OTA Dispatch Issue 2 2019

20 Oregon Truck Dispatch Terrain Tamers, cont. Jarvis is doing a great job! In the past, we relied on Bob Russell and John Sallak for consultative services, too. OTA supports our industry. We had Bob’s cell phone number and called him when we had weighmaster issues. He could get things done. He was politically connected and influential, and that ‘rubber meets the road’ support was very helpful.” COMMUNITY & GROUPS Giving Back & Growing the Industry’s Next Generation But, their level of involvement in the trucking industry doesn’t stop with OTA. Terrain Tamers, along with other OTA and community members, helped start the new Umpqua Valley Transportation Sector Partnership that connects trucking companies and other groups in the region. They’re also on the Umpqua Community College advisory board for trucking where the goal is to attract more people into the industry—especially youth—and make sure students are trained in the skills they’ll actually need on the job. It’s a great way to provide industry support standards and ensure quality of training, so it’s a return on investment for both parties. The company hires a lot of graduates from the school’s trucking program and their relationship has been proven to be effective. They’re also members of the Chamber of Commerce and donate to the Boy Scouts, the college, and even to local school playgrounds in the form of transporting wood chips. CHIP HAULING Timing is Everything “There’s nothing else like hauling chips!” exclaim Christie and Amanda. The biggest differentiating factor from other trucking is that residual products like bark, sawdust, and woodchips are not a high-value commodity. Timeliness and effective service is critical. The mill has to get rid of the product to continue to run and could incur high costs and a stop in production if they don’t get it out of there. Some mills have limited space, so there’s no place to put leftover product if a chip hauler isn’t there to pick it up. Lumber trucks can only move lumber, after all. Terrain Tamers can also encounter fluctuating pick-up schedules based on the size and type of log each mill is processing. For example, pine trees produce a different amount of chips than Douglas firs. Christie adds, “We have to stay in tune to their production cycle and that requires much more communication than other industries.” TACKLING CHALLENGES & CHANGES—AND TECHNOLOGY Terrain Tamers had switched to electronic logging devices (ELDs) long before it was required. At first, everyone questioned the company-wide change, especially when five seconds could turn into a violation. It was a difficult adjustment. The shift to ELDs also created additional administrative tasks such as continuous auditing and documentation of almost everything that falls within a truck’s telematics and safety data capture including hard braking, deceleration, speed, corrective action, and GPS mapping. Short hauls made it even more difficult because drivers often forgot to log off at the end of their shifts. Over time, the company saw a cultural safety shift. The zero-tolerance policy meant that everyone had to be fully committed to the process. “ELDs hold both parties accountable—the employer can’t push drivers past their limit and drivers are running safer. We recognized that this is the direction we’re heading and made the necessary adjustments,” said Mike. Technology is the future in safety, including smart cameras and disk brakes. Terrain Tamers’ goal is to have a rotating fleet because it helps drive down maintenance costs, is effective with recruiting efforts, and it’s safer. While most of their competitors continue to run older trucks, Terrain Tamers found that integrating technology has led to greater efficiency. Their Kenworth trucks have built-in safety sensors and even a scoring “green checkmark” system to encourage the driver to perform all functions correctly. According to Mike, “It’s worth the investment!” He goes on to say, “Our advantage is that we run profitable. We have a great relationship with our customers, and we communicate any time we need to increase rates. The new cap and trade proposal may incentivize companies to move toward new trucks. That’s expensive, especially if you have to implement over a short period of time.” It costs about $84,000 for a new trailer and $145,000 for a new truck. They also eliminated running double trailers because it’s easier on the drivers, so their fleet now consists of only 53-foot trailers. “It’s a long-term investment, and our customers understand because we deliver the value.” Overall, Terrain Tamers has seen a significant increase in the demand for trucking, but they acknowledge that there can still be a bit of a clash when companies adapt to all of the new or updated regulations, specifically with the more recent Compliance Safety Accountability (CSA) system. Even so, Terrain Tamers sees a silver lining according to Mike. “There’s zero tolerance. If you can keep a strong discipline, you’ll have better results. Our motto is, ‘Get them working, get them paid, and get them home safely at the end of the day.’”  Learn more about Terrain Tamers at www.terraintamers.com . Oregon Trucking Associations, Inc. OTA Safety Award Grand Champion TERRAIN TAMERS (accepted by Christie Wuerst)