IMG June 2016 Newsletter

NEWS ISSUE 20/ JUNE 2016

Standard the Standard Setting the Setting

Escot

Bus Lines

FEATURE IMG COMPANY

Motorcoach

Industry At A Glance The Elements of Making an Effective Cold Call How to Give Better Employee

Performance Reviews

New U.S. DOT proposed

safety standard establishes additional safety for motorcoach

and large bus occupants

4 SALES MISTAKES SALES MANAGERS MAKE AND HOW TO AVOID THEM/

WHY “YOU’RE FIRED” IS SOMETHING EVERY BOSS SHOULD BE SAYING/

Here are four common mistakes Sales Managers make that can lead to their downfall...

Firing people has a bad rap in business. But sometimes, firing someone is the greatest gift...

THE ELEMENTS OF MAKING AN EFFECTIVE COLD CALL/

FMCSA REQUIRES USE OF NEW HEALTH FORM DETAILING MORE THOROUGH MEDICAL HISTORIES/

Let’s face it, most folks don’t enjoy making cold calls, but as any salesperson or business...

A new version of the commercial vehicle driver medical examination report form requires truckers to...

CAN WEARABLES MAKE HOURS-OFSERVICE RULES OBSOLETE?/

For many in the industry, the high-profile crash in New Jersey in 2014 involving a...

MOTORCOACH INDUSTRY AT A GLANCE/

NEW U.S. DOT PROPOSED SAFETY STANDARD ESTABLISHES ADDITIONAL SAFETY FOR MOTORCOACH AND LARGE BUS OCCUPANTS/

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety...

HOW TO GIVE BETTER EMPLOYEE PERFORMANCE REVIEWS/

Conducting regular performance reviews is an important and constructive...

EEOC ACTS AGAIN ON LGBT RIGHTS/

The EEOC has again taken the reins on LGBT rights by issuing some “Bathroom” guidance...

According to a recent study released by the American Bus Association Foundation...

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President ’s Message IMG is delighted to announce their newest operator company, Northwest Navigator Luxury Coaches, located in Portland, Oregon. This brings the IMG network to 56 companies around North America.

Northwest Navigator, extends the presence of IMG companies on the Westcoast of the United States.

With a home base in Portland, Northwest Navigator also has a facility in Bend, Oregon.

Roxanne Gillis, owner of Northwest Navigator said: “We are really proud to belong to IMG and bring our expertise in the Pacific Northwest to the IMG organization while being part of an organization that will help us grow and share best practices with the best.”

Over the next few weeks you will see IMG companies in the Chicago area as we undertake a Sales Mission visiting key clients; at CABMA in Dallas as IMG companies meet with Collegiate Athletic Directors and at IPW, New Orleans as we explore exciting opportunities with travel partners from around the world.

We have enjoyed bringing you IMG’s E News Magazine over the last year and half. This unfortunately will be our last edition of the magazine in this format. We will however continue to be active in sharing IMG news as we continue to grow our network and be your partner!

Bronwyn Wilson IMG companies continue to be active in their outreach to partners as they look to work in unison to create the very best transportation solutions. Recently a number of IMG companies visited the Globus Family of Brands in Denver, Colorado.

President, IMG

Wisconsin! A state surrounded by two great lakes, a mighty river and 15,000 lakes in between.

Groups touring around the state will find worldclass museums, amazing architecture, beautiful scenery from rolling rural vistas to urban surprises.

Entertainment is everywhere from Broadway to regional theatre, indoors and out. Farm to table? we got that! Breweries, we’ve got plenty including some of the oldest and best. Craft Distilleries and Wineries growing and plentiful in the state. Looking for gaming? Wisconsin has some of the best Native American casinos in the nation. Take some time to explore the Native American Culture the state has to offer from a buffalo overlook to the logging industry and more. Exploring the waterways of the state are easy with a variety of cruise options on pontoons, sightseeing boats, paddle wheelers and the original WWII amphibious “DUCK” rides. We’ll guarantee a great tour for your guests filled with unique and FUN experiences!

Explore the states five unique regions – Mississippi River Valley and Beyond; Northwoods & Lake Superior; Wisconsin Heartland; South Central Crossroads and the Eastern Shores – each offering an abundance of experiences and sights that are sure to please any group. Whatever season you visit, Wisconsin likes to celebrate with a variety of festivals year-round from art fairs to food fests, ethnic and beer festivals, farmer’s markets to County and State Fairs just about any reason to have fun.

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From cranberry marshes, cheese demonstrations, farm visits, brewery and winery tours Wisconsin’s Agriculture experiences are like no others. Old, modern and unique structures, art displays and world-renowned architects including Wisconsin’s own Frank Lloyd Wright are always an added bonus to any itinerary. Beer barons to circus clowns; one of the NFL’s oldest teams to the Kubb Capital of the US; riverboats and lighthouses to shipwrecks on the Great Lakes add to the eclectic history found throughout the state.

Circle Wisconsin represents over 140+ of the best group-friendly destinations, lodging properties, casinos, attractions, breweries, theaters and more and is your first resource in planning that ideal tour to the state. CircleWisconsin.com offers a full listing of our members (by region or category), itineraries throughout the state and images for your use in promoting your upcoming tour. Our office is also available to assist in itinerary planning for any part of the state.

Let us share the real Wisconsin with you – because when you and your groups are having fun we’re having fun.

For Tour Ideas and Itinerary Assistance Contact: Wendy Dobrzynski, 414-545-1100, wendy@circlewisconsin.com

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IMG Feature Company

Escot Bus Lines

It was in 1983, recently re-located from Utica, NY, arriving in St. Petersburg, FL, with a love for travel, Lewis and Diane Scott invest $10,000 in two cut-away mini-buses operating daily shuttle service to Tampa Bay Area dog and horse tracks. Fast forward 33 years from these humble beginnings, with more 15 hour work days, and late night phone calls than one cares to remember, by Lew, Diane and their kids Brian Scott and Pamela Calixto, we arrive in the year 2016 with a fleet of 80 vehicles including 45 motorcoaches, 30 transit buses, and 5 vans operating out of 3 locations, Tampa Bay, Orlando and Sarasota serving local, national and international customers.

Escot’s goal has never been to the biggest, but to be the best and outshine the competition by focusing on the basics; clean modern equipment, and on-time service with professional well-training driving staff.

This formula has not only worked, it has brought the business that started with daily scheduled service in the early 80’s, expanded into charter in the 90’s, successfully added contract transportation to the mix in the 2000’s, full circle with Cruise Connection by Escot in 2012. Cruise Connection, now entering its fourth full season, operates scheduled bus service to Florida’s three main ports in Miami, Ft. Lauderdale, and Port Canaveral working with all the major cruise lines.

While charters still represent the lion’s share of the business, contract transportation, and scheduled

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service is quickly closing the gap and represents the significant opportunities going forward.

Keeping it in the family; Escot has been committed to remaining a local, family-owned and operated business serving the Central Florida community.

During the 90’s and early 2000’s when the industry roll up was occurring, the Scott family decided keeping it in the family was best to insure long term success, growth, and profitability. As a result, in 2008 Escot transitioned to the 2nd generation with Brian Scott and Pamela Calixto leading the company. Of course Lew still has an active say, as any 1st generation owner should.

Acquisition and further expansion; in 2014, Escot purchased the Orlando division of Horizon Bus Lines which included long term contract interests, airport express shuttle service, and approximately 50 vehicles and staff including drivers and operations.

The transition was a smooth one and positioned Escot positively as a regional company capable of successfully taking on large projects for a diverse clientele. With this growth came the need to add outside talent to the management team; enter Brian Tanner, as Chief Operating Office in October of 2014.

Bringing significant transportation and logistical management experience to the table from the truck world, Brian Tanner has been a valuable edition and further positions Escot for expansion with a solid management foundation and philosophy.

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On the fleet side: Escot has always looked to differentiate itself, to give the customer a reason to book their trip with us. As a result, Escot was an early adopter of the European imported coach operating LAG buses built in Belgium. “We operated a fleet of 15 LAG buses back in the day because they were different and had tremendous curb appeal compared to what most of the competition had to offer back then.”

Operating a diverse fleet to this day, Escot remains focused on a quality, “high end” look and feel for its fleet.

Looking ahead; the future is bright! As Escot approaches its 35th anniversary, it is fortunate to have a talented and committed pool of employees, a diversified mix of business, and opportunities for expansion. “We are looking to be the absolute best at what we do, investing in training, customer service, and equipment upgrades to deliver the best experience possible. Our mission statement pretty much says it all: A quality family-owned and operate company committed to the safest and most reliable customers experience since 1983.”

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Best Practices And Preparation The preparation for a Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) compliance investigation begins long before you are notified about an impending visit.

In fact, you may and should be able to predict when an investigation will be scheduled. Regardless of the reason, such as a serious accident or a series of minor accidents, a routine review or other reason, you and your staff should already know and be working on any issues that may impact your current safety rating.

The first place to begin is to know and understand your Compliance Safety Accountability (CSA) scores, citations, and other public indicators. CSA scores and citations are the road map for an investigation and, as such, are no secret! Crashes are the other road map you

should be aware of long before you receive a notice of an investigation.

Why are so many companies and their staff surprised and stressed about what the FMCSA compliance investigation outcome will be when you should be able to predict the outcome on your own? Be in a constant state of preparation by conducting your own “self investigations” on a regular basis. First, understand and know which violations are critical and which are acute.

The list and scoring of “critical and acute violations” is readily available on the FMCSA website and illustrated below. We suggest you use those standards when you conduct your self investigations.

Section

Violation Description Shown on Investigation Report Given to Carrier after Investigation

Violation Type†

392.2

Operating a commercial motor vehicle not in accordance with the laws, ordinances, and regulations of the jurisdiction in which it is being operated - Unsafe Driving

Critical Violation

392.6

Scheduling a run which would necessitate the vehicle being operated at speeds in excess of those prescribed

Critical Violation

397.13(a)

Permitting a person to smoke or carry a lighted cigarette, cigar, or pipe within 25 feet of a motor vehicle containing Class 1 materials, Class 5 materials, or flammable materials classified as Division 2.1, Class 3, and Divisions 4.1 and 4.2

Critical Violation

397.5(a)

Failing to ensure a motor vehicle containing a Division 1.1, 1.2, or 1.3 (explosive) material is attended at all times by its driver or a qualified representative

Acute Violation

397.7(a)(1)

Parking a motor vehicle containing Division 1.1, 1.2, or 1.3 materials within 5 feet Critical Violation of traveled portion of highway or street

397.7(b)

Parking a motor vehicle containing Hazardous Material(s) other than Division 1.1, 1.2, or 1.3 materials within 5 feet of traveled portion of highway or street

Critical Violation

An Acute Violation, also known as a one-time occurrence violation, is a violation where noncompliance is so severe that immediate corrective action is required. A Critical Violation, also known as a pattern of occurrence violation, is indicative of noncompliance related to the carrier’s management or operational controls. A pattern occurs when violations are discovered in at least 10% of the carrier’s records examined and these records indicate that more than one occurrence of the same violation is found.

†

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n for an FMCSA Investigation

The other component of self investigation is linking your efforts to the Safety Management Cycle. By simply following the Safety Management Cycle elements, you will be able to identify areas of strengths and weaknesses.

These elements are: • • • • • •

Policies and Procedures Roles and Responsibilities Qualifications and Hiring Training and Communication Monitoring and Tracking Meaningful Action

Understanding your CSA scores, violations and crash history in conjunction with the Safety Management Cycle and the acute and critical scoring process will be very good preparation for an internal or an FMCSA investigation. You are in control of the process based on your ongoing evaluation, staff communication and ability to solve the issues and problems identified.

The next step is to identify the actual documents and materials you will need for an investigation, including:

•

General Information including an equipment list, list of drivers used during the last 350 days and a list of corporate officers;

•

Insurance- MCS-90 form and BOC-3 form

•

Accident Folder and Accident Register of recordable crashes and all Accident reports;

•

Driver Qualification Files- -application; inquiries to previous employer, including drug and alcohol test history; MVR’s; Annual Review of driving record; Annual driver’s certificate of violations; road test results; medical clearance documentation;

•

Logs up to 6 months of logbook/electronic documentation; driver time cards ( for 100 mile radius drivers); supporting documentation and receipts; documentation of disciplinary policy for non compliance;

•

Drug and Alcohol Testing- pre employment test results; documentation of consortium or third party provider; random pool documentation including

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list of drivers in pool and all selections; post-accident testing information when required; summary report of results for all drug and alcohol testing; semi-annual summary reports for the last year; company drug and alcohol testing policies and driver receipts; Supervisor Training documentation; list of approved Substance Abuse Professionals; •

Maintenance files for each vehicle including make, model, year VIN, tire size; planned maintenance program; annual inspection; scheduled maintenance and inspection system ( receipts); brake inspector qualifications; annual inspector qualification; 90 day window exit inspection reports; and

•

ADA Requirements- Copy of annual filing; driver training documentation; records of all ADA requests and follow up; maintenance records for wheelchair lifts; if no lift coaches, a written agreement with a company that provides them for you.

Remember a compliance investigation covers the following FMCSA regulation sections: 382, 383, 390, 391, 392, 395 and 396 Be sure to review your record retention policy for each of these sections. Knowing the correct record retention time is critical to a successful self investigation or FMCSA investigation.Preparation is part of your quality review process and identifying any problem or deficiencies is your responsibility and makes good business sense. The Safety Management Cycle provides you with the tools and means to develop a team approach and get all of your staff communicating with each other. Team meetings and an open approach to solving identified issues is the road map for a successful investigation.

It won’t be easy and takes a lot of staff time, but taking charge of your investigation is the best business practice for you, your staff and most important, your customers.

This article was written by Bob Crescenzo, Vice President, Lancer Insurance Company. For additional information see their website at www.lancerinsurance.com

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4 Sales Mistakes

4 Sales Mistakes Sales Mana and How to Avoid Them

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agers Make

Here are four common mistakes Sales Managers make that can lead to their downfall or the downfall of their team.

1. Focusing on the Wrong Guy It is easy to focus your attentions on the guy that is making the most sales. However, you have to focus on the guys who are not hitting their targets and find out why. What you need to know from your top performers is what technique they are using. You can then try using that technique to train those who are under performing.

2. Grooming the Wrong Leader It is important to be looking to those below you to help you find the next leaders. It is not necessarily crazy to think you will automatically be drawn to your top sellers, but selling is not managing. Watch your entire team for signs of leadership, not for those who sell well. This will help in two ways. First, it may help keep your top sellers in the ranks of selling where they belong and in many cases earning better money for themselves depending on your pay and commission structure. Second, it will help you find the right person to lead. Leaders have different qualities than sellers although sometimes the two do meet.

Use tools to assess your sales team to discover their hidden talents so you are grooming the right people for the right job.

3. Selling Sounds odd, but it is true. Sales Managers don’t sell, they lead. Make sure you don’t get caught up in selling as a) It takes sales away from your team and b) It takes you away from your job.

4. Forget Your Responsibilities

Core

Job

Description

&

In general, a Sales Manager should only do the following: • Train and develop the team • Hold the team accountable for goals • Coach and motivate • Hire and fire

READ THE ORIGINAL

ARTICLE ONLINE

Being a Sales Manager is not always easy. Finding ways to help your team succeed is a job that requires dedication and constant attention to detail. If you are going to be a successful sales manager, you must avoid making mistakes sales managers make like the ones listed above.

Article by Doug Dvorak seen on www.business2community.com www.greenazine.com

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Making An Effective Cold Call

The Elements of Making an Effective Cold Call Let’s face it, most folks don’t enjoy making cold calls, but as any salesperson or business owner knows, they are one of the most effective ways of reaching your decision makers. Whether you’re the founder of a company picking up the phone or you’re training a new sales team member — planning a cold call can be a dreaded task. Making an effective cold call takes time and effort but if done right, the payoff can be well worth the work.

Making An Effective Cold Call Requires Planning Call the Correct Companies First thing you need to do is decide which types of companies you want to target. Many folks that I speak to tell me that “any company” can use our services. While that may “technically” true, that “any company” may use your services, you really want to hone in on what types of companies really need your services, versus can use your services.

For example, we’re a marketing company, one might think that “any company” would need our services, but this isn’t true. When we build our lists, we think of the types of companies that are marketing intensive like a B2B software provider who is more likely to have nice marketing budget, then let’s say a distributor. Really give thought as to your best candidates, and put your resources there.

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Call the Right People Just because someone is the “decision maker”, doesn’t mean that’s who your first outreach should be with. Think in terms of process owner.

Who would most benefit from your solution? If it’s a small business, the owner is ultimately the decision maker, but reaching them is tough, and furthermore, they will probably send you to the person in charge of that process area. If you are pitching SEO, you need to get the person in charge of marketing involved. Eventually the owner will need to be brought in, but they have a million other responsibilities. Instead, again focus on the person responsible for the functional area you want to target.

Write Your Script Now this is make or break part. Most folks do this incorrectly. Always remember that a cold call is an interruption, so be respectful of the prospects time. Also, don’t be salesy. I know this sounds counterintuitive, but your “first” call with the prospect should really be learning about their needs. Unlike writing sales collateral, you only have a few seconds to easily explain what you do so you have to be to the point. If you can’t do that in 2 sentences, you need to refocus.

Keep the call brief, while ultimately focusing on the prospects needs. When we develop our

scripts, we keep them very short, and to the point.

They are not heavy on selling, rather on probing for pain. We ask the decision makers questions such as “Is your team developing enough leads?” or “Is the quality of the leads where they need to be?”, and this is a big one. “Is your company looking to expand their lead generation efforts?”

If we get a “yes” to that, we know we are in good shape, and this is a good candidate to nurture.

You can apply these examples to any script that your company develops. Don’t waste your time selling something that someone doesn’t need, instead make that first call a discovery call, and only if there is a legitimate business need for your service, should you pursue further. This will help prevent you from wasting time and effort on deals that won’t close, and allow you to focus on the solid prospects.

If you invest the time upfront to ensure you are calling the correct companies and draft a tothe-point script you can have a great success rate in securing new customers from a cold call.

Remember to stick to the point and don’t get discouraged if you get some ‘no’s’ or even no responses. Everything can take time, and making an effective cold calls is no exception.

Article by Al Davidson seen on www.smallbiztrends.com READ THE ORIGINAL

ARTICLE ONLINE

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Can Wearables Make Obsolete?

Can wearables make hour rules obsolete?

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urs-of-service

For many in the industry, the high-profile crash in New Jersey in 2014 involving a Walmart truck – killing one person and seriously injuring actor/comedian Tracy Morgan – showed the shortcomings of Hours of Service rules. Although the driver was on duty 13-½ hours of his 14hour workday – still legal - he had been awake more than 28 hours at the time of the crash, according to the National Transportation Safety Board. The trucker commuted 800-miles to his terminal the day before. “Hours of service (HOS) rules cannot address what drivers do on their own time,” said NTSB Chairman Christopher A. Hart.

The NTSB called for fatigue management as an answer to rigid HOS time periods.

What’s important, NTSB noted, is not how long drivers are on the road, or what they do on their own time, but whether or not they are too tired to drive.

We talked with Sean Kerklaan CEO of Fatigue Science in Vancouver, British Columbia, whose sleep apnea spurred him to find fatigue management solutions for himself and others. We also spoke with Dan DePalma, General Manager – Northern Operations, Kamloops (B.C.) Corporate Operations of Arrow Transportation Systems, Inc., a 350-truck fleet whose drivers are using fatiguemonitoring wearables from Fatigue Science.

Following are edited comments from both of them.

First, Sean Kerklaan.

What got you interested in fatigue management?

I was 21 years old, fairly healthy, fit, not overweight, and it my snoring was killing my relationship. I woke up every morning www.greenazine.com

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feeling horrible. It took a year to get into an overnight sleep study called a polysomnography or PSG. When I saw the doctor about six months later he said “You have sleep apnea.

Buy this CPAP machine.” I tried it for a year but couldn’t tolerate it. It took me a long time to see the doctor again and he said, “Get a dental appliance.” I could not tolerate that either. I went back to see the doctor and he said, “Actually when we look at your original polysomnography, it shows that 97 percent of your apnea occurred when you were lying on your back. When on your side, you don’t have apnea.” I was frustrated as hell that the doctor didn’t tell me that on day-one or even the lab tech the night I left the sleep center. All they had to say was “Go home and sleep on your side.” There’s no risk in telling somebody to sleep on their side, but instead it took two and a half years and over $5,000.

What did you do next?

I invented a prototype product with some tennis balls and duct tape that prevents you from sleeping on your back. It’s an inflatable device, kind of like wearing a bra on your back, that keeps you from sleeping on your back. I will always have sleep apnea, but I don’t suffer from it because I sleep only on my side.

What’s the idea behind your company’s Readiband wearable product?

You go into a polysomnography, and the doctor tells you that you had four hours of sleep or 82 disruptions. Who cares? How do you actually quantify what that means to you other than it

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is bad for your health? Our approach is that we can quantify and give you a meaningful understanding of how yesterday’s sleep is going to impact your ability to drive safely today.

Let’s empower the driver to be selfaware of his condition so instead of drinking three more coffees and two more Red Bulls, he can take a 30 or 45-minute nap at this point in his shift and be safe to drive. If we empower them with that information, I believe that drivers will make much smarter decisions. Today they’re flying blind.

Will drivers believe the data that says they’re too tired to drive?

My own experience is that I’m never tired. I’m always like, “I can keep going. I can stay up. I can do more things.” Then I started wearing our technology and realized that I was able to quantify that I’m as tired as if I had a blood alcohol of 0.08. It changed my whole approach to believing [wrongly] that I’m tough, that I can just have a bit more caffeine, and I can finish this drive.

Will all drivers change? Many of them probably will never change, but if they’re empowered with the information that if they take a nap at this point instead of at the end of the shift, for instance, many of them will be much safer. I don’t think drivers want to put themselves in danger.

They all want to get home to their families.

How does the wearable work?

You strap it on your wrist, and don’t take it off. You wear it and forget it. It’s has Bluetooth and syncs seamlessly to your phone. You don’t need to do anything. You don’t need

I tell our drivers that we can’t tuck everybody in at night.

We can only do our due diligence to make sure that we’re doing all the right things.

We educate drivers on how to drive; we educate them on a lot of things over the course of their day. to touch any buttons. It knows where you are, when you sat down to watch Netflix yesterday for an hour, when you read a book and when you slept.

Our wearable can track how long you slept and how many sleep disruptions you had throughout the night. The next morning it can measure and model how many quality hours you actually got. After three days of data – we require 72 hours of information– it can tell you how you’re going to perform. From the wearer’s perspective, they don’t see much data in the first three days. They can see how they’re sleeping, but they won’t see what’s called the SAFTE score.

[SAFTE is a biomathematical fatigue model developed by the US Army and validated by the US Department

of Transportation.] The wearer can see, for example, that they’re at peak performance now and in four and a half hours from now they’re going to start diminishing. Their reaction times will slow. The driver can now plan his or her day. It’s not punitive.

It’s not, “You can’t work today.” It’s more about empowering people with information so they can understand how they can be better, do more.

If you’re sitting at a desk, peak performance probably doesn’t really matter from a safety point of view, but if you’re driving a big truck, it does matter.

explain what we were doing and what the ultimate goal was. We felt that we were having too many incidents and you always think they’re fatiguerelated and we were trying to find any data that would allow us to try to determine if it really was fatiguerelated or not. At the beginning there was a little skepticism from drivers but we assured them that it was their information and kept completely confidential within the fatigue group.

We made sure that they understood that. We have good relations, a good rapport with our workforce so they trusted us.

Talking with Dan DePalma of Arrow.

What did you learn?

How many drivers were involved in your fleet’s wearables project?

On average we’ve done about 50 drivers a year so we’ve done roughly 200 bands over a four-year period.

They were all volunteers.

What were your goals?

We wanted to get some idea of how drivers were with sleep and fatigue and to see what we could learn.

The first goal was to educate our workforce, to learn a little bit, make sure they understood a little more about themselves and get some aggregate data that we can share with the fatigue group. We wanted to give them some feedback in terms of the value of [fatigue management] and what it means in terms of reaction time and how effective they are in their job.

What were the drivers’ reactions?

They were interested. At the beginning it was brand new and we had to

We learned that they didn’t sleep as little as we thought they did. They still could use a little bit more sleep and they could be a little more consistent with their start times when possible because that’s a big part of [not being fatigued.] We also learned that on average ten to twenty percent of our drivers had some sort of sleeping disorder. We took a lot of pride in that because it was a way to give back to our workforce and say, “Look, I think you need some help.”

Were you able to see any improvement in accidents or mishaps based on what you got back?

Absolutely. We saw our incident rates drop dramatically. [He did not offer a number.] It’s not all attributed to the bands. There are a lot of things that go together when you’re looking at safety. But I believe this was definitely one of them. Making the workforce aware of how fatigue can relate to reaction times is a positive factor.

The fact that you and your workforce are aware that fatigue could be an issue means that drivers are less likely to come up with some excuse when they hit a ditch. It made [the issue of fatigue] more transparent. When people know that your awareness is focused on something, they tend to maybe do a little bit better with it.

Where do you go from here?

We’ve got our own onboard technology in our trucks, our own telematics solution. We built it ourselves. We’ve got new customers for it and I’ve always been really keen and so is our fatigue group to see how we can align the two products into one. How can we tie a telematics solution that actually measures and tracks fatigue? Needless to say it’s going to be tricky.

I tell our drivers that we can’t tuck everybody in at night. We can only do our due diligence to make sure that we’re doing all the right things.

We educate drivers on how to drive; we educate them on a lot of things over the course of their day. Why not educate them on fatigue? It’s an educational tool to help drivers, not to punish them, not to infringe upon their rights. At the end of the day, if you want to help your people and fatigue is a problem, then I think you need to tackle it.

Article by Larry Kahaner seen on www.fleetowner.com

READ THE ORIGINAL

ARTICLE ONLINE

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In regards to the Motorcoach Marketing program, we love it. So far, we have made the 1000 postcards, and we did some full page handouts. We just got a stand up banner.

When I get some time, I’ll be making new rack cards for both offices. We made 500 church theme postcards and 500 in the safety theme.

We sent out the church cards through a local mailing company to every church within 50 miles. So far, we have had a great response and 4-5 people booked trips from it. I plan on using the safety ones soon by sending them to our new customers. All of our staff and drivers love the modern design and the finished products. Only one of my staff has watched the videos so far, but we will be working on that next month. So far I’m very happy with the service. It works well and looks great!

Chris Knittel

Owner/General Manager New Mexico Texas Coaches, LLC

We Help Operators Sell More Charters To More People.

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25

Motorcoach Industry At A Glance

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE ABA Foundation: Motorcoach Census Shows a Healthy and Vibrant Motorcoach Industry Washington DC (April 19, 2016) -- According to a recent study released by the American Bus Association Foundation, the U.S and Canadian motorcoach industry continues to be one of the most reliable, cost effective and environmentally efficient modes of transportation. Total passenger trips remained strong at 604 million as compared to 762 million (international and domestic) enplanements1 on domestic air carriers and 30.9 million passengers for Amtrak2.

The Motorcoach Census details the size and activity of the motorcoach transportation service industry in the United States and Canada for 2014. The study shows that the industry continues to serve a broad range of customers, from students to seniors, and 26 www.greenazine.com moves people with great fuel efficiency. The industry provides charter, tour, and sightseeing services, which are of vital importance to the travel and leisure industries, and

Washington DC (April 19, 2016) -- According to a recent study released by the American Bus Association Foundation, the U.S and Canadian motorcoach industry continues to be one of the most reliable, cost effective and environmentally efficient modes of transportation. Total passenger trips remained strong at 604 million as compared to 762 million (international and domestic) enplanements1 on domestic air carriers and 30.9 million passengers for Amtrak2.

The Motorcoach Census details the size and activity of the motorcoach transportation service industry in the United States and Canada for 2014. The study shows that the industry continues to serve a broad range of customers, from students to seniors, and moves people with great fuel efficiency. The industry provides charter, tour, and sightseeing services, which are of vital importance to the travel and leisure industries, and intercity and commuter services, which are essential components of the passenger transportation systems in both the United States and Canada. In 2014, the industry created a total of 128,300 jobs in 2014; 71,900 full-time and 56,400 part-time. The report including full methodology is available online at http://www.buses.org/abafoundation/research-summary/size-and-scope.

Selected Highlights: Data Type US Carriers US Motorcoaches

2012

2013

%change

2014

% change

3,648

3,471

-4.9%

3,300

-4.1%

36,017

32,811

-8.9%

32,825

0.0%

Airlines for America at http://airlines.org/data/annual-results-u-s-airlines-2/ Amtrak FY 2014 at http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/amtrak-ridership-and-revenues-continuestrong-growth-in-fy-2014-110157878.html 1 2

Passenger Trips

626,988,900

605,084, 000

-3.5%

603,918,000

-0.2%

Passenger trips per motorcoach

15,600

16,400

5.1%

16,500

0.6%

Passenger miles per gallon of fuel

220.8

207.8

-5.9%

199.4

-4.0%

Demographics 2012

2013

% Change

2014

% Change

Students

25.2%

21.0%

-16.7%

22.0%

5.0%

Senior

26.2%

28.3%

-7.9%

26.6%

-5.9%

All Other

48.5%

50.7%

4.5%

51.3%

1.2%

Data Type

www.greenazine.com The decline in the size of companies is attributed to mergers and acquisitions, companies going out of business, and companies discontinuing motorcoach service. The increase in

27

Demographics 2012

2013

% Change

2014

% Change

Students

25.2%

21.0%

-16.7%

22.0%

5.0%

Senior

26.2%

28.3%

-7.9%

26.6%

-5.9%

All Other

48.5%

50.7%

4.5%

51.3%

1.2%

Data Type

The decline in the size of companies is attributed to mergers and acquisitions, companies going out of business, and companies discontinuing motorcoach service. The increase in students ridership is likely due to the fact that the motorcoach industry serves student passengers at a price point which allowed students in the U.S. and Canada to visit important historical and cultural sites that might have been out of reach without an affordable and reliable transportation option.

The motorcoach industry continues to be a small business success story with over 94% of the industry operating fewer than 25 buses.

Motorcoach Fleet Size

Carriers Number

Motorcoaches

Percent

Number

Percent

100 or more

23

0.6%

8,799

24.1%

50 to 99

50

1.4%

3,278

9.0%

25 to 49

155

4.3%

5,378

14.7%

10 to 24

439

12.1%

6,724

18.4%

1 to 9

2,961

81.6%

12,342

33.8%

Industry Total

3,628

100.0%

36,520

100.0%

About the ABA Foundation The American Bus Association Foundation (ABAF) is the scholarship and research arm of the motorcoach, tour and travel industry. The largest non-profit in motorcoach group travel, the ABAF distributes $60,000 a year in scholarships to industry families and invests in research to demonstrate the important role motorcoach transportation plays in society.

28 www.greenazine.com

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29

You Are Fired

Why “you’re fired” is someth boss should be saying

30 www.greenazine.com

thing every Firing people has a bad rap in business. But sometimes, firing someone is the greatest gift you could give the individual impacted, as well as the remaining team members and yourself.

Leading well requires having the right people in the right roles at the right times, which means not just hiring smart, but firing smart as well.

So how do you fire smart when most decent leaders dread this essential task?

Have the right mindset If you get paid to make tough and timely calls while casting the best team you can, you need to accept the following truth about firing: Your employee has behaved their way to the outcome they are experiencing.

Whether the circumstances are clear and require swift termination – i.e. an egregious violation of company policy – or the far more difficult circumstance, in which you are proactively choosing to upgrade talent, the employee’s behavior has influenced the outcome.

The latter scenario is far more difficult for most leaders to address because it can seem inhumane to fire someone who perhaps was a good performer, but is no longer performing, or to terminate a “B player” to make room for an “A player.”

This is precisely why leaders should be saying, “You’re fired.” If you avoid doing what needs to be done, you are also avoiding the painful reality that your inactivity will cause your top performers to lose respect for you.

No one wants to work with mediocre teammates. It’s unfair to everyone else on your team for you NOT to fire people who aren’t contributing at the level they should be.

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31

Be smart – don’t give HR an excuse to block your decision Many leaders use the lame excuse that they would have fired Joe or Sally long ago if only HR hadn’t prevented them from doing so. But when you dig deeper, typically, the leader hasn’t had the required truth-telling conversations with the underperforming employee along the way. Even if they have, they have failed to note it so that they can prove it.

Don’t make this mistake. Documenting performance conversations need not be onerous. Use Post It notes or a notes app on your phone – doesn’t matter. Just make sure to capture the issue, your message to the employee (and their response), the date/location of discussion. In today’s litigious society, it pays to be smart about this.

If the performance doesn’t improve in a reasonable amount of time, pull out your notes, summarize for your boss or HR and have the conversation with the employee.

Acknowledge that firing someone stinks When it is time to have the dreaded conversation, remember that for most leaders, it never gets easier.

It’s incredibly upsetting to sit across from another human being and deliver the ultimate rejection. This is normal, and it makes you human.

But don’t use these uncomfortable feelings as an excuse not to take action. As a leader, you are paid to be courageous. You are paid to do the hard stuff.

Don’t avoid, deny or postpone releasing someone from a role in which they aren’t successful because you feel guilty. Often, even though it’s incredibly tough to be fired, ultimately there’s relief. Most people know when they are failing, and most people want to please their boss. When they know they can’t, or that it just isn’t working, it can be liberating to be freed from that position.

Be kind, clear and courageous However, the employee is likely going to take the news poorly. As a leader, it’s imperative for you to think beforehand about how you are going to terminate

32 www.greenazine.com

them (where the discussion takes place, what you’ll say, what support they’ll have afterwards, how the employee’s departure will be communicated to the team, etc.).

It’ll be bad enough for the employee to go home and tell their family they’ve lost their job. It will be immensely worse if you botch the process by being heavy-handed, pompous, insensitive, overly chummy, completely absent (having HR deliver the news instead), or treating them like a criminal and frogmarching them out of the building (unless, of course, they are a criminal – in which case, take their badge and get them out).

Ask yourself how you would want to be treated if your roles were reversed, and behave accordingly.

Just do it Firing smart requires you to be willing to actually do it. We accept tough decisions in our sports teams – players get traded, contracts aren’t renewed, etc. Yet in business, there’s lethargy and general unwillingness to courageously take action on what is generally obvious to everyone. People know when teammates aren’t cutting it.

There’s no better feeling than that of leading a team of terrific, high-performing people who respect one another. You have the ability to make that happen.

And you, more than anyone else, benefit the most from having a strong team.

Your life is easier. You get better results. You are less stressed and more fulfilled. And far more likely to advance in your career.

Bottom line? It’s time you said, “You’re fired.” It’s a sign of great leadership.

Article by Mindy Mackenzie seen on www.upstart.bizjournals.com

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33

New Health Form Detailing

FMCSA Requires Use of New Health Form Detailing More Thorough Medical Histories 34 www.greenazine.com

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35

A new version of the commercial vehicle driver medical examination report form requires truckers to provide more thorough medical histories and answer more questions.

Examiners say the new form, required as of April 20, could generate more exemption requests to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration from drivers who have disqualifying conditions.

“There really are a lot of changes to the form, and there are underlying changes that are game changers that drivers don’t even know about,” said Michael Megehee, an FMCSA-certified medical examiner and president of TeamCME, a nationwide network of medical examiners.

For example, Megehee said one of the changes is that the form makes clear drivers must list their complete medical histories, rather than just illnesses or injuries the past five years.

In addition, several questions probe more deeply for signs of obstructive sleep apnea, a focus of FMCSA due to its potential relationship with fatigue, said Brian Morris, associate medical director for AllOne Health.

“There are pros and cons to the new form,” said Morris, also a member of FMCSA’s medical review board. “The intent of the form, based on what I see, is to get a more thorough medical history from the drivers than ever before.”

Morris added, “It’s a way of keeping people honest. The history is more important than the actual exam, in my opinion.”

FMCSA spokesman Duane DeBruyne said that there have been no changes to medical regulations, and the revised form is simpler and more efficient than the old form.

The revised medical examination report form “reflects current medical terminology and examination components and is an encompassing, ‘self-contained’ document” that will be electronically transmitted to state agencies and

36 www.greenazine.com

provide cost savings to motor carriers, drivers, medical examiners, the states and to FMCSA,” DeBruyne told Transport Topics.

The form seeks answers to 32 questions about medical conditions or problems, compared with 26 on the now-defunct form, adding such questions as whether drivers have, or ever have had, cancer, broken bones or high cholesterol.

Many questions are asked in a more open-ended manner, intended to encourage discussion with the examiner.

For example, the form asks if a driver has eye problems or ear and/or hearing problems. The old form is more specific, asking if a driver has eye disorders or impaired vision or ear disorders, loss of hearing or balance.

The new form also adds such questions as, “Have you ever spent a night in the hospital? Have you ever had a sleep test? Do you currently drink alcohol?”

It also requires that examiners take drivers’ blood pressure in a sitting position, not allowing it to be taken lying down. Blood pressure readings tend to register lower when taken from a reclining position.

Morris said some of the common complaints he’s heard about the form from fellow medical examiners are over the new “not sure” response, a lack of spec-?ific numbers on what constitutes high blood pressure, no requirement to calculate a body mass index number and not enough room on the form for a driver’s medical history.

Megehee said one of the major changes that drivers might not appreciate is a requirement for a follow-up exam if there is a 90-day medical certificate due to high blood pressure — the most common problem that examiners diagnose.

“If he comes back the next day and his blood pressure is now acceptable and you issue a new card, you have to perform a full, complete new

exam on that day,” MeGehee said. “That means two exams, and I’m going to guess that drivers aren’t going to get that second exam for free.”

However, the new form allows physicians to issue a “determination pending” exam report if they are uncertain whether to disqualify a driver. In that case, the driver would be allowed to drive until his current medical card expires.

“This allows the medical examiner to delay, by up to 45 days, the decision on whether to issue a card,” Megehee said.

Morris said he has been using the new form for a few months, but has received few, if any, complaints from drivers that it is too burdensome.

Article by Eric Miller seen on www.ttnews.com

A new version of the commercial vehicle driver medical examination report form requires truckers to provide more thorough medical histories and answer more questions.

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37

LGBT Rights

EEOC Acts Again on LG

38 www.greenazine.com

GBT Rights The EEOC has again taken the reins on LGBT rights by issuing some “Bathroom” guidance, giving employers a further strong indication of where the agency is leaning when it comes to enforcement of LGBT rights in the workplace.

In the guidance, the EEOC makes clear again its position that Title VII prohibits discrimination against employees who are transgender – a term the guidance explains covers any person whose “gender identity or expression is different from the sex assigned to them at birth.”

The EEOC highlights the Macy v. Dept of Justice case, (April 2012) when the EEOC first ruled that denying an employee “equal access to a common restroom – corresponding to that employee’s gender identity – is a form of sex discrimination.”

The employer cannot condition use of that bathroom on proof that the employee had surgery or a medical procedure.

The employer cannot get around this requirement by offering the employee access to a single sex or private bathroom.

Also, the guidance expressly states that differences between state and federal law cannot be used as a basis to discriminate against LGBT workers.

In answering the question as to how an employer can “accommodate” the beliefs of other employees, who may not be comfortable with this, the agency is very clear: “Supervisory or co-worker confusion or anxiety cannot justify discriminatory terms and conditions of employment. Title VII prohibits discrimination based on sex, www.greenazine.com

39

whether motivated by hostility, by a desire to protect people of a certain gender, by gender stereotypes, or by the desire to accommodate other people’s prejudices or discomfort”.

What is your takeaway? This is clearly a priority for the EEOC, and you do not want to get in the agency’s crosshairs on this important issue.

You must educate your managers. Make them aware that the company will not condone poor treatment of gay or lesbian employees, and that they must be sensitive to the needs of transgender employees.

If an employee identifies as transgender, make sure that a manager brings this to the attention of senior management and Human Resources, so that the company can consider carefully how it is going to respond. Enlist outside legal assistance, as needed.

More importantly, open a line of communication with the employee. No one can offer pat answers as to how to handle this sensitive issue, but having an open dialogue with the employee (and his/her manager) will lead to a better outcome.

If an employee is transitioning, again communication with that employee and his/her peers is key. How does the employee want to announce the transition?

How does the employee want to be addressed? Will there be a name change? How should other workers be informed?

The EEOC is now crystal clear on this bathroom issue: the transgender employee must be given access to the restroom of their chosen gender. It does not matter if there has been surgery. Again, communication with the employee and candid discussions with other staff will be crucial in getting through this potentially difficult issue.

Most employees today, given our times, are much more open and accepting of colleagues with different lifestyles. Thus, with some frank discussion and open lines of communication, most will be accepting of LGBT colleagues. The EEOC and many courts have made clear that employees who are not accepting, under federal law, are engaging in discrimination.

40 www.greenazine.com

The EEOC has again taken the reins on LGBT rights by issuing some “Bathroom” guidance, giving employers a further strong indication of where the agency is leaning when it comes to enforcement of LGBT rights in the workplace.

As an employer, a company cannot ‘tolerate’ discrimination against the LGBT community, any more than it would ‘tolerate’ discrimination based on gender or race or any other protected group.

Article By Barbara E. Hoey seen on www.labordaysblog.com

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41

Safety Standard

New U.S. DOT proposed safety standard establishes additional safety for motorcoach and large bus occupants The U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) today proposed a new Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard that will help reduce fatalities and injuries in motorcoach and large bus crashes by mitigating occupant ejection.

The Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) specifies a new impactor test on the glazing material of side and rear windows and glass panels on the roof of motorcoaches and large buses. The test simulates an unbelted occupant impacting a window on the opposite side of the bus during a bus rollover crash.

The proposal would drive the installation of advanced glazing and improved emergency exit latches in motorcoaches and large buses.

42 www.greenazine.com

Preventing occupant ejection is a high priority for the DOT and NHTSA, as noted in the DOT Motorcoach Safety Action Plan. NHTSA has taken a multifaceted approach to addressing this safety problem. In 2013, the agency issued a final rule requiring seat belts at all seating positions in motorcoaches to mitigate occupant ejection and improve crash protection.

In 2014, NHTSA issued an NPRM for improved rollover structural integrity that would also ensure window glazing does not pop out of its mounting and emergency exits do not open inadvertently during a rollover crash. NHTSA is now proposing performance requirements for preventing the windows and roof panels themselves from becoming ejection portals due to occupant loading during a rollover crash.

NHTSA is also proposing to improve emergency exits in motorcoaches and large buses by requiring that emergency exit latches remain operable after the proposed impact tests and by limiting the protrusions of emergency exit latches into emergency exit window openings to ensure they do not unduly hinder emergency egress.

Article seen on www.nhtsa.gov

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45

Employee Performance Reviews

How to Give Better Employee Performance Reviews

46 www.greenazine.com

Conducting regular performance reviews is an important and constructive way to evaluate the contributions an employee is making to the company.

But the traditional practice of sitting down once or twice a year to discuss what an employee has done well and needs to improve on simply isn’t cutting it anymore.

In a recent study, employee engagement company TINYpulse polled over 1,000 professionals to find out what they thought about their reviews. The results showed that employees are generally dissatisfied with traditional performance reviews: 37 percent said they think the process is outdated, and 42 percent said they think managers leave important elements out of their review due to bias. Nearly a quarter of respondents even said they “feared” their performance review, especially those in the millennial generation.

“Traditional annual performance reviews are inadequate,” said Matt Hulett, chief product officer of TINYpulse. “They’re biased towards recent work, goals aren’t communicated clearly, there’s misalignment in objectives between organizations and employees, and quite simply, the whole process just takes too long.

With more and more ... workers wanting change, the time for a performance review system upgrade is now.”

In a recent article for The Washington Post, Cliff Stevenson, a senior recent analyst for the Institute for Corporate Productivity, said that, to date, nearly 10 percent of Fortune 500 companies have done away with annual employee performance reviews. Many large companies — such as The Gap, Adobe, Costco, GE and Microsoft, to name a few — have scrapped their traditional review programs in favor of systems that incorporate newer technology and immediate feedback to employees after assignments while still maintaining documentation of performance.

Here are some suggestions to follow their lead in revamping your company’s employee review process.

1. Embrace technology. There is an increasing trend

in the development and use of employee engagement apps, such as TINYpulse, Impraise and Workday.

These apps give employees and managers a chance to

communicate regarding assignments daily, tracking progress, providing feedback and incorporating other business aspects so that each member of the team is on track and on the same page.

2. Institute performance-related pay increases.

Sixty-four percent of the people polled by TINYpulse wanted pay increases tied to their performance reviews. Consider quarterly bonuses or increases to positively reinforce good work as well as the employee’s confidence that you value him or her as both an individual and a contributor.

3. Make reviews more frequent. With immediate

feedback provided on social media sites like Facebook, people are increasingly used to hearing the good and bad on our thoughts and actions in real time. TINYpulse found that employees are in favor of more frequent reviews, so consider conducting evaluations at key milestones, such as at the end of a major project, or quarterly. These meetings do not have to be long, but they should highlight the highs and lows of the project or time frame. Such reviews give managers a chance to stay engaged with their direct reports, and also provide an opportunity for continuous improvement by receiving feedback from the employee on what could be improved for the next cycle.

“If you put this new generation in the box of the performance management we’ve used the last 30 years, you lose them,” Accenture CEO Pierre Nanterme told The Washington Post. “People want to know on an ongoing basis, ‘Am I doing right? Am I moving in the right direction? Do you think I’m progressing?’

Nobody’s going to wait for an annual cycle to get that feedback.”

Initiating informal performance reviews When giving informal feedback, managers should avoid general comments, such as “nice work” or “good job,” said Brigette McInnis-Day, executive vice president of human resources at SAP. Instead, they should cite specific examples, such as “Great job leading that meeting,” so the employee knows exactly what behaviors to repeat or change in the future, she said.

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47

Another way to provide ongoing feedback to employees is by collecting and sharing a “crowdsourced” review from other staff members, said Eric Mosley, CEO and co-founder of employee recognition and rewards solution Globoforce. The results of the TINYpulse survey support that suggestion, finding that more than a quarter of respondents would like to have coworkers involved in the review process.

•

Quality and quantity of work: accuracy, thoroughness, productivity and goal attainment

•

Communication and interpersonal skills: teamwork, cooperation, listening, persuasion and empathy

•

Planning, administration and organization: goal setting, prioritizing and profit orientation

“Managers should crowdsource reviews about an employee’s work from their entire staff, so they can get a complete and accurate picture of an employee’s performance throughout the entire year,” Mosley said.

“It provides constant feedback to both individuals and their managers, while informing the community at large of progress. It harnesses the wisdom of the crowds to give accurate and specific feedback on individual performance, and it will harness the power of data analysis to connect performance to profits.

More than anything, it continuously drives company behavior toward a deliberate, strategic culture.”

•

Leadership: accessibility, responsiveness, decisiveness, collaboration and delegating

•

Job knowledge and expertise: knowledge base, training, mentoring, modeling and researching

•

Attitude: dedication, loyalty, reliability, flexibility, initiative, energy and volunteering

•

Ethics: diversity, sustainability, honesty, integrity, fairness and professionalism

•

Creative thinking: innovation, receptiveness, problem solving and originality

•

Self-development and growth: learning, education, advancement, skill building and career planning

Written evaluations: Why words matter Written feedback is an important component of performance evaluations, but many managers find it difficult to complete this task effectively. If positive comments aren’t phrased well, they can sound trite and insincere, and any suggestions for improvement might sound too critical.

Richard Grote, author of “How to Be Good at Performance Appraisals” (Harvard Business Review Press, 2011), said that instead of using terms such as “good” or “excellent” in a review, employers should opt for more measurement-oriented language. In an interview with HRCareers.com, Grote noted that action words — such as “excels,” “exhibits,” “demonstrates,” “grasps,” “generates,” “manages,” “possesses,” “communicates,” “monitors,” “directs” and “achieves” — are more meaningful.

Ken Lloyd, author of “Performance Appraisals & Phrases for Dummies” (For Dummies, 2009), offered a range of words and phrases managers could use for each type of employee responsibility:

48 www.greenazine.com

Performance review samples and templates Examples and templates of performance evaluations can be found on the following websites: Business Balls Drexel University Entrepreneur.com Microsoft

Article by Marci Martin seen on www.businessnewsdaily.com

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