About this episode
Courtney Muchugu, who ran an NEMT company for ten years in Western Massachusetts and now consults for other operators, joins host Nirav Chheda to work through four ways to protect margin. She covers blending broker volume with private pay, approaching facilities without overpromising, continually researching newer fuel card and tracking platforms, and recruiting through referrals, Indeed and Craigslist. Muchugu also explains how insurers price off trip records by town, why she questioned carrying comprehensive and collision coverage, and how garage location and avoided zip codes can move premiums.
Key takeaways
- Muchugu suggests starting with a broker to build reputation and a footprint, then layering in private pay work to fill the gaps when drivers sit idle between trips.
- Her private pay win came from driving past a facility with its own logo vans, walking in, and asking the director whether they still ran transportation themselves.
- After ignoring calls from her Indeed account specialist for months, Muchugu took one, got advice on titling and writing the job ad, and saw views and applications jump.
- She describes a hiring funnel where roughly 100 applicants produce ten interviews, five candidates who actually show up, and one hire if the owner is lucky.
- Insurers request trip records showing pickup and drop off towns, so Muchugu says a handful of extra Boston area trips can raise rates more than the revenue justifies.
Chapters
- 0:00 Introduction
- 0:50 Managing brokers & private pay
- 6:15 Finding new tech systems
- 11:04 Finding drivers
- 16:20 Insurance
- 21:45 Ending
