He Went Bankrupt at 18, Laid Off Every Driver, and Now Runs a $625K-Per-Rig Heavy Haul Fleet | Kendal Mast Kendal Mast started KM Wood Products in November 2012 with one truck — his dad's beat-up rig. By 18, he was nearly bankrupt. In 2019, one of his biggest contracts walked away without paying, and he made the call no fleet owner wants to make: lay off every owner operator, every driver, and go back to just him and one truck. He loaded his wife and kids in the cab and hauled through all of 2020. By August of that year, every driver was back and the fleet had grown. Today, Kendal runs 50 trucks, a fleet of specialty heavy haul trailers worth $625,000 per setup, and 65% of his work is fueling the AI data center boom. We got a full shop tour, talked rates, liability, equipment, and what it actually takes to survive and scale in heavy haul. In this episode:

Want to be advertised by BulkLoads Media? https://www.bulkloadsmedia.com/

Why Kendal won't move a heavy haul load for under $6/mile How one unpaid contract nearly ended everything in 2019 Loading his family in the truck and hauling through Covid The $625,000 per setup breakdown — and why this equipment demands serious rates How AI data centers are now driving 65% of KM Wood Products' freight Building a heavy haul fleet from scratch without coming from the industry Managing bad drivers that nearly cost him multiple contracts 60-inch spacing, trailer steers, and the equipment details that actually matter Finding peace running 50 trucks on the road every day A 1953 Kenworth that still runs — and why Kendal keeps it that way

🔗 Find heavy haul freight and more on BulkLoads: 👉 https://www.bulkloads.com/?utm_source=YouTube&utm_medium=Video&utm_campaign=KMWOOD

BulkLoads is the bulk freight marketplace built for carriers and shippers moving heavy, bulk, and specialty freight. If you're looking for loads or need a carrier you can trust, BulkLoads connects you to the right people. Subscribe for more real stories from owner-operators, fleet owners, and the people building businesses in the trucking industry.

⏱ TIMECODES

. . . Check out our companies!

BulkLoads - https://www.bulkloads.com/?utm_source=YouTube&utm_medium=Video&utm_campaign=KMWOOD

Insurance - https://www.bulkinsurancegroup.com/?utm_source=YouTube&utm_medium=Video&utm_campaign=KMWOOD

Factoring - https://www.smartfreightfunding.com/?utm_source=YouTube&utm_medium=Video&utm_campaign=KMWOOD

Transportation Management (TMS) - https://www.bulktms.com/?utm_source=YouTube&utm_medium=Video&utm_campaign=KMWOOD