{"version":1,"type":"rich","provider_name":"Libsyn","provider_url":"https:\/\/www.libsyn.com","height":90,"width":600,"title":"BLP 364: Why This 31-Year-Old Says Fancy Trucks Are Killing Owner-Operators","description":"Watch on YouTube: https:\/\/youtu.be\/n2-i0RKCoWs Craig Broerman left a corporate mechanical engineering career, sold the money meant for his grandparents' farm, and bought a belt trailer in 2019. Six years later, he and his cousin Alan Lennartz are running 7\u201310 trucks across the Midwest hauling DDGs, soybean meal, cottonseed, and industrial products \u2014 and they did it before either of them turned 32. In this episode, Jared sits down with Craig and Alan on location in Portland, Indiana to talk about the BulkLoads find that changed everything, the phone call in a North Carolina cornfield that made Craig get out of the truck for good, the mistakes they made buying &quot;shiny&quot; equipment, and the insurance and scaling realities nobody warns young carriers about. If you're an owner-operator, small fleet, or thinking about getting into bulk trucking \u2014 this one's a roadmap. &amp;nbsp; \u23f1 TIMECODES 00:00 \u2013 On location in Portland, Indiana 00:43 \u2013 From mechanical engineer to belt trailer owner 02:25 \u2013 Finding BulkLoads and the first direct customer 03:25 \u2013 Retiring his wife from her corporate job 04:40 \u2013 Alan's path: asphalt, COVID, and &quot;buy a truck&quot; 06:00 \u2013 The conversation that split the businesses 06:30 \u2013 The cornfield phone call that changed everything 09:40 \u2013 How they funded the first truck (the farm gamble) 11:00 \u2013 Why posted loads = desperation (and opportunity) 13:30 \u2013 Reading the cottonseed market before it shifted 15:30 \u2013 Playing the long game on rates and relationships 17:15 \u2013 Why Craig thinks 5 years ahead, not 5 days 20:30 \u2013 What's actually moving in\/out of Ohio\u2013Indiana ag country 22:18 \u2013 Why they can't run hoppers in this region 24:40 \u2013 The real ROI of the BulkLoads Conference 27:30 \u2013 Trust, transparency, and family in business 28:00 \u2013 Biggest mistakes: overpriced trucks and hiring too soon 31:30 \u2013 How they decide when to scale (and when to wait) 36:50 \u2013 Spec'ing equipment: powertrains, trailers, and tonnage 39:00 \u2013 48' vs 53' Conestoga \u2014 three months of research 42:30 \u2013 DDG market shifts and lane risk 44:00 \u2013 The insurance ceiling nobody talks about 47:20 \u2013 Advice for young people getting into trucking and logistics 51:30 \u2013 Why this part of the country looks the way it does \ud83d\ude9b ABOUT BULKLOADS BulkLoads is the freight marketplace built for bulk carriers, brokers, and shippers. From the load board to Smart Freight Funding, Bulk Insurance, Permitting, and BulkTMS \u2014 we're the operating system for bulk trucking. \ud83d\udc49 Become a member:  https:\/\/bulkloads.com?utm_source=YouTube&amp;amp;utm_medium=Video&amp;amp;utm_campaign=BNW+PODCAST \ud83c\udf99 Subscribe for more carrier stories every week \ud83c\udfa4 Join us at the next BulkLoads Conference ","author_name":"Bulkloads Podcast","author_url":"http:\/\/bulkloads.libsyn.com\/website","html":"<iframe title=\"Libsyn Player\" style=\"border: none\" src=\"\/\/html5-player.libsyn.com\/embed\/episode\/id\/41253295\/height\/90\/theme\/custom\/thumbnail\/yes\/direction\/forward\/render-playlist\/no\/custom-color\/88AA3C\/\" height=\"90\" width=\"600\" scrolling=\"no\"  allowfullscreen webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen oallowfullscreen msallowfullscreen><\/iframe>","thumbnail_url":"https:\/\/assets.libsyn.com\/secure\/item\/41253295"}