Building a Trucking Company the Right Way with Nick Isabella | Behind The Wheelhouse

In this episode of Behind the Wheelhouse on Trucker Talk Radio, Nick Isabella, Founder and CEO of Trusted Cartage Solutions, joins Justin and co-host Shamaira to share how he built a profitable, regional asset-based carrier in the Southeast from the ground up, starting with no CDL, one straight truck, and a hustle mentality forged through years of corporate work, professional basketball coaching, and life on the open road.Nick's path into trucking is anything but ordinary. After getting his first taste of logistics at XPO during its early days, he spent six years away from the industry coaching elite youth basketball players including NBA-bound talents like Aaron Neesmith and Josiah James, before getting laid off during the COVID shutdown in 2020. With capital to deploy and a willingness to outwork anyone, he bought his first truck, earned his stripes driving 83,000 miles across nearly every state, and slowly built what is now a 6-truck, 7-trailer dry van and flatbed operation running exclusively in North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia.The conversation digs into what sets Trusted Cartage Solutions apart: a team-first culture built around core values of excellence, dedication, and consistency, a hiring philosophy that filters out "me, me, me" drivers before the first call ends, and a personal touch that includes sending every new hire a Google Form to remember birthdays and anniversaries. Nick also breaks down the financial discipline that carried him through one of the toughest freight markets in modern history, including lessons on scaling profitably, avoiding shiny object syndrome, and reverse-engineering a business toward a $3 million EBITDA exit goal.Whether you are a driver looking for a home, an owner-operator considering your next move, or an entrepreneur thinking about launching a trucking company, this episode is packed with hard-earned insight on building something real in a tough industry.Chapters0:00 Intro0:51 Nick's Background & Early Career1:17 XPO Logistics & First Industry Lessons4:43 COVID Shutdown & Buying First Truck10:09 Scaling to 6 Trucks Profitably13:09 Surviving Tough Markets16:58 Driver Culture & Hiring Philosophy23:38 Financial Education for Drivers25:02 Staying Focused on the Business26:53 Regional Operations & Freight Types34:59 Advice for Aspiring Trucking Owners38:08 Basketball Talk: Steph Curry & the NBA40:09 Closing & Sponsor ShoutoutsFollow Us!X: https://x.com/trucktalkradioIG: https://instagram.com/truckertalkradioTikTok: https://tiktok.com/@truckertalkradioFollow Nick IsabelleLinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/nick-isabelleWebsite: https://www.trustedcartagesolutions.comYouTube: https://youtube.com/@Trusted Cartage Solutions#truckertalkradio #behindthewheelhouse #trucking #truckingpodcast #owneroperator #truckingbusiness #truckdriver #freightindustry #truckingindustry #smallbusiness #truckinggrowth #dryvan #flatbed #southeastfreight #truckinglife #logistics #supplychain #nickisabella