Katapult

Blog Posts in Human Resources

Ellen Voie

Women are not Small Men!

Recently I was asked to participate in a panel discussion at the Transportation Research Board Conference in Washington, D.C. The overall topic for the panel was “Safety and Security Design for Female Transportation Workers.” My segment focused on “Challenges in Equipment Design,” and since I represent women in the trucking industry, my information related to women in trucking!... Read More

Rickey Gooch

Why are Drivers Changing Carriers?

It is 2012 and tens of thousands of drivers sit in driver orientations every week. Most all of these drivers have one thing in common. They are either not getting enough miles to make any money or they can never get back home to rest and see their families.

Trucking looks to be a very greedy business from the inside where drivers are just pawns in a game played by business planners. The majority of OTR drivers today are dingy, depressed, don't trust anybody and just plain tired of being tired and disadvantaged.... Read More

Tom Kretsinger, Jr.

Dispatcher Lied to Me

Cliff got out of his truck at the shipper’s dock. He had been there for two days turning down load offerings and was frustrated that he was not getting any miles. He was paid by the mile. Why wouldn’t the company give him a load to Dallas? During that time, he had idled his truck to keep warm, but this was costing him about one gallon per hour. His dispatcher was refusing to give him any more advances and he was about out of money. Even though his income had stopped, his truck payment and insurance bills didn’t. His settlements showed he was running in the hole the past three weeks.... Read More

Randy Seals

What is a Driver?

A driver is a father. A driver is a mother, a son, a daughter, a lover, a friend. A driver is someone special. A driver is responsible for almost every comfort we have, because somewhere along the line it came on a truck.

A driver is a white knight on the highway. A driver is someone you can trust, depend on and turn to if you need help. Drivers are on the front line of every emergency in this country be it a famine, a flood, a tornado or whatever. Drivers are out in front leading the way, bringing aid, bringing comfort, helping and leading.... Read More

Rickey Gooch

CSA, Drivers & Carriers Differences

Carriers are still attempting to lead CSA rather than follow CSA. That is the failure of the FMCSA. It is almost like the FMCSA is setting up carriers for the fall. The traps have been loaded and as soon as they see a carrier cross this imaginary line, which has proven not to be the threshold line, they hit the carrier hard.... Read More

Ellen Voie

Cows Don't Celebrate Christmas

It was a beautiful December day here in Wisconsin. I thought I would take a long walk before I traveled to join my family for our annual Christmas celebration. As I enjoyed the beautiful winter air, I observed a farmer along my country route.

He was spreading manure on a nearby cornfield as the cows watched him from the fenced in area across the road. I have many friends who are farmers and I could appreciate his work that day.... Read More

Randy Seals

Why Business Success Hinges on Your Drivers

There's at least one trait shared by every successful trucking company - they all do an excellent job of managing their drivers. Driver retention has been and will continue to be a major factor effecting company profitability. As capacity tightens up and CSA regulations have their impact on the driver pool, managing these drivers will become even more critical.... Read More

Ellen Voie

Are You the Weakest Link in the Supply Chain?

Merriam-Webster defines collaborate as a verb meaning, "to work jointly with others or together, especially in an intellectual endeavor."

In Supply Chain Management collaboration is essential for the seamless transfer of property, paperwork and accountability from the shipper to the receiver. Why would this process be compromised by anyone within the sequence?... Read More

Ellen Voie

Cell Phone Legislation 101

Recently the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) made a recommendation to ban all cell phones from commercial trucks. This includes both hand held phones and those connected to a blue tooth or hands free device. They want all cell phones turned off in all commercial vehicles. Period. ... Read More

Ellen Voie

Dealing With Nasty People in the Workplace

What do flight attendants, Starbucks baristas, Disneyland characters and professional drivers have in common? They all have jobs that expose them to nasty people, or as Robert Sutton, author of, The No A**hole Rule, explains, "They just have to take it from demeaning people."... Read More