Houston Truck Deals employs the power of the Internet to bring you the very best truck and equipment deals available online.

Today, we are looking at the forthcoming 1^st Annual Trucking Social Media Convention being held this October 2011 in Mississippi:

Trucking and social media may not seem like the most likeliest of bed fellows, however the Internet pervades every aspect of our modern lives. When the Arrow Trucking Company went down last year, it was social media which helped hook up thousands of laid off truckers to find work with new companies and get themselves back on their feet.

One aspect of social media is that we are now all connected to each other in so many ways unlike ever before. Our ability to reach out and find information or to be reached by others is unequalled, and there is no coincidence that the father of the mobile Internet is also the same man whose company developed OmniTRACS – Irwin Jacobs of Qualcomm.

On October 15^th, 2011 the 1^st Annual Truck Driver Social Media Convention will be held at the Gold Strike Resort & Casino in Tunica, Mississippi. The event is being organized by Allen Smith of AsktheTrucker.com and there are places for 550 guests at a cost of only $89.00 per person.

Guest speakers include Austin Walsh, who is one of the leading social media experts in the country. In addition, James McCormack (Employment), Paul Taylor (Legal and Employment Law), Eddie Gichuhi (the developer of Trip Sheet Central) and Richard Wilson (Regulatory Issues) will also be sharing their knowledge and experience on the day.

This is not a truck show or expo: instead this will be a working conference for professional drivers to share their experience and perceptions on the use of social media in their working lives, and also how it can be sued to improve performance and compliance with an ever-increasing mountain of regulations.

The event is not just about work, work, work! There will also be plenty of time for some fun and entertainment, with several top-notch bands and music, together with several prizes donated by corporate sponsors including $6,250 in cash giveaways!

The highlight of the event for us is going to be Bobby Boofay, otherwise known as Jim McCarter who will be there along with his singer-songwriter wife, Jan McCarter.

Contact and Booking Information

Date: October 15^th, 2011

Location: Gold Strike Resort & Casino, Tucina, Mississippi

Price: $89 per person (Closing date for reservations is June 1^st, 2011 – limited to 550 seats)

Contact:

Donna or Allen Smith

Phone:  352-505-8162
Fax:  352-465-2669
email:  info@truckingsocialmedia.com

Address:

P.O. Box 2628
Dunnellon, Florida  34430

Kall8 offers the lowest cost toll free telephone number service which we have come across here at Houston Truck Deals.  Toll free telephone numbers are an important tool for promoting your trucking business.  Customers increasingly expect that the businesses they deal with provide simple, fast and free ways to contact them, but for truckers on the road this can prove costly and difficult – but not anymore.

Click on any of the following banners to sign up for the Kall8 service or to get more information.

Kall8 offers toll free number services from just $2 per month and $2 setup fee. You can manage your marketing and advertising campaigns using the unique online management tool which lets you control who can call you and how you want that call to be handled – even when you are miles from a landline telephone.

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888, 877 and 866 Toll Free Numbers                                        $2 setup $2 monthly

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Kall8 also provides a range of toll free telephone tools to help you gain the most from offering a roll free number to prospective and existing customers.

Features include:

Web Call – place an icon on your website which allows your web users to simply click to place a call through to you – saves them having to go find a telephone and is simple and convenient – a great feature which shows you mean business;

Voicemail and Fax combined – there is a voice mail service which contains all the usual features you would expect – remote message access, message alert, welcome and greeting messages and so on.  You can also use the Kall8 line as a dedicated fax line if you wish or use the line for both voice and fax calls.

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Conference Calling – up to 25 people ca dial in to a conference call.

Call Blocking –Kall8 provides a blocking feature so you can select parts of the country whose area codes you do not wish to accept a call from which will allow you to target where you want to accept business enquiries from.

Houston Truckers Have Been Hit Hard by the Recession but There is Hope

This has been the worst recession since the Great Depression in the 1920’s.  While the economy has struggled, business across the country has suffered too.  Houston trucking companies can do a lot to maintain their business, but there is also a great opportunity to make new contacts and gain more profitable business too.

There are 4 “P’s” to watch out for:

• Product
• Price
• Place
• Promotion

Product

By product we really mean service, but then it wouldn’t start with P…duh!

The crucial part of your business is how you deliver and present your service. There is no substitute for experience, but you also need to demonstrate that experience and what it means for your customers and new business contacts.

Maintain a log of how many loads and tonnage you have delivered ahead of time as well as on time – that will let you claim your delivery punctuality – a crucial benefit for any logistics customer.

Take a good look at your operation – maintain a clean looking rig.  An ounce of image is worth a pound of performance.

If you have a good safety record – make that clear too – no-one likes getting embroiled in law suits, especially if the customer is getting embroiled because of a contractor.

Finally – tell your customers how good you are!  No point in hiding your light under a bushel here.

Price

Price is important because too high and you get priced out of the work, too low and you make less than nothing and go out of business.

Check prices around the area and region. If you are finding yourself getting squeezed, start looking for new business, as just because one customer is putting the price hurt on you doesn’t mean there isn’t more profitable work elsewhere.

Always have feelers out for new business – you don’t have to drop loyal customers, but having evidence of better paying contracts is very useful when it comes to negotiating with them.  Having evidence of what the market is really paying will be help you stop cowboy outfits from undercutting you on price

Place

Houston truckers are on the road across the entire country, but for many, work closer to home allows more time with family and home instead of out on the road.

Think outside of the box too.  Don’t let yourself get into the rut of looking for work in the same places; sure being a regular face is helpful for getting known, but there are opportunities elsewhere too.  Don’t restrict where you are looking or where you are prepared to work.

Promotion

There is no point in being shy when it comes to blowing your own trumpet.

You have to let people know you are open for business and looking for work.

Try looking up some of these avenues and emailing the membership what you do, who you are and the services you offer plus any promotional pricing you’re offering for that agencies membership:

Houston Citizens Chamber of Commerce

Greater Houston Partnership

Greater Heights Chamber of Commerce

Houston East End Chamber of Commerce

Houston Hispanic Chamber of Commerce

If you have any questions or suggestions just leave a comment and good luck!