Two Years and Holding Strong

August 1st, 2010 was Montana Petertbilt's two year anniversary.  It's kind of hard to believe it's already been two years; For me anyway. 

It's at this point that I'd like thank all of our customers and congratulate our employees, every one!  We've come a long way in a short while and as of the date of this writing, Montana Peterbilt is ranked number one in our district for parts goal achievement.  In addition, we're ranked both regionally and nationally for both parts and service performance.  I couldn't be more thankful to every customer, or more proud of the dedication and hard work of every employee.  Without all of you, this accomplishment would not have been possible.

Reality Check:  Yes, times are still tough, and we are nowhere near where we need to be to equal the performance of years past, but we are getting there.  I'm not sure who said it, but I've always been a firm believer in the school of thought that victory and success are easy to handle, but it is adversity and challenge that are the true measure of a person or an organization.  You can either give up, or keep fighting.

Improvise, Adapt, Overcome: OK, so I borrowed that from Clint Eastwood in Heartbreak Ridge, but it's rings true.  If there is one thing I cannot stand to hear, it is this:  "But we've always done it that way" .  If you would like to see my blood pressure skyrocket, just use that as an excuse.  One of the most valuable lessons I've learned and the one I try to impart to my children, employees, etc, is that things never stay the same, change is constant.  The impossible is possible and the improbable is probable.  And unless you want to get run over, go out of business, or fail at whatever endeavor you are pursuing, my humble recommendation is that you be prepared for it: change that is.  If it's not working, try another way, I don't care how long you've been doing it that way.  The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again expecting different results. 

But That's Impossible:  Really?  Let's make a short list of the things many people once thought of as gospel:

"The Titanic is unsinkable"
"We have peace in our time"
"We could never put a man on the moon"
"The Soviet Union will never collapse"
"The Dream Team will never be beat by those inferior European basketball teams"
" Osama Bin Who? Those lunatics could never really hurt us here at home"
"The levees around New Orleans have held up till now.  They can never fail"
"An African American will never be president"
"There is no housing bubble"
"This bank cannot fail"

I could go on, but I think you get the point.  No one foresaw the economy we are now dealing with, but we can't change it.  All we can do is figure out new ways to be successful.  If it ain't workin', fix it, change it, or find something else to do. 

Baby Steps:  Could things be better?  Absolutely! But it won't be fixed tomorrow, next week or next month.  In fact it could realistically take years to get back to where we were.  But the good news is:  I repeat:  The good news is: is that we've stopped the free fall, we're no longer skipping along the bottom, but now, dare I say, we've started our slow, yet steady ascent up and out of the abyss.  One step at a time. 

Cautiously Optimistic: Freight rates are up, trucking companies are making more profits, used truck demand is up and the average age of the fleet in this country is very old, translating into pent up new truck demand.  We are going in the right direction, and although it won't happen overnight, we will succeed.  Call me an optimist, a glass half full kind of guy, whatever, but that's just the way I think.  If you're looking for me, I'll be the guy with my shoulder to the grind stone, head down,  taking one step at a time, pushing for the finish.

Talk to you again soon.
Kevin