In this episode of Cseking In, we sat down with Derek Norman, president of Nortrans Freight Management to learn some of the ins and outs of the trucking industry and how he got his start as an entrepreneur.

Before he started his own trucking company, Derek worked as a traveling sales representative. This job was how he discovered his love of driving—and that selling someone else’s product just wasn’t for him. When his wife’s family kitchen cabinet manufacturing company decided to buy a truck to help speed up their supply chain, they were quick to ask for his advice. That’s when it hit him—if there’s a demand among local businesses for trucks and drivers, why not fill it himself?

Fast forward 30 years, and Nortrans Freight Management is now a team of 65+ employees with 50+ trucks that offers service across Canada and in 48 states in the USA. 

Watch the full episode to learn more about Derek’s entrepreneurial journey and how he seamlessly grew his company with a combination of family support, a keen sense of the industry, and a few of what he calls “gut decisions.”