OTA Dispatch Fall 2015

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22 Oregon Truck DISPATCH
OTA SAFETY MANAGEMENT COUNCIL
Safety: First and Always
By Myke Lake, SMC President
Safety. It seems like a simple concept, but when it
comes to trucking it is all encompassing. This makes
it even more important for any trucking organization
to have a comprehensive safety program in place.
Safety stretches to all aspects of an organization.
Drivers must have the required training and skill set
to operate a truck safely. On top of that, they must
also be aware and adhere to all of the rules and
regulations put forth by numerous agencies—
not an easy task. Service personnel—whether
in-house or at a third-party provider—
must have strong knowledge of every
part and piece that makes up a truck
and trailer. Warehouse, dock and
other shipping employees are
responsible for safely and
efficiently loading and
unloading goods—
some of them
dangerous.
This is a sampling of
safety concerns that
face today’s trucking
businesses. OTA’s Safety
Management Council also
addresses “off-road” topics
including HR and labor issues, as
well as creating strong recruitment and
retention processes for drivers and other
employees.
You can learn more about what SMC offers by going to
> Services > Councils > Safety
Management Council (SMC).
SMC holds monthly meetings in the Portland area and
quarterly in Eugene and Medford that cover a wide
range of topics. In addition, our program is expanding
to include additional meetings and events around
the state. Be sure to check out OTA’s event calendar
and the OTA Weekly Express for the latest dates
and topics.
In tandem with SMC efforts are the
industry-required and other practical
training classes offered by OTA.
Safety expert John Sallak and
others present timely
training sessions that
cover a wide range
sessions related
to DOT, FMCSA
and other
agencies’ rules and
regulations. OTA’s
safety team is also well
versed in navigating the
sometimes confusing
regulatory environment that we
operate in. Members are encouraged
to reach out to John with questions.
Please send any questions to
. ◉
Mark your calendar
for April 21 & 22.
We’ll be releasing more details
on sessions and speakers soon!
The SMC Spring
Safety Conference
will be back in 2016.