Car dealer also customizes trucks, golf carts

Like words in a Hank Williams Jr. song ("Family Tradition"), Mike Knox kind of changed his direction.

Knox got into the automobile business in 1980, but a dozen years later he made a change and started customizing trucks as owner of Texas Custom Trucks, located on Jacksboro Highway.

Customizing has been a passion for Knox all of his life. It started when he was 19 and working in an auto parts store. In a single year, he purchased 11 cars.

"I guess it is in my nature to buy and sell cars," Knox said. "One of my bosses at Exchange Auto Store said, 'Mike, you need to go into car sales.' My very first car sale was at Whitney Ford in 1972."

He still has a dealer's license and sells a few vehicles "now and then."

"I have been in the car business all my life, and then I started looking for something different," he said, "I started taking seats and tires and wheels off of pickups. I borrowed some money and started my customizing business in '92."

He started out with a mobile unit under the name Comanche Enterprises.

"We did all the customization of the trucks at the dealer's premises," he said, "I did that for about a year."

He then leased a building on 31st Street and operated out of it until he moved to the location on Jacksboro Highway.

"When I left 31st Street, I came to this location and changed the name to Texas Custom Trucks," he explained. "I wanted to be more truck related, and I have been here since 1995."

The business specializes in tires, wheels, wheel guards, step bars, grill guards, front-end replacements, bed liners, gooseneck trailers, receiver towing packages and fifth-wheel trailers. It also offers trailer wiring, trailer floor replacements and complete trailer repair.

"We do so much, anything to do on trailers and truck accessories," he said, "We do it all."

But he also has another facet to the business: golf carts.

"Three years ago I got into the golf cart business," he said, "We now do sales and rentals on golf carts. We primarily refurbish golf carts, and we do complete customization. We do lift kits, fancy mags (wheels) and tires."

He also will customize colors and has carts that seat from two to six people.

He attributes his success to hard work, perseverance, determination and by treating customers right.

"I get here at 6 in the morning and don't leave till we are done," he said.

Knox credits his work ethic to his father, Ray, who died four years ago.

Truck Driver Jobs – Owner Operator Keys to Success |

With skyrocketing fuel prices, rising insurance and equipment costs and an often grueling schedule, finding and maintaining meaningful success in an owner operator truck driving job is a challenge for even the most skilled owner operator truck drivers.

On the surface, it sounds easy to acquire a Kenworth or Peterbilt semi truck, find all the profitable truck driver jobs you can handle, and make $100,000 per year after taxes. The fact of the matter is that most owner operators are not nearly this successful. Rather, it is estimated that less than 10% of independent owner operator truck drivers make this kind of money.

Inexperienced or new owner-operators are the most susceptible and vulnerable to this financial management challenge during the initial 0-24 month period after they choose to dive into ownership.

Unfortunately, the trucking industry has a terrible reputation of chewing up and spitting out individuals taking on new, independent truck driving jobs as either owner operators or expeditor’s like a tobacco chewing cowboy at a rodeo.

For years, the Trucking industry has failed miserably to cultivate, train, and nurture drivers to help them manage the financial side of the business and avoid the pitfalls associated within the ranks of semi truck driving owner operators.

The most important similarity among all successful independent owner operator truck drivers have in common is that they have set aside an emergency cash fund. Because the primary key to any successful business is managing cash flow, nothing is more important to the profitability of your trucking business than good business decisions in this area. As an independent owner operator truck driver, you and you alone are responsible for managing every aspect of your business cash flow.

Effective cash flow management is what determines your profitability at the end of the month. Most successful owner operators we interviewed recommend that individual truck drivers have 3 to 6 months of after tax cash in a fund for emergencies such as a loss of job or unexpected major expenditure.The emergency cash fund should include all of your business expenses stashed away including truck payment, insurance, maintenance, etc.

owner operator jobs : Want to know about latest owner operator jobs? Log on to www.overdrivedigital.com and gather information.

Decisions and Orders of the National Labor Relations Board, V. 343, September 28, 2004, Through December 20, 2004

Transportation labor issues and regulatory reform

Truck costs for owner operators

The trucker's world, risk, safety, and mobility

Current Issues in Shipping, Ports and Logistics