Roll Models

Much to my benefit, I have sat in on hours and hours of training over the years and I must admit I’ve wondered whether it’s worth the effort. Then I find myself in something like the brake-valve repair seminar. And I recall why every minute spent training is a wise investment of time and money.

The subject was “good brake health” and it was delivered to a group of trailer-maintenance vendors by Dale Holman. Holman is a former owner-operator who now runs Truck Watch Services, a company in Georgetown, Ont., that uses high-tech tools to diagnose wheel and brake problems–important stuff.

Holman held the group’s attention from start to finish. Some mechanics today, he said, perform major brake repairs with little or no training in the science of brake valves. Admittedly, brake valves are complicated. But a mistake can cost a life.

For instance, Holman said, lots of different valve types look alike. It is easy to mistake an R-8 valve for an R-8P valve. In an A-train equipment combination this could create a serious braking problem. If you were to install an R-8 on a dolly convertor instead of the required R-8P valve, you would create a braking delay of .36 seconds to the rear-trailing

Another interesting part of the presentation showed one failed valve being replaced with a new valve. The problem was fixed, right? Think again. What we actually saw was an insufficiently trained mechanic replacing one incorrect valve with another incorrect valve. The situation remained dangerous. For want of a well-trained mechanic.

Effective training is key to every facet of your business, from sales to cost control. Good training is your primary tool for developing people and improving your processes. Survey after survey proves that employees want it and professional drivers as well as office staff and fleet maintenance people need it.

You never know what lessons you will learn. I attended a session in which participants trailed a U.S. DOT inspector on an equipment walkaround. We got to the rear of the trailer, he inspected the wheels and tires, and moved on. I did a double take. I could see rust streaks around the wheel studs. Any driver–not to mention mechanic–should spot this warning signal. But the DOT guy missed it. Maybe the lesson was that we’re just more focused on wheel ends and brake components than our U.S. brethren.

But that was an exception. Almost all training is educational. And it does not have to brea

One of the most economical routes to good training is through your manufacturers’ reps. Most manufacturers have technical-resource people who can deliver much-needed training for your technicians or drivers. I recently attended a presentation on fifth-wheel maintenance led by our ConMet Simplex rep. His interactive hands-on session took us through fifth-wheel rebuilding procedures and over all the basic maintenance tips.
Likewise, I call on our tire supplier on a regular basis to help with driver education. Their technical people put on a simple “Tire Maintenance 101” seminar that not only keeps drivers safer, it decreases tire wear.
If you source and spec equipment based on quality and performance rather than simply on “price,” you should take advantage of manufacturer training.
Another source is your provincial transportation health and safety association. My home province, Ontario, has the Transportation Health & Safety Association of Ontario (www.thsao.on.ca), which provides a wide range of training services, excellent resources, and qualified people for everything from consulting on specific services to delivering practical training sessions. (If you can’t find a provincial association, the THSAO will refer you to someone nearby.)
I have also sourced financial and business-plan training for O/O’s. Accountants who specialize in small fleets and O/O’s lead seminars on business fundamentals, and I certainly believe that an O/O with sharpened business smarts will be a good partner and long-term asset to your fleet operation.
All the above training subjects had two things in common. The training material was well thought-out and efficiently presented. And secondly, it was all provided free or at cost. s

Raymond Mercuri is senior manager, safety and maintenance, for FedEx Ground. His articles about safety and maintenance appear regularly in Today’s Trucking. He can be reached at 905/602-4445, or rmercuri@ground.fedex.com.Surprise, surprise. Every province has slightly different rules for small-claims court. Here’s a coast-to-coast online guide to getting those debt-repayment wheels turning.

Alberta www.albertacourts.ab.ca/pc/civil/index.htm
British Columbia www.ag.gov.bc.ca/courts/civil/smallclaims/rules/index.htm
Manitoba www.manitobacourts.mb.ca/smallclaims.htm
New Brunswick www.legal-info-legale.nb.ca/ mainframe_en.html
Newfoundland www.gov.nf.ca/just
Nova Scotia www.gov.ns.ca/just/small.htm
Ontario www.attorneygeneral.jus.gov.on.ca/english/courts/scc
PEI www.gov.pe.ca/courts/supreme/about.php3
Quebec www.justice.gouv.qc.ca/english/tribunaux/quebec/civile-a.htm
Saskatchewan www.saskjustice.gov.sk.ca/
Yukon www.justice.gov.yk.ca/prog/cs/crt/smallclaims.html

Before you go to court, check CanLaw.com. This site has an overview of the small-claims environment, including advice on what to do before and during the court proceedings, and links to other helpful sites. www.canlaw.com/scc/smallclaims.htm

Lawyer, judge, and small-claims expert Norman Pickell has assembled an extensive list of web sites pertaining to the small-claims process, as well as a few sites from small claims courts in American states. www.normanpickell.com/links_smclaim.htm