Last year in November I gave a courtesy follow-up call to one of my customers just to say hi. I recall talking to him about his business’s overall health and we also briefly spoke about our family’s plans for the holidays; during the conversation, I remember he made a reference of an old friend & trucker, who was planning on purchasing a reefer to start hauling as an independent operator. That’s how I got Francisco’s contact information, as a referral.

When I finally got in contact with Francisco, I found out he had over 17 years of experience in the industry, he explained he started operating a truck back in 2001. When we talked, he mentioned he was working for a hauling company in El Paso, Texas. But, what it got me surprised was that I found the most enthusiastic and determined trucker who wanted to be his own boss.

Going deeper into his life’s story, he shared he was born in Mexico but came to the US to seek better opportunities. This guy was a passionate, hard-working family man, not with a faraway vision, but with a plan in mind: Francisco was completely optimistic and excited; he said he was ready to start this journey because being a trucker was the best job that he ever had.

The first thing we started working on was getting him a Reefer because he was offered a new job opportunity that he needed to take advantage of, and although it required investing time and a bit of effort, it totally made sense, because at the end it will generate him more money.  It was difficult & challenging, but we both knew that if we wanted to do things right, it will take time to get him the equipment that fits his specific needs.

During the process of getting this deal done a lot of things got in the way: family emergencies, issues with his truck, his boss, etc, but Francisco was always on the road, driving through the Rocky Mountains, across the desert of Arizona or passing by Albuquerque on his way back home in El Paso, always driven by his ideas and dedication to his family, which was complemented by a very strong work ethic and that soon to be dream of independence.

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“Working with the trucking team at Cardiff was simple, you guys knew what I need for my business and also know how to work with the dealers.”

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Cardiff always wants to make the process simple and smooth for all our customers, the greatest thing is that Francisco was willing to work with us. We kept his approval open for a while, working on his own pace, we understand, he is the only one who knows the business better than us.

Francisco got his Reefer and he also got a new business partner. I asked him how was the experience working with us and our bank, he answered – I was skeptical at first, having a guy calling me to offer money through the phone it’s something kinda strange, but when things need to happen, everything falls into place, and I’m glad you call me, working with the trucking team at Cardiff was simple, you guys knew what I need for my business and know how to work with the dealers, I’m pretty sure that if you keep this rhythm you guys will be the biggest trucking financing company in a couple of years, and I hope when that happens you still do some deals with me. –

Francisco is one of the new clients of the Cardiff Trucking division, and like many other owner-operators, he is shifting his focus and adapting to the changes in the industry and he knows that changes are good, you just need to take the first step to make it happen!