Team Building
This past weekend was a busy one at the Ross household. Among several other projects, managing wood was on the schedule as usual. While filling up my trailer with split wood, I had an epiphany.
In my quest to help heat the house with wood, I had created an incredible amount of excess work for myself. They say that wood warms you twice: once when you cut it, and a second time when you burn it. I wish that were the case for me.
Last May, we cut down several pines. I donated much of the wood to the senior wood program, which meant loading huge pine rounds into my trailer and making no less than 10 trips to Grass Valley to drop it off. The rounds I kept got moved to the lower property for splitting. It made sense at the time, since I had unhindered access with my truck and trailer. The upper property has a spot that holds about 2 cords of wood, and I have a wood holder outside the front door that holds enough for about 2 weeks.
So I split the wood and stacked it on the lower property. When the upper stacks run out, I have to load up my trailer and take it to the upper property. When the wood runs low in my small rack, I have to refill it from the upper stacks. And, of course, I have to bring it in to the fireplace when I want to burn it.
To make it even more interesting, we have been in the middle of a construction project that relocated the woodpile several times and blocked my access, meaning that I had to fill my trailer with small wheel-barrow loads. I estimate that our wood has warmed me 7 or 8 times by the time I finally burn it.
The seed? Consider thinking through a process completely so that your effort isn’t wasted. Why do 7 or 8 steps when it could be 2?
The beginning for me is splitting, the end is burning. How many steps I create in between is up to me. If I had considered where the wood was, what our construction project would dictate, and where the wood needed to be in order to burn it, I could have saved myself a lot of time and a lot of excess work.
What do we do that needs to be audited for efficiency?
How many steps do we have that are in place for the anomalies? How would our process be affected if we removed those steps?
What individual habits do you have that take away from your efficiency?
Have a great week!
Chuck Ross
John Maxwell Certified Coach, Trainer, Speaker, and DISC consultant
chuckross.net
Author: Change? Whiskey Tango Foxtrot!?
530-277-6161
“They themselves are makers of themselves.” James Allen
Electronic Logging
Custom Reports
Since all fleets must become ELD compliant, it makes sense to leverage your investment across all your fleet operations. With electronic logging, you have access to a wealth of data, from duty status and location, engine hours, vehicles miles, driver ID, and more. A telematics solution can even capture other critical data like odometer, fuel usage, speed, hard braking, and emissions.
So, why not benefit from your ELD investment and put this great data to work for you? Custom reports can help you:
- Improve driver safety
- Manage your driver’s time better; take on more work
- Improve accuracy; reduce violations and fines
- Save time and money; office staff can be more efficient
- Improve driver coaching; minimize wear and tear on your fleet
- Automate IFTA reporting
- And much more!!!
Protection Through Proof
Surfsight dashcam captures the drive and the driver behavior in real-time. Powered by artificial intelligence and machine vision, Surfsight automatically detects, and alerts distracted driver behavior and harsh driving incidents, addressing the leading causes of preventable accidents.
When an accident does occur, on-demand video retrievals allow you to review the details leading up to and during the accident. This easily accessible video footage ensures your company is protected through visual proof, reducing claims and insurance costs.
Predictive Maintenance
Electronic logs make it possible to manage your defects in real-time, which can reduce your downtime due to maintenance. In addition, PdM, or predictive maintenance will help avoid breakdowns and expensive repairs.
Predictive maintenance offers huge cost savings and a big boost to customer satisfaction. A well-maintained vehicle is overall all more cost effective and meets a higher safety standard. Operating conditions can be seen in the diagnostic trouble codes that are transmitted along a vehicle’s common area network (CAN lines). Your vehicle’s health is reported in order to predict emerging problems BEFORE they occur. Predictive maintenance has been shown to save companies on average 10-20 percent (and more) of maintenance costs per year.
Problem? We Have a Solution for You!
Time to scrap your paper records and go electronic. Whatever your fleet size, whatever your biggest pain point, we have a solution for you. AND…the best part, your solution can grow as your business and fleet grows!
Vehicle Licensing Consultants
A Virtual Projects, LLC Company
Fleet & Driver Compliance…Fleet Tracking Software
Weigh Station Bypass
Weigh station bypass programs have become an important part of the trucking industry. Nothing is more frustrating than delays due to long scale lines and unexpected inspections.
While fleets are certainly benefiting from bypass solutions, there are some common misconceptions about how the bypass programs work. By sharing this information and helping fleets understand the program and the technology, we hope to provide efficiency, safety, and employee satisfaction as well as increasing your opportunity for increased bypass opportunities.
Here are the Top 4 Bypass Misconceptions
- Bypass programs result in more inspections
Bypass programs reward carriers with good safety ratings. Their goal is to focus on unsafe vehicles while allowing safer fleets with good ISS (Inspection Selection System) scores to bypass inspection.
- Bypass programs are used to track drivers
Secure mobile technology is used to ensure no sensitive information is delivered to law enforcement. Bypass technology is designed to only screen for vehicle-specific criteria such as ISS score, license plate, VIN, USDOT number and the time a truck passes a weigh station. This information is highly regulated and does not leave the station.
- Bypass programs require a transponder
Some bypass programs do utilize transponder-based technology. However, more advanced solutions, like Drivewyze, are completely transponder-free and integrated with the Geotab Drive App. This technology is GPS-based and provides drivers notifications 2 miles and 1 mile ahead of the weigh station, allowing vehicles to stay on the mainline without slowing down if they qualify.
- Bypass programs use CSA scores for screening
The only safety score screened by the bypass program is the carrier’s ISS score. The ISS score is an aggregate of a fleet’s Compliance, Accountability, and Safety (CSA) scores providing law enforcement with a more comprehensive profile of a fleet’s safety. A great ISS score will typically result in more bypasses and a software-based bypass service such as Drivewyze can help improve that score over time, offering additional opportunities for bypass.
Vehicle Licensing Consultants
A Virtual Projects, LLC Company
Fleet & Driver Compliance…Fleet Tracking Software
Data Security
Security management and cybersecurity are major buzz words today. But what do they really mean to you, your fleet, and your operations?
Your information is your most valuable asset. While every company is different based on size and systems, there are 3 main pillars and best practices to keep in mind to ensure your data is protected.
Process
The first of these is process and process review. Create simple and easy to read guidelines that clearly state the objectives and the best practices you expect each employee to follow to reduce the chance of cyber-attacks or data breaches.
Keep the document updated as new systems are introduced or new concerns arise. Be sure to notify employees each time a document is revised. Use the document in company training sessions to keep everyone on track.
Technology
The technology that every company uses will vary, again based on size and systems in place. When choosing new or updated software or hardware to protect your data, be sure you have identified your goals and all the information that needs to be protected.
Perform thorough research on each technology to best identify all the options, as well as the costs. Once you have put your chosen technology to work for you, be sure to revisit the goals and the list of protected information to be sure that it continues to meet all your needs.
People
Keeping your data safe is not only the responsibility of your security team and the technology chosen, but every employee in the company. You have documented your best practices, put technology to work for you, now it is up to your employees to understand the importance of their participation in the processes and in using the technology successfully. The more knowledgeable your employees are, the less exposure your data will have to cybersecurity threats.
Vehicle Licensing Consultants
A Virtual Projects, LLC Company
Fleet & Driver Compliance…Fleet Tracking Software
Employee Spotlight
Patrice is this month’s VLC Rockstar! Patrice has been with VLC for over 12 years and has a consistent 0% error rate on IRP transactions, even in high volume months.
Here’s What Customers Say About Patrice
“Patrice is a wealth of knowledge here at VLC.
I have worked with her for 5.5 years and she is always willing to help answer difficult questions and consistently directs team members in the right direction to tackle challenging tasks”
-Michelle
Vehicle Licensing Consultants
A Virtual Projects, LLC Company
Fleet & Driver Compliance…Fleet Tracking Software
530-384-3884
