Is my Business Compliant with the DOT?

by | Oct 10, 2018 | Risk Management | 0 comments

Is My Business Compliant with The Dot?

It’s safe to say we are familiar with the DOT…but are we aware of the impacts it can have on our business if we are not compliant? In 2017, the U.S. Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration changed the schedule of fines for DOT violations, dramatically increasing the penalties. Falsification of required inspection records can result in fines up to $12,000+. Granted each state will vary relative to the Federal DOT requirements, but we wanted to take a closer look at the most common violations and run through details that can help avoid issues. Simply put, the penalties stem from two different areas. Fleet compliance and Driver Compliance.

Fleet Compliance

– Vehicles not properly maintained/inspected
– Failure to maintain 12 month accident log

Similar to safety standards, many of the maintenance compliance issues can be resolved with proper documentation. Depending on the size of your business, you may want to delegate that responsibility to someone other than yourself (i.e. fleet manager or mechanic). If you are a TCIA member, check their safety resources for a maintenance schedule log, or look for one in the owner’s manual. If you do delegate that task to someone else, make sure you are scheduling reviews to ensure everything is being properly logged.

Vehicle inspections are key for both compliance, and more importantly, safety of your employees. I recently sat in on a presentation by one of our insurance carriers that stressed the importance of detailed inspections. The carrier had received applications for a trucking company that, on paper, had looked like a more than profitable account to insure. No auto losses and few worker’s compensation claims. Due to the size and operations, the carrier performed an inspection prior to quoting. What they found was a fully operating truck that had a crack right in the middle of the axle. This business had been successful on driving strategies, yet they were one trip away from a serious accident due to poor inspections. You can meet inspection requirements by stopping at a state roadside inspection program, or a third party inspection of your choice. Be sure you are filing the reports for your records and maintaining a copy in the vehicle if you have had the vehicle for more than 30 days. Also, remember the BLT sandwich! Brakes, lights, tires. Click here for a vehicle inspection checklist from the DOT website.

Accident logs should be pretty straight forward. Document the who, what, where, etc. of each incident, and even close calls just to be safe. There isn’t a standard reporting form, so you’re welcome to create your own or there is one on the TCIA website if you are a member. In general, the DOT considers an accident to be any occurrence in which there is bodily injury or property damage.

Driver Compliance

– Driver not in possession of required qualifications or licensing
– Failure to test or follow up on testing of driver for drug or alcohol use while on duty
– Lack of or defects in required documentation

If the DOT is to perform an on-site review for driver compliance, they’ll first look into your drivers qualifications and up to date licensing. Check out our Driver Qualification Criteria to be sure your potential and current employees meet the standards for being on the road. You should be conducting annual MVR reviews and have an accident disclosure agreement in your employee handbook.

One of the biggest causalities for fines from the DOT is business owners mishandling drug and alcohol abuse situations. If you, the owner, have “reasonable suspicion” that there is substance abuse, you are obligated to perform and record training/testing on substance use. It then needs to be followed up with a series of random tests for up to 60 months following an incident(depends on the severity). For more information on substance abuse and testing obligations, please reach out to an ArboRisk team member!

Business owners should keep files of all active drivers. The files should contain original applications, MVR records, previous employment records, training documentation, any incident reports involving the driver, and medical information.

Notice the trend? Everything needs to be documented and kept for records. Documentation will not only help in the case of an audit from the DOT, but with ensuring everyone gets home safe each night. There are a number of resources available through the TCIA and DOT that we’d be happy to provide for you. Feel free to reach out with any questions!

Written by: Malcolm Jeffris, CTSP

What Social Media Platform Should I Use?

by | Oct 2, 2018 | Marketing | 0 comments

What Social Media Platform Should I use?

Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, Snapchat, YouTube. Social media can be overwhelming. #AmIRight One of the top mistakes I see business owners make is pushing themselves to do too much with social media, becoming overwhelmed, and giving up entirely. It does not have to be that way. My advice for business owners who know they need to be involved with social media but don’t know where to start, is to pick two or three platforms, get to know them well, and use those to connect with followers. You may find that one platform works extremely well, and another does not. When the time is right, switch out the platform that does not work for your customers and try a different approach. Finding the right balance of platforms is essential to your growth as a business.

Below, I’ve briefly explained the more popular social media platforms. Because every tree service is unique and has their own target clientele, which platform you utilize will be based on who you are trying to reach. Always keep in mind, the main goal of any social media efforts is help you promote your business to customers and prospects.

Facebook

Oh, Facebook, the birthplace of social media. Create an account, “friend” your friends, post photos, start a business page, gain followers, utilize hashtags – Facebook does it all. If you are looking for a quick and easy way to connect with many followers of all ages, Facebook is the way to do so.

Instagram

Brush up on your photography skills! Instagram is the place to showcase photos of yourself, your business, and your passion for the tree care industry. Plus, like Twitter, Instagram uses hashtags to connect you with other users and push your content to those who search for #trees.

LinkedIn is typically used to post an online resume. Have a skill you want to promote? LinkedIn. Want to boast about your background or assure a potential client you have the correct credentials? LinkedIn. LinkedIn is also a great place to “connect” with colleagues and clients and promote business-oriented content.

YouTube

If you have read my article entitled “5 Ways to Better Your Social Media Marketing” (and if you haven’t, you really should – it’s great), you’ll know that I stress the importance of moving your business towards videos. Utilization of video is key for your business in 2018. A YouTube channel is the way to do that! Showcase yourself, your employees, your equipment, a job site. This creates a more intimate, personal connection with your clients.

Twitter

Have you ever tried to condense your thoughts into 140 characters? #Yeahmeneither Luckily, Twitter allows 240 characters now and you can enhance your content by using hashtags. Hashtags allow your content to be discoverable by others so that when client is searching for #treeservice, any content you post with that hashtag attached will pop up in their search.

Snapchat

If you are looking to appeal to a younger crowd, Snapchat is 100% the way to go. Snapchat allows you to display a photo or video for 1-10 seconds, with your “snaps” being able to be added to your “story” where followers or subscribers can watch them after the fact. This is a great way to interact with clients if you want to tell a quick story or give a follower a quick burst of information.

Pinterest is a great place to organize ideas, thoughts, and lists and present them in one simple “board” to all of your followers. If, for example, you want to showcase steps, tricks, or items with which to prune a tree, all of these ideas and examples could be “pinned” to one board, allowing you to easily share it with your followers.

Google+

Contact a Google employee to learn more ☺

Written by: Katie Petersen

Are You as Good as Disney?

by | Sep 26, 2018 | Business Strategy | 0 comments

Are You As Good As Disney?

For many, many years now, the best example of customer service has been the Disney franchise. Their commitment to providing a magical customer experience has been the benchmark for companies to achieve. Recently, I heard Doug Lipp, former trainer at Disney University, speak about how Disney tirelessly trains their employees to provide the level of customer service expected at their theme parks. When listening to Doug, I couldn’t help but realize these same principles apply to the tree care world. So here are Disney’s four keys to great customer service.

Safety – Disney’s top priority is safety. If their customers get injured or do not feel safe inside the park, no amount of magic will get customers to return. The same goes for their employees. They understand that without safe employees, the premises does not stand a chance at being safe for visitors. Isn’t this true with the tree care industry as well? If your employees do not have safety in the forefront of their mind at all times, preventable accidents will happen. Not only do you risk having your employees miss work because of being injured, you also lose out on profit from a job if property damage is done because an employee was careless. Safety should always be the top priority of a tree care company.

Courtesy – Every Disney employee is instructed to be courteous to everyone they meet no matter what. They feel that when their employees treat every interaction with another human being as the most important conversation of their day, the impact on the customer experience is immeasurable. Think about how your crew interacts with your customers. Are they given the freedom to engage with the customer to help them understand what you are doing? Does your crew foreman ensure that all crew members are taking care of the property that they are working on as best as they possibly can. Focusing on courtesy at the jobsite will go a long way in helping ensure that the customer has a great experience with your company.

Show – Because the Disney team performs the first two points really well, their third key to great customer service is what their customers remember, the show. To Disney, the show is when team members provide the unforgettable experience. This can only happen when the effort on safety and courtesy is successfully achieved. They have a mirror on the door of the dressing rooms that all characters look at before they walk into the park. This reminds the team member that as soon as they step out into the park it is show time. How do you put on a show for your customers? Do you have clean looking trucks and equipment being operated by team members all wearing your uniform? When working at a job site, your employees should act in a professional manner no matter if your customer is home. The show that your team puts on starts the minute they get to the job and doesn’t end until they are in the trucks driving away. Even then, your trucks act as a mobile billboard giving a show to other motorists as they drive. Watching true arboricultural professionals at work is a spectacle and one that can tremendously help your company gain more customers if you nail the show.

Efficiency – Disney’s believes that efficiency comes at the very end of their customer experience. They create a better customer experience by focusing on safety, courtesy and show which in turn creates efficiencies throughout their organization. This works so well, that the increase in efficiencies creates additional capacity within their theme parks. In other words, when they succeed at the first three points, they become more profitable as a result. Think about your company. If your team members work safer and do not have many accidents or injuries to deal with, you become more efficient. If your employees are polite to your customers, you as the owner will have less fires to put out. Lastly, if your customers are enjoying the show that you give them, they will talk about your company more, creating free marketing opportunities for your business. The efficiencies a tree service gains from following those key points can make the difference between a thriving organization and one that is struggling to make it.

There are many ways to provide a great customer experience, however, I strongly encourage you to try the Disney model within your company. The more customers that have a fantastic experience with your team, the more likely they are to share their story and recommend your company to others. Isn’t that what we all want? More business from satisfied customers? Take a look at these four principles and find a way to fit them into your culture

Written by: Eric Petersen

Reduce the Risk of Losing a Lawsuit by 1/3rd

by | Sep 18, 2018 | Risk Management | 0 comments

Reduce the Risk Of Losing a LAwsuit by 1/3rd

Written by Eric Petersen, CIC

While attending an advanced insurance seminar recently, I learned that of all of the lawsuits that end in a jury or judicial award, 35% of them come from auto accidents (Bureau of Justice Statistics). When analyzing the incidents from our insured tree services we see the same pattern, where vehicular accidents are the leading cause of all claims.

This probably is not that surprising to you. Tree care companies obviously drive large trucks and equipment all day, every day to get to their work done. A small fender bender in a large truck typically produces more damage and more severe injuries than the same accident with a private passenger vehicle. Unfortunately, a lot of companies do not focus on limiting this huge exposure because it is just seen as a fact of doing business.

Below are the three most common ways to reduce your risk of losing a lawsuit by one third.

Hire the Right Drivers – Do you have a process in place to hire the best drivers? Start by developing a guideline for driving records and review the potential employee’s record at the start of the hiring process. It is not a secret why drivers with bad driving records pay more for their personal insurance, they are more likely to have another incident in the future. Once the applicant passes your written guidelines for their record, have them take a driving test with one of your vehicles. Assess their physical ability to operate your equipment safely. This not only can eliminate the risk of hiring a bad driver, it can also give you a starting point for training the individual.

Maintain Your Fleet – Are your trucks operating as safely as possible? Clearly, a well maintained vehicle is less likely to have a failure and cause an accident. So, create a maintenance schedule for each vehicle based off of the manufacturer’s recommendation. Whether your mechanic is in house or owns a separate business across town, make sure you keep a written record of the maintenance done to each truck and trailer so that you can prove the steps you took to minimize an accident from mechanical or equipment failure.

DOT Compliance – Do you know what you are required to have in place from a Department of Transportation perspective? If you are operating out of compliance and a serious accident occurs, judges and juries will have an easier time awarding a large settlement. Look for a separate article specifically on DOT compliance in a few weeks.

If one of your team members is involved in a serious accident, the judge and jury will look at what types of measures your company took to prevent the accident in the first place. If you can prove all three of these points above, your company will have a much better chance at winning the lawsuit or minimizing the settlement. And speaking about the settlement, make sure you purchase adequate liability limits on your Business Auto policy that will allow you to remain in business if a terrible accident does occur.

For more help with your safety program and/or tree care company, contact ArboRisk to learn more about our Thrive Safety Package!

5 Simple and Powerful Safety Meeting Topics

by | Sep 12, 2018 | Safety | 0 comments

5 Simple and Powerful Safety Meeting Topics

Keeping your safety meetings interesting to your employees can sometimes be a challenge. Below are five simple yet very powerful meeting ideas that you can use to help continue to promote your culture of safety.

Watch Face Exercise – At the TCIA’s 2018 Winter Management Conference, Jim Spigener stated that 75% of all work related fatalities in the United States come from making a mistake while doing routine work. 75%!! To prove this point, he asked everyone to write down as many details about the face of your favorite watch. He said to include specifics like colors, what the numbers look like, what shape are the hands of the watch, etc. It was shocking to see how difficult it was to explain something as common as my favorite watch. This exercise will make the connection that we take routine items and tasks for granted which could lead to a serious accident.

Scenario Training – Gather your team in small groups and have the team write out three near miss scenarios from their personal experience. Then instruct the group to discuss the events and create solutions to avoid this near miss in the future. Have a team member from each group share their group’s near misses and solutions. This promotes open communication between team members and encourages everyone to continue to better themselves to be safe every day.

Old Rope Under Tension – Because many Arborists learn by watching something happen, this meeting topic shows the importance of always having a second line secured while making a cut. Take an old rope that is out of commission and put it under tension in a vertical setting like it would be when climbing a tree. Use a handsaw to lightly touch the rope until the rope fails. If you have enough rope, split your team up into groups to perform the same test. When the arborist realizes how little pressure is needed from the handsaw to compromise the rope, you should never again see someone not being tied in twice before making a cut.

What is Your Safety Story? – I wrote an entire post on this idea in a previous article (click here for it), however, it was such an easy, influential topic, I wanted to mention it again. Begin the safety meeting by asking everyone to write down a time when safety mattered to them. It could be from a serious accident that happened to them or one they witnessed. It could be from an event they heard about. Whatever it is, everyone has a story about the importance of safety that gets to their core. After everyone is done writing, explain why safety matters to you and what your safety story is. Then break the team up into small groups to discuss their individual safety stories. While this is similar to the Scenario Training exercise, this meeting idea should help employees dig deeper to find their motivator for safe behavior. When you focus on personal stories that revolve around safety, the message of working safe becomes a reality for your team.

Chainsaw Demo – Gather your team around a log in your yard. Tell everyone to watch very closely as the chain tears through the log easily. Ask them to take note of the sounds that it makes, the sight of the wood chips flying, perhaps the smell of the exhaust, chain oil and gas mixture. Get them to really be present in the moment of how powerful this machine is. Turn off the saw and pause, for dramatic effect. Quietly ask your team, what would they hear, see and smell if that saw was going through one of their limbs. A chainsaw is the most common tool that we use as Arborists and like our watch face, very often we take for granted what we use every day. When your team really thinks about the damage that a chainsaw can do and how quickly it can happen, there should be no reason that chaps are left in the truck.

There you go, five simple yet extremely powerful ideas to keep your safety meetings fresh and make safety personal to everyone on your team. By committing to safety excellence, we all can make sure that every arborist gets home safe each night.

Lastly, I want to credit Scott Jamieson of Bartlett Tree Experts for sharing the Scenario Training, Old Rope Under Tension and Safety Story meeting ideas at a TCIA Roundtable that ArboRisk hosted back in June of 2018. Thanks for your dedication to the industry Scott!

Written by: Eric Petersen