Have you ever heard those guys that talk a lot about what they can do but they never seem to put their money where their mouth is? We have all seen those types and not just in the transportation world. It happens in everyday life and in different areas of our lives. I am a firm believer in put your money where your mouth is and I find the ones that talk the most are the ones that fall down the fastest when it comes to laying the goods down on the table.

A great illustration of this is a place that I vacation on a regular basis. On this tiny island the taxi industry is one of the most active industries on the island. Of course any tourist based economy will have a large transportation network to get people around to hotels and other locations. Add the fact that this is a cruise ship destination and you can imagine that the taxi industry employs a variety of people. Many of the taxi Drivers also try to enhance their income by providing tours around the island for tourists both public and private. We had met a Driver that seemed to be very nice, told us how responsible he was, and that he would give us the best tour of our lives. He seemed to be honest and we felt comfortable enough to book him for a tour.

This is where the test of putting your money where your mouth is. We booked him for a certain day and time and even went the extra step of leaving a $50 deposit to make sure he knew we were serious and would be there waiting. He had no problem taking the $50 and assured us the best tour. The day of the tour we were waiting outside of our hotel watching the clock, no Driver. Half an hour later we made a call and were told that he had another client ride that went longer and he was running late, he would be an hour late. Giving him the benefit of the doubt we waited another hour and had to call again. He was now unavailable until 2:00 pm that afternoon and offered to arrange someone else for the tour. At is point we canceled and headed out for the day wondering if we had just lost our $50. We ran into the Driver the next day and he was very quick to give us our money back. We will never book this Driver again. We see him all the time on our vacations and the incident although never talked about is always top of mind. He still continues to tell us how great he is, he obviously doesn’t get the “integrity” factor.

Having integrity will bring you lots of work down the road and is something that everyone should be working towards. Whether you are a Driver at a large trucking company or a taxi Driver on a small island, integrity is just as important to the people you deal with. Do what you say you will do and you will be a star for the future.

About the Author

Bruce Outridge has been in the transportation industry for over 30 years and is the author of the books; Driven to Drive and Running by the Mile. Challenger Motor Freight Inc. is one of
Canada’s Best Managed Companies (platinum member) and is looking for quality team
members. To learn more about opportunities with Challenger visit their website at
www.challenger.com