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The Roemer Report On-Line, March 2000
HAZMAT REGISTRATION FEES SOAR FOR BIG CARRIERS: Beginning May 1, federal registration fees for large carriers hauling hazardous materials will increase 660 percent. Trucking operations with annual revenues of over $18.5 million will find themselves paying $2,000 each year in registration fees. Smaller carriers hauling hazardous materials and requiring a placard will continue to pay the $300 now in effect. The American Trucking Associations objected to the increase in registration fees, saying that the fee structure should be based on the amount of hazmats hauled, not on the size of the carrier. The Research and Special Programs Administration, which issued the new rules, rejected proposals by shippers and carriers, saying it chose this plan for its simplicity.
TECHNOLOGIES WITH DEEP IMPACT: The staggering fact is that trucking technology has grown faster during the last 15 years than over the previous 50. And the breakneck speed will only increase. In a recent issue, Commercial Carrier Journal highlights 12 "technological marvels" that its staff believes will have the biggest impact on trucking in the future. Here's a look: (1) Onboard weighing devices. This advance can reduce or eliminate commercial scale fees, lower time spent weighing loads, eliminate the cost associated with driving off route to find scales, eliminate overweight fees, and reduce arguments with shippers regarding weight charges. (2) Multiplexing. This technological wonder can eliminate much of that heavy wiring that is installed with new devices. Multiplexing enables multiple, simultaneous control signals from different devices to be sent along a single wire. (3) Internet. The Internet is being used for countless activities, including placing pickup and delivery orders, determining weather forecasts, viewing maps and pinpointing road construction and accidents, finding fuel sites, and locating parts and component distributors and dealers. (4) LED technology. Light-emitting diodes (LEDs) appear in everything from clearance and marker lamps to warning lamps. Although cost is initially high, the long life span and other benefits make LEDs more cost effective than incandescent lights. (5) Satellite systems. Although first shunned by truckers as a type of Big Brother, satellite and cellular systems are now embraced for their ability to transmit digital and vocal information. Carriers can keep tabs on truckers, but they can also use captured data to plan trips, report fuel mileage, and enhance payroll and bill processing. Other notable technologies cited by the magazine include collision-avoidance technologies, automatic transmissions, auxiliary power, automatic tire inflation, electronic fuel injection, Internet-based training for technicians, and electronic braking.
STILL WAITING: Hurry up and wait has become the philosophical attitude many truck drivers take today. But not without an enormous amount of frustration, fatigue, and lost productivity. Truck drivers say they spend an excessive amount of time waiting, loading, and unloading, and studies substantiate their complaints. According to studies for the Truckload Carriers Assn. the average time for waiting, loading, and unloading is 35 hours for dry van and 43 hours for reefers. In essence, many truck drivers spend more time waiting, loading, and unloading than the average American worker spends doing his entire job. The wasted time equals wasted income, the excessive downtime adding up to $1.5 billion in lost productivity annually. Not only is the excessive waiting costly, it adds to driver fatigue and frustration, which eventually leads to greater turnover among drivers as well as increased safety hazards. Industry experts say it's time to make everyone more aware of the problem and to develop cost-effective solutions. Some suggest reinstating nationwide rules that levied detention fines against receivers for not unloading a truck within a two-hour grace period. The rules, used in the early '80s and then disbanded after deregulation, made receivers more aware of the gravity of the problem and resulted in better scheduling systems. Some carriers have gone a step further. They simply refuse to do business with locations that have repeated problems with scheduling and excessive driver waiting.
FIT TO DRIVE: Whether you're piloting a plane or driving a truck or bus, you need to be fit. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) wants truck drivers and bus drivers to adhere to the same strict health standards pilots are required to meet. NTSB is urging the U.S. Transportation Department to adopt the program that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) uses to ensure its pilots are healthy and free of drugs. Doing so, safety advocates claim, will reduce the number of highway deaths. Last year, Congress enacted new legislation that requires employers to report positive drug tests to state officials. The new law also requires employers to check the drug test histories of drivers. Despite these changes, transportation officials say the system is flawed because commercial drivers who have serious health problems choose physicians who give easy exams. In addition, some physicians are unaware of the rules regarding drivers' health. In the FAA program, physicians must complete a one-week training program before they can administer the FAA health exam to pilots. The FAA then reviews the results. If a pilot tests positive for drug or alcohol, he or she is grounded while undergoing treatment.
BEWARE OF UNSATISFACTORY RATING: Late last summer, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) proposed to amend the safety-fitness procedures of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations. FHWA proposes that a carrier receiving an "unsatisfactory" rating be deemed "unfit to operate" commercial motor vehicles in interstate commerce. Any carrier rated unsatisfactory would be prohibited from transporting general freight between states, beginning the 61st day after issuance of the proposed rating. A proposed rating is issued after a performance review and gives the carrier a chance to make things right and avoid a formal issuance of an "unsatisfactory" rating. Currently, an unsatisfactory rating prevents carriers from transporting placarded loads of hazardous materials or more than 15 passengers, beginning the 46th day after the proposed rating is issued. The proposed rule would not be retroactive, and it would apply only to general freight carriers receiving an unsatisfactory rating after the effective date of a final rule. Various trucking groups have objected to the proposal, pointing out that a negative rating could result from paperwork that doesn't comply to standards rather than real safety problems.
WHEN TRAFFIC IS HEAVY: Driving in congested urban areas or on crowded Interstates is not always avoidable. Drivers can't change their delivery schedules or pickup appointments to avoid the congestion, but they can rely on good driving skills and attitude to make the best of a trying situation. One of the most important things to do in heavy traffic is to manage a safe space around the truck and to monitor what's going on around you, according to the Professional Truck Drivers' Institute (PTDI). That means manage headway, keep an eye on tailgaters, look out for overhead and side clearances, and give adequate space to other drivers. Long-time professional drivers agree that looking as far ahead as possible while continually monitoring traffic in your mirrors is key. "I try to see developing problems," says one veteran driver. "I look for escape routes constantly, but do my best to stay out of situations I might need to escape from." Drivers should always consider what they can't see tooa complete picture of the area surrounding the truck is not always available. Trucks lacking sufficient spot mirrors are particularly vulnerable when making right-hand lane changes. But perhaps just as important as defensive driving is attitude. The PTDI notes that driver attitude is a precursor to "proper driver response." One manager says it can be hard for drivers to keep their cool when "no one will let you maintain proper following distance." But drivers can stay cool by giving themselves enough time to get where they are going. "I keep chilled out and let all those people doing 90 miles an hour have a good day," says one trucker. "I keep a safe following distance and watch my mirrors for people coming by on both sides."
DEFINING RELATIONSHIPS: Most companies today strive to have "relationships" with their customers. While attempting to have a mutually beneficial business relationship is admirable, many businesses mistakenly define and treat business relationships like personal relationships. Therein lies the problem. A personal relationship requires a number of phases, including getting to know the person, establishing common interests, determining if the parties share common goals, and, eventually, learning to compromise to satisfy the mutual interest of both parties. Too often, businesses skip all of these phases and simply try to establish a long-term customer relationship with a few phone calls or memos. That's not to say an effective mutually beneficial business relationship can't exist. It simply must follow different guidelines. Here's a look at those considerations: (1) Remember, it's people. Interactions must be defined by people, not positions. You must consider redefining jobs and positions so that the same individuals can maintain a long-term relationship with a customer. (2) It's not always a bed of roses. Like a personal relationship, a business relationship means accepting the good with the bad. If a relationship sours, step away. Forcing a relationship is similar to stalking. Sometimes a customer simply wants you to meet an immediate need, not hang around for the long run. (3) This means everyone. Business relationships must cross all departments and boundaries, not just marketing, customer service, or public relations. Everyone in the organization must be trained and committed to relationship building in order for the customer to believe there truly is a relationship.
Success is the ability to go from one failure to another with no loss of enthusiasm.
-Winston Churchill