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Quote of the Day
In honor of all the hard-working folks who make the trucking industry go around, here’s a trio of quotes on the virtues of effort and going the extra mile:
“The difference between try and triumph is a little umph.”
– Author unknown
“Sweat is the cologne of accomplishment.”
– Heywood Hale Broun
“I’m a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work the more I have of it.”
– Thomas Jefferson |
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My Point: 'Healthy' choice for finding good drivers
By Marvin Shefsky
With the CSA 2010 program (Comprehensive Safety Analysis) coming down the road and the economy starting to pick up, carriers will have to be more selective than ever in terms of the truckers they hire because problem drivers can and will sink them.
When CSA 2010 becomes operational nationwide this summer, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration will start amassing data on every driver and every truck and noting every violation and every failed inspection … and linking all of that data through an integrated computer network to individual carriers and fleet owners. After a certain number of red flags go up for a certain carrier, all of that carrier’s drivers and trucks could be subjected to a full inspection every time they pull into a weight station, even if that particular driver has a spotless record.
That, of course, is going to cost the company and the driver time and money. How long do you think a good driver is going to put up with that nonsense before he or she starts looking for another carrier, one that hasn’t been flagged? The same goes for your customers, the shippers.
So how do you find better drivers to begin with? By narrowing your search to where good drivers can be found. For example, you could switch gears and try advertising in a new magazine, Driver HEALTH. Drivers who are interested in improving their health, their appearance and their self-esteem pick up Driver HEALTH. Drivers who aren’t, don’t. Which type of driver do you want representing your company?
Of course, the benefits of a healthy, confident driver go way beyond appearance. Healthy, confident drivers tend to be more productive drivers for the simple fact that they incur less downtime. Because they’re healthy, they don’t drive up medical insurance costs at the same rate as an unhealthy fleet of drivers would. A 2006 study pegged the average medical cost per mile for carriers at four cents, and it no doubt has gone up from there. Again, which type of driver do you want on your team?
If you’re looking for healthier, more productive drivers who care about themselves and their careers, the best place to find them is clear. It says so right on the cover: Driver HEALTH. If this sounds like a sales pitch so be it, but at some point we need to start thinking outside the box.
-- Marvin Shefsky, Publisher/CEO
(Marvin@RampMediaGroup.com)
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