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By Mark Dyer, Allegiance Capital Corp.

Today, succession planning is not just about having a plan in place for your eventual retirement, or in case you unexpectedly kick the bucket. You may end up selling your company. Here are five key things to keep in mind.

Tags: Mergers & Acquisitions, Business, Acquisition

By Truckinginfo Staff

Approximately 7.6 billion hours are spent by businesses and individuals each year on tax compliance -- a workload that could keep 3.8 million full-time workers busy by the IRS’ own estimates. Throw your long hours as a trucker into the mix, and the potential to miss the filing deadline is very real. However, you can file an extension and avoid penalties.

Tags: Taxes, Business, Owner-Operators

By Deborah Lockridge, Editor in Chief

LAS VEGAS -- Rick Dauch, president and CEO of Accuride, has fielded a lot of questions -- or perhaps accusations would be a better word -- from distributors who want to know why his promises to support the aftermarket are any different from those of a string of executives befor

Tags: Business, Aftermarket, Wheels, Accuride

Heavy Duty Aftermarket Week 2013, being held this week in Las Vegas, has yielded record-breaking exhibitor and distributor registration numbers, as well as a larger-than-expected group of registrants for the new SOLD! (Service Opportunities and Learning Day) program, marking an overall growth of 10% in the size of the conference over last year

Tags: Business, HDAW, Aftermarket

Landstar System and the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association announced the end of their decade-long litigation over federal truth-in-leasing regulations, with the Florida-based carrier saying its leases were proven valid and the association saying the lawsuit helped further clarify the regulations

Tags: Business, leasing, OOIDA, Landstar, Owner-Operators

By Colton Lawrence, Contributor

Have you been trucking since 1912 or earlier? If so, you are a true trucking pioneer, have an incredible fitness regimen and once earned an income without paying the Internal Revenue Service a dime

Tags: Business, Owner-Operators, Taxes

By Deborah Lockridge, Editor in Chief

'People continue to sell as if they were in a quaint Norman Rockwell painting. That no longer works like it used to." Instead, says Rich Farrell, president of Tangent Knowledge Systems and author of the book "Selling has Nothing to do with Selling," a salesperson should play the role of a "change agent" rather than the more typical product-centric transactional approach

Tags: Business, sales, Aftermarket

Aftermarket truck and trailer parts distributor FleetPride has been sold to U.S.-based TPG Capital, one of the largest private equity investment firms globally, for more than $1 billion

Tags: Business, Aftermarket, FleetPride, Parts

By Deborah Lockridge, Editor in Chief

What are some of the most common weaknesses of aftermarket parts sales staff, and how can you work to correct them? Find out in this Q&A with Chuck Udell, senior partner of Essential Action Design Group, Leawood, Kan., management consultants specializing in heavy-duty and automotive aftermarket operations

Tags: Business

By Jim Park, Equipment Editor

Here's a tale that, if it were from any other industry, might inspire a feel-good feature film. It's about a struggling rookie lease-operator who, as he is driving back to the terminal to hand back the keys, decides to try something different

Tags: Business

By Jim Park, Contributing Editor

The recession has been good for some aftermarket parts and service providers, but others took a bit of a thrashing between 2008 and 2011. Many cash-strapped fleets decided to keep trucks in service longer, which meant an increase in parts sales and service opportunities

Tags: Business

By Genevieve Conti, Assistant Editor

Superior Distributors in Elmwood Park, N.J., has come a long way since its start in the trunk of founder Howard Klein's '62 Falcon station wagon in 1962.

Tags: Business

By Oliver B. Patton, Washington Editor

Peter Pekala is an owner-operator with an attitude. His attitude is, find business partners who do right by you and do the same for them

Tags: Business

By Oliver B. Patton, Washington Editor

When we caught up with Miles Verhoef, he'd spent the day in Fargo, N.D., looking for - and not finding - the right load for his drop-deck flatbed

Tags: Business

By Jim Park, Equipment Editor

Bob and Linda Caffee were living a comfortable life in southwest Kansas. They had a nice house on a 7-acre spread. He was a diesel mechanic, and she worked in administration at the local courthouse.

Tags: Business

By Deborah Lockridge, Editor in Chief

Tony Huttenstine misses his big, beautiful, tricked-out Kenworth W900 - but he doesn't miss the fuel economy

Tags: Business

By Deborah Lockridge, Editor in Chief

Last year, Midwest Wheel celebrated its 100th anniversary under a fourth-generation owner. Betts Spring is in its sixth generation and just promoted a sixth-generation Betts family member to vice president. But many more small businesses peris

Tags: Business

By Commentary Deborah Lockridge, Editor

I was reading an article in Newsweek about ways to boost brain performance, and it occurred to me that a number of key points could be applied to boosting business performanc

Tags: Business

By Commentary Deborah Lockridge, Editor in Chief

I recently needed a new pair of athletic shoes. Not that I'm particularly athletic, but I took a spill last year and my orthopedist said I need to wear good, supportive shoes to avoid continued knee and ankle problems. My 5-year-old New Balances weren't cutting it anymore

Tags: Business

When you started your business, chances are there weren't quite as many options for how to organize it as there are now

Tags: Business

What do online shoe sales and heavy-duty parts sales have in common? They both can succeed with the help of the right kind of corporate culture

Tags: Business

By Commentary Deborah Lockridge, Editor in Chief

When Tobin Cassels first told me about his philosophy of "servant leadership" at Southeastern Freight Lines, I must admit I mentally rolled my eyes a bit. I'm sure that, like me, in your personal or professional lif

Tags: Business

By Deborah Lockridge, Editor

'People continue to sell as if they were in a quaint Norman Rockwell painting. That no longer works like it used to," said Rich Farrell, president of Tangent Knowledge Systems, during a presentation at Heavy Duty Aftermarket Week earlier this year

Tags: Business

By Chuck Udell, Guest Contributor

To be successful in today's heavy-duty aftermarket, you must have a clear competitive edge over your competitors

Tags: Business

By Steve Sturgess, Executive Editor

A fundamental understanding of what constitutes the cash in your business is key to making the most of it. That was the message from Jason Bader, consultant from The Business Team, in one of the best business sessions - Finding Cash in Your Busines

Tags: Business

By Craig Fry, Guest Contributor

People often talk about the value of a brand. But have you ever wondered how much your brand is really worth

Tags: Business

By Tom Berg, Senior Editor

For years, savvy fleet managers have been able to predict how long parts and components will last based on experience, and scheduled maintenance and replacement accordingly

Tags: Business

By Deborah Lockridge, Editor

What do your customers value? A survey of HDAW attendees said availability/delivery of a product was the top thing, followed by the product knowledge of your sales staff, and third by customer service/ease of doing business

Tags: Business