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October
12, 2004
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Headline
News
The Seven Deadly Sins of Bad Listeners
1.
Bad listeners “listen with their answer running.” They
think about what they plan to say to the speaker while the speaker
is still talking.
2. Bad listeners get distracted from the conversation by what is going
on around them. This is especially easy in a hectic operations department.
3. Bad listeners interrupt. They try to put in their own opinion,
correct the grammar, or finish the sentence for the speaker.
4. Bad listeners start thinking about some unrelated topic or start
daydreaming because they think they know what the speaker will say
next.
5. Bad listeners jump to conclusions. They think they know where the
conversation is headed (e.g., “I’ve heard this one before”).
6. Bad listeners don’t respond to the speaker.
7. Bad listeners approach the conversation with a negative attitude.
(Exert
from the Daily Dispatch Challenge Training Guide, Thomson Delmar
Learning, ©2004)
Are any of these
habits found in your workplace? If so, you probably will be interested
in learning how to turn these ‘Deadly Sins’ around.
The Daily Dispatch
Challenge (DDC) Training Guide (ISBN 1-4018-3227-X, $24.95 List)
can help you accomplish this. It covers effective communication between
drivers and dispatchers within a carrier operation. The skills taught
in the DDC are valuable for any frontline personnel interacting
with drivers. It can also be used to train terminal managers, load planners,
or any other frontline position. Operating results occur on the front
lines, so it pays to put all your staff through the DDC training.
In addition to communication,
topics covered in the Training Guide include:
• State
and Federal Regulations
• Calculating Load Arrival Times
• Record Keeping System
• Identify Driver Differences
• Effective Questioning
• Negotiation
• Selling Skills
• Problem Solving
• Handling and Emergency Situation
The DDC
can help you turn those who commit the ‘Deadly Sins’ into
reliable employees who practice some of the ‘Actions of Good Listeners’.
1. Good listeners
concentrate attention on the person who is speaking and tune out distractions.
2. Good listeners listen openly and with empathy. They withhold making
judgments until the speaker is done.
3. Good listeners try to understand what the speaker means and not
just hear what he/she says.
4. Good listeners seek clarification if they don’t understand
what the speaker means.
5. Good listeners pay attention to the speaker’s voice inflections
to see what they indicate about the speaker’s feelings.
(Exert from the
Daily Dispatch Challenge Training Guide, Thomson Delmar Learning,
©2004)
For more information
on the Daily Dispatch Challenge Training Guide or CD-ROM
(1-4018-5498-2, $495 List), please contact Joel Morrison at Thomson
Delmar Learning, 1-800-998-7498 x4850, joel.morrison@thomson.com.
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Hours of Service Update - What's Next?
As TCA informed you, Congress
passed legislation on September 30 that retains the “new”
hours of service (HOS) rules in place until September 30, 2005. The
provision was contained in H.R. 5183, which was signed into law that
same day by President Bush, and extended the current Highway Reauthorization
Bill for another eight months as well. An FMCSA spokesperson explained,
“Congress’s intent was to provide the agency, until September
30, 2005, time to revise the hours of service rules to work on the concerns
voiced by the U.S. District of Columbia Circuit Court of Appeals…What
the FMCSA recognizes is the intent of Congress in H.R. 5183 to avoid
widespread disruption in the enforcement of the rules.” A formal
press release regarding this decision is expected from the agency soon.
There is still a pending U.S. Court of Appeals decision on the HOS case.
However, enactment of the H.R. 5183 legislation, at this juncture makes
the impending Court decision practically “moot”. For this
reason, on October 4, the FMCSA formally withdrew their earlier motion
[made on August 30, 2004] for a “stay” of the Court’s
mandate. On October 4 as well, the “interveners” in the
HOS case – the TCA, ATA and the Distribution and LTL Carriers
– followed suit by formally withdrawing our motion for a “stay.”
Despite these developments, the Court is still expected to rule at some
point on the FMCSAs request to keep the “new” rules in effect.
On one other HOS-related matter of interest, on July 1 of this year
a “draft” Supplemental Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (SNPRM)
on the HOS supporting documents issue was forwarded to the Office of
Management and Budget (OMB) for review. This “draft” document
recently cleared the OMB review on September 28, which means it should
be formally published in the Federal Register in the near future.
This SNPRM would amend the HOS recordkeeping requirements to clarify
what supporting documents motor carriers must have to verify HOS records.
TCA will keep you
posted on developments with these crucial HOS issues as they occur,
if you have any questions or comments, please contact Rich Clemente
at (703) 838-8847 or by email: rclemente@truckload.org.
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Proposed Rule on Exposure to Hexavalent Chromium, Is This Used in Your Shop?
The Occupational
Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) issued a Proposed Rule in the
October 4, Federal Register regarding occupational employee
exposure to hexavalent chromium. The agency is proposing three separate
standards that cover exposure to hexavalent chromium (CrVI) in general
industry, construction, and shipyards.
OSHA is proposing to lower
its permissible exposure limit (PEL) for hexavalent chromium and for
all CrVI compounds in general industry, shipyards, and construction,
from 52 to one microgram of CrVI per cubic meter of air as an 8-hour
time weighted average. The proposal also includes provisions for employee
protection such as preferred methods for controlling exposure, respiratory
protection, protective work clothing and equipment, hygiene areas and
practices, medical surveillance, hazard communication, and recordkeeping.
Hexavalent chromium compounds are widely used in the chemical industry
in pigments, metal plating, and chemical synthesis as ingredients and
catalysts. CrVI can also be produced when welding on stainless steel
or CrVI-painted surfaces. OSHA Administrator John Henshaw said, “the
risks involved in the occupational use of hexavalent chromium can be
serious and potentially life threatening…. this proposed rule
is both economically and technologically feasible, and will substantially
reduce the risk to workers potentially exposed to hexavalent chromium.”
The deadline for
the filing of industry comments on this proposed rule is January 3,
2005. In addition, OSHA announced they plan to hold an informal public
hearing in Washington, DC on this issue on February 1, 2005. A fact
sheet with the major provisions of the proposed standards for occupational
exposure to hexavalent chromium is available on OSHA’s website
at: www.osha.gov. For a copy of the October 4 Federal Register
notice click
here for a PDF and here
for an HTML. For further information or comments, please contact
Rich Clemente at (703) 838-8847 or by email: rclemente@truckload.org.
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EPA'S SmartWay Transport Partnership Program Continues to Grow
The Environmental Protection
Agency’s (EPA’s) SmartWay Program, which was officially
“rolled out” earlier this year in February continues to
grow and add new partners. This “new” industry/federal government
voluntary program is aimed at reducing fuel consumption, emissions of
smog-forming pollutants, and greenhouse gases from freight carriers.
First and foremost, the EPA
was happy to report that 23 new partners have recently joined the SmartWay
Transport Partnership bringing the total number of “partners”
in the program to 84 -- many of whom are TCA member trucking companies.
These companies have been working closely with the agency over the last
few years to develop this important public image/energy conservation/pollution
reduction program. Ultimately, these “partners” will be
entitled to use a special trademark seal on shipping containers, websites,
literature and letterhead, and will be recognized by both EPA and shippers
as “environmentally friendly”. Currently, 17 of these “partners”
have been qualified to use the SmartWay “logo”.
The EPA is also moving forward
with a number of activities that will help to ensure publicity for the
Partnership while building long-term brand identity and Partner recognition.
In addition, the SmartWay “team” has been speaking at numerous
industry events to raise the awareness and national visibility for this
Partnership Program. The EPA Regional offices have also been working
for the Partnership and continue to support their activities, enhancing
recruiting efforts, and promoting the program on the state and local
levels. EPA has also developed an “e-update”, in order to
keep everyone apprised of all the latest activities and promotions.
For further information
about this program, visit www.epa.gov/smartway.
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