Have you ever wondered why some drivers seem to be accident prone and others have never caused an accident? Would you like to know you’re getting safe drivers before you hire them?
Safety research shows you can determine driver applicants’ probability of causing future accidents by determining their behavioral style and attitudes. (Source: Behavioral and Values Associates, 1993.)
A behavioral assessment measures a person’s normal behavior in four areas: D (Dominant), I (Influencing), S (Steadiness), and C (Cautious, Compliant to Standards).
The D factor determines how drivers tend to handle problems and challenges, the I factor looks at their interactions and influence with others, the S at how they respond to the pace of the environment, and the C at how they respond to company and federal rules and regulations set by others.
A DISC behavioral assessment shows how the applicant ranks in each of the four factors from 0% to 100%. Fifty percent is the mid line; above this the person is said to be high in the factor, below 50% – low. The higher or lower the ranking, the more intense the behavior will be. In this article, we’ll look at the highs and lows of the S factor.
Research shows the safest drivers are high in the S factor. Here’s the reason why.
People with a Core S style tend to be steady, reliable, patient, and mild mannered. They’re genuinely nice people who care about serving others. And they’re safety conscious because their number one psychological need is to be safe and secure.
Drivers with a Core S factor can sit for hours without feeling antsy or restless. They can make good, steady time on the road without feeling stressed. They could drive even longer than regulations allow with less boredom and fatigue than those low in this style.
Drivers with a low S factor tend to be active, restless, and mobile and feel stressed when they have to sit for hours at a time. They need more frequent breaks than their Core S counterparts. They tend to drive faster and get distracted more easily.
Trucking companies that hire drivers with a high S factor have reduced accidents, costs, workers’ comp claims, and turnover. This is the driver you want to hire and retain.
A driver who also has both high S and high C behavioral styles is the ideal driver. Look for my next article on the Core C driver, who’s cautious and compliant to high standards.
2006 Annette Estes. All Rights Reserved. Permission to reprint granted as long as entire text and tag line are included.
Safety research shows drivers’ behavioral styles and attitudes are a better predictor of safe driving practices than their level of safety training. A 1993 study conducted by Behavioral-Values Research Associates showed significant behavior and attitude differences between injured and non-injured workers.
Trucking companies that obtain this information to pre-screen driver applicants have significantly reduced their accident rates, costs, workers’ comp claims, and have increased driver retention.
A behavioral assessment measures a driver’s normal behavior in four areas: D (Dominant), I (Influencing), S (Steadiness), and C (Cautious, Compliant to Standards).
The D factor determines how drivers tend to handle problems and challenges, the I factor looks at their interactions and influence with others, the S at how they respond to the pace of the environment, and the C at how they respond to rules and regulations set by others.
A DISC behavioral assessment shows how the applicant ranks in each of the four factors from 0% to 100%. Above 50% is considered high, below 50% is low. The higher or lower the ranking, the more intense the behavior will be. In this article, we’ll look at the highs and lows of the Core I driver.
The BVRA study showed significant differences in the D, S, and C styles of the injured versus non-injured safety workers. But there wasn’t a marked difference in the I factor between the two groups. However, I recommend trucking companies hire drivers who are low in the I style. Here’s the reason why.
Drivers who score highest in the Influencing factor tend to be talkative, sociable, friendly, and outgoing. They get distracted easily especially when other people are involved. They’ll get bored on long hauls with no one to talk to. They may take extended breaks if they get into a lively conversation with someone.
Drivers with a low I factor are the opposite. They’re introverted and shy away from others. They’ll be content on a long driver where they don’t have to interact with people. They’re able to pay more focused attention to their driving.
However, one of our trucking company clients wants its drivers to be somewhat, but not extremely, high in the I factor because they’re required to interact frequently with their customers. The company want drivers who are friendly and can relate well with others.
If you feel being lively and likable is important for your drivers, then hire applicants with an I ranking above the mid line. Otherwise, select those low in the I behavioral style.
Watch for upcoming articles in which we’ll discuss the drivers you most want to hire: those high in the S and C factors. If you missed it, look for our previous article on the Core D driver. Contact us if you can’t find it and we’ll send it to you.
2006 Annette Estes. All Rights Reserved. Permission to reprint granted as long as entire text and tag line are included.
If you want some hard action when driving, trucks are the most appropriate vehicles. Of course, if you want to protect your trucks car seats, you will need more than just ordinary seat covers. What you need is a seat cover that is equally strong and reliable like its user – truck seat covers. Truck seat covers provide optimum protection to your upholsteries and renders advantages in many ways.
1. Creativity
Truck seat covers give your truck a distinctive display or design. This can either illuminate your trucks interior design or amplify its contents!
2. Protection
What could be more important in driving your monster truck but to protect it so as to keep it in top shape? Truck seat covers are ergonomically designed to render utmost protection against harmful elements that may trigger your upholsteries deterioration. Plus, if your seats are already destroyed or have holes in them, a seat cover can effectively hide those unsightly aspects of your seats and at the same time provide optimal comfort.
3. Normal Wear And Tear
Trucks are like SUVs or Family Sedans – the whole family can be accommodated, trucks are most often used in camping, picnics, and other vigorous activities because they can carry more load compared with what SUVs and cars can do. And so, because of increased exposure to a lot of elements brought about by different activities, trucks are vulnerable to a lot of harmful elements that mat destroy the seats like:
Moisture.
Whether your family went swimming, surfing, or even mountain climbing or strolling, the moisture left in your clothes can have great effects on your trucks upholstery. Generally, most trucks upholstery is made up of leather. And we all know for a fact that leathers hate waters. It is their number one enemy. And so, protecting them with truck seat covers against moisture will provide a longer life span for your truck upholstery.
Friction
No one would ever think that the actual activity of getting in and out of the truck can put more pressure upon the seats. And the friction that is initiated by merely rubbing against your trucks upholstery is enough to damage your seats. You will only see the effects as time wears it out. And so, the most feasible way to avoid such spoilage is to cover up them up with truck seat covers. It will provide enough barriers against you and your upholstery.
Ultraviolet destruction
What you thought is only harmful to the skin is equally damaging to your trucks upholstery. Because upholsteries are made up of leather, they are vulnerable to sun damage because the ultraviolet rays of the suns dries out the oils present in the leather seats. Without these lubricants, the upholstery may dry out and eventually will crack. So, to avoid this kind of problem, it is best to cover your trucks upholstery with truck seat covers.
Unavoidable accidents.
We all know for a fact that accidents do happen and they are really unavoidable. Such case applies to your trucks upholstery. Without the protection that truck seat covers can bring, your upholstery is doomed to accidents like spills, oily stuffs from potato chips, pets dung, and other dirty elements. But if you have your upholstery covered up with nice sets of truck seat covers, you can be assured of stain-free truck seats ahead.
4. Different Kinds of Truck Seat Covers
Truck seat covers vary with different colors and designs. But what makes it more appropriate protection for your truck seats is that it is available in three different fittings, individually capable of providing you the kinds of fitting that you want.
Semi-custom fittings
Among the three truck seat covers, semi-custom fit is the most common among truck owners. This is because most trucks have different huge seats that typical fittings cannot be accommodated. And so, with a combination of custom-made and a little patterned design, semi-custom fit is the ideal truck seat covers for every truck users.
2. Custom seat
These are exclusively tailor-made just for your trucks seats. In making these seat covers, careful considerations where given to every details of your seats. That is why custom fittings are more expensive than the other two.
3. Ultimate fit covers.
The last type of fittings in trucks is the Ultimate Seat covers. It is made up of original automotive grade fabric that is specially designed to give the trucks upholstery utmost protection.
Truck Floor Mats or Auto Floor Mats – Make a Great Holiday ‘Adult’ Gift
Finding a meaningful gift is sometimes impossible during the holiday shopping season. Are you running out of gift ideas that the recipient will appreciate and won’t have to worry about returning the gift? The answer is Truck Floor Mats or Auto Floor Mats make the perfect gift for anyone on your list with a luxury car, sports car, sedan, van, SUV, pickup truck, virtually for any type of vehicles.
Today’s interior auto floor mats or floor liners are superior aftermarket products that provide extra protection for your vehicle’s floor against spills, crud, mud, slush, grime and daily foot friction. Floor mats are a great, thoughtful gift because the recipient will think you every time they get in and out of their vehicle, many times throughout the day. You may even get the extra appreciation when the kids spill their fast food fries followed by the spilled pop – all of which is no big deal because the gifted floor mats or floor liners you gave as a gift, protected their vehicle’s interior and clean up was a breeze.
You’ll be amazed how easy is to give a meaningful gift this year, to even that most difficult ‘hard to buy for’ person on your list. To help you with a flawless purchase, before you buy floor mats be prepared to have the following information ready:
# Vehicle’s year
# Make and model
# Basic vehicle layout (bench seats versus buckets)
Shopping online for custom, fitting floor mats, floor liners and cargo liners will also save you time and avoid the mad mall shopping scene. Easy search terms like “rubber floor mats”, “truck floor mats”, “car floor mats” “all weather floor mats” will aide in finding e-commerce sites selling quality floor protection products.
Some of the top automotive manufacturers for floor protection with products that provide protection, function and style are:
# WeatherTech All Weather Rubber Floor Mats
# WeatherTech Extreme Duty Floor Liners and Cargo Liners
# Husky Heavy Floor Mats, Floor Liners and Cargo Liners
# Nifty Catch-All Premium Floor Mats and Cargo Mats
# Nifty Catch All Extreme Floor Mats and Cargo Mats
Mats and liners provide a custom fit to the vehicle’s interior dimensions. Custom fit floor mats and liners are achieved by today’s digital manufacturing capabilities that can match virtually every type of vehicle interior. Common materials used are carpet, rubber, or a high-tech poly-based material, each with different application strengths. For example, carpet floor mats are generally more common in warmer, drier climates. While all rubber or the poly-based materials in floor mats, liners and cargo liners are for all weather climates where moisture is prevalent.
This year forget about giving gift cards or booze! Give something you’ll get a sincere thank you! Floor mats, floor liners or cargo liners make a great gift for anyone on your holiday list.
Truck Drivers! Get in Touch with New Technologies on the Road!!!
Working on the road can be a very difficult task. Office jobs offer employees many advantages that most of the time are taken for granted: internet access, phone lines, copy machines, faxes, paper, pens, even the desk!!! After a few days away from home, you find out how difficult the job conditions are over the road and you start to notice those small details.
All Truck Drivers and especially Long Haul Truck Drivers face this fact evertday. Fortunately, today the world is growing smaller and technology increases minute by minute allowing many people to reap the benefits of it. Truck drivers are no exception. Many technological advances have imporved their quality of life.
A few years ago, no one would have thought that a truck driver would ever implement the use of the internet in his day to day job. Electronic devices such as computers, palms, cell phones, billing devices and more are all available now to increase the effeciency of today’s transportation services and their employee’s. Professional Drivers benifit just as much from these communication advances as the companies they work for.
The Internet is a great tool to improve our levels of communication, allowing drivers to have access to information at the exect time and place they need it. Today Truckers are able to send and receive email and faxes, order parts and find loads on the Web for their return trips. Different companies offer wireless connections to the internet in digital and analog cellular coverage areas by connecting a laptop to a cell phone. Obviously, the advantage here is that those services are easy to use and count on wide geographic coverage.
Also, truck drivers can count on portable navigation soft wares or GPS, which can be accessed through cell phones, palms or laptops. These devices feature wireless connectivity and a customizable display, which enable more effective routing and handles detours, distractions and delays safely and efficiently. In common words, the driver can manage to locate where he is on an electronic map that will also help him to find addresses and short the time it takes to get there.
Moreover, GPS not only helps the driver but guarantees his safety while on the road. These are low cost GPS software that operate from the vehicles battery power and transmit its location report to the company. Once the unit is installed, the vehicle operator basically can forget about it. There is no driver interaction required or even possible. Besides location and time, the only event the unit monitors is whether the ignition key is turned on or off. This tracking system makes the trip safer for the driver, the clients and the company.
The above mentioned are just three electronic implementations that are very useful for the daily job of truck drivers. The industry also makes good use of special electronic billing devices that, after punching in some information, automatically dispatch the bill specifying the type of transaction made; which allows the driver to have a formal document to present to his foreman.
Obviously, for these devices to be implemented, the will and desire to learn is crucial. Most of these implementations are important on a personal and business level because people can keep in contact with their freight, families and friends.
In general, technology as a whole goes hand in hand with the growth of the Trucking Industry. In todays world and as days go by, Technology will play a major role in every marketplace in the years to come.
