News and Specials from East Coast Truck and Trailer Sales!
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Greetings,
IN THIS ISSUE
Things seem to be moving right along. Regardless of almost weekly sputters, the economy is still moving forward, although very slowly. There are always interesting things going on in the transportation industry. In this issue, we feature everything from humans being stored in bus luggage compartments to fuel card management tips, which are designed to help stem the tide of fuel card fraud. Finally, we touch on the driver shortage which is being felt more and more as the economy improves. There are less drivers to fill the orders and move the goods that we depend on to keep our economy running smoothly.
They Got Something Right...Go DOT! Fuel Card Fraud Prevention Tips Signs Of Trouble For Finished Car Logistics
Regards Michael Saks Editor of Haulin msaks@ectts.com
I apologize that I have agonized in blog after blog, post after post preaching on the evils of regulation and the agony of overenvironomentalism (don't look for the word in the dictionary, I just made it up). But all has changed now for truckers, bus drivers, auto manufacturers and carhaulers. The Department of Transportation has used their regulatory power for something I agree with. Haines Tours is a bus company that was transporting passengers in the luggage bins which sounds pretty horrific. I guess it's a step up from hitchhiking minus the air conditioning. Of course you could be locked in the dark aluminum crawlspace with someone just as bad as Ted Bundy with nothing but a flashlight and some high density luggage to protect you since no one can hear your scream in there anyway. Worse, what if someone expires in the steamy lightless air of the luggage cabin and paying passengers are inconvenienced by the smell. You know some strongly worded letters are going out to the executives of Haines Tours after that trip is over. Regardless, Haines Motor Company needs to be off the road for this heinous and dangerous safety violation. First of all, this was not a bus ride from Tijuana to Cali. This was a short hop from Michigan to Ohio which leaves me pondering a few questions. If the passengers were so desperate that they had to ride cargo, don't you think the driver could have at least let them stand in the aisle of the bus with the other humans. As a patriotic American, I am willing to allow you to stand and breathe the same air conditioned oxygen as me in the passenger section of the bus. I do grimace for a few seconds at the thought of some indigent stranger suffocating and dehydrating in the bowels of the vehicle right beneath my feet (Really, under the floor boards). In fact, it's hard to nap knowing your three inches from my shoelaces dying, so please come up to the passenger section. I could go on and on because the amusement factor of these "decay of western society" type stories is great but the attention needs to go back to the Department of Transportation. Good job on getting companies like this off the road. It didn't take billions of dollars of mind boggling surveillance technology. NO officers were at risk to "sting" the greedy bus company and catch them in the cargo passenger seat trade. No embarrassing messy Federal court battles were needed. Just good ole' fashioned common sense made a difference in the lives of people. I am all for this kind of government use of power. Blatant, dangerous violators of the law and human safety are definitely what I want my tax dollars to fight against.
I recently read about the impact that fuel card fraud is having on trucking companies alike. As the price of fuel goes up, the temptation to cheat at the pump by selling off extra fuel charged to a company fleet card increases. I saw a number of tips in the June/ July issue of Transport Topics
1. This one is a no brainer. If you don't have strict policies about fuel cards....start them!! 2. Put a lower gallon fill up limit in place 3. Require a call in or phone verification by the driver to the fleet manager or dispatcher before each fill up 4. Only allow fuel cards to activate once a driver has checked in on his or her shift
9/14/2011 11:02 AM
News and Specials from East Coast Truck and Trailer Sales!
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5. Allow only fuel purchases with the card and make sure blocks are on the card for other merchandise 6. Use auditors to cross reference the average fuel performance of the vehicle against actual performance 7. At the very least review the amount of fuel consumed by drivers on similar routes to see if there are discrepancies
I have read the report of the findings at the 2011 Finished Vehicle Logistics conference and so far and I have to say we see some challenging signs as well. As North America's largest car hauling dealer we watch the pulse of the independent car hauler and the auto hauling industry. Due to stronger government regulation and skyrocketing fuel, the demand for qualified drivers is at a premium. In our office alone, there is competition among regular buyers for our inventory of used and new trailers, and from what I see, this is an industry wide problem. Less new equipment was made in the past few years as demand crashed. There is also a run on used equipment and new, as even a reduced number of car haulers compete to enhance or upgrade their fleets. We at East Coast Truck and Trailer have watched as the first wave of economic recovery moves through the car hauler industry but there is a long way to go. There are definitely more car haulers hitting the road to stimulate capacity, but there are also more hurdles to rebuilding fleets as equipment takes time to produce. Likewise the cost of gas and the strain of regulation also reduce the speed of recovery as demand outstrips capacity.We are not totally sure when demand will catch up, but at least we are moving in the right direction. East Coast Truck & Trailer Sales wants to be your premier dealer for truck and trailer sales, parts and service. We sell a variety of parts from tie down bars, chains & clusters, strap technology, chrome, dollies, safety gear, and more. Please call us anytime at 1-866-849-2178. Sincerely, Michael Saks, Internet Commerce Manager East Coast Truck and Trailer Sales msaks@ectts.com
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East Coast Truck and Trailer Sales | 2906 Elmhurst Lane | Portsmouth | VA | 23701
9/14/2011 11:02 AM