In the spring of 2022, a trucking company asked for help. He had 4 years of work, a staff of almost 100 people and 50 tractors, and constant disadvantages and cash gaps in the accounts. The overdraft was 12 million rubles, and the profit ranged from a loss of 2.5 million to a modest plus of 1.9 million. Outwardly, everything looked stable, but behind the scenes there was complete financial chaos.
The first step was to restore management accounting. It was only after compiling a correct profit and loss statement that it became clear where the money was being lost. The main expenses are fuel, driver salaries, and repairs. It was in these areas that the emphasis was placed in further changes.
The next step was the introduction of a cash flow management system. Every ruble was tracked, drivers were forbidden to spend on a report without checks, and all payments began to go through an agreed calendar. Accounts receivable, comparable to several months of revenue, were brought under control — reminders to customers, calls, and email automation yielded results.
Further, the approach to salaries was revised. Drivers switched to piecework payment, and the office switched to the KPI system. Unprofitable flights have ceased to be profitable, and marginality has become a key evaluation factor. There are limits on repairs, expensive suppliers have been eliminated. The analysis showed that long-distance routes bring more profit, and the rates were recalculated.
Fuel monitoring has become transparent: the analysis of refueling, mileage, balance and deviations from the norm. Fuel and lubricants costs decreased by 13%, and unjustified losses disappeared. A management balance sheet was compiled, which showed that the company has assets, but it lives on borrowed funds. This allowed the investor to assess the situation objectively.
The stabilization of accounting made it possible to attract borrowed funds on favorable terms. Using short-term loans and an overdraft, the company began to direct its own funds to a deposit and earn interest. This provided a cushion of 50 million rubles, due to which the leases were repaid ahead of schedule.
As a result, the company achieved a huge breakthrough: expenses decreased by 27%, net profit stabilized at more than 5 million rubles per month, and dividends began to be paid. The business has reached the level of strategic planning with the goal of reaching a billion in revenue and 300 million in profit per year.
The case showed that the success of a trucking company is possible not due to an increase in traffic volume, but due to transparency, control and competent management of financial flows.
