• Mechanical sweeping to handle heavy applications like millings
• Independent broom control for in-the-cut precision
• Single engine for fuel economy and less maintenance
• Simple start-up procedure with easy-to-operate controls
Vacuum Truck Rentals An Inside Look at National Leader
Vacuum Truck Rentals is the United States’ largest commercial truck rental company of its kind. The business primarily serves contractors with their own fleets who often order numerous vacuum trucks designed for particular purposes, such as industrial cleanup jobs. The organization was founded in 1977 by Payton Lockey and B.T. Steadman.
NAS recently met with Bill Gaff, VP of Sales and Marketing, who has been with Vacuum Truck Rentals (VTR) for 14 years. When Bill came aboard, the company had 5 offices and 150 trucks. They just opened a new location in Columbia, South Carolina about 6 months ago, and this month, the booming enterprise is opening its 18th branch in Oklahoma City.
INCEPTION OF THE VACUUM TRUCK RENTALS ENTERPRISE
Before they took over the world of industrial vacuum
truck rental, Steadman was in real estate and Lockey worked in an archery store. They talked over lunch
one day about starting a business. Lockey, who holds a degree in geology, was referred by Steadman to an environmental consulting group sharing office space with his firm.
Payton became involved in environmental cleanup projects and soon discovered a lack of the kind of vacuum equipment needed for a remediation project.
He and B.T. then followed through on their earlier
Before they took over the world of industrial vacuum truck rental, Steadman was in real estate and Lockey worked in an archery store.
business startup discussion, launched VTR, and began opening up an office per year.
Bill Gaff was previously the president of the Vactor Manufacturing company as well as President of the Air and Water Group of Federal Signal. He started in the Sales and Marketing group there: I took a job there straight out of college as a demo operator for two years. His first trip out of the country was to a steel mill in Wuhan, China for training and made 27 trips to China during 29 years with Vactor.
Asked if VTR had someone in his current role before
SPOTLIGHT
him, he said they didn’t and recalls the transition with amusement: Peyton and I knew each other long before I joined the company. He told me four years before I started that I would eventually come to work here. He said they had my skills included in their Needs Analysis. His prediction turned out to be right, and I’m going into my 15th year with the business.
VACUUM TRUCK INVENTORY AND RENTAL OPERATIONS
We currently have close to 1,000 trucks in our rental fleet. We rent road tractors, video inspection vehicles, sewer cleaners, hydro-excavation trucks, and many types of vacuum trucks for a wide variety of applications. Every rental location has a shop with full-time mechanics to maintain our own fleet as well as
provide parts and service for our customers. There’s a sphere of influence on rental activity that we gain around the location of each rental outlet. People won’t drive 700 to 800 miles to get a truck. So, that opens up opportunities for us to increase our service for the area. Our rental fleet moves all over the place daily. Someone may need 30 to 50 trucks here or there. Many of our industrial customers get into plant shutdown situations that may require over 100 trucks. We move assets between locations all the time to put them wherever they’re best utilized.
Probably about 75% of our customers are industrial contractors. Most of the industrial plant work our trucks are used for is done by contractors who rent them for big cleanup jobs. The biggest contractors have the
biggest fleets, but they’re not going to move 50 trucks around for a temporary job. Most of their work does not involve a lot of daily applications for major cleanups. They would buy the trucks if they needed them daily. We supply trucks for work in telecom and other utility businesses. There are a lot of truck rental needs we fulfill for micro-tunneling, pipeline work, etc. We’re currently renting trucks for hydro-excavation for the pipeline.
EQUIPMENT VENDOR MANAGEMENT AT VTR
What makes a good truck for a truck owner and operator isn’t necessarily what is best for a truck rental business. An independent owner/operator may want a lot of things that result in a high level of added complexity, whereas we look for something a user can get in and use easily.
We usually buy from a manufacturer, not a dealer, because of the volume of trucks we’re buying every year. We try to keep a common vendor for each kind of rental truck product we offer, and we want to have a vendor relationship that we’re going to keep long-term. So, we do a background examination of each new prospective vendor. For example, we did a background on ODRA before recently adding them as a supplier.
VACUUM TRUCK RENTALS ADDS ODRA LINE
We get requests periodically for sweepers. In pavement sweepers, we look for simplicity and ease of maintenance. We look at its lifecycle, periodic maintenance requirements, etc. And, of course, we look for equipment that will do a great job. In milling
SPOTLIGHT
We’ve had a handful of vacuum and regenerative sweepers. We typically look at used equipment for this use.
and paving debris cleanup, for example, milling debris is very aggressive material, so you need a very good street sweeper for that type of cleanup. ODRAs do a great job for milling.
We’ve had a handful of vacuum and regenerative sweepers. We typically look at used equipment for this use. We’ve never bought new ones to put in the rental fleet. We were never really comfortable with investing in them for various reasons. But ODRA solves those problems.
They are non-CDL, they’re high-dump, and they’re comparatively very simple to operate. They’re competitively priced, and the only big-dollar expense on ODRAs for parts that you have to change is the elevator. We performed a lifecycle costing analysis, and the ODRA has exceeded our expectations on that point.
We’ve talked to a number of customers that use ODRAs who say they will buy more of them soon. I knew some Elgin dealers that had 20 to 30 of them in their rental fleet. And, the deliveries from ODRA are still reasonable. From at least one sweeper truck manufacturer we’re familiar with, it can take two years to get it after your order. So, we’re happy to add the new ODRAs.
EXPANSION PLANS FOR VACUUM TRUCK RENTAL
Our last new office opening was in Oklahoma City, and we’ll continue westward expansion. I think you can’t open a bunch of new locations in one year and do it right. On top of annual purchasing, you have to add 30 to 50 trucks per year for expansion. When we add to our product offering, we like to add equipment that many of our customers already have an application for. ODRA was a perfect example of people asking for products we didn’t have. Our plan now is to expand the ODRA mechanical sweeper to more of our locations.
[VTR has also recently expanded its upper management team. The manager of strategic accounts was just promoted to the VP of Strategic Sales, and the company has also recently made two promotions from local to regional management positions. Bill notes that one of the advancements is at least partly for the purpose of grooming his replacement. He said he plans to retire within the next 2 to 3 years. He had
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SPOTLIGHT
started retiring during COVID but delayed it until a better time for it.]
VEHICLE PARTS, REPAIRS, AND MAINTENANCE AT VTR
Vacuum Truck Rentals is the largest distributor of vacuum hoses for industrial services in the United States. The company also provides a wide range of
hoses, nozzles, fittings, pumps, blowers, hydraulic components, and other parts for industrial and environmental services. That includes accessories for hydro-excavation, sewer cleaning, and custom accessories for various needs.
We are a high consumer of the parts for trucks in our fleet. Our purchasing manager at the Jackson office works to ensure we receive the best possible pricing based on our buying volume. You have to stay on the front end of maintenance and repairs. Every truck goes through a video inspection before and after each rental. They’re all well maintained.
We have to follow the regulations. So, we have GPS in all the rental trucks, to see how many hours or miles since a truck was last serviced and other essential information. To maintain electronic logs, we have to have ports in all the rental trucks for laptops. We really have to stay on top of that.
There are also a lot of market-specific applications we need to provide. For example, some trucks need grounding units to eliminate static charge. Others are in manufacturing plants that are diesel engine runaway environments (high VOCs), so we have to outfit trucks with automatic shutoff systems to help prevent incidents.
BUILDING THE VACUUM TRUCK RENTALS BRAND
All the management team understands that we’re in a service business. When a contractor asks us for something, we know there are multiple options for them to rent. We’re the largest because we provide the best service. We answer the phone when people call and provide the help they need when they need it. Typically, when they call they have a problem they
need to have solved. We probably react better and do a better job of service overall than the customer has experienced in the past. When repairs need to be done, we treat our customers the way we want to be treated. Peyton and B.T. came from the bottom too, so they understand what it is for people to do the kinds of work our trucks are used for, and they respect that.
ADVICE FOR SWEEPER EQUIPMENT MANUFACTURERS FROM BILL GAFF, VACUUM TRUCK RENTALS
I used to be on the manufacturing side and now am on the rental side. I think some manufacturers lose sight of what the trucks are used for and make them too complicated. It can get ridiculous. I think it’s predictable that the simpler designs will increase market share over the coming years. And, the emissions considerations are key to reducing
the amount of upfront and backend costs that vacuum truck buyers must bear. The manufacturing plants and renters that use the trucks don’t want to pay 40% higher prices for a lot of extras that they don’t need. The value proposition you offer should account for the real necessities, though they are costly, and still allow you and your customer to maintain a mutually beneficial relationship.
For more information about the Vacuum Truck Rentals company or equipment rental, you can call (888) 955-2087, email info@vactruckrental.
STREAMLINING JOB COSTING FOR PAVING PROJECTS: TOOLS AND TIPS
Effectively managing costs is a game-changer for street sweeping and paving contractors. Accurate job costing can mean the difference between a profitable project and one that eats into your margins. Let’s explore some practical tools and tips for streamlining job costing for your paving projects.
UNDERSTANDING JOB COSTING
Job costing is all about tracking every expense related to a project. This includes labor, materials, equipment and overhead costs. By breaking down these expenses, you can get a clear picture of where your money is going and make informed decisions to keep your projects on budget.
THE IMPORTANCE OF ACCURATE JOB COSTING
Accurate job costing helps you:
4 Bid more competitively: Knowing your costs allows you to bid accurately, increasing your chances of winning contracts without sacrificing profit.
4 Manage resources efficiently: You can allocate resources more effectively by understanding where your money is going.
4 Improve profitability: Identifying cost overruns early helps you take corrective actions before they impact your bottom line.
QuickBooks Online and Xero
are popular choices that offer robust job costing features. .
TOOLS FOR STREAMLINING JOB COSTING
To make job costing more efficient, there are several tools available that can help you track and manage your expenses accurately:
4 Construction management software: Tools like Procore, Buildertrend and CoConstruct offer comprehensive solutions for tracking project costs. These platforms integrate with accounting software, providing real-time updates on expenses and budgets.
4 Mobile apps: Solutions like Quickbooks Time and ClockShark help track labor costs by allowing workers to clock in and out from their smartphones. This data syncs with your job costing software, guaranteeing accurate labor cost tracking.
4 Cloud-based accounting software: QuickBooks Online and Xero are popular choices that offer
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BUSINESS CORNER
Divide your project into smaller tasks and assign costs to each.
robust job costing features. They allow you to track expenses, generate reports and manage invoices from anywhere.
TIPS FOR EFFECTIVE JOB COSTING
Implementing effective job costing practices can significantly improve your project management and profitability. Here are some tips to help you get started:
4 Break down costs: Divide your project into smaller
tasks and assign costs to each. This makes it easier to track expenses and identify areas where you can cut costs.
4 Use detailed cost codes: Implement a detailed cost coding system to categorize expenses accurately. This will help you track costs more precisely and simplify reporting.
4 Regularly update costs: Keep your cost data upto-date by regularly entering expenses into your job costing software so that you always have the latest information to make informed decisions.
4 Monitor labor costs: Labor is often one of the largest expenses in paving projects. Use timetracking tools to monitor labor costs in real-time and adjust as needed.
4 Review and adjust: Regularly review your job costing reports to identify trends and areas for improvement. Based on these insights, adjust your processes to improve future project profitability. COMMON PITFALLS AND HOW TO AVOID THEM
Even with the best tools and practices, there are common pitfalls that can derail your job costing efforts. Here are a few to watch out for:
4 Inaccurate time tracking: If your team isn’t accurately tracking their time, your labor costs will be off. Make sure everyone understands the importance of precise time tracking and use tools that make it easy for them to do so.
4 Overlooking small expenses: Small expenses can add up quickly. Make sure you’re capturing all costs, no matter how minor they seem. This includes things like fuel, small tools and incidental supplies.
4 Not updating costs in real-time: Delays in updating your job costing software can lead to outdated information, making it harder to make informed decisions. Aim
to update costs as they occur to keep your data current.
4 Ignoring overhead costs: Overhead costs, such as office rent and administrative salaries, are
BUSINESS CORNER
often overlooked in job costing. Make sure you’re allocating a portion of these costs to each project to get a true picture of your expenses.
ADVANCED STRATEGIES FOR JOB COSTING
For those looking to take their job costing to the next level, consider these advanced strategies:
4 Implement job costing templates: Create templates for different types of projects. This can save time and create more consistency in how costs are tracked and reported.
4 Use historical data : Analyze past projects to identify trends and improve future cost estimates. This can help you spot areas where you consistently go over budget and make adjustments.
4 Integrate with other systems: Integrate your job costing software with other systems, such as
project management and procurement tools. This can streamline data entry and provide a more comprehensive view of your project costs.
4 Regular training: Make sure your team is welltrained on your job costing processes and tools. Regular training sessions can help keep everyone on the same page and improve accuracy.
MASTER JOB COSTING FOR PAVING SUCCESS
Streamlining job costing is essential for paving contractors looking to stay competitive and profitable. By leveraging the right tools and following best practices, you can gain better control over your project costs and make more informed decisions. Start implementing these tips today to see a positive impact on your bottom line.
READY TO TAKE YOUR JOB COSTING TO THE
NEXT
LEVEL?
Subscribe to the North American Sweeper magazine for more industry insights, expert advice and the latest tools to help you streamline your paving operations and maximize profitability.
Keystone Plastics has been manufacturing the industry’s leading replacement brooms for street sweeping and road construction since 1954. At Keystone we believe in reliable quality and strive to make the heaviest, longest lasting brooms in the industry. We also believe the only good broom is the one that arrives to you as promised. Contact us to find a distributor near you.
IN THE NEWS
ELGIN SWEEPER RELEASES DUALEYES™ ON REGENX
ELGIN, Illinois — Elgin Sweeper announced the new Elgin DualEyes Camera system for visibility on the front right tire and front right corner of the sweeper in addition to the right-side broom. This enhanced visibility of the curbline shows any possible obstructions in the sweeper’s path.
The new DualEyes will first be available on the Elgin RegenX – a mid-dump, regenerative air sweeper that is both reliable and durable. The DualEyes system is for use when there is no right-hand steering available, so operating the sweeper from the left-hand position is possible. This helps reduce costs and chassis lead times.
Elgin’s RegenX is known for being easy to use, and with DualEyes, that ease is increased...
“Elgin’s RegenX is known for being easy to use, and with DualEyes, that ease is increased,” said Jeff Tolzin, product engineering manager, Elgin Sweeper “Delivering quality and proven technology is Elgin’s key focus, and DualEyes offers that enhanced technology that helps operators clean streets even more effectively.”
DualEyes can be used in bright sunlight or in darkness without any lighting. A clear color picture is available at night due to the use of Starlight Technology. The camera integrates rear-view and pickup head cameras on RegenX sweepers utilizing a 10 inch dash-mounted screen, so operators only have
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IN THE NEWS
one central location they need to look.
Beyond increased visibility, the new DualEyes also delivers reliability. It is both waterproof and dustproof. A heavy-duty zinc casing on all cameras helps enhance durability.
“These viewing angles help Elgin customers,” said Tolzin. “DualEyes provides safe and effective operations with better visibility of traffic. From maneuvering around cars to navigating cul-de-sacs, the DualEyes helps operators productively complete the job in comfort.”
For more information about DualEyes, visit ElginSweeper.com.
About Elgin Sweeper Company
Sold and serviced through a network of more than 100 dealer locations worldwide, Elgin Sweeper products are the sweepers of choice for a variety of general street maintenance, special industrial and airport applications. For more information, visit www.ElginSweeper.com.
About Federal Signal
Federal Signal Corporation (NYSE: FSS) builds and delivers equipment of unmatched quality that moves material, cleans infrastructure and protects the communities where we work and live. For more information on Federal Signal, visit www.FederalSignal.com.
IN THE NEWS
OAKMONT CAPITAL SERVICES PROMOTES SALES AND MARKETING LEADERS:
DOLL AND PIEKANSKI
West Chester, PA, September 9, 2024 – Oakmont Capital Services (OCS) is pleased to announce the promotion of two leaders, Kristy Doll, CLFP, to Lead Account Manager and Keara M. Piekanski, MBA, CLFP, to Vice President of Marketing & Communications. Doll has been a member of the OCS team since 2021, and Piekanski joined OCS in 2018.
Kristy Doll , CLFP, has been promoted from Account Manager to Lead Account Manager. She is responsible for training and overseeing the Account Management team, ensuring elevated customer experience for current clients. Her reputation for five-star service across various industries, including tool trucks, tree care, rental, construction, and landscaping, makes her a fantastic asset to OCS . She is known to go above and beyond for her customers and her colleagues.
“Kristy has demonstrated ongoing leadership aptitude during her time with our team, always leading by example,” said Tatum Noreen, CLFP and Inside Sales Manager. “She is dedicated to OCS , committed to her customers, and supportive of her direct team and colleagues.”
Keara M. Piekanski , MBA, CLFP, has been promoted from Director of Marketing to Vice President of Marketing and Communications. She will continue leading the marketing team and OCS’s strategic marketing efforts in this role. Her responsibilities have been heightened as OCS was recently acquired by JA Mitsui
Leasing Group, requiring her to develop an elevated brand presence while formulating a sharpened comprehensive strategic marketing plan to align with the company’s amplified goals in the marketplace.
“I have managed and collaborated with Keara since day one at OCS . I am happy to announce that after six years of service, her position has been elevated to usher OCS into the next phase of its journey,” said Jim Peach, CLFP and SVP of Sales & Marketing at OCS
“Our team, especially sales, relies on the support of our marketers to ensure our brand presence is broad and deep. I’m excited to see what Keara will accomplish in her new role to build OCS' brand further and support the company’s growth trajectory.”
About Oakmont Capital Services
Since 1998, Oakmont Capital Services (OCS) has helped owners across various industries finance the equipment needed to run small to medium-sized businesses. OCS, part of JA Mitsui Leasing Group, provides fast, easy, flexible, and reliable commercial financing and working capital with a streamlined, tech-forward approach. The OCS team in both Pennsylvania and Minnesota are passionate about helping fuel business growth for their customers and partners. We Make It Possible. For more information, visit www. oakmontfinance.com.
ADVERTORIAL
EVERY SWEEPER TOOL FOR YOUR STREET SWEEPING PROGRAM
By Matt Starnes – Product Marketing Manager, Bucher Municipal North America, Inc.
LEADING WITH OUR EARS?
It’s true, we like to listen and learn about your street sweeping program challenges before we start telling you about us. When you speak with any of our product specialists or sales representatives, our first question is, “What do you sweep 80% of the time?” Why is this our first question? We want to understand what your sweeping application is to determine if we’re a good fit. If we are a good fit, and most of the time we do have a sweeping solution that fits, then we’ll move on to options, delivery times, and the rest. Because if we’re not a good fit for what you need the sweeper to do, there’s no need to talk price. We will refer you to a person or company we think is a good fit. We like to keep the process simple and transparent. It’s all about what you (or your municipality needs). We’re confident we have a solution for your most difficult environmental cleaning conditions.
YOUR FEEDBACK BUILT US
It really is all your fault. Your feedback on our sweeping solutions lead to the refinement of all our sweepers over the years and continues to do so. As a result, we have sweepers for you in every size and technology. We manufacture pure vacuum, mechanical, and regenerative air street sweepers. We have truck mounted, mid-vac and compact sweepers.
...we debuted our all-electric mid-vac CityCat VR50e sweeper with a 7.5 yd3 hopper. We also have an established electric version of our truck mounted pure vacuum V65 sweeper we will launch soon in Canada and the US.
IT’S ELECTRIC
The talk of the town for the last year is all-electric street sweepers for the environmentally conscious municipalities and their communities. Bucher’s first all-electric sweeper in North America was the CityCat V20e (2.6 3) compact sweeper. At the 2023 PWX Show in San Diego, we debuted our all-electric mid-vac CityCat VR50e sweeper with a 7.5 yd 3 hopper. We also have an established electric version of our truck mounted pure vacuum V65 sweeper we will launch soon in Canada and the US.
TRUCK MOUNTED SWEEPERS
We make three types of truck mounted sweepers:
Pure vacuum, mechanical, and regenerative air. These chassis mounted workhorses provide power, capacity, and can be driven on highways.
PURE VACUUM
Our industry standard, pure vacuum sweeper is the MaxPowa V65 (available in single and twin-engine versions). The V65 has an 8.5 yd 3 9-gauge stainless steel constructed hopper with a 410-gallon water tank. Our pure vacuum sweeper has “unhanded” sweeper gear components, energy-efficient fan system, direct drive with fluid coupler & step-up gear box transmission, and no belts to adjust. The V65 has a 12’ sweep path with “straight inlet” vacuum. The sweeper is PM 10/2.5 certified. We also offer, as standard, a
top loading catch basin cleaner that rotates 270° for complete work coverage. Bucher uses high pressure water in the sweeping process, which gives us the advantage of first pass sweeping. The combination of sweeping brushes and high-pressure water makes quick work of the dirtiest, and toughest sweeping challenges. Pure vacuum services are best for street sweeping on flat or crowned roads.
REGENERATIVE AIR
Our regenerative air sweeper, the single-engine MaxPowa R65, features an energy-efficient fan system, direct heavy duty coupled motor, no belts to adjust. The R65 has a 12’ sweep path with aggressive “unhanded” 44’ leading arm digger-type gutter brooms
the MaxPowa E35m single-engine
mechanical sweeper won the Contractor’s Choice Silver award.
which provide the ability to sweep/scrub in front of 93” pick-up head. Regenerative air sweepers work best on flat surface ways but lose performance on crowned roads.
MECHANICAL
Our “Bulldozer of Street Sweepers”, the MaxPowa E35m single-engine mechanical sweeper won the Contractor’s Choice Silver award. The E35’s variable dump height 4.5 yd 3 hopper reaches up to 12’6”, so it can dump into on ground dumpsters or dump truck beds. Municipalities and contractors use mechanical sweepers for concrete millings, chunks of asphalt, broken pavement, mud, and a variety of construction and paving debris.
PEACE OF MIND FACTORY WARRANTY
Our truck mounted sweepers come with our best in industry: 2yr/2000hr “No Hassle, All-Inclusive” full machine warranty. LIFETIME WARRANTY debris hopper & water tank.
COMPACTS
Our CityCat V20 and V20e utilize efficient purevacuum technology and are available in diesel and all-electric.
Featuring:
4 High maneuverability and articulated steering
4 2.6 yd 3 usable volume debris hopper
4 9’ sweeping width
4 112-gallon water volume
4 2-year full machine warranty
Best of all, no CDL required.
MID-VACS
Our CityCat 5006 and VR50e also utilize efficient purevacuum technology and are available in diesel and all-electric.
Featuring:
4 Hydrostatic 4-wheel steering
4 9’6” turning radius
4 7.3 yd 3 usable volume debris hopper
4 235-gallon water tank
4 11’5” sweeping width
4 Variable dump height up to 61” with tipping angle of 51”
4 2-year full machine warranty
Like our compact, no CDL required.
SO, WHICH SWEEPER IS RIGHT FOR YOU?
Still have questions on which sweeper or sweepers are best for your street sweeper program? We offer an industry report (educational, not a sales document) to help you make the best-informed choice when purchasing a sweeper. The 5 Things You MUST Know BEFORE Buying a Street Sweeper. The report is available for free on our website: www.buchermunicipal.com/us/en
About Bucher Municipal North America, Inc.
Cities and contractors turn to Bucher Municipal when they feel frustrated and stuck being pigeonholed into cleaning their streets with no other options while failing to meet stormwater compliance. We free cities from this trap of one size fits all by supplying and supporting a full product line to fit every sweeping challenge better than any other manufacturer on Earth.
Bucher gets you unstock with first pass sweeping = Endless Sweeping Solutions. Bucher Municipal North America, Inc. 105 Motorsports Road Mooresville, NC 28115
704-658-1333
www.buchermunicipal.com/us/en
BUSINESS CORNER
SIX Q4 OBJECTIVES FOR EVERY PAVEMENT SWEEPING BUSINESS
If you and your team have been moving at a fast pace this year, either servicing, selling, repairing, putting out miscellaneous fires, or all of the above, you may have left some things crying out from your list of unmet 2024 objectives. With the season slowing down for many northern operators over the next couple of months, Q4 may offer the breathing room you need to catch up. Even southern service providers may have breaks in the action in early Q4 as the summer vacationers have gone home and the snowbirds are not due until November. This could be your moment to tackle some elusive but important objectives.
WHAT KINDS OF OBJECTIVES SHOULD YOU TAKE ON IN Q4?
First, scrape up your shattered hopes for objectives that have been back-burnered so long that they’ve grown mold back there. Why not get those cooking as hot priorities so you can get them off your back and onto your list of things to celebrate at the end of the year. If you have the bandwidth, maybe even take on some new opportunities to bring 2024 to a strong finish in terms of accomplishing important objectives.
For strong SEO, get help from a professional web marketing agency..
Here are a half dozen very worthy objectives to help get the ball rolling:
1. Complete SEO Work on Segments of Web Content. There’s a lot to do to achieve the level of SEO effectiveness that boosts your website’s qualified traffic, lead generation, conversion rates, and customer lifetime value. A comprehensive SEO program includes much more than sifting through your website’s pages and putting a lot of keywords in those. In fact, you need to beware of “keyword stuffing,” as Google stiffly penalizes sites that do that. It can sink your business if you are in a market that is at all competitive.
For strong SEO, get help from a professional web marketing agency. Your agency can identify the most productive keywords and disperse them most advantageously throughout your site and across the web at large on your business’s behalf. Your agency will also guide you in SEO for social platforms. The
pros will further set you up for Google My Business and other online marketing ad options.
A full-service web marketing service will further ensure that your pages are functioning at optimum speed and that the page elements are behaving well, including on mobile devices. The service will evaluate your URL, your hosting service, your site security, and much more.
Those professionals can truly optimize your online reputation and maximize your results from building it. And, be sure to ask your customers to write reviews you can use on your website and to post them on Yelp and elsewhere online.
2. Coat Hoppers with Anti-Corrosive Material. Whether you’re in northern climates with a lot of salt in use on roadways, or in southern coastal areas where there is a lot of sand and salt blowing on roads, protecting the hoppers on your sweepers is recommended. If you plan to paint on a coating, be sure to repair gaps in seals, and prepare the surface by removing rust and corrosion and sanding it well to ensure good adhesion.
Alternatively, some sweeper truck manufacturers make hopper liners and may or may not install them for you after purchase. Some high-quality liners from at least one major sweeper truck manufacturer come with a lifetime warranty. It is suggested that having the hopper coated as part of the original manufacturing is likely to last longer and cost less than having it applied later.
3. Review Job Safety Training. For some objectives, it can seem like there’s just never
really a good period to spend precious time on them and that there are always more pressing priorities that must preempt plans to get the team together for the dreaded chore of completing the objective. Reviewing safety highlights with the group may be one of those things.
But, what’s more important than staff and customer safety? Nothing. Yet, we may become so delinquent in maintaining routine periodic group reviews of essential safety protocols and practices that we seem to give lip service to a fading semblance of our sworn commitment to safety as the top priority. That’s bad. So, why not gather the group, get out the book, and do the thing this quarter? (And more frequently next year. Maybe break the presentation into segments for minipresentations at monthly productivity and planning meetings, if that works better.)
...ultimately, people recognize whether they’re working for leadership that relates to and cares about their desire to
make the most of their own futures.
4. Start an Employee in a Certification Program. However grateful and loyal your staff is, ultimately, people recognize whether they’re working for leadership that relates to and cares about their desire to make the most of their own futures. Whether that will be with the company or moving on to a higher or
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Implementing Lean systems, processes, and procedures is another one of those areas of objectives that is easy to neglect and that can seem like a Herculean struggle to drag back on track.
business managers are the first to identify something they can make leaner in their operations. Implementing Lean systems, processes, and procedures is another one of those areas of objectives that is easy to neglect and that can seem like a Herculean struggle to drag back on track. It doesn’t have to be that way. All business managers should take it seriously. It is, after all, the difference between demonstrating company pride in professionalism and the other thing — a big mess.
just a different position elsewhere in the industry or in another field, workers know that where they are now is where they need to gain some of what they will need in order to succeed if they choose to pursue anything beyond their current role during their career lifetime. Excellent ways management can meet their responsibility to help individuals develop professionally include both advanced on-the-job training and subsidizing applicable formal educational opportunities of some form. For example, paying for job-related college courses or enrolling them in industry certification programs. To make good progress, set objectives to sponsor one or more workers in an industry certification program each quarter, as scheduling permits.
5. Implement One or Two Lean Practices. We could all be Leaner. Let’s face it, the average field services business operator can probably look in any direction in the office, shop, yard, vehicle cab, pants pockets, etc., and surely find at least something that is arguably being managed in some way that is not quite as Lean as it could be. Ironically, the most organized
It’s a mess that translates into a daily time-suck trying to maneuver around things, find things, and find places to put things. It’s also wall-to-wall trip hazards and fire hazards, and a haven for roaches and rodents in severe cases. That is the picture of a generally uninspiring workplace that is a source of secret shame for workers, and is at least sub-psychologically such for leaders who tell themselves a messy workspace is a sign of genius. Pro Tip: It’s not a sign of genius. Lean = workplace pride, confidence in leadership, and increased team efficiency.
6. Train Staff to Do Something You Usually Do Yourself.
You should be systematically preparing at least one or two employees to run the business in your absence, in case you need to be away for days or weeks due to some unforeseen cause. You also need to take days off and vacations in order to perform at your best and wisely maintain your physical and mental health longterm.
So, routinely work with staff to learn a little more each month or quarter about one or more facets of the operation involving tasks that you normally do yourself. Eventually, when he/she/they know all you
BUSINESS CORNER
A rule of thumb for objectives is that they should not be managed as stress-inducers. It’s
great to have a voluminous list of objectives and just pluck out one or two or a few within your means of time, energy, and cash flow (if applicable) per quarter.
objectives too. Just carry over objectives that didn’t bubble to the top of the priorities list as anticipated in previous periods and knock as many as possible in slower Q4.
know and can do all you do, then continue spending the time with them honing those learned skills so that people are well practiced when they’re called on to substitute for you.
SO MANY OBJECTIVES – SO MANY OTHER THINGS TO DO
Of course, there are endless other options of excellent objectives for sweeping business owners, business planners, and operations managers. Even individual field workers can and should each have their own work objectives for every quarter. An objective could be assigning everyone an objective, or assigning them to come up with their own objectives and follow through on their progress.
A rule of thumb for objectives is that they should not be managed as stress-inducers. It’s great to have a voluminous list of objectives and just pluck out one or two or a few within your means of time, energy, and cash flow (if applicable) per quarter. Set some yearly