Date of Conferral
2019
Degree
Doctor of Business Administration (D.B.A.)
School
Business Administration
Advisor
Carol-Anne Faint
Abstract
Leaders of small trucking businesses who fail to reduce operational cost and increase profitability can experience reduced profits and sustainability challenges. During the first 2 years of operation, 75% of small trucking businesses in the United States fail. The purpose of this single case study was to explore the strategies that successful leaders of small trucking businesses implemented to retain talented employees after downsizing. Transformational leadership was the conceptual framework for the study. The population for the study included 3 business leaders in a small trucking business in the southeastern region of the United States who had successfully reduced operational costs and increased profitability. Data was collected from semistructured interviews with leaders of the small trucking business and from reviewing artifacts such as the company's documents. Yin's 5 steps of data analysis, the tenets of transformational leadership, and member checking were used in identifying key themes. These 5 themes emerged from the analysis of data: applying transformational leadership, finding dependable drivers, establishing trust, rewarding and recognizing employees, and competing with trucking industries that seek to gain competitive advantage. The application of findings from this study might contribute to social change by enlightening leaders of small trucking companies about what strategies reduce operational costs and increase profitability in the small trucking industry.
Recommended Citation
Bush II, Theophlius, "Reducing Operational Costs in the Trucking Industry to Increase Profitability" (2019). Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies. 7370.
https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/7370
