Summer is around the corner.Posted by Kevin Snobel at 05:37 AM
What should responsible fleet Owners and Safety Managers be doing to Prepare?? Here is a short list of things to do.
1) Ensure all drivers are aware of the proper use of sunglasses, and eyewear.
2) Ensure all trucks are filled with Bug Repellant windshield washer fluid
3) Train all drivers to slow down and be cognizant of the time of year. More children playing on the roads etc.
4) More drivers on the road, more distractions, more accidents.
5) Insurance company statistics will prove time and again more accidents occur in summer months than winter months.
6) Try to advise all drivers of any significant road clsoures that may affect travel times.
7) ALWAYS ENSURE YOUR DRIVERS DO A THROUGH AND COMPLETE PRE TRIP INSPECTION OF THEIR EQUIPMENT!
8) Train the drivers to leave earlier instead of leaving just on time, no allowance for delays, and having to speed.
9) The U.S. and Canadian authorities are watching very closely, every truck as we are more visible than cars.
9) Ensure whenever and wherever drivers stop for rest, they are well lit areas, well maintained areas, and never on their own.
10) Ensure the drivers always leave with a FULL TANK OF GAS (In the truck) and if hauling a reefer trailer that the fuel is full for the reefer unit as well.
11) Ensure we monitor all Fuel consumption of all units. try to modify driving habits whether ggod or bad. At least the drivers will be aware we are looking at the results.
12) Be a lot faster to reward than reprimand. YOU always get a lot more accomplished with SUGAR AND HONEY THAN YOU DO WITH THE OPPOSITE>
13) Ensure all trailer doors are adequately sealed, and if possible the drivers should always inspect the doors every time they stop. Especially teams when changing drivers.
14) Always ensure the satellite is system is working on every unit
SAFE MOTORING FOR THE SUMMER, THOSE OF YOU TAKING A VACATION ENJOY, AND THOSE OF US THAT CONTINUE TO MEET, DISCUSS, PLAN, RECOMMEND, IMPLEMENT CHANGE, MONITOR, AND ASSIST EVERY AND ANY DRIVER IN ANY WAY POSSIBLE, Thanks from that one motorist you just saved.
Comments
Well said... Good Posting!
Posted by: brian | May 20, 2010 08:22 AM
Hey Kevin, I think that most of what's on your list goes without saying, and items #3, #7, #8, #10, #11, and #13 are all really strong points that drivers should be paid by the hour! Like I have said many times, if you want your drivers to slow down, if you want them to do their mandatory pre-trip inspection, if you want them to leave early to not have to hurry, if you would like them to put gas or, preferrably diesel in the truck and the reefer at the end of their shift, or if you expect them to be checking out the truck and trailer each time they stop, hourly pay is what the doctor would order. But, for some reason, trucking companies cringe at the mere suggestion of paying for all of the time that drivers are doing things at the direction of the company they are working for. This is why we have such low morale and such high driver turnover. About half of the things that drivers are expected to do are done for free, so good luck getting someone to crawl under their truck before their shift or fueling up after putting in 15 or 18 hours away from their house and only getting paid a wage that their teenager could make at A&W or Wendy's. As for the second #9, I assume that you don't suppose that a place like Kapuskasing, On. or Paynton, Sk. or Younstown, Ab. may not have well lit, well maintained parking areas filled with fellow truckers-at-rest. I don't mean to get in your hair like some guys do, but sometimes it seems that company office people need to go for a trip to High Level, Ab. or Thompson, Mb. or Pickle Lake, On. a couple times a year in a tractor trailer and see that there is not a Flying J on every intersection as some seem to think. Anyway, don't worry about your satellite if you go to some of those places, last time I had a Qualcomm in my truck, there was little or no signal when you get that far north.
Posted by: Stephen Large | May 24, 2010 04:46 AM
#15 Take EXTRA CARE around the vehicle pulling that boat, house trailer or camper. They most likely do not have the experience required to handle that size of vehicle safely.
#16 Give the vehicle with the out of province plates a little extra room they may be lost and take an evasive move causing an accident.
Enjoy your summer and happy motoring!
Posted by: Mike Kroetsch | May 24, 2010 11:54 PM
Excellent points made by Stephen Large! As an hourly paid highway driver that traverses North America (for a private fleet) when you're not trying to get there ASAP all the time you are a far safer driver. And YES, office staff should have to ride in a truck occasionally to see what exactly transpires while on the road! It's easy for a safety manager/fleet manager/dispatcher to tell or suggest a parking place for the night when in all reality at best all they have done is look at a city/town/wide spot on the side of the road via "Google Earth". You drive your desk, I'll drive my truck and we'll see who gets the freight delivered safely and on time.
Posted by: Ralph Wiggins | May 29, 2010 08:24 AM
Thanks for #5. I didn't know that. Must be why I like driving in the winter so much, I thought it was just because there weren't as many 4-wheelers.
Also I'd like to add that Stephen and Ralph make very good points about being paid by the hour. With the advent of EOBR's we should see by the hour pay. Every move will be tracked so it should be easy to figure out when the driver is working and when not.
Paul L.
Posted by: G. Paul Langman | June 7, 2010 09:58 PM