Based in Lees Summit, Missouri, Roosevelt Rambo has led Rambo Trucking, LLC, as founder and owner since the early 2000s. Roosevelt Rambo manages a team of dedicated drivers and provides extensive training, ensuring compliance with state and national regulations, including those mandated by the US Department of Transportation.
His fleet has become a mainstay of Missouri regional trucking and regularly runs long-haul routes across several states. Specialized service includes pharmaceutical transport and supply chain assignments for the global contract logistics provider DHL. Mr. Rambo has established a client base extending to regional deliveries for Amazon, as his team has earned numerous safety awards for their incident-free driving.
Graduating in 1985, Mr. Rambo earned honor roll honors as a student at the Lincoln Academy in Kansas City. Later, he earned a reputation for his safe and conscientious driving skills, translating into consistent customer satisfaction as an entrepreneur in the trucking industry. Mr. Rambo is a travel and fine dining fan and enjoys following Kansas City Chiefs football in his free time.
What is your typical day, and how do you make it productive?
I always start my day with prayer and a quote from the bible. I also make time to connect with each of my employees individually.
How do you bring ideas to life?
While driving, I’m able to spend time focused on how to make my company more efficient and how to empower my employees to focus on growth and personal advancement. If you think it, see it, and believe it, it will come to fruition.
What’s one trend that excites you?
The new developments with AI and how they can support companies in the trucking and transportation industry to be more efficient, safe, and productive.
What is one habit that helps you be productive?
Meditation is important and impactful for me, as it helps me clear my mind and allows me to focus on developing new ideas in the transportation industry.
What advice would you give your younger self?
I would tell myself that it’s ok to make mistakes, as long as you don’t make the same mistake twice.
Tell us something you believe almost nobody agrees with you on?
Even with the development of self-driving semis, there will always be a need for human involvement in trucking.
What is the one thing you repeatedly do and recommend everyone else do?
Talk with God. Building a relationship with the Lord is an important part of every day.
When you feel overwhelmed or unfocused, what do you do?
I always try to reflect on positive things that I have accomplished and stay focused on those positive things more than anything negative.
What is one strategy that has helped you grow your business or advance in your career?
Building personal relationships with your customers and keeping those relationships strong, being careful to avoid burning bridges. Also, if you treat your employees like they are family, they will prove to be an asset for the growth of your business.
What is one failure in your career, how did you overcome it, and what lessons did you take away from it?
Giving trust to employees before they have earned it has been a failure in my past, but it helped me learn when it’s best to walk away and accept your losses.
What is one piece of software that helps you be productive? How do you use it?
ELD – Electronic logging devises for tracking drivers, their productivity, and monitoring safety aspects of their operations.
Do you have a favorite book or podcast you’ve gotten a ton of value from and why?
Rich Dad’s Cashflow Quadrant: Guide to Financial Freedom. This book teaches financial literacy and helped me focus more on the true value of a dollar.
What’s a movie or series you recently enjoyed and why?
Although I don’t watch much television or movies, I really enjoyed the Denzel Washington movie, The Book of Eli. This movie stands out to me because he is blind, which is not revealed to the audience until the middle of the movie, and forces them to tap into their own senses beyond sight.
Key learnings
- Interpersonal connection, such as meditation and prayer, are imperative for a healthy start to the day.
- Efficiency, safety, and productivity are the prime focus for growth within any company, but especially trucking and transportation operations.
- Building lasting relationships with your customers is crucial for sustainable business success.