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Is your shop ready for the future?

By David A. Kolman - Monday April 15, 2013

One of the many worthwhile presentations that took place during the recent SOLD (Service Opportunities and Learning Day) was Next Generation Vehicle Opportunities . Covered in this session was what the vehicle service shop of the future might look like, and what shop owners and managers should be planning and implementing now to be ready for future business. SOLD was held the day prior to the opening of this year's Heavy Duty Aftermarket Week (HDAW) - North America's largest gathering of the independent heavy duty aftermarket. Darry W. Stuart, president and CEO of DWS Fleet Management Services Group, an independent service company providing leadership, organization, negotiation, purchasing and vehicle specifications and...
Are you ready for road construction season?

By David A. Kolman - Monday March 25, 2013

Every April, at the start of the road construction season, National Work Zone Awareness Week (NWZAW) is held. The intent is to bring national attention to motorist and worker safety and mobility issues in work zones, and to promote the safe and efficient flow of traffic through them. This year’s NWZAW is set for April 15 to 19. The theme is: Work Zone Safety: We’re All In This Together . Work zones pose many risks because of the congestion they cause and from all the activity of the personnel and equipment in them. Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) research finds that one work zone fatality occurs every 10 hours (2.3 a day) and one work zone injury happens every 13 minutes (110 a day). Four of every five victims in a...
Sparking electric vehicle (EV) research

By David A. Kolman - Monday March 18, 2013

I am predicting transformational new battery systems for electric vehicles, and I am confident this will happen. Why? Because the world’s leading scientists, engineers and manufacturers in energy storage are coming together under a single organizational roof and are being provided with the tools, resources and market reach necessary to produce major breakthroughs. A multi-partner team, led by Argonne National Laboratory, has been awarded of up to $120 million over five years to establish a new Batteries and Energy Storage Hub. The Hub, to be known as the Joint Center for Energy Storage Research (JCESR), will combine the R&D firepower of five U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) national laboratories, five universities and four...
A 30-year perspective of the fleet market

By David A. Kolman - Monday March 11, 2013

In one his presentations to this year’s Heavy Duty Aftermarket Week (HDAW), Stu MacKay of specialized management consulting and market research firm MacKay & Company provided a 30-year perspective of the fleet market, from 1982 to 2012. One of the things he noted was how the ranking of the largest fleets has changed over the time period. MacKay said that in 1982 the top 10 fleets were: 1. UPS 2. Roadway 3. Consolidated Freightways 4. Yellow Freight 5. Ryder Truck Lines 6. McLean Trucking 7. North American Van Lines 8. Pacific Intermountain Express 9. ABF Freight System 10. Overnite Transportation Last year, the top 10 carrier fleets were: 1. UPS 2. FedEx Corporation 3. Conway 4. YRC Worldwide 5...
Some thought-providing statements from a former president

By David A. Kolman - Monday March 4, 2013

While perusing my e-mail recently, a daily newsletter, Ragan’s PR Daily , from Lawrence Ragan Communications - a publisher of corporate communications, public relations, and leadership development newsletters - caught my eye. This newsletter featured an article, 6 Abraham Lincoln quotes to inspire communicators . Being one of those people that truly enjoy reading collections of quotes, I immediately clicked through to the article. It was written by Hana Bieliauskas , a project manager in the Columbus, OH, office of CMA - a national public relations agency based in Kansas City, MO. I found her article so interesting that I asked her if I could share her article, and she kindly agreed. See if the six Lincoln quotes see...
Research into fuel-saving pavement

By David A. Kolman - Monday February 25, 2013

You have to wonder where in the world researchers come up with their ideas. I just learned that researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) are looking in how changing road properties can help vehicles consume less fuel. This investigation came about through MIT's Concrete Sustainability Hub (CSH) - an organization that is working to "revolutionize the scientific basis for evaluating the environmental impact of Portland cement concrete, for optimizing the use of present materials and for modifying present materials and developing new materials designed to achieve a fully sustainable physical infrastructure, including uses in ever more demanding environments." Impressive. Did you know that more concrete is produced...
Ever been through a retread tire plant?

By David A. Kolman - Friday February 15, 2013

Seems everyone has an opinion about retreaded tires. I do, and mine comes from my time working in the tire industry and from using retreads on trucks I have owned. I'll just say this: Retreaded tires have improved considerably from what there were years ago. But don't take my word for it. You can see for yourself. The Retread Tire Association (RTA) is offering, at no cost, a DVD titled, Reputable Retreading . It contains a tour of a modern truck tire retread plant in which viewers see what is involved in the retread process. RTA is a member-owned, non-profit international organization whose mission is to promote the environmental and economic benefits of top quality retreading and proper tire repairing. The tour starts at...
What’s in a sign?

By David A. Kolman - Monday February 11, 2013

I was on the Pennsylvania Turnpike the other day, driving back from the City of Bridges (Pittsburgh) when I spotted a rig parked in one of the rest areas. What caught my eye was the large graphic on the driver’s side of the rig’s white van trailer. In very large, dark blue letters was the message: “Our most valuable resource sits here.” To the left of the message was a sizable arrow pointing to the rig’s cab. It was an impressive sight that instantly conveys a strong message. That got me to thinking. Why don’t vehicle service and repair organizations do something similar on their equipment. Does your company? Do you know of a company that does?
Aftermarket outlook

By David A. Kolman - Thursday February 7, 2013

Who wouldn’t like to know what the future will bring? Armed with such knowledge we could better prepare for what is to come. Thus far, however, no one has been able to reliably peer into the future. As Niels Bohr, a Danish physicist who made foundational contributions to understanding atomic structure and quantum mechanics, observed: Prediction is very difficult, especially if it's about the future. Nevertheless, businesses gather information, track trends and make forecasts, analyze all this and then make a “best bet” outlook. As part of this Heavy Duty Aftermarket Dialogue (HDAD), which took place in Las Vegas in mid-January prior to this year’s Heavy Duty Aftermarket Week (HDAW), there was a session entitled, The...
What thoughts does your company name bring to mind?

By David A. Kolman - Monday January 28, 2013

With so many choices confronting a business’ prospective customers and clients, the question is: Why should they choose you? One way is to recognize and promote your true competitive advantage while building a category-leading brand identity. That was the message David Avrin, a marketing professional known as the Visibility Coach, delivered in his presentation to SOLD (Service Opportunities and Learning Day) - a day-long program especially designed for the owners and managers of shop operations in the parts and service industry. SOLD was held the day prior to the opening of Heavy Duty Aftermarket Week (HDAW) - North America’s largest gathering of the independent heavy duty aftermarket - which took place in Las Vegas, NV...