Staying Positive in the Logistics Industry
Join us in this episode of Industry Insights with Route Consultant as we discuss the complexities of the logistics industry with industry veterans Dave and Amy Byers of Slicker Trucking. This episode covers the challenges faced by entrepreneurs in the logistics sector, the importance of maintaining a positive mindset, and the impact of emerging trends. Dave and Amy share their strategies for success, the realities of dealing with difficult customers, and how to foster a supportive community among contractors. This conversation highlights the importance of adaptability, community engagement, and positivity in navigating the logistics landscape.
About Amy + Dave Byers
Dave Byers, President of Slicker Trucking, Inc., started as a FedEx package handler before launching his own route in 2007, growing it into an award-winning operation with a hands-on leadership style. His wife, Amy Byers, joined as COO in 2017, bringing expertise in marketing, compliance, and finance to scale their family-owned business. Together, they run multiple FedEx P&D and linehaul operations, two fleet repair shops, and businesses like Ohio Valley Pizza Company™ and Hokulia Shave Ice™, all while staying rooted in their core values of Honesty, Integrity, and Commitment to People.
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Josh Gregory: [00:00:00] Welcome to Industry Insights with Route Consultant, your front row seat to the fast moving world of logistics and beyond. Each week, we bring you game changing insights, real world strategies and fresh perspectives to fuel smarter investments and build stronger businesses. Join us as we sit down with expert guests to explore emerging trends and pressing topics.
Across a wide range of industries. This is industry insights. We have Dave and Amy Byers here again, and this time it's, it's a little bit of a hard conversation, but I think it's a really important one. Mm-hmm. Especially for current contractors, but also for new people who are looking at the space and trying to understand it for the first time.
I really think you will sometimes hear a message either on the internet mm-hmm. Or from people you talk to that this space, you know, there's really negative things happening or that it's. Far more difficult and everybody's failing. You know, I hear that message. Mm-hmm. Or I see that [00:01:00] message in like a Facebook group.
So can you just talk a little bit about what your mindset is and, and how you think about those types of messages in the kind of public contractor community?
Amy Byers: Y. So I think our message in general is that nothing's easy.
Josh Gregory: Yeah.
Amy Byers: Um, and being an entrepreneur and owning your own business is definitely not easy.
Um, it's not easy for us. It's not easy for the landscaper down the street. Yeah. Or the guy who fixes. You know, cars, whatever it is. But being an entrepreneur is definitely challenging. Um, as the economy changes, you're faced with different ups and downs all the time. Um, and when you have a challenging customer, uh, it can be even harder.
Mm-hmm. Uh, so, you know, we've, we've kind of stayed in this mindset that this is the, this is the landscape that we've chosen to be in, uh, for almost 20 years, uh, 19 years now we're going on and to fight it. And to be negative about it would does nothing for our team. It does nothing for our business. It [00:02:00] does nothing for our mindset.
Mm-hmm. And it certainly doesn't contribute to any type of success. So I think the overall, you know, slicker kind of outlook is our culture. Mm-hmm. It's the honesty and integrity and commitment to people and it's to all people. Our customer, our employees to each other, to our managers. Um, so I think, um, yeah, there's a lot, but from an overarching, you know, I don't think it's any different than any other business.
Um, but, but we do have a challenging customer. Um, and their customers. Yeah, our customers customers are super challenging. Yeah. So it's, it's definitely got its own dynamic twist. Um. But I think, um, staying positive and being committed to what you've agreed to in the contract will definitely keep you on track,
Josh Gregory: you know?
If I go to a Facebook group right now, I don't know a few of 'em, it, it really can look like the world is burning down. So, so why do you think that is, you know, does that, do you think it's different than other communities? Like, or do you think it's the same as on any entrepreneur?
Dave Byers: It, it's, it's easier to be negative than positive, [00:03:00] right?
Yeah. So we, we, as leaders of our team, we have to lead by example. So if we went into those groups and, and made negative comments, our drivers would probably see it.
Josh Gregory: Yeah.
Dave Byers: So they'd say, Hey, if they're, if they're miserable. Why, why should we go in and be positive? Mm-hmm. So when we go in and we lead, lead the team, lead the managers kind of lead everybody, lead by example, then every IT kind, it's contagious.
Josh Gregory: Yeah.
Dave Byers: And if you see someone that's negative, kind of just intercept it, or sometimes you, you can't ignore it. You have to just address it and say, we, we need you to kind of shape up. Yeah. We can't have it here because it's toxic.
Josh Gregory: Yeah.
Amy Byers: And those Facebook groups though, I think it's, first of all, I think it's culture.
I think it's, you know, Facebook in general is more geared towards tragedy and shock and awe. Yeah. And negativity and failure. Um, you know, just in general, especially on these like community pages, you know, like mom and dads discuss it and you know, these city pages and um, [00:04:00] even, you know, during COVID there were like all these dine out.
Pages that were like, this place sucks and this place is terrible. And so, so you get that in FedEx. There's several, um, we're part of several contractor groups, um, linehaul groups, p and d groups, um, even driver groups, um, that we are in. And I'm just like, oh my gosh, like I hate this job and I hate this. And, you know, they're stealing my routes and they we're failing and they're taking this from us and all of these things are happening and I am just, you know, in awe.
We try to. Combat that a little bit and, and get involved and say like, Hey, how can we help? Mm-hmm. Or what's happening? Or you know, maybe it's your contractor. Have you talked to your contractor? If you're an a dissatisfied employee, like have you had the, you know, or do you just not like lifting heavy boxes?
'cause that's a thing too. Yeah, that's real. We've had some really great employees that are fantastic. People love us, love what we do. Don't wanna deliver heavy boxes anymore. We can't help that, that one, we're gonna have to come to a meeting of the mines and figure out how that looks. You know? And we do have bulk trucks, so we've tried [00:05:00] to solve it.
Mm-hmm. Even, but we can't make it perfect. I don't like to drive is one that I heard the other day. That's gonna make it tough for Yeah, that's a tough one for, for a driver for what we do. You know? So there's a difference between complaining because you're complaining. Mm-hmm. And true things that are broken that could be fixed.
Now, is there a contractor that's underpaying? Is there a contractor that, you know, maybe struggling himself and doesn't know how to fix it? Those things are very real. Mm-hmm. And they do trickle down to your employees. Um, so I think. From a positivity message, you have to realize that if you are negative, you're going to breed negativity, and that is going to contribute to ultimate failure.
Yeah, because if people don't trust you that you have a plan. And even if it's a tough place, whether you're going through some hiring or whatever that means for changes. If you don't hold that positivity together, they're certainly not gonna follow in step. So I think that's one of 'em. And then from the contractor standpoint, the contractor pages where I've been in for a year, and I don't know, they just came and did this to me.
I'm like, they, they didn't [00:06:00] just come and do that to you. We, you know, I, I think we've talked about this a couple times. We get, um, communications from our customer. Every single day we have access to the new Spotlight portal, to the DSW, to metals. I mean, we are constantly, I mean, almost too much. So I think sometimes we have access to realtime data.
We have access to historical data, and at every terminal our line haul managers are meeting with. Line haul, you know, line haul executives at the terminal level. Were having QA clerks and service, you know, um, terminal assistance and all these terminal managers coming to you every single day with service mail and questions.
And what happened to this box and why did you do this? And hey, dude, the accident or whatever it is, like, these aren't things that just happened to you. Right? Like these things you kind of knew. Um, FedEx gives you quite a few opportunities. Curative action, letters of assurance. They give you plenty of opportunity to fix it and make [00:07:00] it better.
The question is, what do you do when that happens? Mm-hmm. Do you dig your heels in and say, it's the big guy against me, or do you say. Hey, I gotta get my stuff together Yeah. And get this fixed. So it's all about mindset. Um, and I do agree that it's not easy, right? Yeah. And it's not perfect. And we don't live in Dave, and I don't, you know, even after the length of time we've been in and all the different industries, we don't have it all together.
We're constantly learning. We're constantly changing and evolving with the new tools and the new requirements. Um, and even the new, um, employee base that's out there, the, the hireable. Yeah. Pool of people have changed. Um, even since COVID in 2023, things have just changed with how you run your business.
Can you be negative? Sure. Yeah. Um, we run a pizza shop. It's not easy. Same, same challenges. Different industry. Mm-hmm. Same difficult customers, different industry. So being an entrepreneur, um, is what you've signed up for. So I think a lot of that is just, you know. Kind of dig in. Mm-hmm. Um, and, and [00:08:00] there are going to be times where it is against you, right?
Yeah. Where the odds are all against you and things are tough and you're not quite sure what to do. Um, but I think that's when you lean into places like Route Consultant, you learn in, you lean into other contractors. I have contractors emailing us directly through you guys. Um. Once, twice a week, just like, Hey, have you seen this?
How do you make it better?
Josh Gregory: Mm-hmm.
Amy Byers: Um, those are things like, that's what this community should be. That's what FedEx these, um, Facebook groups should be. Mm-hmm. Is contractors helping each other, asking intentionally important questions, not just complaining about. What happened? Yeah. Right. And there's a way to ask a question about what's going on that's not, you know, this sucks.
Everything sucks. We suck, you know? Yeah. The network sucks. I don't wanna do this anymore because that's true too. I mean, it can happen. Yeah. You can get to a place where you're just cashed out and you don't wanna do this anymore, but there's a graceful way to exit. There's ways to sell, there's ways to provide opportunity to new people.
Josh Gregory: Mm-hmm.
Amy Byers: Uh, but I think [00:09:00] that's, you know,
Josh Gregory: yeah.
Amy Byers: At the end of the day, you know, 2.0, that's the big one that's on the, everybody's like, oh my gosh, this is gonna ruin my business. We love it. It's different.
Josh Gregory: Mm-hmm.
Amy Byers: Not the same, not harder. Yeah. Different. But you have to lean in and, and, you know, embrace it. Yeah.
Nothing's gonna stay the same no matter what. No matter if you're a tree trimmer or you know, or an accountant on your own business, nothing's gonna stay the same.
Josh Gregory: Yeah. So, and I mean, that's how I think about the Facebook groups too, is that this is not an easy industry. Mm-hmm. It's not an easy job. And in some ways it's really isolating because you feel like you're the entrepreneur alone.
Yeah. And this. These types of groups, events that you can go to and talk and learn from others is a. Amazing venue to say, here's my problem. Has anyone else solved it? Yeah. Uh, or here's the way I'm trying to solve it. Has anyone tried and it failed? Can you save me a few months as I'm trying to figure this out?
Uh, and I think it's such a great tool for things like that where that's not a [00:10:00] blind saying, everything's beautiful, it's all sunshines in rainbows. There's no problems. It's a way to say, there, here are my problems. Yeah. Does anyone have a, a way to help me? Yeah. And, and I think we can do that all day, but if you say.
Here are my problems. Everything sucks. And that's, you know, you're not even looking for a solution. Yeah. You're just looking for a, a, a venting platform is when it's not productive, they're out and they're out
Amy Byers: to get me. Right. Yeah. That's the, the big one that, that we hear and to, you know, to understand, and we've talked a little bit about this, that relationship
Josh Gregory: mm-hmm.
Amy Byers: Between, you know, FedEx and the contract. And the contract, what we sign and our employees Remember what you agreed to.
Josh Gregory: Yeah.
Amy Byers: Right. Remember that there are things that you said. Okay, I wanna do this. Yeah. So you can't then hold it against someone when you don't do it well, or when they're coming down on you for not doing it at all.
Yeah. So, you know, yes. It, it, it's something that we all agreed to. Um, you know, Dave and I wouldn't change it. It's provided, um, opportunity for. Over almost 200 [00:11:00] people now.
Josh Gregory: Mm-hmm.
Amy Byers: Um, and they're families. And it's one of the things that, you know, from a positivity standpoint, Dave and I can sit back and say, you know, this is something that we've built, slicker trucking is what we've built through FedEx, and we can offer opportunity for people to raise a family, buy a home, buy a new car.
Pay their bills, whatever that looks like. Um, and, and it does get, you know, the finances get tight sometimes. Mm-hmm. And based on economy, I mean, fuel goes up 10 cents. And when you're an contractor our size, it can change the game quite a bit in just one week when it just goes up a mere 10 cents. So when there's an economic change, it does hurt.
Mm-hmm. But, um, I always made a comment. I said, you know, the, the farmer doesn't scorn the land in a drought. Yeah. It's what they chose. Yeah. Right. This is a career that, that, that they chose. And there are gonna be dry seasons and there's gonna be flourishing seasons.
Josh Gregory: Mm-hmm.
Amy Byers: Um, but you gotta get creative also, right?
Yeah. So if there's something that you can do, maybe the BC needs to jump back in a [00:12:00] truck, um, but those are conversations that you have to say, Hey man, like we're. struggling here a little bit financially, and I need to make sure that the trucks are maintained. So you might need to jump in a truck.
It's not ideal, it's not what I hired you to do, but, but we want to be here in six months. Yeah. And what does that look like?
Josh Gregory: Yeah.
Amy Byers: So getting creative, talking with your team, staying, you know, and, and I think bearing it down and pretending. You know that everything's good.
Josh Gregory: Yeah.
Amy Byers: Um, we have contractors all the time that will gouge wages, you know, they'll offer these huge wages because they are struggling and they just need people to show up.
Mm-hmm. Instead of having those hard conversations and, and contractors like slicker, like Dave and I, we can help walk you through what that looks like. Yeah. In a better way. Right. To get through it in a smarter or better way that we've, we've already been through the pain, let us help. Yeah. You know, or let other country.
For contractors help, but ask the questions before it gets to that point. Um, I think you made a comment the other day that it was like someone was like, Hey, they're taking my contract tomorrow. Like, [00:13:00] what? Yeah. Like that didn't happen yesterday. Yeah. So let's get ahead of it and let's stay positive.
Josh Gregory: Yep.
Amy Byers: Um, you know, and positivity is gonna breed better delivery quality, which is gonna breed more volume and new customers.
And I think that's a piece that sometimes. Contractors lose sight of also, yeah, is if you're negative, then your service is gonna be negative and your attitudes and that's gonna lose customers. And if you're in Montana. you're taking my money. Mm-hmm. Like, I want you to help, like, we're all in this together.
So if there's 10 contractors in Montana that hate to be here, that's gonna feel like that at Chewy, right? Yeah. Yeah. Chewy's gonna see that and they're gonna be like, well, we can't just not serve Montana. Yeah. So, sorry Amy. There's all your volume. Yeah. And if, you know, we can, you know, complain about Chewy all we want, but it pays the bills.
Nobody
Josh Gregory: likes carrying those bags.
Amy Byers: Yeah, yeah. Correct. It's, it's paying the bills, so, you know, along with all the other, you know, customers that FedEx has brought to us. As a reminder, right. We don't have to go do that.
Josh Gregory: Mm-hmm.
Amy Byers: So that's a really big positive and a really big [00:14:00] reward that we don't have to go out and find business.
I know every day when my guys show up that there's gonna be boxes to deliver. Yeah. Um, so it's really, it's really about that mindset.
Josh Gregory: Yeah. You know, and, and think back over all the years, you've seen a bunch of different versions of FedEx over the years and a bunch of different challenges and pains as FedEx made various transitions.
Do you think this is the hardest time to run the business? Or, you know, is this, is this a time that it's fair to say that it is difficult, you know, how would you kind of rank this, uh, over the years of your FedEx experience?
Dave Byers: It, it's difficult.
Josh Gregory: Yeah.
Dave Byers: But it's not, it's not the most difficult we've seen, okay.
We've, we've seen some real, some really tough, tough times. Yeah. Over the years. But it, it's good too. It's, it's what you make of it, right? Mm-hmm. We have to adjust. You have to make changes. You, you can't be
Josh Gregory: Yeah.
Dave Byers: If you don't change, then you'll be outta business. Yeah. So as, as the industry changes, we change.
We have to adapt. Right. Everything's kind of coming down the, down the, down the pipeline. [00:15:00] But, but we enjoy it. So we, we know what we need to do. We have to evolve. We have to, we have to keep making the moves and, and just, just keep, keep rolling with it. Mm-hmm.
Josh Gregory: I think we've seen that over the years. As these things happen, it's constantly the people who are able to adapt and change that.
Survive the next wave of change and, and in a lot of ways flourish. You know, I, I think we can see it from y'all's story of how you've grown over the years and taken opportunities, but, uh, I also know that in the network now, there are, there are many people struggling, but there are also people getting a lot of opportunities to grow as they adapt and change with FedEx, yes.
So, yes.
Amy Byers: Yeah. And that's that leaning in mm-hmm. That we talk about. You have to embrace the change. Um, it's in the contract. Mm-hmm. Right. We go back to that like, you agreed to be here, you agreed to these things.
Josh Gregory: Yeah.
Amy Byers: Um, and you can agree not to, you know, you get a 18 month or a year contract, you can very much choose to do what you'd like with it.
Josh Gregory: Yeah.
Amy Byers: Um, but at the end of the day, you know, the idea is that you stay here.
Josh Gregory: Yeah. That,
Amy Byers: that you, you build a business and that your [00:16:00] people can build, you know, relationships and have a career path and all these things. So, um, I think the tool set. I don't think it's more difficult. I think there's more moving parts.
There's more today. Yeah. Than there were, you know, when Dave was one guy, one truck. Um, you know, the, the way that they penalized this for missed deliveries or damaged packages, like things were way different. The way that you even got in, um, to be a contractor was way different, um, the way you could finance trucks.
So there's positives and negatives, right? Um, there's way more, um, things today that we have to do. To service a customer than we did, you know, 18 years ago. Mm-hmm. But I don't think there's a business out there today that that hasn't happened to.
Josh Gregory: Yeah.
Amy Byers: In any industry. From, like I said, pizza to accounting, there are more guidelines, there's more regulations today, there's more expectation.
Customers have that immediate expectation. Mm-hmm. So they are demanding the communication. So. It's, it's a double edged sword. Yes. [00:17:00] PPOD and ride and rating your package. This is the norm. Mm-hmm. We had to follow suit. Is it more Yes. Is it more difficult? Difficult, nah. Pain in the neck because it's like one more thing yet.
Yeah. We have to do, so instead of just delivering the box and saying like, thanks lady. Right. It's scanning it and coding it and putting the sticker on the door and you know, taking a picture. Smiling. Yeah. Yeah. And avoiding the dogs, you know? So yes, there are a lot of different pieces, parts to it today.
Um, but I don't think if you were in any other industry, you know, that, that you wouldn't be in that position 18 years later.
Josh Gregory: Yeah.
Amy Byers: So I don't think from, you know, from an expectation standpoint of a, of a business today, it's, you know.
Josh Gregory: Yeah. And unreasonable and all those little things give you data that enable you to make better decisions.
Mm-hmm. Both for your business and to know what your employees are doing. Yeah. Are they putting the packages in the right place? You get those better camera and all of that data. Mm-hmm. To actually. Hopefully get ahead of bad habits [00:18:00] before it's an accident. There's all those little things that are annoying, but also give you the benefit of being potentially able to better run your business.
So it's the pros and cons of technology and advancement and data we've had. Yeah.
Amy Byers: What was the conversation when we first started Better, right? Oh yeah. My employees and their personal rights and all these things. Mm-hmm. And I think Dave talks about it all the time. When you, you talk about it gets us out of more jams.
Dave Byers: Yeah. It's helped us more than it's hurt us. We, we, we can. I, I don't watch, I don't listen to conversations. I don't have time to. Yeah. So, so that's the least of my concerns. Yeah. When I need it. I pull it, or I, or I do audits and I can monitor and we can fix bad behaviors or, or even just pick up on bad behaviors.
We can fix delivery processes. It's just so beneficial.
Amy Byers: Get get our guys outta jams when they're like, Hey, your guy made this ditch. I'm like, he wasn't even like, he, he delivered, he didn't even go in the driveway. And the, and the vetter, you know.
Dave Byers: It could be a negative. We're talking negatives and positives.
The VE could be looked at as a negative thing, but really we [00:19:00] look at it on the positive side. Mm-hmm. It's, it's been so positive for us. In so many different situations that would've maybe turned out a little differently. Yeah. Because of, because the bigger truck is always the the Gild truck. Yeah. Yeah.
Mm-hmm. So, so it's helped us so much. Now sometimes it, it gets us. Yeah. Right. It, it happens. Yeah. But. For the most part, the positivity of it and the training and just the, the access that we have to it that we didn't have 18 years ago. Yeah. Right. So it was my word against the other driver's word. Yeah. So it, it, it's definitely a game changer, but it's all about how you look at it.
Mm-hmm. If you look at it in the positivity, it's, it's great. You could be negative about it and just complain about it all the time too.
Josh Gregory: Yeah, yeah, yeah. You know, this isn't a. A situation. I think it's just what we're talking about, like when we talk about staying positive, it's not about putting blinders on, right?
It's about looking at what you're doing and finding the right way forward and keeping kind of the end goal in mind and not kind of stewing. [00:20:00] Mm-hmm. On the negatives and the challenges. But, you know, you guys are in situations all the time where, you know, maybe it's a. Maybe your contract is trending towards a, a more negative score.
Mm-hmm. Or you've got a driver that's done something ridiculous in the day and you have to decide if you're gonna keep them or let them go. There's all kinds of things that happen. So in those moments, in those, you know, maybe it's not a moment, maybe it's months. Yeah. How do you stay positive? You know, what are the things that you guys do to center, to ground yourself and kind of keep your vision on that future?
Dave Byers: Go to go to church on Sundays. Yeah, we do go to church on Sunday. Yeah. Besides go to church on Sundays. Yeah. It's a
Amy Byers: good reset for us. Yeah. Um, I think the big thing is staying in communication with your management team and communicating a plan to your leads and your drivers, um, whether you know. With us, it was volume.
Josh Gregory: Mm-hmm.
Amy Byers: Um, at peak, our peak numbers were higher than we had ever expected, which is
Josh Gregory: Yeah.
Amy Byers: Awesome. Right? Like, whoa, theoretically Yeah. Like really great thing, but when you're not prepared for it mm-hmm. Um, it, it was shocking. Right? Yeah. So we had hired [00:21:00] overhired, um, and. Didn't get to use those over hires.
We were gonna help in contingency help our neighbors and we ended up using all those people for us. Um, and then it went to weather, you know, so these guys are getting beat over the head with boxes and large boxes at Christmas, and then they immediately came into days where. We didn't have trailers.
Mm-hmm. And then the next day we were hit with double the trailers or they were pro you were trying to catch up volume and it just, it was this, and the weather was negative 12 in Ohio and it was just like boom, boom, boom, boom, boom. And it is hard to stay positive. Yeah. But it's a, it's a moment, right? So we go there and we say, Hey guys, don't forget when it's 85 degrees.
You got 120 and music's laring. And you're like in just a great mood. Like, let's not lose sight of what we do. This is Ohio. Every single one of us is chosen to work in Ohio. Every single one of us is chosen to work for FedEx. Right. For to do this, like to be a FedEx delivery person, work for slicker, like, we hope that we can be the [00:22:00] spring between like that sponge and absorb kind of the headache between either what the customer's asking for us or your local customer's asking for us, or the dogs that are on route or the size of the boxes.
Like that's our job.
Josh Gregory: Mm-hmm.
Amy Byers: So we have to. Keep our management focused like that. And it's hard when your bcs are in a truck every day, you know? And if that's not your intention, by the way. Yes. So if your managers are not supposed to be in a truck, it goes sideways pretty quickly. Mm-hmm. Um, so you have to communicate with them that we are hiring or we are like, we make them part of the process so that they see that there's an end result.
Um. We've actually had recently, because of the communication and because we share so much about direction and things that we're doing, we have bcs that are like, please don't save that person. Like if they quit, just if you can just accept their two weeks, that would be great. And I'm like, yeah, but you need those stops done.
And they're a safe driver. And they're like, yeah, but they're terrible for our team. And once [00:23:00] you flip that switch where you are. Managers and drivers see? Mm-hmm. That it's going to be a little bit. Bumpy, but it's better. Yeah, right. They can help you and they can get behind you, and it's just such a cool thing.
Mm-hmm. Um, we have people that I, everyone says that I'm like the second chance queen if somebody leaves or something happens. I'm like, I'm like, well, they're, they're like, can we please come back? I really need a job. And I'm like, well, of course you can. And I'm like, what do you think? I'm like, well, hang on a second.
So then we dig up like how the person left or what their service was, or what their accident history was, and then have a conversation about that. But a lot of times we, we. Bring people in and I've had drivers say, do not bring them back. I will do that route. Like I will do my route and their route. Yeah.
So I don't want them to, and we won't make them do that. Right. But the point is, is that that mentality shift has changed that buy-in to. Culture and making this a better place is I would rather work harder than have someone damage what we have here.
Josh Gregory: Yeah. And
Amy Byers: I think if the, the [00:24:00] big point of that, and I, that can be a kumbaya.
I know. Everybody's like, yeah, right. But the point is, is that if you can get a little bit of that at your. Senior level, right? Right. As aos and as your executive team, you are setting that pace. So if I'm setting that tone, then that's what my people are going to follow suit with. If I come in and I'm like, FedEx did this and the customer did that, and this shipper, and we have all these boxes, and then we got another, you know.
Two o'clock pickup and you're screaming about those things, that is what your employees are going to feel. Yeah. And then that is what you're gonna breed. Um, and then it's never gonna get better. Uh, but there are times, I mean, we've, we've been in contracts where there's been mass walkout, you know, not from us, but like three or four people just decide, leave no notice.
Like, that's a tough moment. It's a really tough moment. And it could sink you, especially if you don't have any backups and you don't have a big contract where you can pull resources. Um. So it doesn't, you know, again, we're not saying everything's perfect, but there is a way through it. Yeah. Um, you know, and, [00:25:00] and even there's been times where we've been short on staffing.
We've committed to a growth area, and the staffing just didn't. It just wasn't there at that time on Indeed or wherever we were looking. Um, so you have to have a conversation, but it is all about conversations. Like, I'm not planning to service my contract like this.
Josh Gregory: Mm-hmm.
Amy Byers: But what does that look like?
Instead of just saying, you know, you're screwing me, you're sticking it to me. Um, having that conversation with the terminal and just kind of falling on the sword and saying, I'm not my best version of me today. Yeah. Um, but I gotta hold it together for my team. This is our plan. We're gonna get there. Yeah.
Uh, I think that's helped us through. You know, every little bump and bruise that we've had is to stay ahead of it. Um, we've hired a bunch of new people with a growth area, we're gonna have more accidents and incidents. Right. It's just new people. It's just historically proven. Um, service is gonna struggle a little bit because they don't a hundred percent know what they're doing.
Yeah. Right. Versus a contract. Like we have another contract that the tenure is more of four or five years. Right. Um, so you have [00:26:00] four or five new people in one contract. It. Something's gonna get, something's gonna happen. Yeah. Yeah. Something's gonna happen. The the likelihood of something happening. So what does that look like?
And if you have that conversation with your terminal, when they see it, they're not like, what is happening to slicker? Yeah. Right. Like, what? Oh my gosh, what happened? You're 99 and now you're 99. Oh. Like, oh my gosh. You know, like, oh. We get it, you know, it's gonna be bumpy for a few more weeks. Yeah. Um, until everybody settles in and we put extra, you know, precautions in place and checkpoints, but things are gonna happen.
Josh Gregory: Yeah. It really does seem like it has to be the top down culture that you have to build and communicate and. Sometimes that is hard. Uh, so it's the, you know, whatever you need to do to recenter yourself. So, church on Sunday, I'm glad you didn't say drink to forget on Sunday. So, yeah. Whatever it is though, like, there, there, there needs to be a way for you to find an outlet or someone you can talk to or, or some way for you to continue to recenter yourself because whatever you bring to your culture and your team mm-hmm.
Is what they're gonna [00:27:00] see and feel. And it's gonna trickle through. So it does have to be something that. As much as you can, you need to set because it's, and the contractors
Amy Byers: you surround yourself with, right? Yeah. Like that was a big thing for us, is to identify in the early stages of our business that we were very competitive versus the contractor next to us.
Mm-hmm. Right? And really the only thing we're competing over is people. Yeah. I have a zip code. Right. Dave's like we have. Like it's our area. Yeah. I'm not fighting with you over boxes anymore. I'm not fighting with you over trucks. I'm not fighting, like, we're not arguing. Right? Yeah. So why can't we be in community?
So surround yourself with contractors that wanna be here and wanna do good, right? Yeah. So that's the idea. And, and try to stay away from, you know, I go on Facebook sometimes and I see the complaints and I'm, I just kind of giggle to myself 'cause I'm just like, oh my gosh. Like, is it that? Yeah, isn't that bad?
Like, I wanna give you a hug. Like, that's terrible.
Josh Gregory: I know, I know.
Amy Byers: Um, but, but you're right. But it can suck you in. Um, and even for new investors, they're like, well, this was supposed to be a great space and that's terrible. And I'm like, oh, you [00:28:00] don't even know that guy. Like, I know that guy. Yeah, you don't wanna be near that guy, right?
Yeah. Uh, but there is, like, you, you don't, if it's that bad, you need to make a way through. Um, and you need to have a, a real conversation with yourself is whether this is the space for you, um, truly. Um, and if you can surround yourself with people to make it what you thought it was in the beginning and get back there.
Uh, and I think there are. More of the contractors that wanna be here than not. Yeah. So I think that's the positive set is to center yourself and find, find a group of people that you can, um, lift up. I think Dave's got a group on Wednesday, um, that he talks to. It's kind of a church-based group. Yeah. But they're all contractors and they share, you know, hiccups and headaches.
But because it's faith-based, it's more in a positive direction as well. Yeah. But it's just aligning yourself with. You know, it doesn't have to be church-based, but the point is, is that we've aligned ourself with other contractors that think like us.
Josh Gregory: Mm-hmm.
Amy Byers: Um, so that we can lift each other up when things are struggling.
We can help each other through employee matters or business matters, or even new [00:29:00] questions about new technology and processes, whatever it is. Uh, but there is a positive way through all of this. Yeah.
Josh Gregory: Yeah, and, and I think that's ultimately the message is, you know, this is a business where you are an entrepreneur and it's gonna be hard, and there's gonna be times that are harder or easier, but at the end of the day, it's not a easy business by any stretch of the imagination.
Yeah. But there is a way forward and there are things you can do as an entrepreneur, as an owner, as a contractor in this space. To work through solutions by talking to other people who've been there before mm-hmm. Who are struggling through it now, working together and finding that right path forward.
And I think that's ultimately where, you know, I wanna leave it where this is a conversation and it's a, an ongoing conversation mm-hmm. In this space. And I want it to be an ongoing conversation. It's not something where we think, you know, complaints or dissonance should be shut down. But I do really want to continue to foster that idea that you all bring of, Hey, this is a challenge.
Let's lift each other up, get over this wall together. Yeah. You know, [00:30:00] sometimes I might be lifting you, sometimes you might be pulling me. But let's see what we can do to get over this wall so that we can be successful. Yeah. Ultimately we're all in the same industry. Great. And we wanna find a way together.
Yep. Sounds good. So, perfect. Alright, well thank, thank you guys very much for, thanks for having having us this one. Thank you. You got it. Yeah.
