Blog Archives




 
First « Previous 1 2 3 Last

  • Is your equipment ready for CVSA's annual enforcement blitz?
    By David A. Kolman - Monday May 20, 2013
    Roadcheck is the largest targeted enforcement program on commercial vehicles in the world, with approximately 14 trucks or buses being inspected, on average, every minute from Canada to Mexico, during a 72-hour period in early June. An annual event, this year's Roadcheck, themed is set for June 4 to 6. That is when the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) and its members will be aggressively enforcing compliance with commercial vehicle safety regulations, removing those high-risk carriers from the roads to ensure the public's safety. The theme for Roadcheck 2103 is Enhancing Truck and Bus Safety Throughout North America , and there will be an additional focus on motorcoach inspections and overall traffic enforcement. The CVSA is...

  • Are your vehicles prime targets for theft?
    By David A. Kolman - Monday May 13, 2013
    The National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) recently released the latest annual Hot Wheels - its list of the 10 most-stolen vehicles in the U.S. The report examines vehicle theft data submitted by law enforcement to the National Crime Information Center and determines the vehicle make, model and year most reported stolen. For 2011, the most-stolen vehicles in the nation were: 1. 1994 Honda Accord. 2. 1998 Honda Civic. 3. 2006 Ford Pickup (full size). 4. 1991 Toyota Camry. 5. 2000 Dodge Caravan. 6. 1994 Acura Integra. 7. 1999 Chevrolet Pickup (full size). 8. 2004 Dodge Pickup (full size). 9. 2002 Ford Explorer. 10. 1994 Nissan Sentra. Hot Wheels is the only report that examines all theft data without regard...

  • Put your thumbs down and drive
    By David A. Kolman - Monday May 6, 2013
      I have a number of friends and business associates that believe they’re being more careful when they use the voice-to-text method rather than manual texting while driving. That may seem safer, but new research findings suggest that voice-to-text applications offer no real safety advantage. The study was sponsored by the Southwest Region University Transportation Center (SWUTC) and conducted by the Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI). SWUTC is a part of the University Transportation Centers Program, which is a federally-funded program administered by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Research and Innovative Technology Administration .   Actual driving The first of its kind study was based on the...

  • Business change initiatives
    By David A. Kolman - Monday April 29, 2013
      As part of my job, I do a lot of flying. While waiting at airports and on aircraft, I read books - the hard or soft cover kind. On a recent flight, I read the book, Selfish Altruism: Managing & Executing Successful Change Initiatives . Written by change management consultant Moe Glenner, it examines the often-ignored human element in business change initiatives and offers advice on using personal motivation to produce lasting results. “If we define altruism as ‘for the greater good’ and selfish as ‘me first,’ then even a selfish act can be altruistic,” Glenner says. “Even though an employee could be facilitating a change for a higher salary (selfish), it will benefit the organization (altruistic). “Intent is...

  • Wrench bragging rights
    By David A. Kolman - Monday April 22, 2013
    Technicians enjoy talking about their toolboxes and the amount and diversity of tools they have. Inevitably, such discussions turn into contests to see who has the largest toolbox or the largest collection of tools. Now, there could be a new contest, thanks to Channellock, which has introduced its largest, most powerful wrench: the Channellock 30" 830 Adjustable Wrench. Established 127 years ago, Channellock is a worldwide leader in manufacturing high-quality pliers and hand tools. The new "big boy" Channellock 830 wrench, which complements the company's existing adjustable wrench line, is a full 6" longer than the previous offering and has as a jaw capacity up to 3". The 830 is 1.5" thick, 6.3" wide and has a 12-lb steel...

  • 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...

Events

More