A beam of bright sunlight washes across Chamaine Jeffers’ face as she steers her truck through a wide left turn onto another Iowa highway. A ribbon of rhinestones forms a bejeweled band around her straw cowboy hat, culminating with a big heart right in front. The light that illuminates Jeffers’ face is perfectly timed to reveal a humble, contented smile behind mirrored aviator sunglasses.
These are the spoils of operating a successful trucking business. The open road. The bright sun. The contentment that comes from knowing you’re self-employed, self-directed, and self-supporting. But the picture wasn’t always so rosy for Jeffers.
Better known in the trucking community as “Boss Lady,” Jeffers started life at a disadvantage. Growing up in a poverty-stricken area of New York, she knew that any dreams she might have of success (whatever that meant) would have to be manifested elsewhere.
“Everybody in the hood is like, ‘Man, you gotta learn to play basketball’ or you have to be a rapper or something to get out of the hood,” she says. “And trucking did that for me.”
Trucking did that. Trucking lifted a young woman from an underprivileged community out of impoverishment and into a career over which she feels pride, joy and gratitude on a daily basis. And 24 years later, trucking is still doing that for Jeffers.
Every trucker has a story. Chamaine’s is particularly striking, but every driver who climbs into a cab today has come from somewhere, has had to overcome something, and has earned every break they ever got in this industry. It’s for these folks that DAT One is most valuable. Chamaine had the drive and the will to become a successful truck driver, and DAT One was the tool that converted that potential into a glorious reality.
Here is what DAT One can do for you:
- Become Your Own Boss: DAT can help you go independent with your own carrier or broker authority. Our experts will guide and support you through the process, and we’ll get your MC and DOT numbers as soon as possible.
- Understand Your Profit: With the new Profit Estimator from DAT One, you can quickly see how the numbers add up for each load and choose the one that best fits your business goals.
- Increase Revenue: With the TriHaul tool embedded in DAT One, you’ll get automatic suggestions for triangular routes that can help you avoid low-paying lanes and backhaul rates. Adding a leg to your route boosts your revenue by up to 50%.
- Improve Pay Rate: DAT One gives you access to data on more than half a billion loads and trucks posted annually. DAT’s RateView Analytics lets you seamlessly compare spot and contract rates in markets nationwide so you can negotiate from a position of strength.
- Get Paid Faster: Freight factoring can help you get paid in as little as 24 hours, and DAT One walks you through the process.
- Run Your Business Efficiently: DAT One’s Map tab helps you plan your entire route to and from a drop. Identifying the most cost-effective fuel stops and best rest stops on your journey just makes sense, as does knowing where you find repair shops in the event of a mechanical hiccup.
Imagine integrating all of these specific benefits into your operation. With this breadth of organization and financial control over your business, you can begin to understand how heroes like Chamaine Jeffers managed to convert their drive into business success. It’s DAT One.
Next time you feel a bright ray of sunshine wash across your face, smile. And remember that all you need to blast your business to the next level already exists. It’s in you, and it’s in DAT One.
