JANUARY 2024
MONTHLY NEWSLETTER
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
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ANNOUNCEMENTS 60 YEAR CELEBRATION
PLUMBING DIVISION SPOTLIGHT DRIVING SAFETY HIGHLIGHT NEW HIRES & OPEN POSITIONS
FREE OFF-SITE HEALTH CLINIC In the time of sickness remember that all employees and their dependents with Blue Cross Blue Shields company health plan can see the doctor for any reason Monday Mornings and Thursday Afternoons. Book Online at directonsitecare.com or call (620) 875-1048.
A MESSAGE ABOUT 401K All CDL 401k plan participants need a beneficiary form completed. Many CDL employees either do not have one on file or need to update their beneficiary elections. Updated forms are needed in the case of a life event such as marriage, divorce, or having additional children. Not having an updated form on file can create even more hardship for a family in the event of a tragedy. Please contact Randy Piccini at (620) 404-4421 or randy.piccini@cdl-electiric.com directly to check the status of your beneficiary form.
LETTER FROM THE EDITOR For the newsletter in February, March and April please reach out to Chad Johnston who will be handling those issues. Send in your stories, ideas, information you would like added by emailing chad.johnston@cdl-electric.com
SUPER BOWL SPIRIT WEEK MONDAY Mahomes Monday: Wear a headband or dress like your homies TUESDAY Tailgate Tuesday: Wear your favorite team apparel WEDNESDAY Larmar “Hunt” Trophy: Wear camo or orange THURSDAY T2 : Travis and Taylor Day FRIDAY Paint it Red Friday: Wear your favorite Chiefs attire 2
60 YEARS OF EXCELLENCE
WATCH THE OFFICIAL 60 YEAR ANNIVERSARY VIDEO HERE
THROUGHOUT THE YEAR WE WILL BE HAVING EVENTS CELEBRATING THE 60TH ANNIVERSARY OF CDL. WE ENCOURAGE YOU TO TAKE FULL ADVANTAGE OF THESE EVENTS AND SHARE THE NEWS OF THIS AMAZING ACCOMPLISHMENT.
CDL Family – This year we celebrate 60 Years of Excellence as a company. Many of you are familiar with the humble origins of CDL, which began in a small garage on my parents’ property. Over the years, a lot has changed – expanded and diversified service offerings, a growing team of talented people, and new offices to name a few – but our commitment to excellence has not wavered. Where we stand today, we owe to each one of you. Thank you for showing up each day to serve our customers. The work you do provides essential services to improve their lives and makes their operations safer and more reliable. Throughout 2024, we will be taking advantage of opportunities to give back to our communities, thank our customers for trusting us for six decades, and celebrate the work you do. To kick off our year-long campaign, I am asking you to adjust your email signature using the instructions attached. Once complete, please email marketing@cdl-electric. com by February 15 with confirmation of the update to be entered to win a prize. Here’s to 60 years and counting!
FIND ATTACHEMENT HERE Larry Seward Jr. 4
WEATHERING
THE COLD As winter wraps its chilly embrace around us, our Plumbing Division gears up for increased demand, and January brought a flurry of activity with over 250 service calls. The dedicated technicians have been working tirelessly to meet the surge in requests, especially as temperatures in Southeast Kansas dipped into the negative teens. Local news stations sought our expertise in dealing with the winter freeze, prompting a response from our Plumbing Manager, Dennis Howard. His advice, grounded in years of experience, aims to help citizens prevent pipes from freezing or bursting.
PLUMBING DIVISION’S RESPONSE TO WINTER CHALLENGES
Howard shared, “Right now, if we can tell the customers or tell the people, ‘be sure to take their garden hoses off and shut your foundation vents, and open your cabinet doors.’ Everybody says, ‘let your faucets drip.’ That’s kind of a farce. You don’t want it to drip. You want it to run the size of a pencil lead.” As the region copes with the challenges of winter, our Plumbing Division remains committed to providing top-notch service and valuable insights to our community. We applaud the team’s dedication and thank them for their hard work during this demanding season.
OVER 250 CALLS WITH ESTIMATES UP TO $5,000 FOR BUSTED PIPES 8
15 RULES OF
DEFENSIVE
DRIVING
Motor vehicle accidents cause more workplace deaths than anything else. In 2022, 37.7% of on-the-job deaths in the United States were caused by vehicular accidents. More than 2,066 workers died. In addition to the loss of lives, traffic crashes cost companies billions of dollars annually. Businesses paid out $87.7 billion for costs related to traffic accidents. Expenses included medical care for crash victims, liability, property damage, and loss of productivity.
DEFENSIVE DRIVERS CHOOSE CAUTION OVER SPEED, AND OTHER CORE CONCEPTS OF ROAD SAFETY The 15 rules of defensive driving stress patience, caution, and consistency. After learning the rules of the road, employees are prepared to deal with unforeseen circumstances from drivers with road rage to bad weather. 1. PREPARE BEFORE YOU LEAVE. Build in enough time to avoid rushing and to allow for breaks and needed stops. Check your vehicle to make sure it’s operational, especially if it’s a vehicle you’re unfamiliar with, including walking around and conducting a visual inspection. Before starting the vehicle, adjust your seat, mirror, climate control, GPS/directions, and music so that you aren’t distracted by these while driving. Switch your cell phone to “do not disturb” setting to limit distractions. 2. LOOK AHEAD. A driver with defensive driving skills scans the road ahead of them and behind them. They ensure road safety by scanning ahead at least ten seconds, a quarter of a mile, or to the next intersection to ensure they have enough time to avoid potential dangers. 3. PREPARE FOR THE UNEXPECTED. Because drivers don’t know what other drivers will do, they must keep an eye on the actions of others at all times. Erratic drivers, such as drunk drivers or people on mobile devices, might swerve into their lane or change speeds unexpectedly. Drivers need to be ready to react quickly. 4. DON’T SPEED. Driving above the posted speed limit increases risk in two ways: it cuts reaction time and results in more damage if the driver gets in a wreck. A defensive driver chooses a speed matching traffic as closely as possible without exceeding
speed limits. If traffic is moving at high speeds and aggressive drivers are present, drivers need to keep to the right and out of the way. 5. DON’T DRIVE WHEN IMPAIRED. Driving while impaired includes more than drunk driving. Driver fatigue, illness, and the use of medications, alcohol, and drugs all are possible hazards and need to be considered before a driver gets behind the wheel. 6. ALWAYS WEAR A SEATBELT. Wearing a seatbelt cuts the likelihood of dying in a traffic accident in half. Safety belts provide impact protection, absorb the force of a crash, and keep drivers and their passengers from being thrown out of the vehicle. 7. DON’T RUN RED LIGHTS. There are three types of red-light runners—daydreamers, distracted drivers, and aggressive drivers. All three types cause car accidents. A safer driver pays attention to traffic lights, slows down, and comes to a complete stop. The same goes for stop signs. 8. FOLLOW TRAFFIC LAWS. Basic traffic laws codify the concept of defensive driving. Although the average person understands traffic rules, many careless drivers ignore them. Drivers need to follow the laws because they keep traffic moving in a predictable manner. When drivers know what others are going to do, they avoid conflicts and collisions. 9. CREATE SPACE. Defensive drivers create space around their vehicles. A safe following distance is two to four seconds depending on variables like heavy traffic or adverse weather conditions. Drivers determine the safe following distance by watching the vehicle ahead of them pass a specific mark on the side of the road, then counting “one-thousand-
one, one-thousand-two, etc.” If their front bumper passes the same mark before they finish counting, they’re following too closely. 10. SIGNAL CORRECTLY. Signaling at the wrong time often leads to traffic crashes. For example, if a driver is approaching an intersection, and plans to turn right immediately after the intersection into a gas station, they increase the risk of an accident if they signal too soon. Another driver might turn left in front of them because they don’t know where they are turning. Keep this in mind when moving across lanes as well, signaling and checking traffic around you as well as your blind spots are important when changing lanes. 11. KNOW THE VEHICLE’S BLIND SPOTS. Road users need to familiarize themselves with the largest blind spots of fleet vehicles before they drive them. The blind areas on most vehicles are large enough to hide other vehicles, so before changing lanes good defensive drivers turn their heads to check for oncoming traffic. 12. AVOID DISTRACTIONS. Potential hazards when driving include eating, drinking, applying makeup, talking on cell phones, adjusting music, dealing with kids, or talking to passengers. Technology like handsfree devices and Bluetooth audio might lead drivers to think it’s safe to multitask while driving, but the human brain can do only one thing at a time well. 13. BEWARE OF INTERSECTIONS. Intersections
are one of the most dangerous areas for any driver. More than 80% of all collisions in cities that result in injury or death occur within signal-light intersections. To reduce their risk, drivers must slow down as they approach a green light and make sure to look left, then right, then left again. The first danger to drivers is the traffic approaching from their left. If the intersection is a blind one—where a driver can’t see the traffic on the cross street until they are very close—they need to slow down even more. And remember to yield to other drivers in intersections without stoplights; one of the golden rules of defensive driving is, “If you’re at an intersection and you don’t know if it’s your turn to go, let the other driver go.” This is especially important when aggressive driving is involved. 14. TAKE IT SLOW IN RAIN OR SNOW. The rule of thumb is to slow down by a third in the rain, and by at least half in the snow. Reduce speed more if ice may be present. Prevent accidents by making sure your vehicles’ tires are in great shape and that they are inflated properly. Brake lightly on a slippery surface. Do not pump ABS brakes. 15. PASS SAFELY. Passing is one of the most dangerous situations drivers encounter daily. Rules for passing include not exceeding the speed limit and passing only where it is allowed. Before passing another vehicle, drivers need to visually clear the road ahead and behind them. Drivers should not tailgate before passing. Instead, they should maintain their following distance to see what’s ahead.
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WELCOME NEW EMPLOYEES Alexander Ison....................................... Signal Training and Safety Jeffrey Lane........................................... Foreman Jonathan Broadway............................... GM of Signals Construction & Install Jordan Zientek....................................... Signal Maintainer Christopher Rhea................................... HVAC Install Assistant Jonathan Chapman .............................. Signal Maintainer Cody Machalk ....................................... Signal Maintainer Ryan Evans ........................................... HVAC Installer Austin Snyder ....................................... HVAC Installer Christopher Corbet .............................. Journeyman Plumber
OPEN POSITIONS
Refer a new employee and be paid up to $500 per employee hired based on position. You must fill out a candidate referral form. Payout is in tow increments of 60 days of employee hired and 90 days of employee hired date.
Location
Title
Location
Title
Pittsburg, KS
Inventory Clerk
Pittsburg, KS
Journeyman Electrician
Pittsburg, KS
Shipping & Receiving Clerk
Pittsburg, KS
Signal Installer
Pittsburg, KS
Accountant
Parsons, KS
HVAC Installer
Pittsburg, KS
Signal Installation Foreman
Humboldt, KS
HVAC Lead Installer
Pittsburg, KS
Master/ Journeyman HVAC Technician
Humboldt, KS
HVAC Installer
Pittsburg, KS
Journeyman Lineman
Humboldt, KS
Journeyman Plumber
Pittsburg, KS
HVAC Installer
Humboldt, KS
Plumbing Service Technician
Pittsburg, KS
Plumbing Service Technician
Humboldt, KS
Master Plumber
Pittsburg, KS
Journeyman Plumber
Houston, TX
Journeyman Electrician
Pittsburg, KS
Master Plumber 10