Good, Safe Change. You Can Do It.

Things don’t change much up here at the Old Place.  The fish bite in the same places on the lake, and the quiet honking of the big Canada geese is heard year round.  While the seasons do change, here in the South, that doesn’t mean much.  The great winter of 2017 will be remembered; after all it lasted what, three days?  That’s part of what we love about life at the Old Place.  In the outside world though, change is inevitable.  I grew up with change watching “Superman” on the old black and white Magnavox.  George Reeve would dash into the store room wearing his street clothes and leap out the window a moment later, changed, transformed from the mild manner reporter into the invincible Man of Steel. My grandmother, Nora taught me about change with stories of the mysterious east where the cunning horseman Rewagunga changed into the beautiful Afghan jihadist, Yasmini.  And who can forget how the leopard changed his spots with a little help from his Ethiopian friend who had, “just a little color left over on the fingertips of his fine new black skin.”  Yes, change is inevitable my brothers and sisters and just like the leopard and the Ethiopian, it is time for some of you to change as well. Change is never easy. Remember what the country just went through to get some change in Washington D.C.?  Sometime change is brought on by necessity, other times it is forced on us, at bayonet point!  Since the start of the New Year, I have noticed a change.  Every morning on the local news there are four or five ads for trial lawyers, some of them with jingles no less! These ads include lots of satisfied customers gleefully sharing stories of the hundreds of thousands of dollars they received from big truck wrecks and other targets of opportunity.

So what’s it got to do with safety?  Well you may ask, those employers who do not have proactive, preemptive and effective safety programs may soon be out of business.  It may say, “Joes Landscape Service” on the side of your truck, but what it really says is, “Please Sue Me.”  Transportation is your greatest potential liability.  Some thieves, that is what they are, will sometimes pull in front of your truck and hit the brakes, causing a crash!  I know a fella who has proudly and successfully sued and collected on no less than four wrecks with some company’s truck!  It has gotten so bad that companies like Walmart, Home Depot and others use independent trucking companies. Can you remember the last time you saw an Exxon or Shell tank truck?  Gone. . . Change!

First off, train your drivers what to do after a crash: call in immediately, if trained, give first aid, take detailed pictures of vehicles involved, take pictures of other drivers’ license and insurance card, but speak only to the investigating officer.  And never, ever apologize or admit guilt

"But I’m not a big company,” you say. “Sure I have a fleet of pickup trucks I need to do business.”  Okay, then ask yourself, do my drivers know how to maneuver a long trailer?  Have I checked their driving record and run a credit check?  Are they drug and alcohol free on the job?  Have I ridden with them on their rounds?  If not, maybe it is time for a change.  Training such as annual Defensive Driving classes, parking lot practice sessions, even operator rodeos build confidence and a sense of pride in driving skills.  Annual awards: best driving record, cleanest, best maintained truck and tool trailer can also improve driver safety and performance.  Good, Safe, Change!  You can do it.

Sitting in a rocker at the Old Place, I am, Col. Jim