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Antique and classic trucks at MATS 2017

Photo gallery link:

http://fleetowner.com/mats/antique-...a86eba2631851758#slide-26-field_images-215121
P3237824.jpg

 
Redracer3136 said:
"A turnover rate that is now 20% with only 6% of that caused by safety issues. “The number one reasons drivers used to leave us was because of our safety culture; now it is the number one reason they join us,” he noted."

I'm gonna have to call BS on this one...most drivers don't look at a company for their "safety culture", they want to know how much are you offering to pay and what are your benefits!!

"The ability to cut driver orientation time from five days down to two."

And they consider this a plus?? Again, it's about the money...most drivers need more then two days for orientation.


Don't get me wrong, I'm all about safety but let's face it, it was a rogue safety dept that got our company into the turmoil we currently find ourselves in!!
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I don't know... They (Bison) have been working on the "culture" for 16 years. If it was a one time blip on the radar, I might agree. Take look at this quote:

"That mindset is one reason he said Bison maintains one of the best trucking safety records in North America. For example, last year, it placed first in the 100 million mile category in the annual Safe Fleet Award competition organized by the American Trucking Associations: the sixth year in a row Bison has received first place."


That kind of record is hard to dispute. 6 years in a row. Worth noting, rarely (never?) does a positive safety culture stand alone. Generally it comes from/with a strong (positive) workplace culture, which encompasses all aspects. Safety, Quality, Customer service, Maintenance, etc. The whole package effects retention to a high degree. Word get around as to who is best/worse to work for.


About orientation, perhaps the ability to hire more experienced drivers might contribute to this. I don't know. Good question though.
 
SwampRatt said:
I don't know... They (Bison) have been working on the "culture" for 16 years. If it was a one time blip on the radar, I might agree. Take look at this quote:

"That mindset is one reason he said Bison maintains one of the best trucking safety records in North America. For example, last year, it placed first in the 100 million mile category in the annual Safe Fleet Award competition organized by the American Trucking Associations: the sixth year in a row Bison has received first place."


That kind of record is hard to dispute. 6 years in a row. Worth noting, rarely (never?) does a positive safety culture stand alone. Generally it comes from/with a strong (positive) workplace culture, which encompasses all aspects. Safety, Quality, Customer service, Maintenance, etc. The whole package effects retention to a high degree. Word get around as to who is best/worse to work for.


About orientation, perhaps the ability to hire more experienced drivers might contribute to this. I don't know. Good question though.
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Bison has one very key requirement when hiring most drivers that contributes to their stellar safety record. For you to be able to run their full network, you must have at least one winter of experience driving King's Highway 17 in Northern Ontario.

This may not sound like a big deal, but allow me to indulge my American friends with some facts.

The Trans-Canada Highway is a vital artery in our transportation network. Across most of Canada, the highway has been upgraded to either limited access freeway or four lane divided highway. This is why we can operate 2 53 foot trailers in tandem between Winnipeg and Calgary.

King's Highway 17, the main portion of the TCH that crosses Ontario, remains mostly remote two lane highway with a 55mph speed limit. Upgrading it is a work in progress, however it's slow and expensive going thanks to the Canadian Shield. The need to blast tons of rock has stalled and delayed progress for years, and this despite the fact that most of the original version of Hwy 17 has already been bypassed in the name of safety.

Highway 17 between Sault Ste Marie and Wawa, known as The Gap to drivers, is the most treacherous stretch of the highway. About half of it, some 100mi, is located in the remote wilderness of Lake Superior Provincial Park, with almost mountainous hills, nowhere to stop, nowhere to get gas, and no cellular service if you break down. In the winter, this area sees a lot of snow thanks to being so close to the lake and the snow plows often stop trying after the sun goes down because visibility can drop to nearly zero at night thanks to no artificial lighting aside from headlights. This stretch of road is regarded as a litmus test for truckers, and travellers in cars have been known to vanish in this region, never found or heard from ever again, in bad weather. Even the police are scarce in this region, avoiding patrolling it and only attending to any emergency calls.

If a driver can survive an entire winter season, often from late October to early April, without damaging equipment, driving off the road or hitting another vehicle, the experience is frequently regarded as equivalent to mountain driving experience.

I have both. And there's a reason I prefer crossing the border again.
 
3 arrested in fire that collapsed Atlanta highway overpass

http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/tremendous-traffic-impact-expected-bridge-collapse-46485323

Deputy Insurance Commissioner Jay Florence said Basil Eleby faces a charge of criminal damage to property, and Sophia Bruner and Barry Thomas each were charged with criminal trespass.

"We believe they were together when the fire was set and Eleby is the one who set the fire," Florence told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Related video:

 
SwampRatt said:
FedEx CEO Backed by Generals Tries to Nudge Trump on Fuel Rules

Read more at: http://www.ttnews.com/articles/basetemplate.aspx?storyid=45483&page=1

"The FedEx chief is calling for the U.S. transportation system to have less than half its fuel coming from petroleum by 2040. He’s also promoting everything from electric batteries for passenger cars to natural gas for over-the-road freight haulers"
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Why does nobody seem to understand that none of these things are as efficient as petroleum once road tax is applied?
 
Canadian Flyer said:
Why does nobody seem to understand that none of these things are as efficient as petroleum once road tax is applied?
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Agreed. Any research I've looked at shows nothing more energy efficient than petroleum derivatives. Period. Tax or not.

I think Fred, with all due respect, looks at it from a business standpoint. FedEx is more able to compete in a highly regulated environment, due to scale. Smaller competitors? Not so much...
 
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SwampRatt said:
FedEx is more able to compete in a highly regulated environment, due to scale. Smaller competitors? Not so much...
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Which explains why he/we support the ATA, they give companies like ours a competitive advantage (an un-level playing field) over the smaller competitors such as independent contractors and owner operators!!
 
SwampRatt said:
Agreed. Any research I've looked at shows nothing more energy efficient than petroleum derivatives. Period. Tax or not.

I think Fred, with all due respect, looks at it from a business standpoint. FedEx is more able to compete in a highly regulated environment, due to scale. Smaller competitors? Not so much...
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Natural gas tractors can only muster about 3-4mpg and are not subject to the fuel economy regulations placed on diesels. A natural gas tractor is priced so absurdly high that only fleets can afford them.

The chief benefit, economically speaking (don't give me the green energy BS, we know the corporate world doesn't really care), is that natural gas is a cost effective alternative to diesel. Even with the poor efficiency and high entry expense, natural gas is so cheap that it's sustainable.

This changes entirely the moment road tax gets involved. Everyone in the industry has admitted that all the benefits of natural gas disappear once road tax is applied to it. And that's very, very close to becoming a reality because of the success alternative fuels are seeing.

And it should be obvious why electric vehicles are a terrible idea. Electricity is one of the most expensive commodities on the market and the government taxes the crap out of it already.
 
Canadian Flyer said:
The chief benefit, economically speaking (don't give me the green energy BS, we know the corporate world doesn't really care), is that natural gas is a cost effective alternative to diesel. Even with the poor efficiency and high entry expense, natural gas is so cheap that it's sustainable.
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Natural gas burns very clean compared to diesel, this makes less pollution, and increases engine longevity making natural gas very cost effective for a fleet.
 
House Committee Passes H.R. 1313 Allowing Employers to Collect Genetic Information under Workplace Wellness Programs

http://www.natlawreview.com/article...ch 2017&utm_source=Robly.com&utm_medium=email

"On March 8, 2017, the House Committee on Education and the Workforce approved a bill, H.R. 1313 – Preserving Employee Wellness Programs Act, which would allow employers to require employees to undergo genetic testing and share such information under a workplace wellness program. The Committee favored the bill claiming it would allow employers to offer employee wellness plans, help them promote a healthy workforce and would lower health care costs. However, employees who refuse to test could be subject to higher insurance premiums"
 
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