It would be so easy to just give in right now wouldn’t it; everything you read hear and see is predicting doom and gloom. I read many of the industry magazines and editorials from both sides of the border and as you know it is not pretty out there, the only solace is that it appears that its not to pretty for any sector of the economy right now, sorry, not much comfort is it.

We have been in this funk for long enough for many of you to feel like it’s time to throw in the towel and say enough is enough. I hear it over and over and I totally understand the sentiment, should I give up now and minimize the damage and the stress? This is a question many owner operators are asking themselves right now, let alone company owners, fair enough, if you feel you can’t go on. What I have a problem with is this victim mentality that I hear, the, everyone is picking on me crap gets a little old for me after awhile, and believe it or not some groups actually fuel it and insight it for their own purposes.

Yes folks there are groups who actually feed off misery, they will pretend to be the defender of the down trodden and when they can’t find a bad guy they will invent one for you. The case of OBAC versus the OTA is a prime example of what I am talking about, freight is tight and cheap right now, join OBAC we’ll get those rotten OTA members, I don't get enough FSC (fuel surcharge) join OBAC we’ll get those rotten company owners, I am not making enough money, join OBAC we know it’s the OTA members and the rest of the company owners who are screwing you and we’ll get them for you, just join up with us, what a crock and I am sick of hearing it, reading it and seeing it.

I believe that there is a space in this industry for an owner operators association and that it should be filled with competent representation. Owner Operators have unique issues and they are independent business people who represent a significant sector of this industry and they are vitally important to the transportation industry as a whole. And they deserve competent representation. So why would a group who supposedly represent the face of the Owner Operator make their primary effort for their membership to discredit the OTA? I’ll tell you why, because they need a bad guy to point at and blame for all the bad things that have happened to their current and prospective members. It doesn’t fix jack, it doesn’t serve any purpose but to foster a victim mentality and allow them to pretend that they are doing something concrete for the membership dollars, beside just funding their own positions and their need for exposure.

Don't get me wrong here I have been not without my issues with many of the OTA’s policies and I have written about some of them in this column and have talked directly to decision makers about many others. Here is the plain truth though folks the OTA/CTA head off more bone head policy makers and their hair brain ideas about our industry in our government than most of us will ever know. Have no doubt without OTA/CTA we would be in far worse shape than we are, speed limiters or no speed limiters. One major issue I have had with the OTA/CTA is that they do not promote the many, many battles they do win for this industry loud enough! Enough said here I didn’t write this column to defend OTA/CTA; they can do that just fine on their own, just look at the record.

As far as the trucking companies go if you are a confused owner operator and you don't know who your customer is let me clue you in, as with any business anywhere, it is the person, company or business that signs your cheque, period. This is a free market economy and if you believe that you are being cheated in your current business arrangement and have done your dues diligence, then move on. I have written previous articles about how to find the right carrier and encourage you to do so. Are there bad companies out there you should avoid, of course, do they represent the majority of the industry or the OTA/CTA, of course not, that’s a ridiculous premise designed once again to feed a victim mentality.

Effective representation of a group of small businesses has to be more than just a few ex bureaucrats who revolt against the big bad establishment and represent themselves as the defender of the down trodden proletariat. I believe that effective leadership would try their best to work in cooperation with the provincial and federal associations, please reread the “work with” piece again, I did not say go along for the ride or be puppets, it starts with identifying the critical issues that can be enacted to benefit the working relationship with owner operators and their carriers, or using the associations lobbying expertise to effect governmental legislative change to its memberships benefit. What it is not, is protest for protest sake, we get more than enough of this from groups like CRASH or Public Citizen, who work vehemently against any trucking initiative that might benefit the industry, without fighting against our own.

Although I have never been shy about sharing my thoughts on any subject related to this industry I have not written about this particular issue because I know that in doing so, it gives light to a group that I do not believe is effective in its direction or its tactics, other than to this industries detriment and their own selfish purpose.
Just my two cents worth folks, please feel free to send me all the Haight mail I deserve by commenting below, thanks again and safe trucking.

YT
Rjh

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Who needs Cable TV for exciting drama these days . Just head south of the border and attend a typical “Town Hall” or more appropriately “Town Brawl” on US Health Care Reform.

Shouting, screaming, name calling. It may even remind some of you of work!

Beneath the sensationalism of the news coverage of these events, I frankly don't think all the heat being raised down south is necessarily a bad thing. Lets face it: Most of us struggle with conflict. We either don't like conflict and try to avoid it. Or live for it and create it where its not necessary.. just to see what happens.

Conflict exists in every organization. It is human nature. Your personal and organizational success depends on dealing with it effectively.

Here are 2 suggested attitudes that may not seem intuitive at first but when adopted will rock your world:

LOVE conflict.
NEED conflict.

Yeah, thats right.. I think you should LOVE conflict. I've been guilty of running away from conflict in the past for the sake of just “keeping the peace”. I know that many of you reading this blog, do that as well. We need to be reminded that there is a huge cost associated with conflict avoidance.
First off: It costs us. We end up chewing on feelings of frustration and discontent for a long time because we never asked for what we wanted. We feel like we've lost. The time spent dealing with residual frustration would be much better focused on succeeding at our role. Shying away from conflict dramatically affects our relationships and productivity.

Secondly: The other person loses because they didn't get your feedback which may have helped them get better at what they do. Silence equals approval in most worlds that I live in. As they keep on doing exactly whats bothering you the most (because you've never actually asked for something different), it just exasperates your frustrations. At the very least we'll learn something new that releases our frustrations as we understand the why's of what they are doing.

Feedback needs to be a daily event in organizations for them to succeed. When you see things with which you don't agree , question or believe could be done better, you need to get it out! If you hold them in, they can grow from minor irritations, to battles, to all out war. All of that hurting everyone involved.

So go ahead and pack your boxing gloves in with your lunch box. Your company needs you to fight for what you believe in. You have to LOVE that!

I have a friend who loves to drive his BMW fast. So he'll take his car out on the country roads outside of Calgary and open 'er up for a bit. As he's leaving his house to head out, he'll usually tell anyone within earshot "See you in a bit. I feel the need for speed."

Healthy companies feel the need for conflict and actually set expectations for it to happen.

To help explain, it does help to ask the question: What is Conflict anyway?

If you looked it up in the Dictionary you might find the definition “Opposition between ideas or interests”. I'm sure each one of you have come across vigorous differences of opinions in your organization. While you may not feel like it at the time, you should thank your lucky stars you do.

Companies & Individuals win when employees feel free and are encouraged to express their ideas, especially ones in contradiction to each other. Why? Well, I don't care how open minded and diverse each one of us thinks we are, decisions made on our own are limited by the scope of our individual view of the world and limit our success and that of the company's.

At best an employee may only have a 70 degree view of the world and that is if they are really good! The fact is that companies win when decisions are made with a 360 view of the world. (I.e. all the facts are on the table) .

So it turns out: you NEED conflict in your organization. You need employees to challenge each other's ideas. It allows you to make best decisions as a company and it seeds continuous growth of your employees by honing their strengths with the strengths of those around them. Everybody wins.

So back to the US Health Care debate in the US. The debate in itself is good. It forces many alternatives to surface to the table. When facts are on the table, they can be evaluated properly to discover their pros and cons. Ultimately, it can lead to the best possible solution being found.

The trouble with the nature of the current debate down south is that most of the screaming is focused on emotional selling and not facts. Spurts like “Do you want government deciding when to kill your grandmother.” simply try to play on emotions of guilt, anger, frustration. While effective in swaying short term opinions and even winning elections, very rarely does it lead to great decisions being made. Emotional plays are usually made when someone doesn't want you to focus on the facts.

As you'll discover in my next blog, Managing Conflict well boils down to separating emotion from fact in everything your organization does. It has to be done right from goal setting to results measurement to daily feedback between employees.

David Benjatschek is passionate about people and the topics of Leadership and Communication. His Freedom House Leadership & Communication Series helps Companies & Indivuals free themselves up to effectively achieve their goals. You can contact David through his website: www.marketbeamer.com.

Continue reading "Turning Up the Heat: Managing Conflict" »

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I am always surprised at different Government Initiatives and their root cause and effect. Let's take a look at C-TPAT. Please do not get me wrong this is a great idea and works. HOWEVER! can all the parties get together and work togehter and be on the same page please.
1) Remember, this is VOLUNTARY PARTICIPATION. If so do not threaten to KICK PARTICIPANTS OUT.
2) If you can kick Participants out, Can you also kick out other government arms, that do not follow the rules?
3) Ensure every port and every officer on duty is aware of the same rules and applies them the same way. REMEMBER, THE FAMOUS 3 WORDS CUSTOMS LOVE TO USE. "SUBJECT TO INTERPRATATION".
4) If a Customs Officer stops us (ANYONE ) at the Primary Border Inspection, one would hope when they ask WHERE ARE YOU GOING. We answer honestly! TO A C-TPAT SEMINAR. We do not get another BLANK STARE AS IF WE ARE FROM ANOTHER PLANET, or they look at us with that DOE IN THE HEADLIGHT STARE AND SAY "WHERE"
5) I kid you not, that is exactly what happened on Wednesday at the FORT ERIE (U.S. SIDE) going into the U.S. They looked at us like we were from another planet. Something that is this important, everyone should know what it is all about.
6) Congratulations to the United States government CBP and the C-TPAT arm, for putting on such an informative, well run, and very educational Seminar in Buffalo this week (AUGUST 19th, 2009).

I still say though VOLUNTARY IS VOLUNTARY, Yes we have rules to follow, and yes we have to know the rules to follow, but lighten up, and stop being so harsh. If you cannot even get the many arms of the different parts of your own government to work together and follow your rules, the way you want, kick them out first. Carriers ESPECIALLY, SHOULD NOT ALWAYS BE THE ONES TO BE THREATENED, CRITICIZED, FINED, KICKED OUT, AND generally abused. We probably follow most rules, or all the rules, better than most out there. At the end of the day remember this is for everyone's PROTECTION. T

Congratulations CBP for putting the C-TPAT SEMINAR VERY, VERY INFORMATIVE. A big thank you as well for including The Candian speakers as well.

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There’s no doubt, the last couple of years have presented some of the most trying times ever faced by the trucking industry. And while nobody’s popping the champagne just yet, there’s reason to believe the economy is slowly beginning to find its legs. Some bold prognosticators have already declared the recession over in Canada and in parts of Europe. But I’ve yet to hear any fleet managers or owner/operators voicing such optimism.

At any rate, a return to better times is inevitable, which raises a few questions: Have you taken advantage of the opportunity to improve your business or was it merely a matter of survival? Are you a stronger company coming out of this recession or will you emerge battered, bruised and still vulnerable?

Here at Truck News, we’ve faced many of the same challenges those of you operating trucks have faced. There’s been a significant decline in advertising (our version of ‘freight’) and in some months we’ve had less space to work with within our traditional printed products. But the editors here didn’t go on an extended vacation. Instead, I’m proud to say we’ve found new ways of disseminating information.

We launched and grew our weekly WebTV show, Transportation Matters, which has no equal anywhere in the North American trucking industry and we’ve developed our own YouTube channel. We’ve expanded our blogs and provided a great forum for two-way conversations between our readers and editors as well as other bloggers from within the industry. And we’ve become active on social media sites such as Twitter to further enhance our communication capabilities.

(Edited to add: And how can I forget about our new subscription-based online information video series The Driver's Seat, found at www.TheDriversSeat.ca?)

After all, we are purveyors of information, and we need to seek out new ways to communicate even when times are slow. We’re fortunate that the Web offers us unlimited opportunities and space.

Now I’m not trying to boast about all this (okay, maybe just a little), and I know our world is different than yours. But before you accuse me of comparing apples to oranges, take a look around and see what the fleets around you are doing. And ask yourself a few questions.

During the slowdown, have you taken advantage of a stable workforce to implement meaningful, lasting driver training? It doesn’t have to be costly, but when drivers aren’t jumping ship every few months due to an abundance of job opportunities, some well-run fleets have stepped up training initiatives. It establishes loyalty and improves the quality of your driving force.

Have you elevated hiring criteria? When you do hire drivers, you can now be more selective about who you put behind the wheels of your vehicles. Are you taking advantage of that and revisiting hiring tactics that may have been compromised when there were always more loads to move than drivers to move them?

Have you driven out inefficiencies and unnecessary costs that may have crept into your operation in better times when, let’s face it, it was difficult not to become complacent? Have you shed the deadwood?

And have you sought out partnerships or developed new business opportunities as other carriers have closed their doors and left customers high and dry? One successful Ontario fleet has seized an opportunity to work with US carriers that don’t want to restrict their trucks to 105 km/h to run into Ontario. It’s picking up 25 loads per week at the border and delivering them into Toronto. This isn’t about speed limiters – it’s about identifying and taking advantage of emerging opportunities.

As the trucking industry prepares for recovery, ask yourself: Are you stronger/leaner/more competitive coming out of this than when you went in? If not, you may have missed a major opportunity.

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The economy is picking up (ACCORDING TO THE POLITICIANS AND THEY NEVER LIE!) Well, shipping is still way down year over year. Trucking companies are still tripping over each other lowering rates to keep what business they have. A few of the companies who for years did not get in RATE WARS have succumbed to that as well now. What is the world coming to!

Well I still say always go back to the basics. Whether, you are a load broker 3PL Freight Forwarder, Shipper, Intermediary, Consultant, or any other such name, ALWAYS RETURN TO THE BASICS. We could go on as the list I am sure is pretty infinite, but listed are here are some of the neccessities of HOW TO BE A BETTER A BETTER SHIPPER. In No Particular Order

(1) Make sure what you want the carrier to do is NOT ONLY LEGAL, IT IS ALSO REALISTIC. Ultimately the onus always falls back on the shipper. Even if you give the shipment to one of the aforementioned above, you have to supply the correct information, do not leave it to THEM

(2) Negotiate Terms with Carriers up front and stick to them. Carriers have cash flow and bills to pay like every business. No one is automatically granted CREDIT. This is a privledge, (TOO MANY PEOPLE IN THIS BUSINESS TRYING TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF CARRIERS)

(3) Be flexible when requesating Original B/L as Proof of Delivery. Save a tree. Let your customers know scanned documents are the way to go these days. Copies are sufficient.

(4) Relationship Building Between Carrier and Shipper/Customer/Receiver. Read long term agreements, FSC negoatiated in advance, CSC negoatiated in advance, Rate escalation clause negotiated in advance.

(5) Always comes back to the same thing Let the drivers drive. The men and women in the truck do a FANTASTIC JOB OF DRIVING THE TRUCKS AND MEETING DELVIERY SCHEDULES. PLEASE AND I CANNOT STRESS THIS ENOUGH, PLEASE STOP ASKING THEM TO PULL OVER EVERY 4 HOURS TO MAKE A TELEPHONE CALL AND GIVE YOU THEIR WHEREABOUTS. They are paid to drive, let them. Give directions to the dispatch personnel involved not insisting the driver call for shipping or delviery information. It IS wasting time again. (ANYONE HERE SEE A PATTERN OR IS IT ONLY ME?)

(6) When you are booking the shipment to move with YOUR CARRIER, provide accurate weights, number of pieces, packing units, measurements, COMPLETE CUSTOMS CLEARANCE PROCEDURES, ETC. One of most carriers pet peeves, is delays at the border, due to improper documentation. Then of course the party responsible for payment of the charges, says NOT MY FAULT I'M not paying any extra charges. The poor driver got stuck due to lack of clear, concise, and accurate informaiton, being supplied beforehand. Yet Brokers, 3 P/L etc, expect the carrier to absorb this as a cost of doing business. ???? (ANYONE HERE SEE A PATTERN OR IS IT ONLY ME???)

(7) If the goods are corssing the border, it is the carriers responsiblity, to provide the information you have given them before they arrive at the border. If there is a mistake it is not their fault (THEY ONLY PASS ON TO CUSTOMS WHAT YOU GAVE THEM). CARRIERS ARE FINALLY GETTING THROUGH TO THE CUSTOMS ON BOTH SIDES OF THE BORDER. Why fine the carrier, we only regurgitate what we are given. Go after the people who booked the load. If a 3PL go after them. It is not suffiecient enough to save the shipper $25.00 and then they can walk away from their responsibilty. Customs, FDA, on both sides, are now taking a closer look at who actually booked the shipment and them ACCOUNTABLE.( LOOK OUT A MAD DASH FOR THE DOOR JUST OCCURED)

(8) Pay YOUR BILLS IN A TIMELY FASHION. If a carrier has 2 choices, option A is to get paid $700.00 in 30 days or to get paid $750 in 60 days Whcih door do you really think the carrier will take? $50.00 extra but an extra 30 days which in these days usually stretches to 45 or 60 days OR longer, just isn't worth it.

(9) YOU THOUGHT I FORGOT! NOPE CLAIMS. Carriers just like shippers, receivers etc. want to settle claims quickly and efficiently as well. Sometimes the Insurance company in question, has to do their legwork as well. More and MORE CARRIERS, ARE SAYING, NO! EMPHATICALLY, to letting customers offset claims against FREIGHT CHARGES THAT THEY OWE. To all of you I TAKE MY HAT OFF AND SAY "IT IS ABOUT TIME." This practise offsetting claims, against freight charges owing, is illegal, and just another way for people to hold carriers to ransom.

p.s. I KNOW SOME OF THE POINTS ABOVE CAN BE ARGUED, SOME OF THEM WILL STIR THE POT, SOME OF THEM WILL IGNITE WATER COOLER TALK! GOOD, THAT IS WHAT I AM HOPING TO ACCOMPLISH.
The more we educate, the better we run and the more respected we as an industry become.

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Well actually, it was his researcher who found me after I posted a blog titled “Trucker as Anti-Hero.” In the blog I argued that the truck driver is never going to get a fair shake from the public as long as film media continue to depict him as a negative stereo-type, or even worse as a depraved, sinister character.

It's been so long since we've been thought of us as road knights. After the CB craze died down in the 70s, Hollywood soon tired of making flicks with the trucker depicted as rebel hero. Where are the Kris Kristoffersons and Jan Michael Vincents now when we need them?

Since that time, truck drivers are usually cast in a negative light when they get to the big or little screen, and this does nothing to help the public perception of the trucking community.

My opinion was enough to get me a slot on the Dave Nemo satellite radio show one Tuesday morning, along with writer Greg Martin, who's working on a film script called “Dispatch Me Home”, about a gentleman trucker making his last journey across the States in his soon-to-be-retired truck

Nemo is a legend in truck radio broadcasting. I recall picking up his Road Gang show three decades ago on AM radio in my Ford Louisville (or was it a GM Brigadier?), tuning in some whistling signal from Cincinnati, or Cleveland or New York City or Wheeling, West Virginia. I was a young cat tearing down the 401 doing a peddle run around Windsor, Ont., and the four hour run back and forth to Toronto was like a dream world, dialing the radio and smoking cigarettes to stay awake while working outrageous hours.

During my 24 minutes on air, I made the observation that the road movie and road story is a great American institution, that goes back through Walt Whitman, Jack Kerouac and John Steinbeck. Historically, Americans are miles ahead of us when it comes to highway infrastructure and mythology. Eisenhower initiated the Interstate highway system back in 1947, while Canada only paved the last section of the TransCanada in 1966. Before that time, Canadian drivers would go through the States to get to Vancouver.

My point was that if America is making bad road movies that cast murky shadows on truck drivers, the genre should be reclaimed from the evil-doers, which is what I think Greg Martin is trying to do with his screenplay. Check it a few sample chapters at www.dispatchmehome.com/newsite/Dispatch2.html

The 24 minutes swirled past in no time. I never did find out where the show was broadcast, I suspect Chicago, and since it's satellite radio it probably doesn't matter. But the discussion got me thinking afterwards about the differences between Canadians and Americans, particularly when it comes to “heroes.”

It's worth stating off the bat that Canadians like to think of themselves as quite different from their American cousins, but on the surface we're essentially the same: very similar culturally, but with some subtle yet profound divergences.

A hero is someone who has done something beyond the abilities of ordinary humans, who makes something better for others, sometimes by giving their lives. Well Martin Luther King would fit that bill, so would the captain of the airliner who brought his goose-stricken craft down on the Hudson River. Obama might be that saviour that America awaits (so far), but look at the adulation for the dead Michael Jackson. What do you make of it when a tragically-flawed pop singer is elevated to hero status? Does America need heroes? You bet.

Canadians, on the other hand, are usually more understated and less concerned with celebrity,
The “Greatest Canadian” contest sponsored by the CBC Radio a few years back declared Tommy Douglas the winner. Who's that? The NDP leader and Saskatchewan premier who founded universal medicare in Canada.

It's also interesting to note the transition when rebels become heroes. Take Apache insurrectionist leader Geronimo, who was sentenced to life in prison but allowed out to ride with Buffalo Bill's Wild West show. Or Canada's own Louis Riel who led two Metis uprisings and finished eleventh in the balloting for the greatest Canadian. He was hanged by Sir John A. Macdonald who refused to grant him a reprieve (Macdonald finished 8th, while Wayne Gretzky was 10th.).

Just a quick survey of some of the two neighbours' attitudes towards various issues exposes some deep gulfs. Remember the United States was founded by a revolution while Canada sloughed along as a colony for so long.

So here are some generalities for your amusement: Canadians are good at lining up, very orderly. But I find Americans to be better and more polite drivers.

Americans are generally more religious than Canucks, more likely to go to church. Canadians are often uncomfortable talking about religion and most would prefer to not do so.

Race is still a major issue in the States. Lots of racism in Canada, too, but we're more oriented toward class. Being under the thumb of the British for so long accounts for this, I suppose.

Americans are somewhat gun crazy. Canadians aren't as interested in fire arms and certainly don't get excited about needing “the right to bear arms.” I followed a recent discussion on the Trucking Bozo one night on AM radio as commercial drivers were calling worried about a new law that could limit their ability to carry firearms between states. What percentage of US drivers carry sidearms, I'd like to know. In Canada I'd say it's very low, most drivers would never think of arming themselves, it's just not part of our culture. But according to Bozo's call-in show, it seems many Yanks are packing heat in their rigs besides the bunk heaters. In my career I met two US drivers who carried guns, and one crazy Canadian in Windsor who kept a pistol in his boot.

As far as universal medicare goes, the US hasn't figured it out yet. Sure there are lots of stresses on the Canadian system but it's one aspect of social reality that our government has gotten right to some degree. But south of the 49th parallel there's huge opposition to this idea if you listen to any of the right wing talk shows (one radio station in upper New York has nothing but right wingers on its masthead: Rush, followed by Inga, followed by Mark, followed by Bill, and the way they squawk and rant, you would think they're already living in a soviet collective eating potato peels. Unfortunately, the 46 million Americans who have no medical insurance coverage whatsoever don't have the same access to the media--maybe that's why the debate appears so one-sided..

I'm not going to bother mentioning the death penalty, same sex marriage or abortion, except to say that approaches and solutions to these issues in Canuckistan are different and less polarizing (we don't have the first, allow the second and third, and although there is some lingering unease, we're OK with this).

But getting back to commonalities and heroes, we don't have to look much further than the American and Canadian soldiers serving in Afghanistan. These are the bona fide heroes and are recognized as such by the numbers of people who jam the overpasses on the 401 every time a fallen soldier lands in Trenton, Ont. The crowds are there to salute the procession on its way to the morgue in Toronto. As a driver, I've seen this phenomenon a few times and can't help getting emotional each time. It's the best and saddest part of being Canadian, and unfortunately it happens too frequently.

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