Bruce Outridge

Slip Seating, is it for you?

Posted on February 13, 2014 by Bruce

Jack had just finished his course at the local truck driving school and was now in the middle of the daunting task of trying to find a job in the industry. He wanted to stay local and also wanted to work at a larger company where he may be able to start a career. Because he was looking for city work he kept hearing of a term called “slip seating” from the company recruiters and didn’t really know what they meant when they said that. On a recent visit back to the school to collect some paperwork Jack decided to ask his old instructor what the recruiters meant by the term “slip seating” on interviews. Jack’s old instructor was very experienced, he had been driving for almost 30 years, he had a nice temperament, and was passionate about the industry.

Jack said to his instructor Fred, “Fred I have been hearing about this term slip seating on interviews and I don’t really know what it means, what is it?” Fred piped up, “Slip seating is a term referred to sharing the same piece of equipment by several people. Many companies do this if their operations require trucks and equipment to operate around the clock, and of course a person can’t work around the clock. I am not crazy about that type of operation, but it can be very lucrative for those that don’t mind sharing equipment.” Jack thought about what Fred had said, ” I don’t mind that because I am hoping to work around the city, are there any problems I should look out for?” Fred gave a small frown and then replied,”I personally don’t like that type of environment because I am very particular about my equipment, but that is just me. What I would look out for is making sure if you do go into that environment you know who you are working with. It is much like team driving, you need to work with that person, have similar cleaning habits, and have the same respect for maintenance and so on. It is not something to be taken lightly. If you don’t share the same cleaning ethic one person may end up doing all the cleaning. If the truck is always in need of repair on your shift you may find that your productivity is going down. If the program is used for highway units be very weary of the sleeping quarters in the sleeper, by bringing in your own sleeping requirements in sheets, sleeping bags, and other needs.” Jack thought for a moment and then said, “So are you suggesting I stay away from slip seat operations?” “No if that type of work suits you and it is a good company, go for it! I am just suggesting when you meet with company recruiters you ask questions in regard to guidelines for equipment and cleanliness in those situations. It may be a great company but if there is no teamwork between the people sharing equipment it can be very hard to keep that going for the long term.” Jack thanked Fred for his help and went off in the distance, trying to decide if that is the program for him.

Many companies operate a “slip seat” type of operation and many of those companies are very lucrative to work for. It is important however to make sure you are comfortable with the other person and each person does their part to make sure the equipment is kept clean and well maintained.

About the Author

Bruce Outridge is a transportation consultant with over 30 years of experience. He is the author of Books Driven to Drive and Running by the Mile. For more information and other books and more about Bruce please visit his website at www.outridgeenterprises.ca

Selective Attitude

Posted on February 6, 2014 by Bruce

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Fred was training a new driver, like many new drivers coming into the industry this new driver was eager to get started and making money. Jack, the new driver had a bit of an attitude, after all he was not a blank canvas, his Grandfather had driven a truck, his Uncle had tractors on his farm that he had driven many times on family vacations, so he didn’t think he needed all this training hubbub. In fact the only reason he was there was because a career counsellor had signed him up due to a lack of money on his part. Jack figured he could have gotten a job on his own, but the career counsellor convinced him he needed training to get a good job. Jack felt he was pushed into the training and his attitude was showing just that.

Fred was in the last week of training with Jack. He was fine with the skills of Jack but his attitude had been hard to overcome. Jack seemed to be fighting every turn of the training and after five weeks both parties were starting to feel very drained. Fred felt Jack would be a good driver if he would just listen and treat others with some respect. Like many other people that come from a family of older drivers Jack had learned the stories of the old days, some of the way drivers would fight with Dispatchers, how they had to chase load brokers for loads and so on. Those days have changed, but Fred noticed that many new drivers feel they know the industry because of those stories. Fred often wondered why many new people fall into this trap and has found it is from trying to fit in and show they have experience. What Fred has actually found out is that it shows the the inexperience even more because those days have changed and the industry is trying hard to change to the new standards for the industry. He often wished that if the new driver would just keep an open mind and listen to the things that are being taught to them they would be much better off.

One of the areas that Fred was having trouble getting through to Jack was in the time management department. Jack just did not move fast and he had the attitude of he wasn’t doing this or that, or he’ll get there when he gets there. That is all the old days coming out,but it was really holding back his training. Fred was now conducting the final assessment on Jack. Jack had the skills, but Fred was nervous about cutting him loose with the attitude still not in check. As he marked off his check list the evaluation came to and end, the two sat in the truck talking about what went right and what went wrong during the evaluation. Most of the items checked off well with the exception of the attitude which Fred had not checked off as of yet. Fred sat in the truck and tried once more to explain to Jack that his attitude will make or break his career in the future. It was the key to making money, it was the key to being hired by good companies, and it was the key to a long satisfying career. If he couldn’t get that under check it would make for a troubled future. Jack sat for a minute talking about what he had been told, he thought, and promised he would do his best to work on that for the future. However only time will tell.

Driving skills are only one part of the equation when beginning a career in the transportation industry. More often than not are the soft skills that give you a good solid career and those should be worked on indefinitely.

About the Author

Bruce Outridge is a transportation consultant with 30 a Years of experience and author of the books Driven to Drive, and Running by the Mile. To learn more or to purchase books please visit his website at www.outridgeenterprises.ca

Trucking and Sales

Posted on February 6, 2014 by Bruce

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Bob had been coming to the end of his four week training period with Randy his trainer, he had been doing pretty well and felt confident he could handle the duties of a long haul truck driver. He had done well in the classroom, he had done well on the road, and this last week had been just for him to refine a few items and build confidence. At the last stop Bob had noticed something that Randy hadn’t talked about too much, relating with the customer. Randy was a good trainer and had of course shown Bob how to deliver loads, check paperwork, and secure his loads. He had also shown Bob how to call ahead if late and so on, but he hadn’t shown Bob the sales part of succeeding in trucking, he didn’t because that is not something new people need to deal with until later in the their career. Bob had noticed Randy talking with shippers and exchanging business cards but didn’t really think anything of it until it had happened a number of times. On this latest run Bob had noticed a Randy doing it again and when they returned to the truck he thought this time he would ask why he was doing it.

Bob pulled out onto the highway and when both were comfortable he decided now was a good time to ask the question to Randy about his conversations with shippers and receivers they delivered to. Bob started not sure how to approach the situation because he didn’t know what was involved. “Randy, I notice that many times after we load or unload you talk with the shipper and then hand them a business card, I was wondering what that was all about?” Randy sat quietly before answering, and then piped up. “Well Bob, if you think about the size of our small company we are the only people from our company that the customer sees, so in a way we are the sales representatives for the company. I enjoy working here and am treated very well, so if the experience at a customer has been positive I will often ask if everything is okay and then hand them a company business card should they be looking for a transport company for future business. Often times this has resulted in a new steady customer for the company. In order to do that we have to offer good customer service, deliver on time,and be professional in our jobs.” Bob thought about that and then asked Randy, “Do you get compensated for doing that?” Randy laughed,”The compensation is keeping your job with lots of work, getting promoted to better runs, and having a good place to work. Trucking is a team sport and it is everybody’s job to keep the company moving forward. If you aren’t doing a good job and sales are finding new accounts and then losing them the company won’t be around for long. If every person does their job to the best of their abilities then the company will be successful. If you can do a little extra that makes it even better for the future.” Bob took the advice and realized there is a lot more to trucking than just driving up and down the road. Bob was thankful that he had a professional trainer in Randy and that he was learning more than just how to drive a truck, but have a career.

About the Author

Bruce Outridge is a transportation consultant with over 30 years of experience and with or of the books Driven to Drive and Running by the Mile. To learn more about. Bruce or order his books please visit his website at www.outridgeenterprises.ca

Think Sales, Not Truck Driver!

Posted on January 30, 2014 by Bruce

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Jack watched the award recipients at the safety meeting walk up to the front one after the other. He had been here before, wondering in his mind why he didn’t ever win an award for safety or performance? Oh he was a safe driver and he had decent time management skills but he just didn’t seem to get into the award category. He also noticed that it was the same five people every year that seemed to receive the award. He also noticed that they all seemed to hang around each other at work, they all had the best equipment, and they all had good attitudes about the industry. Jack felt there was something missing, why was he missing out? He decided after the safety meeting he would pull one of the award members aside and see if he could find out what the others were doing differently?

After the meeting Jack pulled aside John, he chose John because the two got along pretty good and he could trust John to give him the right information, after all he had been a trainer for the company over the years and was good at giving information. “John, what are the five of you doing differently on the road to win awards every year at the safety meetings, is there a secret to the way you operate?”, asked Jack. John smiled as he had been asked this before by a number of drivers, ”The trick is not really a trick Jack. On the road I run quite differently than other drivers. I turn my company into a mobile office and I am the General Manager of that office. I treat my customers as if they are directly paying me and I am bidding on my own freight.” Jack still didn’t understand completely and asked,”I understand the theory he said but how does that help you run better. We all understand customer service is important for our jobs.” John looked at him almost sadly and said, “It isn’t just customer service, it is customer ownership, it takes customer service to a whole new level. Here is how it works, when you think like the CEO you look at your job from a higher level, you see the big picture. On the road I make sure I trip plan very carefully so that I am on time all the time, I call the customer when I am an hour out and let them know my arrival time if I have a hot load. I make sure I am neat and clean both personally and my truck, and I follow all the directions on company property while being easy to get along with. I prepare the truck so the customer is not waiting on me to move things around and it looks good at all times. I make sure their freight is as safe and secure as their own children and when I leave I hand them my business card.” Jack was shocked as he asked,”You have business cards, where do you get those?” John smiled as he said,”I used to carry ones from the company but after a while I made up my own. They have been great at getting me awarded for customer service as you noticed.” Jack read the card that John handed him. On the front it had John’s name and the company logo and information, on the back it read, “If you would like to comment on the professionalism of this driver please call or email through the information below.” John went on to tell Jack that people call all the time. Jack later found out that the other five award winners were doing similar types of systems. Jack made it a point from that moment on to step up his customer service program, he would be the award winner next time.

About the Author

Bruce Outridge is a transportation consultant with over 30 years of experience and author of the books Running by the Mile, and Driven to Drive. More information can be found on his website at www.outridgeenterprises.ca

Transportation Success is About Self Management!

Posted on January 23, 2014 by Bruce

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I recently attended a seminar called Driving for Profit put on by the folks at NAL Insurance. This seminar series is put on a couple of times a year and features information on the industry, successful company executives and other important information. The series is always informative, very educational, and well attended. This latest series had reports from executives with the Truckload Carriers Association reporting on the future of the industry and what changes have been accomplished to date.

One common thread I noticed is that many of the items that are being talked about in the industry have been talked about for a long time and that was also brought up by a couple of the speakers. Of course no conversation or presentation would be complete without a discussion on the hours of service changes. It was mentioned in the presentations that drivers in the U.S. were having trouble with running out of hours. As I was sitting at a table with a few former truck drivers I looked over and asked what had changed from the early days when we used to drive? The answer was nothing, oh sure some regulations have changed but at the end of the day it is about self management of your day. The conversation went on to say that many drivers are running right to the end of their day without thinking about the future, and this is why they are running out of hours. Too many are relying on the reset program. It was pointed out that some of the issues had been in the works for years and still solutions haven’t been found.

Being successful about trucking is much about self management. You have to manage your daily hours to be productive, you have to manage yourself in the areas of driving techniques for fuel economy and safety, and you have to manage your health. Much of it is about self management and knowing other factors can impact your schedule, makes self management even more important. Call it time management, self management, or reality, how you operate is up to you!

About the Author

Bruce Outridge is a transportation consultant with over 30 years of experience and author of the books Driven to Drive and Running by the Mile. For more information please visit his website at www.outridgeenterprises.ca. If you would like more information on being healthy in the transportation industry please visit www.therearviewmirror.ca and check out the Healthy Trucker Series from Nal Insurance.