you who their actual customer is. That’s a problem. Because if you don’t know who you’re serving, how can you deliver real value?
Let’s break this down.
Who Is Your Customer? It’s simple: your customer is the one who pays you.
That’s the person cutting the check. The one whose money hits your bank account. If you’re leased to a carrier, guess what? The carrier is your customer. Not the shipper. If you’re running brokered freight, the freight broker is your customer—not the shipper behind them.
And here’s the kicker: in trucking, we treat these people like the enemy.
Drivers talk about brokers like they’re parasites, carriers like they’re slave drivers, and shippers like they’re clueless. That mindset is killing your business.
If someone is paying you, they are your customer—and you better start treating them like one.
Flip the Script
Would you do business with someone who constantly badmouths you?
Would you pay someone who doesn’t return your calls, misses appointments, or blames you for every hiccup? Of course not.
So why would you expect a broker, a dispatcher, or a carrier to keep sending you loads if you treat them like dirt?
Respect is part of the value you deliver. So is professionalism. So is communication. These things matter, and they separate the people who get ahead from the ones who just get by.
And here’s another truth: sometimes, the best way to serve your customer is by serving their customer.
If you’re leased to a carrier, take care of the shipper like they’re yours. You make the carrier look good, and guess what? That carrier wants to keep you. Same with brokers—treat that delivery like it’s your reputation on the line, and you’ll become the driver they call first.
Action Plan
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Identify every person or entity that pays you. Write them down. These are your customers.
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Evaluate your communication. Are you responding quickly, clearly, and professionally? If not, fix it.
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Stop the negativity. Remove the “us vs. them” attitude. It’s hurting you more than it’s hurting them.
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Deliver value. Be on time. Be polite. Follow up. Go the extra mile—even when no one’s looking.
- Tune in to the AudioRoad Network. Learn how other professionals are redefining relationships in this industry and building businesses that thrive.
Ask Yourself
- Do I know who’s really paying me?
- Am I treating that person—or company—like a customer?
- How can I go beyond expectations this month?
- What would happen if I treated everyone in the freight chain as a customer
Closing Thought
Every time you say, “It’s not fair,” you wave the victim flag. You’re giving away your power.
This month, take it back. Start with one small shift: treat everyone in the transaction as your customer. When you deliver value to everyone involved, you rise above the noise. The middlemen? They’re not your enemy. They’re your opportunity. They’re the reason the freight got to you in the first place.
Stop fighting the system. Start mastering it.
