Roemer Report – October 2006

CLEAN DIESEL DEBUTS: Truck stops and other retailers officially switch to a new blend of low-sulfur diesel fuel October 15—and no one is quite sure what will happen. Trucking firms and owner-operators have been anxiously awaiting the rollout, voicing concerns about the new fuel’s cost and availability. The refining industry spent $8 billion to prepare for the switch, and the new fuel costs several cents more per gallon to make. For drivers, that translates to somewhere between 8 and 15 cents more per gallon—no small price tag, especially if diesel fuel prices begin inching their way back up. But price isn’t the only concern. “We’re interested in whether the supply is going to be there and whether it will be reliable,” said the director of the Arizona Department of Weights and Measures. “From everything we’ve heard, things have gone well.” The federal government says the switch to cleaner-burning diesel fuel will greatly reduce the toxic fumes from vehicles that run on diesel, but it could take years before the benefits are fully realized. By 2030, when the older engines are phased out, the Environmental Protection Agency expects that diesel emissions will be reduced by 90 percent.

MORE PARKING ON THE WAY: Despite opposition from truck stop operators, the federal government is embracing a “truck parking initiative” to increase parking near major highways for large trucks. A 2002 study by the Federal Highway Administration found a lack of parking spaces across the country for big trucks, and the problem is worsening because of hours-of-service rules mandating rest time for drivers. In its first year, the program will hand out $5.4 million to state and local governments, according to Traffic World. The money will be used to inform truckers of open parking spots, to construct rest areas that include truck parking, and to add extra parking areas at weigh stations and park-and-ride lots. The National Association of Truck Stop Operators opposes the plan, arguing that the private sector already provides enough parking. The group says that drivers park illegally not because they can’t find parking, but because they “are often motivated by ease and convenience.” But the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA) sees things differently. “Trucks don’t park on the side of the road for their convenience,” says OOIDA lobbyist Rod Nofziger. “They’re parking there because they simply don’t have another place to park. That’s an unsafe place as well as quite often an illegal place to park. They would much rather park in truck stops.” OOIDA says the truck parking initiative lacks funding, and the allotted $25 million is “an absolute drop in the bucket.”

TEEN CRASH RATE DROPS: Graduated licensing does work. A study of California’s graduated licensing law found a 23 percent overall reduction in the per-capita crash involvement of 16-year-old drivers. Crashes dropped especially in high-risk situations; nighttime crash rates went down 27 percent, and crash rates with teen passengers decreased 38 percent. California legislators were among the first in the nation to enact graduated licensing, which took effect in 1998. The law increased the learner’s permit period and required parents or guardians to certify that learners practice at least 50 hours behind the wheel. Once licensed, 16-year-olds still are restricted. They may not drive unsupervised at night or any time with teen passengers. When teens drive with other teens, they’re more likely to speed and tailgate and are more easily distracted. More good news is that the law isn’t shifting high crash rates from 16-year-olds to 17-year-olds. Crash rates for 17-year-olds also declined after graduated licensing was enacted. Similar laws that phase in driving privileges for beginning teens have been enacted in all but five states.

TRUCKERS ON THE LOOKOUT: A growing number of truck and bus drivers are on the lookout for suspicious activities they may encounter while on the road. Since 2004, Highway Watch has trained almost 400,000 people to spot and report suspicious goings-on, such as people photographing tunnels or bridges or abandoned vehicles. While Highway Watch training focuses on identifying potential terrorist threats, the program also helps drivers protect their vehicles and themselves from thieves. Georgia recently began requiring all of its drivers with CDLs to be trained. National membership is expected to top 1 million by early 2007. The program, run by the American Trucking Associations with funds from the Department of Homeland Security, requires participants to take a class or watch a one-hour DVD. Highway Watch hasn’t thwarted any terrorists, but tips have helped locate a missing truck carrying fertilizer and identified illegal immigrants at a truck driving school. Critics say Highway Watch is creating vigilantes and could lead to racial profiling. “We are in danger of turning truck drivers into barely trained, inadequate police intelligence officials,” who focus on people of color, says an official with the American Civil Liberties Union. But Jim Sutton, who heads the Highway Watch analysis center, says the group avoids “uncorroborated information or its use against innocent people.” Sutton, a former FBI agent, says the program treats the tips they receive—approximately 272 per month—very seriously. Highway Watch members phone in reports to a toll-free number, and analysts assess the reports and share them with local and federal law enforcement.

WHAT DRIVERS WANT: If you want to know what truck drivers are thinking, just ask them. That’s what FleetOwner magazine did recently. “Drivers have three priorities,” said one trucking consultant, “Get me rolling, get me paid, and get me home.” Here’s a look at those priorities and others: (1) Pay and benefits. “You must have this and be on a level playing field with the rest of the industry,” said Rob Bowman, owner of a 60-truck fleet in Atlanta. A big component of pay and benefits is health care. The lack of a good health-care program is one of the main reasons truckers leave the profession. (2) Respect. One veteran driver says fleets need to respect drivers if they want to keep them. Try thinking of them as outside sales consultants instead of just drivers. (3) Home time. Drivers want time at home with their families. “The day of the ‘month out’ driver is all but dead,” says Bowman. (4) Equipment. Truckers want reliable equipment, because “drivers don’t earn income if the truck is in the shop,” says the Atlanta owner. They also want a truck that will be their home away from home. That means comfort: a roomy sleeper, CD players, and on-board navigation. (5) Good communication. Bowman says you can never communicate too much with drivers. He advises listening closely to their concerns and making sure they understand their opinions matter. Problems with dispatchers can undermine all the pay, home time, and equipment benefits a fleet may provide.

USE IT OR LOSE IT: A recent poll found that most Americans are not doing all they can to ensure their brains continue to function well as they age. According to the poll, Americans give brain health a low priority. Only 3 percent of those 42 years and older consider brain fitness the most important health issue for people their age. Experts meeting to discuss the poll’s findings agree that brain health is imperative for successful aging. They recommend three main things to improve brain fitness: (1) Exercise. Physical activity increases the amount of oxygen and glucose that reach the brain. Studies have found that seniors who walk regularly showed significant improvement in memory skills, compared to their sedentary counterparts. What’s more, walking also improved their learning ability, concentration, and abstract reasoning. Stroke risk drops by more than half in people who walk just 20 minutes each day. (2) Cross-train your brain. Brain fitness depends on a variety of mental activities. Engage in a variety of activities that work different parts of the brain: play a musical instrument, do word games, take up tai chi, and try memory games. (3) Socialize. Involvement with family, friends, and community is an investment in brain health. People who live in isolation have a higher risk of developing dementia than those who socialize regularly.

TRAINING THAT STICKS: As every leader knows, one of the problems with training is that participants leave the event, go back to work, and all their new knowledge vanishes—they don’t apply it to their jobs. Consultants Jack Zenger, Joe Folkman, and Bob Sherwin, authors of The Extraordinary Leader, explain that for training to stick, four elements must be in place: (1) Motivation. People rarely change if they are not motivated to do so. The most effective employees and leaders are those who constantly seek ways to improve their performance. (2) Accountability. Three people are responsible for the training session: the manager, the trainer, and the participant. Implementation occurs only when each of these three accepts his or her role in making it happen. The participants must be clear about their responsibility when they return to work; managers must understand what was learned, watch to make sure the learning is applied, and give positive reinforcement when it is; trainers must know what happens when learners return to the job and encourage follow-up activities. (3) Visibility. Organizations rarely measure the impact of training programs, mainly because they don’t have an effective way to do so. The inability to clearly see or measure what the participant learned is a major roadblock to implementation. (4) Follow-up. “If learning is simply an event and materials are put on a shelf to be forgotten, then these skills or information will not be implemented,” write the consultants. “People don’t do what you expect; they do what you inspect.”

Think big thoughts but relish small pleasures.—H. Jackson Brown, Jr., writer