Great West Casualty Company Blog

  HOW CAN I GET BETTER AT RECEIVING FEEDBACK FROM OTHERS?   Recognizing the need to gather feedback from employees, peers, and customers is your first step to improving communications. The most important thing you can do is be approachable. If someone offers feedback, he or she is doing so for a reason.   Do not assume what the person will say. Listen carefully and focus on what is being said. Do not get defensive or interrupt. Be mindful of your responses and watch your body language; both will tell the other person if you are genuinely interested or tuning out.

HOW CAN I MAKE MY SAFETY MEETINGS MORE EFFECTIVE? Gathering drivers, dispatchers, and other members of the operations team together for a safety meeting is an opportunity that cannot be squandered. The cost and logistics of getting everyone together is formidable, so using this time wisely is essential. Three keys to make your safety meetings more effective are preparation, engagement, and enthusiasm.

Pandemic or not, we live in a VUCA world. VUCA is an acronym that stands for volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous. This term is used to describe a situation or condition of constant, unpredictable change, and certainly those working in the transportation industry can relate. Adapting to change is a daily occurrence, so here are some strategic leadership tips to help you lead your company in today’s VUCA world.

Railroad crossing incidents have steadily declined in the United States since the early 1980’s, according to the Federal Railroad Administration. This is great news. Efforts to decrease the number of incidents, fatalities, and injuries involving trains and vehicles or trains and pedestrians have had a positive impact, but unfortunately, preventable incidents continue to occur.

As diesel prices continue to rise, motor carriers are seeking ways to reduce their fuel expenses.  In a 2021 survey by American Transportation Research Institute, truck drivers ranked fuel prices 3rd in their annual ranking of major concerns. Since the survey, fuel prices have continued to climb to around $5 per gallon, a price not seen since 2014. 

The transportation industry has seen a significant increase in technological advances over the past decade. From electronic logging devices and collision mitigation systems to trailer tracking and driver scorecards, technology now plays a key role in a motor carrier’s risk management strategies. One device becoming more prevalent in the trucking industry is the video event recorder.

Training is essential to helping any organization meet its business objectives. In fact, the number one requirement of any training effort is that it must hold value for the company. Otherwise, training is a waste of time and resources. From onboarding new employees to conducting road tests with drivers, employee training serves an invaluable purpose and demands proper planning, execution, and follow-up. Unfortunately, this is where training usually fails, especially on the follow-up. Below is a brief list of reasons why training often fails in each of these areas and how you can have better chances of success.

HOW DOES CANNABIDIOL (CBD) AFFECT MOTOR CARRIERS? CBD products, which are extracted from hemp or marijuana plants, have grown in popularity in recent years. Currently, each state treats CBD usage differently. This poses a significant risk to motor carriers and truck drivers who are subject to federal drug testing requirements.

      Cargo theft continues to plague the transportation industry, and this year has seen theft activity over 15% higher than pre-pandemic levels. It may seem like cargo theft is a victimless crime, but it affects all of us because manufacturers price their goods to include a theft component.   While it is difficult to tally the amount of loss attributed to cargo thefts annually, the National Insurance Crime Bureau estimates cargo theft costs up to $35 billion dollars per year. Thefts typically increase around the holidays. 

At the time of this writing, the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic is still with us. Stay-at-home orders are in place or are gradually being lifted, and the world is trying to figure out the safest way to return to whatever our new normal will be. COVID-19 caught everyone by surprise and forced us to respond in a trial-by-fire fashion. Many employers already had contingency plans in place that were adaptable to the pandemic, while others struggled to respond. Now, with some hindsight, it is increasingly evident why risk management is so important for motor carriers. The world may never see another crisis like this pandemic, but other events can certainly take its place. Here are some basic contingency planning ideas to consider.