My first blog here was titled “Connecting the Dots”. Here are three dots I just had to write about. Fellow blogger Rickey Gooch wrote a blog entitled “When Truckers Cry”. The Editor-in-Chief of HDT wrote a first class editorial “Respect Pays” at the same time my oldest granddaughter was picked as one of the final three winners in a school contest to write a sentence and draw a picture about RESPECT. She has since won that competition. Please click on these links to see the referenced items if you want to:... Read More

It has been a long held struggle with trucks and trailers to eliminate or prevent salt from corroding important components of their vehicles. But what does this really mean in terms of life expectancy?

According to a study by School Bus Fleet Magazine, a survey across North America had some stunning results. In the survey 81% of the respondents encountered salt on their roads, 19% did not encounter any salt on their roads:... Read More

Recently at two tradeshows with the Trucking Industry folks, we discussed what a clean truck means in today's world.

1. Image – a clean truck is your traveling billboard. Would you not be angry if your billboard sign was obscured by dirt, oxidation and fading graphics?
2. Life of vehicle – there wasn't one person surveyed who didn't believe a truck will last longer when cleaned regularly.
3. Cleaning a vehicle more often actually hinders dirt from collecting and is easier to clean ongoing.
4. Vehicle Inspections - a dirty truck and a clean truck traveling down a highway, who would be pulled over for an inspection first? Unanimous decision on this one.

5. Washing a truck without applying a brush will not totally clean what is required for a "great" image. Pressure washers also damage electrical and graphics when not operated properly.
6. Cleaning outside in the parking lot is not allowed? Unanimous that this practice will be banned in the future as the sewer drains go directly to the streams and rivers (ultimately the lakes and oceans). This can't be good for the environment.
7. Public washes are not cost effective for large fleets. Too much time and money is spent to travel back and forth with an inconsistent result.

8. Rain water does not actually remove grease, oil, gasoline or oxidation. In fact without soap and a brush cleaning, the streaks and rusting causes irrevocable damage resulting in leaks and failure of hardware.
9. Employees are much more satisfied with their work driving a clean truck. Both customers and drivers image is heightened with a clean, shiny truck arriving to their business.

So why do so many vehicles not get washed in today's world? Simply put, the consensus is cost. Today's economic times require budgetary restraints. First item to go in the maintenance world is washing.... Read More

"Hold tight
Wait till the party's over
Hold tight
We're in for nasty weather
There has got to be a way
Burning down the house

Here's your ticket pack your bag: time for jumpin' overboard
The transportation is here
Close enough but not too far, Maybe you know where you are
Fightin' fire with fire"
Talking Heads... Read More

Awash has been in the vehicle washing business for over 20 years. In that time, things haven't changed all that much in the way commercial vehicles get washed. With multiple factors at play - from the green movement to an increased awareness in the harm toxic chemicals can do to the environment to the cost of utilities - there's no doubt in my mind that the time has arrived for change.... Read More

"If you do what you've always done, you'll get what you've always gotten."
Tony Robbins - Business Coach

Don't have any changes planned for your trucking operations in 2011? Then I hope you were happy with your 2010 results. However, if you were not happy with last year's performance, then the most effective way you, as leader of your organization, can improve financial performance is through development and implementation of a comprehensive business plan.... Read More

Part III: Achieving an Effective Workforce

Asset utilization and efficiency does not have a comparable cost metric — and for good reason, as fleet equipment generally has predictable costs, such as depreciation and scheduled maintenance. Adding a labor element to an operation brings in three dimensions of variable costs.... Read More

This article was originally posted in the National Transportation Consultants August newsletter.

An average of 15 trucks and buses were inspected every minute of the 72 hour event for a total of 65,327 inspections, about 10% less than 2009. Of those, over 48,000 were Level I, the most comprehensive roadside inspection. These numbers include inspections done in the U.S., Canada and Mexico. During a stop drivers were asked to show their CDL, medical examiner's certificate and record of duty status. Trucks were inspected for mechanical compliance, safety and cargo securement.... Read More