OTA Dispatch Issue 2 2020

16 Oregon Trucking Associations, Inc. Oregon Truck Dispatch EVENTS Registration Open Soon: www.ortrucking.org/events 2020 MAINTENANCE FAIR Calling all maintenance personnel: Join us for a full day of training, networking, and to learn about maintenance-related products and services from allied members! Breakout sessions available for maintenance managers and technicians. Topics: • “Reading Your Tire’s Story” • Modern FMVSS 121 Air Systems • Maintenance Facility Compliance • Running a Successful Warranty Program • Commercial Vehicle Electric Propulsion • Shop Talk • And More! Portland Area (Rescheduled, date/location TBD) Sponsorship opportunities available! Contact OTA to learn more: info@ortrucking.org CARSON/NEXGEN LOGISTICS By Lance Woodbury, President and CEO, Carson You might think the greatest challenge Carson has faced during the pandemic would be economic. And, it’s true our fuel sales are off, particularly gasoline. Every truck driver can tell you there are a lot less cars on the road right now. But the greatest challenge has really been managing through a work-from-home environment while trying to maintain the feeling we are all working on the same team with the same goals. To a great extent, our drivers are already isolated, since loads and routes are sent to the trucks electronically through our dispatching software. During the week of March 9, however, we asked over 100 people to work from home. This included virtually all of our dispatch and driver support teams. Now, our drivers have less on-site support staff available to go to with questions. So, finding effective ways to communication has become even more critical. Complicating this is the fact that our drivers often don’t have each other to ask questions to anymore because we staggered start times to promote social distancing. Text and phone calls simply aren’t enough. To address these issues, we’re now meeting with drivers individually to get feedback for operational improvements. In our efforts to more effectively connect and communicate, we’ve also recently started creating internal videos to address key processes that drivers can view from their phones. It’s all about better communication. Carson also worked with the Salvation Army to host a “Trucker’s Table” event at their Albany branch to pass out hot meals to truck drivers during the pandemic. To learn more about Carson, visit www.carsonteam.com . Value of OTA, cont.