Safety First: Compliance, Risk & 30 Years on the Road

1 00:00:01,400 --> 00:00:06,480 You know, there's a version of trucking that people see every single day. And then there's the 2 00:00:06,480 --> 00:00:12,679 version that actually exists, the one where you're responsible for 80,000 pounds moving down the 3 00:00:12,680 --> 00:00:19,600 road, where one bad decision from you or somebody else can change everything. And here's the truth 4 00:00:19,600 --> 00:00:25,560 most people don't think about safety until something goes wrong. But the best drivers, the 5 00:00:25,560 --> 00:00:31,720 best companies, the ones that last. They think about it before anything ever 6 00:00:31,720 --> 00:00:38,160 happens. Today we're sitting down with the guy who spent nearly 30 years making sure people get that 7 00:00:38,160 --> 00:00:44,800 part right, not just enforcing the rules, not just checking boxes, but figuring out how to 8 00:00:44,840 --> 00:00:51,800 protect drivers, protect companies, and protect the public before things go sideways. This 9 00:00:51,800 --> 00:00:57,200 is one of those conversations that might not be super flashy, but if you actually listen to it, it 10 00:00:57,200 --> 00:01:04,150 might be one of the most important episodes we've ever had. Let's get to it. You are 11 00:01:04,150 --> 00:01:09,389 listening to. Always pneumatic, never static. The Totally Pressurized podcast, brought to you by 12 00:01:09,389 --> 00:01:15,149 Bulk Transit, where we keep the lines clear, the tanks empty, and the conversation anything but dry. 13 00:01:15,190 --> 00:01:20,230 Whether you're running powder pellets or anything in between. Pull up a seat, crack the windows, and 14 00:01:20,230 --> 00:01:26,749 let's hit it. Bulk and Spur. How's it going out there? Welcome into 15 00:01:26,790 --> 00:01:32,989 always pneumatic, never static. We've got an awesome episode planned for you today, and I can't 16 00:01:32,989 --> 00:01:39,149 wait to get to it. So let's get some homework done right off the top. How can I forget to tell you? My 17 00:01:39,150 --> 00:01:43,830 name's Marcus, but you're starting to learn that you don't need to hear me say my own name anymore. 18 00:01:43,870 --> 00:01:49,110 What, ten episodes in here? But I'll say it just in case, because that's part of the homework. I'm the 19 00:01:49,110 --> 00:01:53,310 host here. I'm the guy that's going to walk you through today's episode. If you haven't ever 20 00:01:53,310 --> 00:01:59,609 listened before, this is a real good, uh, real good one to start with. But I do want to advise you a 21 00:01:59,609 --> 00:02:06,569 little bit on this. Um, we have a website. podcast.bulktransit.com is where you want to go to find 22 00:02:06,569 --> 00:02:13,249 all of the episodes that we've done. And later on in this episode, you will hear our guests today 23 00:02:13,289 --> 00:02:20,249 say, I'm showing drivers this episode, not this one that we're doing. He will tell you which episode 24 00:02:20,249 --> 00:02:25,649 he shows drivers, uh, when he's talking to them in some meet and greets. We'll also get to that a 25 00:02:25,649 --> 00:02:31,089 little bit later too. So the point is, go to the website, bookmark it. That way you don't got to go 26 00:02:31,089 --> 00:02:36,889 to Spotify. You don't have to depend on Apple to tell you. We put out a new episode at 5 a.m. local 27 00:02:36,929 --> 00:02:43,249 time every single week, and, uh, it's right there on the website for you so you don't have to worry 28 00:02:43,249 --> 00:02:49,009 about again, Spotify. Like, sometimes I know there's a new episode out and where is it? I don't know, I 29 00:02:49,009 --> 00:02:55,969 have to look for it. I don't want to do that. Boom. Bookmark the website podcast.bulktransit.com there on 30 00:02:56,009 --> 00:03:01,160 that website, you can find out everything about every episode that we've done, who's joined us. The 31 00:03:01,160 --> 00:03:05,800 quizzes are up there. If you want to test your mettle a little bit. See what you took away from 32 00:03:05,800 --> 00:03:10,280 the episode. You can do that if we have photo galleries to share up there. If we ever get 33 00:03:10,280 --> 00:03:15,520 drivers to send in pictures, we'll be putting them up there as well. There's also a link that you can 34 00:03:15,520 --> 00:03:21,560 click on that website where you can come directly into my realm. You can send me a message that'll 35 00:03:21,560 --> 00:03:26,279 hit me right in the pocket. If there's anything that you want to talk about on this podcast, I am 36 00:03:26,280 --> 00:03:32,360 open for suggestion. You drivers out there that are listening right now are a big reason why 37 00:03:32,360 --> 00:03:37,839 we're doing this. You're a big part of what we're doing here, and I want to hear from you. If you got 38 00:03:37,840 --> 00:03:43,000 something that, you know, a bunch of drivers from bulk and spur are going to want to hear about. Send 39 00:03:43,000 --> 00:03:49,240 me an email by going over to podcast.bulktransit.com. Maybe you don't have something that 40 00:03:49,240 --> 00:03:54,240 you want to talk about specifically. You just want to join in on the fun and be part of the podcast. 41 00:03:54,240 --> 00:03:59,499 That's fine too. I will find a spot for you, but you gotta let me know that you're interested. So 42 00:03:59,500 --> 00:04:05,899 reach out to me, head on over to the website podcast.bulktransit.com and listen. Sometimes for me 43 00:04:05,900 --> 00:04:11,459 it's a little bit like drinking from a firehose. If you've emailed me already and I haven't gotten 44 00:04:11,460 --> 00:04:17,219 back to you, hit me again. I get a lot of them every single day, but I want to make sure and 45 00:04:17,219 --> 00:04:21,779 involve everybody that wants to be involved on this podcast. So 46 00:04:21,779 --> 00:04:28,779 podcast.bulktransit.com, that's going to wrap up the homework portion of today. Uh, and 47 00:04:28,780 --> 00:04:34,980 I'm glad to because I look homework was not my strong suit in school okay. The fact that I get to 48 00:04:34,980 --> 00:04:40,458 our homework right off the top every single day that we have an episode here on always pneumatic, 49 00:04:40,459 --> 00:04:45,939 never static, uh, should just tell you that I have a sticky note right underneath my camera that 50 00:04:45,939 --> 00:04:50,539 says homework. I gotta tell you guys about the website. We got to get people heading over there. 51 00:04:50,540 --> 00:04:56,088 Trust me, a lot of our traffic that we get, in fact, most of the traffic that we'll get from this 52 00:04:56,170 --> 00:05:00,328 podcast will actually come from that website. That's where drivers like to go. You guys already 53 00:05:00,329 --> 00:05:05,489 are familiar with it. You've you've been on the website before. It's just an extension of that. So 54 00:05:05,489 --> 00:05:11,849 again bookmark it. And we put the brakes on homework for today. So what is today's episode 55 00:05:11,850 --> 00:05:18,809 about? Well in a word I could just say safety. I feel like that does a massive disservice to 56 00:05:18,849 --> 00:05:25,049 today's episode. I feel like that, uh, that really, uh, kind of buries the lead here a little bit 57 00:05:25,089 --> 00:05:31,009 today. We're talking about how safety has evolved from getting past the audit to prevent the 58 00:05:31,010 --> 00:05:35,769 lawsuit before it ever happens. How's that? That's a pretty good one. Uh, there's a story in here 59 00:05:35,769 --> 00:05:42,689 today about a driver who, without technology, probably loses his job. Uh, maybe more. Uh, but we 60 00:05:42,689 --> 00:05:48,129 will talk about safety tech a little bit in today's episode. And I think that anecdote is a 61 00:05:48,129 --> 00:05:54,040 real heavy one. For those of you out there driving right now, we get into some of why drivers might 62 00:05:54,040 --> 00:05:59,880 push back on a little bit of tech and what exactly we're trying to do by employing that tech. 63 00:05:59,880 --> 00:06:04,799 We also talk about something most drivers don't think about in today's episode. Who's actually 64 00:06:04,800 --> 00:06:11,199 clearing you for your medical card and is that legit? Well, if you work at Bulk and Spur, it is, I 65 00:06:11,200 --> 00:06:17,480 can tell you that much. Uh, and of course, one thing that our guest today will tell me that really 66 00:06:17,480 --> 00:06:23,000 stuck with me in this interview is that safety isn't just safety anymore, it's risk management. 67 00:06:23,040 --> 00:06:29,239 Okay? There's a big part of it there. How do we prevent accidents before they happen? And that and 68 00:06:29,239 --> 00:06:34,399 much, much more is what we're going to get into on today's episode of Always Pneumatic, Never static, 69 00:06:34,400 --> 00:06:41,079 because I am joined here in just a few minutes, right around the corner by Director of Safety Tim 70 00:06:41,079 --> 00:06:47,880 Hamilton. Um, I will tell you right now, I could not wait to get Tim on the air, because when 71 00:06:47,920 --> 00:06:54,099 I spent three days out at one of the terminals there. Getting to know everybody. Uh, Tim came and 72 00:06:54,099 --> 00:07:00,259 sat down with us, and he gave us more than an hour of his time. He was so gracious with his time. And 73 00:07:00,260 --> 00:07:06,619 a lot of times when you sit down in these meeting rooms with people, um, it's hard to tell if they're 74 00:07:06,620 --> 00:07:10,620 sitting there because they kind of feel obligated to. They feel like their their position is 75 00:07:10,620 --> 00:07:15,579 important within the company and they should give you some time. So as a podcast host, you can really 76 00:07:15,580 --> 00:07:20,779 understand a little bit about what goes on. That's not what I got from Tim. When Tim sat down across 77 00:07:20,779 --> 00:07:26,219 from us and I started taking notes, the smoke started pouring out of my keyboard. I could not 78 00:07:26,219 --> 00:07:32,018 type fast enough, because what I learned about Tim is that he has a dedication and a passion for 79 00:07:32,019 --> 00:07:38,858 this job. This is not a surface level director of safety here. This is a guy that is looking into 80 00:07:38,900 --> 00:07:45,539 every single aspect of his job all the time to try to constantly get better. And you'll hear him 81 00:07:45,579 --> 00:07:51,329 say that towards the end of the interview. So make sure to pay attention. I know drivers, especially 82 00:07:51,329 --> 00:07:57,328 here at Bulk and Spur, are dedicated to safety. How do I know that? Well. Uh, quite a few episodes. We've 83 00:07:57,370 --> 00:08:01,849 talked about it. We've we've asked you guys, you guys have told us I haven't even had to bring it 84 00:08:01,850 --> 00:08:08,530 up. And I've had drivers bring it up. To me, the safety is the most important aspect of the job 85 00:08:08,530 --> 00:08:14,169 that we're doing here, whether it be, uh, not getting covered in flour or plastic pellets, not 86 00:08:14,170 --> 00:08:19,169 getting, uh, making sure that all of your trailer's working correctly, but the safety on the road as 87 00:08:19,169 --> 00:08:25,648 well. The driving part of this job is obviously a gigantic part of it. And today's conversation with 88 00:08:25,649 --> 00:08:30,889 Tim Hamilton, uh, really puts a point on it. Man, I thought this was one of the best interviews we've 89 00:08:30,890 --> 00:08:36,169 had so far because there's so much substance. So as you're listening to it today, really try to 90 00:08:36,210 --> 00:08:40,929 think about the takeaways, okay? Because there is going to be a quiz up on the website. And if you 91 00:08:40,929 --> 00:08:45,330 want to take it, uh, you're going to need to be paying attention to this little conversation that 92 00:08:45,330 --> 00:08:50,590 I have with Baulk and Spurs director of safety Tim Hamilton. Let's get into. It. 93 00:08:57,950 --> 00:09:03,869 Welcome back into Always Pneumatic, Never Static. I'm very excited about this next interview. Now as 94 00:09:03,870 --> 00:09:09,269 we've been setting this thing up over the last week. Um, my my guest today was a little bit 95 00:09:09,310 --> 00:09:13,548 worried that maybe we weren't going to be, uh, super exciting and entertaining with this one, but 96 00:09:13,549 --> 00:09:18,789 I know because I've been making podcasts for truck drivers for going on four years right now, 97 00:09:18,789 --> 00:09:24,309 and I happen to know that this is one of drivers favorite people to hear from because they take 98 00:09:24,310 --> 00:09:30,269 his job very seriously, just like he does. So please welcome our Director of Safety for Bulk 99 00:09:30,270 --> 00:09:35,829 and Spur, Tim Hamilton to the show. Tim, I've been waiting for this one for a long time. Man, I love 100 00:09:35,830 --> 00:09:41,029 it when we get a safety director on the show. Thank you so much for being here today. Hey, uh, 101 00:09:41,030 --> 00:09:46,219 glad to be here. Lots of experience from you, Tim, in the industry. And that was one reason that I've 102 00:09:46,219 --> 00:09:51,858 been kind of excited about this one. We got to sit down and talk for a significant amount of time 103 00:09:51,859 --> 00:09:58,019 when I was out in Columbus, there just getting to know everybody, and I wish you could see the 104 00:09:58,020 --> 00:10:03,139 stream of consciousness notes that I have from our conversation. Tim, because you've been in the 105 00:10:03,139 --> 00:10:07,979 industry a long time and you've got experience with just about everything besides turning a 106 00:10:07,979 --> 00:10:14,020 wrench. Is that correct? Yeah. That's right. Uh, been in almost 30 years now. 107 00:10:15,020 --> 00:10:21,459 Been in operations. I've done payroll counting just a little bit about everything. Like I said, 108 00:10:21,460 --> 00:10:27,099 the only thing I haven't done is, uh, turn a wrench and hope never to, because I'm not very good at it. 109 00:10:27,139 --> 00:10:32,099 Yeah, I totally understand. I have a I have more of a tendency to break things that I'm wrenching on 110 00:10:32,099 --> 00:10:37,859 than I do to fix them. Tim. So I totally understand that, uh, what what kind of roles did you have 111 00:10:37,859 --> 00:10:43,699 early on in your career? What kind of broke you into the trucking industry? Well, I started out 112 00:10:43,979 --> 00:10:50,809 with with a small family operation. And, you know, we started. We were running pneumatics, you know, 113 00:10:50,849 --> 00:10:56,809 grew the company a little bit. Uh, like I said, I handled all the operation, all the safety, all the 114 00:10:56,809 --> 00:11:03,809 accounting, payroll. So it was one man band, about 35 drivers. Wow. So, uh, and 115 00:11:03,809 --> 00:11:10,409 and it was like it was, you know, starting out in the, in the industry like that and 116 00:11:10,609 --> 00:11:17,169 didn't have any real guidance from anybody, uh, had to learn a lot on my own and had some hard 117 00:11:17,169 --> 00:11:24,169 lessons from, uh, DOT. Any of those you want to, uh, you want to tell us 118 00:11:24,169 --> 00:11:31,169 about? Uh, no. Not really. Uh. But but hard lessons indeed, then. Yeah. I mean, there 119 00:11:31,169 --> 00:11:36,649 there are times where, uh, during an audit, they were saying, uh, this is like taking candy from a 120 00:11:36,690 --> 00:11:42,569 from a child. Oh. How rude. Well, yeah. I mean, you know, when you're when you're starting out, you 121 00:11:42,569 --> 00:11:49,509 make mistakes, but you learn from them. So, uh, just makes you better. Absolutely. Uh, 122 00:11:49,549 --> 00:11:53,469 what what were some of the major differences in the industry back then? You know, I know that 123 00:11:53,469 --> 00:11:59,630 things have changed quite a bit, and they change every day, it seems. Uh, now. But back then, uh, what 124 00:11:59,669 --> 00:12:04,869 what kind of major differences do you see between where we are here in 2026 and when you got your 125 00:12:04,869 --> 00:12:11,869 start, Tim? Well, definitely. Regulations, uh, get tighter. I think I think the 126 00:12:11,870 --> 00:12:18,710 trucking industry is the most heavily overregulated industry. I mean, you think about, uh, 127 00:12:19,070 --> 00:12:25,549 insurance and banking and everything. Uh, trucking ranks right up there with all of that. 128 00:12:25,950 --> 00:12:32,829 Uh, so, you know, things were, uh, uh, like, you know, you know, Brian was talking about when 129 00:12:32,830 --> 00:12:39,589 his dad started. Things were a lot simpler back then. It seemed like we just went about doing our 130 00:12:39,590 --> 00:12:46,260 job. People left us alone. Uh, got things done. And, you know, more and more regulations over the 131 00:12:47,060 --> 00:12:53,658 years, uh, came about and, uh, uh, that's where we're sitting today. And I don't see that ending 132 00:12:53,659 --> 00:12:59,740 anytime soon. Yeah, that tiger ain't going to change its stripes, Tim. That's for sure. Um, do you 133 00:12:59,740 --> 00:13:06,219 think that it would even be possible in today's environment for you to do that one man band thing 134 00:13:06,219 --> 00:13:11,139 with 35 drivers you were doing back when you got your start? Or is there just too much red tape and 135 00:13:11,139 --> 00:13:17,619 you need a bigger team of people to to put that in motion these days? Oh, yeah. Absolutely. Uh, you 136 00:13:17,620 --> 00:13:24,379 know, there's just so much there's just so much to do. Uh, not, you know, not just in safety, but 137 00:13:24,380 --> 00:13:31,380 even from an operational standpoint. Uh, you know, this industry has just changed so much over 138 00:13:31,380 --> 00:13:36,739 the years. And I know, you know, you've had conversations with a lot of our old school 139 00:13:36,739 --> 00:13:41,039 drivers, have been with the company, you know, 30, 40 years. And that was one of the things they pointed 140 00:13:41,039 --> 00:13:47,960 out how how things were back then compared to now. And it's sort of hard to, you know, newer guys that 141 00:13:47,960 --> 00:13:54,799 come into this industry, uh, it's hard for them to relate how things were back then, uh, 142 00:13:54,799 --> 00:14:00,199 compared to the way things are now. And it was sort of the same way, you know, when I started, I 143 00:14:00,199 --> 00:14:04,959 had old school drivers, you know, 30 years ago, they were they were considered old school drivers. I 144 00:14:04,960 --> 00:14:09,519 mean, they were driving back in the 50s and 60s and some of the some of the things they were 145 00:14:09,520 --> 00:14:14,439 telling me about, you know, it was just hard for me to believe that, that the industry was like that 146 00:14:14,439 --> 00:14:21,199 back then. And so it's, you know, it's a it's an evolutionary thing. And, and in this 147 00:14:21,199 --> 00:14:27,319 business and every business, and, you know, when you're talking to somebody 30 years from now, it's 148 00:14:27,320 --> 00:14:32,999 going to be different than what it is today. Yeah, absolutely. I always find it interesting, Tim, that 149 00:14:33,000 --> 00:14:38,319 you don't have to go back as far as you think in the history of the transportation industry to 150 00:14:38,430 --> 00:14:44,750 really see what the Wild West era of trucking was. It's not as far back. You know, you think of the 151 00:14:44,750 --> 00:14:50,389 Wild West, you think of the 1800s in, in the United States. But I think of the Wild West in trucking, 152 00:14:50,390 --> 00:14:56,949 that kind of 50 to 70 running paper logs. Guys are running as hard as they can as many miles with 153 00:14:56,949 --> 00:15:02,788 very little regulation. It's it's not as far back in our history as what you might think it is. No. 154 00:15:02,829 --> 00:15:09,070 And I can tell you one thing that, you know, when when I started in it, you know, this industry was 155 00:15:09,229 --> 00:15:15,990 very well respected by the public. Uh, you know, I can remember drivers telling me, in fact, 156 00:15:15,990 --> 00:15:22,989 from my past experience when I drove a little bit back in the late 80s, uh, people were 157 00:15:22,989 --> 00:15:28,390 amazed. You you would you would park somewhere, and people were like, wow, you drive that big truck and 158 00:15:28,390 --> 00:15:34,669 and, you know, they're they're amazed by the job that you did and, and somehow over, you know, 159 00:15:34,870 --> 00:15:41,659 last, uh, decades or so. Uh, they really shined a negative light on the 160 00:15:41,659 --> 00:15:48,659 trucking industry. Uh, the media has. So, uh, it's changed. So it. By doing that, we've 161 00:15:48,660 --> 00:15:55,579 had to change our strategy of how how we do things and and how we perceive ourselves to, uh, to 162 00:15:55,580 --> 00:16:01,819 the public. And what do you think that, uh, just your general driver. If you were to just randomly 163 00:16:01,820 --> 00:16:08,699 sample a driver, uh, out of the 3 million or so that we've got, what can that driver do to help, 164 00:16:08,739 --> 00:16:13,499 uh, clean up that reputation a bit? I don't really feel like it's a driver's fault that that 165 00:16:13,500 --> 00:16:18,538 reputation went to where it was, like you said, it's about representation in various media and 166 00:16:18,539 --> 00:16:25,339 things like that. But as a safety director, how do you help your drivers kind of, uh, clean up that 167 00:16:25,340 --> 00:16:31,859 reputation or keep a high reputation like Bull CAS? Yeah. Well, I think the biggest thing is, is to 168 00:16:31,900 --> 00:16:38,759 is to remain professional. Uh, you know, we are we are in a profession. We have professional 169 00:16:38,760 --> 00:16:44,759 drivers. I mean, we're, you know, we're driving, uh, you know, 50, 60 hours a week where your your 170 00:16:44,759 --> 00:16:51,479 average motorist commutes, you know, 30, 30 minutes a day. So, you know, sometimes 171 00:16:51,520 --> 00:16:55,879 they the little four wheelers think they're the professional drivers out there. And they've 172 00:16:55,879 --> 00:17:01,239 watched the NASCAR races. And that's the way they're going to drive. So you know we we have to 173 00:17:01,240 --> 00:17:08,119 remain professional and realize that, uh, you know, we have more experience than, than the 174 00:17:08,119 --> 00:17:14,439 motorist. And uh, not to react negative when they do something negative, you know, towards us. 175 00:17:16,000 --> 00:17:21,159 You know, I think about that, the thing that you said the, the training part of it like it's 176 00:17:21,159 --> 00:17:24,999 nothing you could it kind of feels like you could pull your driver's license out of a cracker Jack 177 00:17:24,999 --> 00:17:29,560 box. To be honest, we've all seen the test that. Yeah, there's some things that they'll test you on. 178 00:17:29,560 --> 00:17:35,389 Uh, but you're not getting a 10th of the training that these professional drivers are getting. And 179 00:17:35,390 --> 00:17:41,749 not only that, but they're trained so well to haul such massive quantities up to 80,000 pounds. 180 00:17:41,749 --> 00:17:47,789 And I just don't think at your standard average four wheeler understands what that means at all, 181 00:17:47,790 --> 00:17:54,509 Tim. But speak to that from your perspective. No, they really don't. In fact, years ago I 182 00:17:54,550 --> 00:18:01,549 partnered with we had a No Zone trailer, and we partnered with Ohio Highway Patrol, 183 00:18:01,550 --> 00:18:08,510 and we would take our we would take our trailer to, uh, up to the truck stop or turnpike up at the 184 00:18:08,949 --> 00:18:14,709 rest areas up there. And they would have like a trucking day, and they would have all kinds of big, 185 00:18:14,750 --> 00:18:21,109 big equipment out there, from fire trucks to to construction equipment and trucking companies. And, 186 00:18:21,109 --> 00:18:28,069 and the one thing that always amazed me was we would set our truck up and we would have a 187 00:18:28,229 --> 00:18:35,129 patrol car to the right side of the trailer and the the people they would 188 00:18:35,129 --> 00:18:40,930 climb in the truck, sit in the seat, and I would ask them, look out the right side and what do you 189 00:18:40,930 --> 00:18:45,809 see? And they'd look out the mirror, don't see anything. Lean forward a little bit and look out 190 00:18:45,810 --> 00:18:52,609 there. Oh, there's a car there, right? That is what we don't see when you are 191 00:18:52,609 --> 00:18:58,930 driving next to us on the right side. Yeah. So, you know, there's a lot of slogans out there, you know, 192 00:18:58,970 --> 00:19:05,729 don't hang around trucks. And it's really it's really the truth. You know, it's, uh, uh, you know, 193 00:19:05,769 --> 00:19:12,769 they, you know, motorists need to give room to, uh, to us truckers. Absolutely. And 194 00:19:12,770 --> 00:19:18,289 that's one thing that this job has done. If nothing else, Tim, I can tell you that this job has 195 00:19:18,290 --> 00:19:24,809 made a very respectful, very careful and very safe driver out of me. Whenever I'm around trucks, I've 196 00:19:24,810 --> 00:19:29,328 I've learned to give them so much more space. I've learned not to hang out, especially in the hip 197 00:19:29,329 --> 00:19:34,799 pocket. That's the worst place to be, right? But I don't know if I'm going to overtake a truck in in 198 00:19:34,800 --> 00:19:40,079 on a freeway. I want to get past it. I want to get out 5 or 6 car links in front of it, get back over 199 00:19:40,079 --> 00:19:44,959 to give that guy just all the room and all the respect. I'm flicking on my lights and letting 200 00:19:44,960 --> 00:19:50,999 them know they can come in, giving them plenty of room. Um, I obviously have a special respect for it 201 00:19:50,999 --> 00:19:57,159 because of what I do. Um, but those, those types of events that you're talking about there really do 202 00:19:57,160 --> 00:20:02,439 open people's eyes to how much different what truck drivers are dealing with out there on the 203 00:20:02,439 --> 00:20:07,560 road really is. And I think it's awesome. I hope that, uh, you know, I almost feel like it should be 204 00:20:07,560 --> 00:20:11,800 a mandatory part of getting your driver's license. You have to get up into into a truck and just see 205 00:20:11,800 --> 00:20:17,159 what these drivers see. Uh, so you can understand a little better how to operate around them. Yeah. I 206 00:20:17,159 --> 00:20:24,119 mean, it all falls back to defensive driving for every for every person. Uh, yesterday. Yeah. In 207 00:20:24,120 --> 00:20:30,989 fact, yesterday we had our meet and greet, which we can talk go in later about that, but, uh, when I was 208 00:20:30,990 --> 00:20:37,869 talking to drivers, uh, we were talking about motorcycles and, and, uh, some, some defensive 209 00:20:37,869 --> 00:20:44,269 driving techniques, and it was sort of funny that we, we all, all three of us agreed that, uh, it 210 00:20:44,269 --> 00:20:51,069 should be mandatory that everybody rides a motorcycle before they get a 211 00:20:51,069 --> 00:20:56,189 regular driver's license so that they. Because when you're on a motorcycle, that will teach you 212 00:20:56,229 --> 00:21:02,869 very much defensive driving because, uh, you know, you're, you're you're just a tiny little spot on 213 00:21:02,870 --> 00:21:09,630 the road when you're on that motorcycle and your awareness really needs to improve. And, uh, 214 00:21:09,709 --> 00:21:14,309 and so, yeah, it just sort of it was just sort of funny that all three of us at the same time were 215 00:21:14,349 --> 00:21:18,709 like, I think everybody should have to ride a motorcycle first before they get a license. Yeah. 216 00:21:18,750 --> 00:21:22,869 Give you a real special respect for how vulnerable you really are out there on the road, 217 00:21:22,869 --> 00:21:27,709 too. Because with that motorcycle, you don't have a metal cage surrounding you. And I think you start 218 00:21:27,710 --> 00:21:34,089 to understand a little bit more like, hey, we're one bad decision away. One, one. Just a bit of 219 00:21:34,089 --> 00:21:38,929 complacency away from a really bad accident. Maybe somebody's not going home. And that's when it 220 00:21:38,930 --> 00:21:45,490 really kind of becomes real. Right, right, right. And a good slogan to always use is expect the 221 00:21:45,490 --> 00:21:52,089 unexpected. There you go. When you're driving, you know, you see that. You see that car coming up 222 00:21:52,530 --> 00:21:58,449 to an intersection and they have a stop sign there. You have to be prepared that. What if they 223 00:21:58,449 --> 00:22:04,329 don't stop? You know, you always have to have that in the back of your mind. So, uh, you know, defensive 224 00:22:04,329 --> 00:22:11,049 driving is is one of the most important things that we need to do. Uh, you know, in trucking and, 225 00:22:11,089 --> 00:22:16,930 you know, when we're behind our, you know, our personal automobiles. Well said there, Tim. You know, 226 00:22:16,969 --> 00:22:22,169 I've talked to a lot of drivers from, uh, from Bulk and Spur. Uh, just in the short time that this 227 00:22:22,170 --> 00:22:26,489 podcast has been running. And one thing that I can tell is that they do take their safety very 228 00:22:26,489 --> 00:22:33,279 seriously. Um, and I wonder from your perspective. Some drivers, uh, they here director of 229 00:22:33,280 --> 00:22:38,359 safety, and they have kind of a mindset already. Maybe they've come from a different company where, 230 00:22:38,439 --> 00:22:42,879 uh, that that guy was, was not the nicest person. Maybe they've come from a company where that guy 231 00:22:42,920 --> 00:22:48,719 didn't do a very good job. But from your seat right now, what do you want the drivers of Bulk 232 00:22:48,760 --> 00:22:54,319 and Spur to think about what they think? Tim Hamilton, Director of Safety. Well, I can tell you 233 00:22:54,359 --> 00:23:01,039 the the first thing that that that I that comes to my mind and I appreciate is the, 234 00:23:01,120 --> 00:23:07,799 uh, the, the work and dedication that the drivers do. Uh, and, and it starts 235 00:23:07,800 --> 00:23:14,439 there, it goes to our terminal managers and it goes to the ownership of the company. I mean, they 236 00:23:14,439 --> 00:23:21,079 really make my job a lot easier because because they, uh, they have bought into, 237 00:23:21,439 --> 00:23:28,259 uh, uh, being successful by, you know, being safe. So, uh, you know. Like I said, uh, 238 00:23:28,620 --> 00:23:35,020 I've been in companies where where safety sometimes is a little struggle. Uh, not here at 239 00:23:35,020 --> 00:23:41,659 Bulk. I mean, it's, uh, you know, we have a good buy in and, uh, uh, really 240 00:23:41,660 --> 00:23:48,179 appreciate what what everybody does. How much has the role changed from straight up 241 00:23:48,180 --> 00:23:54,740 safety to, uh, a blend of safety and risk management over the years? Tim. Um, you hear a lot. A 242 00:23:54,740 --> 00:24:00,379 lot of the guys I talk about are risk management. Guys. What's, uh. What what's it like for your role? 243 00:24:00,420 --> 00:24:06,259 That's a that's a great, great question. So like I said, you know, let's just say the, the the 244 00:24:06,260 --> 00:24:12,979 traditional role of a of a safety director. Uh, in the old days was, you know, we 245 00:24:13,259 --> 00:24:19,859 we, we enforce the rules, you know, the DOT rules and hours of service, you know, auditing paper 246 00:24:19,859 --> 00:24:26,729 logs. Uh, you know, we handled the accidents when they happened, uh, made sure the 247 00:24:26,729 --> 00:24:33,490 driver's files and we were all compliant with that in case we had a had a DOT audit. Um, 248 00:24:33,810 --> 00:24:40,810 so, I mean, the focus back then was really, hey, are we compliant? You know, are we going to, uh, pass a 249 00:24:40,850 --> 00:24:47,488 DOT audit? That was that was the main focus back then. Now, you know, the new role, uh, 250 00:24:48,090 --> 00:24:54,649 and we'll call it the the modern in the risk management world for, for safety is, uh, 251 00:24:55,250 --> 00:25:02,169 we look how how do we prevent accidents before they happen? Right. Uh, you know, we we have plenty 252 00:25:02,170 --> 00:25:08,889 of data that that we analyze. Uh, you know, we have to manage, uh, 253 00:25:09,010 --> 00:25:15,929 insurance exposures in the claims that come along with that. What can we do to reduce, 254 00:25:15,969 --> 00:25:21,849 you know, lawsuit risk? I mean, you know, everybody sees a billboard out there. Uh. 255 00:25:22,719 --> 00:25:29,639 Have you been in an accident? Call me. Right, right. Yep. Yeah. So, uh, that's changed. And, 256 00:25:29,640 --> 00:25:36,478 uh, you know, and now I think I think safety directors now need to 257 00:25:36,920 --> 00:25:43,480 be able to, uh, have a little influence with with operations, uh, 258 00:25:44,920 --> 00:25:51,920 with maintenance, uh, getting into the buying into the program a little bit more, so, you know. Now the 259 00:25:51,920 --> 00:25:57,839 focus seems to be, you know, we're looking at where is our next big loss coming from and how do we 260 00:25:57,839 --> 00:26:04,719 prevent that loss? Sure, sure. Nuclear verdicts have changed the trucking industry. Uh, especially in 261 00:26:04,719 --> 00:26:11,399 in your realm there, Tim. The safety realm. And, um, I do think it's tragic. I know that there's a lot of 262 00:26:11,399 --> 00:26:16,879 of, uh, predatory stuff that goes on out there. Predatory litigation, uh, litigation, maybe, uh, 263 00:26:16,880 --> 00:26:22,019 litigation for the sake of it, rather than actually hoping that somebody is made whole here. 264 00:26:22,019 --> 00:26:28,780 And trucking companies have to balance that with the with, you know, risk management safety. Those 265 00:26:28,780 --> 00:26:34,099 two things kind of go hand in hand now. But I I've just seen it over the years. It seems like it's 266 00:26:34,100 --> 00:26:38,779 become such a bigger part of the job. And there's one thing that I kind of want to break into here 267 00:26:38,780 --> 00:26:43,059 off of that, Tim. And it's something that I know that you've got a special eye for, and that's the 268 00:26:43,060 --> 00:26:49,699 technology that you're using these days to try to, uh, manage those risks like you talked about, 269 00:26:49,699 --> 00:26:55,220 prevent an accident before it happens. And I wonder if you want to talk about some of the tech, 270 00:26:55,260 --> 00:26:59,660 maybe the differences in tech from when you started to now and, and some of the things that 271 00:26:59,660 --> 00:27:06,179 you guys are utilizing to help not only be safe, compliant, but also manage that risk. 272 00:27:06,379 --> 00:27:13,259 Well, yeah, I mean, definitely telematics has come a long way over the years. Uh, 273 00:27:13,539 --> 00:27:20,249 you know, the first thing that started, uh, you know, back in 2000 And 18, I 274 00:27:20,249 --> 00:27:24,809 believe, was, you know, the mandatory electronic logging devices. Uh, 275 00:27:26,449 --> 00:27:33,169 and the growth of technology to where we're sitting now with mitigation systems, 276 00:27:33,489 --> 00:27:40,369 uh, critical event recorders, uh, having having the, you know, start in the 277 00:27:40,370 --> 00:27:45,209 automobile industry where, where they had the little blind spot warnings on, you know, 278 00:27:45,209 --> 00:27:49,169 everybody's got the little, little light that comes up on the mirror that tells you there's a 279 00:27:49,170 --> 00:27:55,248 car next to you. Yeah. You know, the trucking industry has embraced that. Uh, 280 00:27:55,930 --> 00:28:02,809 so there's and it's going to and the technology every year seems 281 00:28:02,810 --> 00:28:09,129 like it improves, uh, especially with, with, with with the 282 00:28:09,129 --> 00:28:15,649 advancement of AI and what's to come with AI. We're going to see a lot of a lot of changes. 283 00:28:15,969 --> 00:28:22,949 Um, and I think I think that what I've seen is newer 284 00:28:22,949 --> 00:28:29,549 drivers that are in this industry seem to embrace it a little bit more then, you know, 285 00:28:29,590 --> 00:28:35,230 we'll call quote unquote, the old school drivers, you know, and I can say that I'm an old school 286 00:28:35,230 --> 00:28:41,949 person. Uh, it took me a while, you know, years to, to embrace the technology. But I 287 00:28:41,950 --> 00:28:48,790 think once, once we're using it, uh, I think a lot of, like I said, a lot of the old 288 00:28:48,790 --> 00:28:55,509 school drivers, I think they feel like it's a it's a micromanagement tool, right? That that's 289 00:28:55,510 --> 00:29:01,469 being used against them. And it's sort of like, hey, you know, this is I, I'm, I have years and years and 290 00:29:01,469 --> 00:29:07,589 years of professional driver and, uh, you know, this little things beeping at me and telling me, you 291 00:29:07,589 --> 00:29:13,950 know, I'm doing this wrong and but, you know, we all have bad habits. It's not that you're might not be, 292 00:29:13,989 --> 00:29:20,539 you know, the the worst driver in the world. But, uh. You know, these little beeps and stuff just, uh, 293 00:29:20,540 --> 00:29:27,059 show you. Hey, this is what you we need to improve on. Absolutely. Um, you know, I always find it funny 294 00:29:27,060 --> 00:29:32,340 with critical event recorders, uh, cameras, whether they be in or outward facing in the across the 295 00:29:32,340 --> 00:29:37,099 industry at whole. And this is not specific to bulk because I talked to a lot of drivers from a 296 00:29:37,099 --> 00:29:41,779 lot of different companies, uh, every different walk of hauling that you can have, whether it be 297 00:29:41,780 --> 00:29:48,498 tanker, flatbed, pneumatic, you name it. Uh, something that is very prevalent throughout is those 298 00:29:48,499 --> 00:29:53,138 old school drivers, guys that have been around for 20, 30 years saying, I don't need this. You're not 299 00:29:53,139 --> 00:29:57,498 going to make me any better by putting all these distracting beeps and everything. And this 300 00:29:57,499 --> 00:30:02,059 camera's looking at me, and you guys are just wanting to catch me doing something wrong. I got a 301 00:30:02,059 --> 00:30:07,500 story that was told to me the other day, Tim, about a guy who, late in his career, 30, 40 years behind 302 00:30:07,500 --> 00:30:13,299 the wheel, working on retirement, uh, you know, pushed back against this camera that he had in 303 00:30:13,300 --> 00:30:18,289 his in his truck for a long time. All of a sudden he gets a ticket for being on his cell phone. Well, 304 00:30:18,289 --> 00:30:23,569 he says I was not on my cell phone. Well, the safety director at that place looked at the, uh, 305 00:30:23,610 --> 00:30:28,449 looked at the footage. Sure enough, he was picking his nose and now you had to go to court and say, 306 00:30:28,449 --> 00:30:34,529 hey, I was picking my nose and show the video. But that video saved his bacon, saved his his score, 307 00:30:34,569 --> 00:30:38,729 saved, uh, some money off of, uh, that would have come off of his paycheck at the end of the month. 308 00:30:38,730 --> 00:30:44,050 And I wonder if you've got any or if you've seen any scenarios like that where a guy was kind of 309 00:30:44,090 --> 00:30:51,049 anti this safety technology until it either exonerated him or saved his bacon. Well, right. I 310 00:30:51,049 --> 00:30:57,449 mean, you said it. Exoneration. I mean that that's if you can if people will buy 311 00:30:57,449 --> 00:31:04,129 into that this technology will exonerate you from a he said she said 312 00:31:04,170 --> 00:31:11,009 moment. And uh, you know, we, we, we I guess we could talk about a 313 00:31:11,050 --> 00:31:17,388 case that we had, uh, years. Years ago, where we had a driver 314 00:31:17,430 --> 00:31:24,229 that, um, uh, was making a right hand turn at a at a light. He looked both 315 00:31:24,230 --> 00:31:28,549 ways, looked to the left, looked to the right, looked back to the left, and was making the turn. 316 00:31:28,550 --> 00:31:35,349 And as he was in the intersection, a, uh, a person in a motorized 317 00:31:35,350 --> 00:31:42,309 scooter came into the intersection from the right side and struck the steer tire of our truck 318 00:31:42,390 --> 00:31:49,310 and, uh, you know, fell to the ground. And naturally, you know, our, you know, the the police arrived 319 00:31:49,310 --> 00:31:55,389 and, you know, they they sighted our driver for, for, you know, for basically striking a pedestrian in a 320 00:31:55,389 --> 00:32:00,749 crosswalk zone, and, you know, a lot of things and, and, you know, we were sort of a little freaked out 321 00:32:00,749 --> 00:32:07,630 about it here, but and, but once we, we downloaded the, uh, video and analyzed it, we looked 322 00:32:07,630 --> 00:32:14,259 that our driver did everything right. He was he was legally, in the crosswalk during the right 323 00:32:14,299 --> 00:32:21,179 hand turn and and the the person in the motorized uh, chair, uh, 324 00:32:21,219 --> 00:32:27,499 struck the side of our of our truck. Mhm. And uh, so that changed the whole narrative of what actually 325 00:32:27,499 --> 00:32:34,299 happened. And uh, and this driver, uh, will swear up and down to 326 00:32:34,340 --> 00:32:41,059 everybody he talks to every time we talk. He says that that old camera saved my job, right? 327 00:32:41,339 --> 00:32:47,939 It did. And it saved us, you know, from from a potential disastrous lawsuit, 328 00:32:48,420 --> 00:32:55,300 uh, because of that. So, you know, it's a it's really a great tool. And again, we 329 00:32:55,300 --> 00:33:02,218 use the word exoneration. Absolutely. You know, it's we don't think about it from this side 330 00:33:02,219 --> 00:33:07,899 of the coin very often. But if you put yourself in that police officer's shoes, whether he was a good 331 00:33:07,900 --> 00:33:14,759 cop, bad cop, indifferent, you show up to this scene not having seen what's going on, and you get two 332 00:33:14,759 --> 00:33:19,639 different stories, one from the driver of the truck, one from the guy who just got what he says 333 00:33:19,639 --> 00:33:26,639 is hit by the truck. Um, you I feel like anybody, any one of us is going to sort of, uh, 334 00:33:26,640 --> 00:33:31,439 look at the person in the motorized scooter on the ground and think that they're probably the 335 00:33:31,439 --> 00:33:37,799 ones that were, uh, victimized here in some way, shape or form. And the driver doesn't stand a 336 00:33:37,799 --> 00:33:43,759 chance of being able to talk his way out of that. But this all this footage, all this proof, this is 337 00:33:43,839 --> 00:33:49,159 in and of itself, exoneration. And I love hearing a story like that, because, listen, you don't want 338 00:33:49,160 --> 00:33:53,519 anybody to be out there in traffic getting hurt. It doesn't matter whether you're a pedestrian, a 339 00:33:53,520 --> 00:33:59,879 four Wheeler on a motorcycle or our drivers. We want everybody to be home safe. Um, but without 340 00:33:59,880 --> 00:34:05,839 this, uh, these critical event recorders. Yeah. What does he does he possibly lose his job after that 341 00:34:05,839 --> 00:34:12,789 incident? Yeah, possibly. I mean, you know, of course you got to look at, uh, you know, down the road 342 00:34:12,790 --> 00:34:18,909 if if you seriously injure somebody like that for the criminal charges, even. Exactly. So. Exactly. You 343 00:34:18,909 --> 00:34:25,070 know, that's, uh. Uh, like I said, I know, you know, a lot of people, they don't embrace the technology, 344 00:34:25,070 --> 00:34:31,188 but, uh, it's really there to help all of us. Would you. Do you have kind of a canned response that 345 00:34:31,189 --> 00:34:35,470 you give to drivers that that feel like it's intrusive or push back on it a little bit? Tim, 346 00:34:35,470 --> 00:34:40,629 something that you tell them that really has won people over before. Um, other than just using the 347 00:34:40,629 --> 00:34:45,989 term exoneration, or do you just show them these stories and say, hey, look, we I can show you this. 348 00:34:45,989 --> 00:34:52,389 The proof's in the pudding. Uh, all of that, all the above. I mean, I've done I've done all that, um, you 349 00:34:52,389 --> 00:34:58,269 know, talking, talking to guys sometimes. Exoneration, you know, uh, clicks a light bulb on 350 00:34:58,270 --> 00:35:01,989 them and they realize that some of them, you know, you might have to push a little further, say, hey, 351 00:35:02,070 --> 00:35:05,829 you know, let's take a look at this. And and then when they see it, you know, they have a different 352 00:35:05,829 --> 00:35:12,780 perspective of it. So, uh, you know, it's like I said, we have great buy in at bulk and spur on this, 353 00:35:12,780 --> 00:35:19,539 I think. I think, uh, all of our drivers realize, uh, the, the stories, you 354 00:35:19,540 --> 00:35:25,698 know, from, from in the trucking industry of things that have happened not so positive for drivers 355 00:35:25,699 --> 00:35:32,699 that that these, uh, this technology is actually helping them, uh, with their career, 356 00:35:32,739 --> 00:35:39,019 uh, you know, saving their job, saving lives. So, you know, that's the most important thing. Yeah. And I 357 00:35:39,020 --> 00:35:44,699 think everybody would agree if I, if I were to again, sample random drivers and say, if I could 358 00:35:44,700 --> 00:35:50,820 make you X amount more safe, would you consider that making you a better driver? I think every one 359 00:35:50,820 --> 00:35:56,379 of them would say yes, because again, we've talked to them. We hear how seriously they take safety on 360 00:35:56,379 --> 00:36:02,779 this podcast. And um, I just think it's cool to to kind of develop that culture of safety and have 361 00:36:02,779 --> 00:36:08,040 people buy into it because, um, we're not, as we said, off the top. We're not very far away from 362 00:36:08,040 --> 00:36:13,840 when safety wasn't the culture in trucking, okay? You don't have to go back that far. Uh, you know, 20, 363 00:36:13,879 --> 00:36:20,879 30, 40 years ago, it wasn't like it is today. And I think that distinction is important. Um, 364 00:36:20,919 --> 00:36:25,759 there was something here, Tim, that we talked about, uh, way back when I was there in Columbus meeting 365 00:36:25,759 --> 00:36:32,279 you. That was really interesting to me. And it has to do with drivers and getting their, uh, med cards. 366 00:36:32,360 --> 00:36:38,159 Um, can you talk a little bit about the inconsistencies you've seen across the years and 367 00:36:38,159 --> 00:36:42,800 the way that drivers get their med cards? There were some things that you talked about with sleep 368 00:36:42,800 --> 00:36:47,759 study that I thought was really interesting. Uh, just talk to me a little bit about med cards in 369 00:36:47,759 --> 00:36:54,718 the industry oversight there. Yeah. Um, so, you know, one thing that 370 00:36:54,719 --> 00:37:01,319 that, uh, we like to do is, is when we bring a driver in, we want to make 371 00:37:01,319 --> 00:37:08,229 sure that that driver in that location is getting a, a 372 00:37:08,430 --> 00:37:14,988 a a fair diagnosis of their medical condition to receive a medical card. So, 373 00:37:15,269 --> 00:37:21,749 uh, you know, at each one of our facilities, we have a vetted locations, uh, where, where a DOT 374 00:37:21,789 --> 00:37:27,468 doctor performs the, uh, the, uh, DOT physical and, uh. 375 00:37:29,870 --> 00:37:36,629 You know, we have where some drivers have had, you know, the doctors have found some, uh, some 376 00:37:36,629 --> 00:37:43,388 issues and maybe only issued them a three month card. And, you know, they, uh, uh, got that corrected 377 00:37:43,389 --> 00:37:50,270 and then was able to achieve a one year card. Uh, other other people that come in that's been 378 00:37:50,309 --> 00:37:57,109 say they've been driving for ten years. They go to a, uh, you know, one of our vetted facilities, 379 00:37:57,110 --> 00:38:04,009 and they realize that, uh, they need to have a sleep apnea, test 380 00:38:04,050 --> 00:38:10,929 done. And lo and behold, they find out they have sleep apnea. And we've had drivers 381 00:38:10,929 --> 00:38:17,169 that have, uh, uh, been through the program like that. They, they got on a CPAP 382 00:38:17,249 --> 00:38:24,249 and they have, uh, expressed they have expressed, uh, to 383 00:38:24,250 --> 00:38:31,010 us that they, uh, their lifestyle has improved a lot, a lot from that. Uh, so, 384 00:38:31,770 --> 00:38:37,849 you know, they may have gone another ten years and, and not really realizing that they had, uh, 385 00:38:37,850 --> 00:38:44,689 obstructive sleep disorder and, uh, you know, that that that will, you know, the studies 386 00:38:44,689 --> 00:38:50,809 will show that that will harm your lifestyle, you know, over the years. So, uh, uh, 387 00:38:51,209 --> 00:38:57,810 it's nice when we can, you know, we can we can help people out like that, uh, you know, to get on a 388 00:38:57,810 --> 00:39:04,799 healthy path. And what was the you mentioned vetted a few times there? Tim, I wonder, 389 00:39:04,800 --> 00:39:10,519 can you talk to me about what you told me about the the vetting these doctors and why you were 390 00:39:10,520 --> 00:39:15,799 vetting them and maybe, uh, trouble that you've had in the past. If drivers are going to see somebody 391 00:39:15,800 --> 00:39:22,438 that is not vetted, is that something we can get into today? Yeah. I mean, you know, my experience, 392 00:39:22,439 --> 00:39:28,958 uh, over the years, uh, I have seen some drivers, uh, 393 00:39:29,159 --> 00:39:35,918 receive, uh, come in and they, they would have a two year medical card and maybe it was issued 394 00:39:35,919 --> 00:39:42,679 by a chiropractor. And, uh. That doesn't seem like the guy that's 395 00:39:42,679 --> 00:39:49,679 qualified to make that distinction, Tim. Well, you know, when when they when when Fmcsa went to, 396 00:39:49,840 --> 00:39:56,679 uh, the the medical certification process like that, uh, my understanding was that they were 397 00:39:56,679 --> 00:40:03,309 sort of concerned that there was not going to be a large participation of medical doctors, 398 00:40:03,309 --> 00:40:07,549 physician assistants that were going to sign up for it because there was a minimal fee that they 399 00:40:07,549 --> 00:40:14,389 have to pay like every five years, fill out some paperwork and, um, uh, so 400 00:40:14,389 --> 00:40:21,110 they, they, they opened it up to the chiropractic industry to perform medical exams. 401 00:40:21,149 --> 00:40:27,189 Mhm. And you know, as we know, I, you know, I'm not a doctor, but I don't believe most 402 00:40:27,189 --> 00:40:33,829 chiropractors went to medical school to learn, you know, heart health and brain health. And you know 403 00:40:33,870 --> 00:40:40,669 they're more bone crackers I guess. So uh, so, you know, we would have we would have drivers that 404 00:40:40,709 --> 00:40:47,668 would, would have a two year card and, uh, from a chiropractor, uh, they would go to one of 405 00:40:47,669 --> 00:40:54,509 our vetted facilities to do a DOT physical before they start with us. And our doctor would find 406 00:40:54,509 --> 00:41:01,329 that, you know, they might have high blood pressure, Uh, you know, a little hypertension, something that 407 00:41:01,330 --> 00:41:08,049 needed to be addressed to make them make them healthier. So, um, and, and overall, you 408 00:41:08,050 --> 00:41:14,648 know, we're not the only company that that, you know, does this. There's a lot of, a lot of trucking 409 00:41:14,649 --> 00:41:20,609 companies will require certain certain qualifications, uh, 410 00:41:21,090 --> 00:41:27,769 on DOT physicals. The studies have shown that, you know, healthier 411 00:41:27,810 --> 00:41:34,769 drivers reduce, uh, reduce insurance, you know, health insurance costs, premiums. So, uh, you 412 00:41:34,769 --> 00:41:39,049 know, it's like I said, that's bottom line. That's what we want. We want we want the healthiest 413 00:41:39,050 --> 00:41:45,529 safety safe, safest drivers that we can find. Absolutely. And keep them going to those doctors 414 00:41:45,529 --> 00:41:51,208 that you know you can trust is is one way to keep that, uh, that flow of good, healthy drivers coming 415 00:41:51,209 --> 00:41:56,209 in. Um, and, and I love to hear that you guys are, are paying attention to it, Tim. Because we talked 416 00:41:56,239 --> 00:42:01,239 about, uh, you know, predatory lawsuits. There's predatory towing in this industry. There's pretty 417 00:42:01,239 --> 00:42:06,759 much, uh, somebody that's trying to get over on somebody else in almost every aspect of the 418 00:42:06,759 --> 00:42:11,398 trucking industry. And even though you wouldn't want to see it permeate the medical side of 419 00:42:11,399 --> 00:42:15,999 things, uh, it's sort of permeated the medical side of things a little bit. And you guys are just 420 00:42:15,999 --> 00:42:20,439 covering your bases to make sure that you get the best possible guys you can get in there. And, and I 421 00:42:20,439 --> 00:42:25,520 think you're doing a good job of it. It seems, uh, based on our conversations, uh, that you're pretty 422 00:42:25,559 --> 00:42:32,439 happy with the way things are going in that realm right now. Right? Right. And, you know, if, uh, if if a 423 00:42:32,440 --> 00:42:39,399 driver, uh, had a medical problem and a company hired that driver, and 424 00:42:39,639 --> 00:42:46,519 that driver had a medical issue, uh, you know, scope of employment, and something happened. 425 00:42:46,879 --> 00:42:52,479 No one's going to sue the doctor that that issued the medical card. Yep. Right. That guy's gets out of 426 00:42:52,479 --> 00:42:59,259 it scot free. Exactly, exactly. So you know, we we we want to, you know, go beyond 427 00:42:59,260 --> 00:43:05,019 compliance to say. And we want to make sure that, you know, like I said, you know, we're protecting 428 00:43:05,060 --> 00:43:11,219 we're protecting the company and we're protecting the driver. You know, we're protecting, you know, the 429 00:43:11,379 --> 00:43:17,179 general public out there. Make sure that we have safe, healthy drivers. And it comes through in 430 00:43:17,180 --> 00:43:22,218 every conversation I have with drivers. Again, it comes through. And I think that goes back to sort 431 00:43:22,219 --> 00:43:27,218 of a culture of safety. I mentioned that earlier and you mentioned something earlier that is right 432 00:43:27,219 --> 00:43:32,139 down the middle with that, Tim. And that's the meet and greets. I think this is so cool. Something that, 433 00:43:32,139 --> 00:43:38,419 uh, how long have you been holding meet and greets for? Well, I'll tell you how how it sort of evolved, 434 00:43:38,459 --> 00:43:45,459 uh, before Covid started. Uh, we used to do traditional orientation like 435 00:43:45,460 --> 00:43:50,939 every company does. Before you hire a driver, you know, you bring them into the office and, and do 436 00:43:50,979 --> 00:43:57,769 your one day, two day, three day orientation, whatever that might be, and you throw a lot of a 437 00:43:57,810 --> 00:44:04,769 lot of information to a driver, and you're sort of expecting them to retain 438 00:44:04,769 --> 00:44:11,609 all of that, and they haven't even set foot in your equipment yet. They haven't really key. And, 439 00:44:11,649 --> 00:44:17,769 uh, so when, when, when Covid hit and we couldn't bring new drivers into the office for orientation, 440 00:44:17,770 --> 00:44:24,249 we, we started doing a lot of our stuff online. Uh, which, you know, 441 00:44:24,330 --> 00:44:30,889 that, you know, we that worked well, you know, uh, the process was, was, uh, smooth on that, 442 00:44:30,889 --> 00:44:37,569 but we started to see, you know, the one thing we liked about having the orientation in person 443 00:44:37,570 --> 00:44:43,888 was they could come in and meet everybody. They could meet Brian and Andrea and Brad, payroll, 444 00:44:44,370 --> 00:44:50,889 uh, you know, operations and, uh, you know, got a got a got a sense of that with them. But when we had 445 00:44:50,889 --> 00:44:57,639 to go online, We sort of lost some of that connection with the drivers. Sure. And, uh, 446 00:44:58,399 --> 00:45:04,719 there was some concern of, you know, well, maybe we might be seeing a little, little higher turnover 447 00:45:04,760 --> 00:45:11,559 than we than we were in the past. And, uh, uh, I, you know, I made a suggestion to, uh, 448 00:45:11,559 --> 00:45:18,399 Andrea and she was like, yeah, let's do it. I said, well, why don't we still do the online, 449 00:45:18,720 --> 00:45:25,560 uh, process of orientation, you know, the paperwork and all of that. And, uh, let's get 450 00:45:25,560 --> 00:45:32,279 them started with a trainer and possibly one week, two 451 00:45:32,280 --> 00:45:37,439 weeks, you know, that they're in their training. Or perhaps when they finally just start out on their 452 00:45:37,439 --> 00:45:44,239 own, we bring them in to the office here. Uh, a small little group. And like I said, I called a 453 00:45:44,239 --> 00:45:51,179 meet and greet, and we go over what they have experienced so far 454 00:45:51,179 --> 00:45:58,100 in those two, three weeks, whatever it might be. Uh, you know, now you've actually you've done you 455 00:45:58,100 --> 00:46:04,579 you've started the job, you know, said before you, you go to a typical old fashioned orientation and 456 00:46:04,580 --> 00:46:09,139 they throw the stuff at you and hand you the key, and you're on your own, and you have all kinds of 457 00:46:09,139 --> 00:46:16,139 questions and, you know, hard to get answered. So now we have a program to where, uh, uh, 458 00:46:16,179 --> 00:46:22,059 after after a couple of weeks, you know, we bring the people in and they've experienced the job a 459 00:46:22,060 --> 00:46:28,779 little bit. And now they they they seem to have, you know, more questions about about the company, 460 00:46:28,780 --> 00:46:34,499 about what we're doing. What I love about this podcast is that that is part of the meet and 461 00:46:34,500 --> 00:46:40,979 greet, uh, episode one, where where you talk, you know, about how the company started and stuff. 462 00:46:41,179 --> 00:46:47,539 Uh, you know, I haven't I haven't listened to that. And, uh, uh, so it's, uh, it's 463 00:46:47,540 --> 00:46:54,448 definitely over. I think we've been doing it now for a little over two years, and we've definitely 464 00:46:54,449 --> 00:47:01,369 seen, um, it's helped with retention. I bet coming in with wet feet and being able to 465 00:47:01,409 --> 00:47:08,209 ask these questions from a standpoint of experience, rather than trying to dream up what 466 00:47:08,209 --> 00:47:12,969 questions you're going to have after you get the experience. That whole thing just makes sense to 467 00:47:12,969 --> 00:47:18,728 me. It feels like you get a lot more, uh, substance after being out there and experiencing it for a 468 00:47:18,729 --> 00:47:24,969 couple weeks. Tim. Yeah. Yeah, definitely. Like I said, it it it it has helped. Uh, you know, we see in the 469 00:47:24,969 --> 00:47:31,528 numbers. So, you know, we're always glad to do anything we can to improve. 470 00:47:31,570 --> 00:47:38,009 Uh, uh, the driver experience. Well, I can tell you as, uh, as a broadcaster like myself, a 471 00:47:38,010 --> 00:47:43,968 podcast host. It's very flattering to hear that you, the director of safety for such a safe 472 00:47:43,969 --> 00:47:49,789 company that really has a culture of safety, wants to turn people to our podcast to listen to and 473 00:47:49,830 --> 00:47:54,309 kind of help out with the meet and greets. Tim, I will tell you this right now, my friend, I am a 474 00:47:54,310 --> 00:47:59,469 tool in your toolkit and you deploy me as you need to because I think that's one thing that 475 00:47:59,469 --> 00:48:05,870 this podcast can be very effective, uh, in and that is just kind of moving this culture of, of safety 476 00:48:05,909 --> 00:48:11,149 forward and, and letting everybody know that, uh, it's, it's a really big part of the job. And you 477 00:48:11,149 --> 00:48:17,590 got to know that at the outset. You can't figure that out later on. Right, right, right. And and, you 478 00:48:17,590 --> 00:48:24,589 know, the the thing I like, you know, about the, the podcast that where we can outreach, you know, to to 479 00:48:24,629 --> 00:48:31,589 more drivers is hey you know we're we're, we're we're a great company. We're a safe company. And 480 00:48:31,589 --> 00:48:37,389 you need to come to work here at Bulk and Spur. Yeah. And and the drivers are saying it, man. They don't 481 00:48:37,429 --> 00:48:42,909 they don't pull any punches when they come talk to me. And I love that. Um, you know, there's one 482 00:48:42,950 --> 00:48:47,859 kind of fun one that I want to ask you here. Uh, we talked a little bit when we were in Columbus 483 00:48:47,860 --> 00:48:54,739 about autonomous driving and sort of kind of had some some laughs back and forth about that. Uh, a 484 00:48:54,860 --> 00:49:01,698 very specific question for you in your position. What part of trucking do you think never 485 00:49:01,740 --> 00:49:08,739 goes away Tim, regardless of the technological, uh, improvements and advancements? What part of 486 00:49:08,739 --> 00:49:15,579 trucking is going to stay the same forever? Well, in any type of a specialized carrier, like. 487 00:49:15,580 --> 00:49:22,178 Like what we do, uh, because it's hands on. Uh, you're, you know, there are certain 488 00:49:22,179 --> 00:49:27,060 aspects of the trucking industry, and they're doing it now where with the autonomous truck, 489 00:49:27,060 --> 00:49:31,019 where, you know, they're driving from point the computer's driving the truck from point A to 490 00:49:31,060 --> 00:49:37,059 point B. Uh, you know, that would be fine. We could have somebody drive our a computer, drive our 491 00:49:37,060 --> 00:49:42,219 truck from point A to point B, but who's going to unload the trailer? Who's you know, who's going to 492 00:49:42,219 --> 00:49:47,329 be experienced to do that? Who's going to get it? Who's going to get it? You know. Unloaded safely. 493 00:49:47,649 --> 00:49:54,569 Who's going to get it unloaded properly? So that part of, uh, of that, you know, autonomous 494 00:49:54,570 --> 00:50:01,329 world will probably not happen. I mean, we can say the same thing with, uh, uh, fuel companies. 495 00:50:01,490 --> 00:50:08,289 Uh, hazardous material hauling. I don't think we really want to have, you know, have computers. Uh, 496 00:50:08,289 --> 00:50:13,809 the autonomous side, you know, delivering our fuel. Uh, again, you know, how are they going to how is 497 00:50:14,049 --> 00:50:20,969 the the computer going to, uh, put the fuel from the from the tanker into the, uh, 498 00:50:20,969 --> 00:50:26,610 into the. Well, so. Yeah, absolutely. And we have a little bit of experience with that today, Tim. We 499 00:50:26,610 --> 00:50:31,729 couldn't get the microphones to work correctly when we hopped into this recording. So if they can't 500 00:50:31,729 --> 00:50:37,529 handle that, uh, are they really going to be able to handle, uh, hazardous materials, you know, uh, 501 00:50:37,530 --> 00:50:42,849 putting the wrong, the wrong product into the wrong container? Something like that costs 502 00:50:42,870 --> 00:50:47,269 hundreds of thousands, if not millions of dollars over time. And if those computers are making those 503 00:50:47,269 --> 00:50:52,749 mistakes, man, shut them down and put a warm body back there behind it. That's what I say. Right, 504 00:50:52,750 --> 00:50:59,468 right. And, you know, like I said, I, uh, uh, you know, I think, uh, autonomous, 505 00:50:59,469 --> 00:51:06,229 whether it's in automobile or trucking, is so far down the road. I mean, there's just so many bugs 506 00:51:06,229 --> 00:51:13,109 that need to be worked out that, uh, uh, we probably won't be talking about it on one of 507 00:51:13,110 --> 00:51:19,269 our podcasts. Amen to. That. Down the road. Well, if you are, if we are talking about it on a podcast, 508 00:51:19,269 --> 00:51:23,829 you're probably listening to a recording of me at that point in time because I've said so many 509 00:51:23,830 --> 00:51:29,149 words. I'm sure there's a there's a computer version of me out there somewhere that's learning. 510 00:51:29,149 --> 00:51:33,710 But like you said, way down the road and not something that we want to concern ourselves with 511 00:51:33,710 --> 00:51:39,469 right now. Uh, Tim, this has been awesome. I really appreciate it. Lots of great information here. Um, 512 00:51:39,470 --> 00:51:44,780 you can tell that you're really dedicated to the job, the safety aspect, the risk management aspect, 513 00:51:44,780 --> 00:51:49,658 the meet and greets, getting some face to face interaction with the drivers and really trying to 514 00:51:49,659 --> 00:51:55,419 help them solve the problems that they're seeing out there on the road. Um, it really does speak to 515 00:51:55,459 --> 00:51:59,939 just a overall culture of safety at Bulk and Spur, and I've always been very impressed by it 516 00:51:59,939 --> 00:52:05,659 since the day that I met you guys. It permeates every aspect of the business, from my fly on the 517 00:52:05,659 --> 00:52:10,739 wall perspective. Um, I want to give you a chance to talk about anything that we might have left on 518 00:52:10,739 --> 00:52:15,500 the table here. It's kind of been, uh, whiz bang here. I've been really throwing them at you quick. 519 00:52:15,500 --> 00:52:19,899 But I know you brought a lot of notes, Tim. And and while we still have a little bit of time at the 520 00:52:19,899 --> 00:52:24,939 end of the interview here, is there anything that you want to cover that I didn't get to? Well, you 521 00:52:24,939 --> 00:52:31,659 know, Marcus, as I said, you know, the one thing that I, uh, a slogan, you know, we all have slogans we see 522 00:52:31,699 --> 00:52:38,219 we have in life and and we might see. But the one message that I believe in and I 523 00:52:38,219 --> 00:52:45,199 believe, I believe everybody should be. To believe in is complacency is the enemy of 524 00:52:45,199 --> 00:52:52,159 safety. That's a good one. That's a really good one. I've lived by that. Uh, you know, all through my 525 00:52:52,159 --> 00:52:58,919 career. Um, and, you know, if you can get people to buy in that, that 526 00:52:58,919 --> 00:53:04,119 when we just, you know, we always have to think, you know, there's the slogans out there. You know, A-b-c 527 00:53:04,159 --> 00:53:11,159 always be careful. But I think it's it's when, when when we're doing a job, we always have 528 00:53:11,160 --> 00:53:17,559 to think about doing it safely. Absolutely. Whatever we're doing. So, uh, if and 529 00:53:17,999 --> 00:53:24,959 when we, we lose focus of that, that's when bad things can happen. And 530 00:53:24,960 --> 00:53:31,399 you kind of have to train those habits. Uh, very. Um, I guess I would say intently, you have to have 531 00:53:31,399 --> 00:53:35,959 intent when it comes to training those habits to keep yourself from being complacent, because when 532 00:53:35,959 --> 00:53:40,389 you think that you're really good at a job, when you've been doing it for 30 years, and it seems 533 00:53:40,389 --> 00:53:46,109 like old hat to you, that's when complacency can come in and and do the most damage, isn't it? Tim. 534 00:53:46,149 --> 00:53:52,668 Oh, yeah. I mean, Marcus, I learn every day. And, you know, I never stopped learning. I, you know, 535 00:53:53,189 --> 00:53:59,309 about this industry. You know, I, I attend, uh, uh, locally here. Ohio Trucking Association 536 00:53:59,310 --> 00:54:06,229 meetings. Uh, we have our insurance captive group. We have, uh, risk management workshops that 537 00:54:06,229 --> 00:54:12,709 I go to, uh, safety councils here at our Union County. Uh, 538 00:54:12,709 --> 00:54:19,509 so the, you know, the fact that, you know, I'm, I'm constantly, uh, 539 00:54:19,629 --> 00:54:25,869 networking with different safety people and sharing different ideas. You know, you learn, you 540 00:54:25,870 --> 00:54:32,149 learn more. Do you feel like the safety and risk management side of things has become more 541 00:54:32,149 --> 00:54:38,499 collaborative over, uh, the, the recent years? Uh, Tim, is this has it always been something where you 542 00:54:38,500 --> 00:54:43,819 guys are coming together and collaborating in these areas, or is this something that's more of a 543 00:54:43,820 --> 00:54:48,819 of a new thing where you guys think, hey, we can share ideas and still compete in this market? Yeah, 544 00:54:48,860 --> 00:54:55,499 I mean, yeah, I think, uh, you know, let's say 30 years ago, uh, you know, our, you know, we had 545 00:54:55,500 --> 00:55:02,219 competitors were where were our, our other trucking, uh, people. But now, 546 00:55:02,540 --> 00:55:09,459 uh, I think all the trucking people, the industry has gotten together and most of our, most of our, 547 00:55:09,539 --> 00:55:16,218 uh, uh, competition is, uh, not exposing ourselves to one of those big lawsuits. 548 00:55:16,419 --> 00:55:23,259 Yep. And, uh, whatever. So, you know, it's a joint effort with everybody. You know what? What can 549 00:55:23,300 --> 00:55:30,059 we do to to make ourselves safer so that we don't have, uh, you know, that next, uh, uh, 550 00:55:30,060 --> 00:55:37,039 nuclear verdict. 100%. Tim Hamilton, Director of Safety for Bulk and Spur. Final 551 00:55:37,040 --> 00:55:41,239 thoughts for me today, Tim, before we let you get back to it, this has been a great interview. I know 552 00:55:41,239 --> 00:55:45,799 the drive. I'm going to hear from drivers about this one. They they're they're going to have 553 00:55:45,799 --> 00:55:50,999 enjoyed it and learn something for sure. Uh, what can you leave us with today before I let you get 554 00:55:51,000 --> 00:55:57,519 back to your of your very busy job? Yeah, well, like what I started with, uh, you know, I appreciate, 555 00:55:57,719 --> 00:56:04,079 uh, the dedication and the hard work that our drivers put in. It makes my job easier. Our our 556 00:56:04,080 --> 00:56:10,919 terminal management team, uh, what they what they do to, uh, you know, I I'm, I'm just 557 00:56:10,919 --> 00:56:17,719 I'm just sort of like the, like the the orchestra director of the band, you know, I they really 558 00:56:17,719 --> 00:56:24,719 do the, the groundwork. I say, hey, this is what we need to do. You know, they, they, they get it done. So, 559 00:56:24,800 --> 00:56:31,759 uh, uh, you know, and thank to the, the DeWolf family, uh, awesome family to 560 00:56:31,800 --> 00:56:38,470 to to work for, uh, I told Brian, uh, when I got hired in ten years 561 00:56:38,470 --> 00:56:44,990 ago, I said, unfortunately, I can only give you 20 years, and then I'm out of here. I'll be retiring 562 00:56:44,990 --> 00:56:51,350 then. But, uh, you know, I, I look back and I've told a lot of people this, uh, you know, this is a 563 00:56:51,350 --> 00:56:57,949 company I wish I would have been at, you know, started 20, 25 years ago. Uh, really, really great 564 00:56:57,950 --> 00:57:04,668 company and really want, uh, more and more people here and. Absolutely. Enjoy what? 565 00:57:04,710 --> 00:57:10,590 Enjoy what we have here. Boy. Bang that drum. Tim. They don't understand how good it is out there if 566 00:57:10,590 --> 00:57:16,389 they're not working for you guys yet. So, uh, I greatly appreciate the time here today and also 567 00:57:16,430 --> 00:57:21,709 the dedication to safety that you bring. Uh, I have a feeling this won't be the last time we talk to 568 00:57:21,709 --> 00:57:27,029 you here on this podcast. Tim, if you'll come back again, I want you. Because, like I said, I feel like 569 00:57:27,030 --> 00:57:32,068 there's so much depth to talking to somebody that does the job that you do. And I could even argue 570 00:57:32,069 --> 00:57:37,409 that we've only just scratched the surface here today, but great stuff and please come back and 571 00:57:37,409 --> 00:57:42,089 join us again here on Always Pneumatic, Never Static whenever you feel the urge. Okay. Yeah. Thank 572 00:57:42,089 --> 00:57:42,888 you. Marcus. 573 00:57:51,529 --> 00:57:58,169 Man. Hats off to Tim Hamilton, our Director of Safety here at Bulk and Spur. I will tell you one 574 00:57:58,170 --> 00:58:03,570 thing right now, I would actually take my hat off if I wasn't wearing headphones and had a crop 575 00:58:03,570 --> 00:58:10,249 circle of a bald spot on the back of my head that I don't want to show anybody. Um, but hats off. What 576 00:58:10,249 --> 00:58:15,969 a great interview there. Uh, so much substance. As I said, off the top, you can really sink your teeth 577 00:58:15,969 --> 00:58:20,329 into the things that Tim was talking about. And and also, you can hear the passion and the 578 00:58:20,330 --> 00:58:26,529 dedication for the job and the company come through. Um, I told you, safety directors are some 579 00:58:26,529 --> 00:58:31,719 of my favorite people to have on the podcast. There's a lot and I, I mentioned it towards the 580 00:58:31,719 --> 00:58:36,839 end of that interview. We probably only scratched the surface, Tim told me after we got off the mic. 581 00:58:36,880 --> 00:58:42,439 He said, I've got pages and pages of notes that we didn't even get to. There you go. There's another 582 00:58:42,439 --> 00:58:49,158 bit of dedication from Tim. Now, his job is not to come on and do a podcast with me, but he treated 583 00:58:49,159 --> 00:58:54,559 it like his job and he had some awesome stuff to bring us there. And we'll get even more out of him 584 00:58:54,560 --> 00:58:59,359 the next time that we have him on the show. Can't wait for that. We talked about off the air, 585 00:58:59,399 --> 00:59:05,319 possibly bringing in a driver to join Tim next time, I love it. Look, safety is the name of the 586 00:59:05,320 --> 00:59:11,800 game here, and we will dedicate as much time on this podcast to it as need be. And I'm not the 587 00:59:11,800 --> 00:59:18,799 arbiter of that. If I am told by Brian or Brad or Andrea or Tim or anybody 588 00:59:18,800 --> 00:59:23,519 else for that matter, any of the terminal managers come to me and say, hey, let's, let's talk about 589 00:59:23,520 --> 00:59:29,518 this thing that has to do with safety. It goes right to the top of my priority list. And my first 590 00:59:29,550 --> 00:59:35,549 order of business is to get in touch with with Brad and Andrea and Brian and say, hey, what do you 591 00:59:35,549 --> 00:59:40,429 guys think about this? Can we turn it into an episode? Because I know how important safety is. I 592 00:59:40,429 --> 00:59:46,029 know it not only in the trucking industry. I can tell by the conversations we've had here on this 593 00:59:46,029 --> 00:59:51,829 podcast what safety really means to all of you at Bulk and Spur. And I love it. And, you know, 594 00:59:51,829 --> 00:59:57,549 sometimes conversations like this don't come with a lot of fireworks. Um, there's not a lot of 595 00:59:57,549 --> 01:00:02,508 punchlines. There's no big crazy twists that you're waiting for. But if you're paying attention 596 01:00:02,509 --> 01:00:09,229 to this conversation so much, so much there so much. What Tim laid out today is 597 01:00:09,230 --> 01:00:15,349 something every driver, no matter where you're at in your career, has to understand. The job has 598 01:00:15,349 --> 01:00:22,308 changed from where it was in the 90s, in the 80s, in the 70s, even in the early 2000. Safety 599 01:00:22,309 --> 01:00:28,448 isn't just about following the rules anymore. It's about thinking ahead. It's about seeing the risk 600 01:00:28,449 --> 01:00:34,169 before it shows up and doing everything you can to mitigate said risk. And yeah, sometimes that 601 01:00:34,169 --> 01:00:40,330 means embracing things like new technology that maybe we're not the most comfortable with. Um, the 602 01:00:40,330 --> 01:00:45,249 systems, the oversight that comes in. But hey, you heard Tim say it off the top of that interview. 603 01:00:45,290 --> 01:00:51,728 You're working in one of the most, uh, arguably one of the most overregulated 604 01:00:51,729 --> 01:00:57,649 industries that we have in our United States economy. There's an argument to be made that 605 01:00:57,649 --> 01:01:02,369 there's a reason for that, and a very good one. There's an argument to be made that there is so 606 01:01:02,369 --> 01:01:08,090 much red tape that we can't find our way out of the maze, and that's okay, too. But if there's one 607 01:01:08,090 --> 01:01:14,929 thing that came through loud and clear today, it's this. These tools aren't 608 01:01:14,929 --> 01:01:21,729 here to catch you. They're not here to micromanage you. These tools, these tech, the safety, the the 609 01:01:21,730 --> 01:01:28,479 compliance stuff that we do, the risk mitigation, all of it is here to protect you from 610 01:01:28,479 --> 01:01:35,079 bad situations, bad assumptions, and sometimes from losing everything over something that wasn't even 611 01:01:35,080 --> 01:01:41,999 your fault. I thought that story that Tim told was very poignant. Um, you got a motorized scooter who 612 01:01:42,000 --> 01:01:47,439 crashes into the side of a truck as the truck is operating legally within the lane of traffic, 613 01:01:47,439 --> 01:01:52,839 and a cop shows up and cites the truck driver. Why? Well, because it's really hard to say that a 614 01:01:52,840 --> 01:01:59,040 motorized scooter would have been at fault in an accident with a semi truck. But guess what? That's 615 01:01:59,040 --> 01:02:05,759 why we have the tech. Exoneration is the name of the game. And don't you forget it neither 616 01:02:05,760 --> 01:02:11,600 Bubba. At the end of the day, that's what it's all about. Getting the job done, getting it done the 617 01:02:11,600 --> 01:02:17,999 right way and making sure everybody drivers, families, everyone out there on the road 618 01:02:18,000 --> 01:02:24,878 gets home. Tim did such a great job today. I can't tell you how much I appreciate the time 619 01:02:24,879 --> 01:02:31,339 that Tim gave us. That's a big job, okay? The the director of safety. No small nut to crack. And the 620 01:02:31,340 --> 01:02:37,979 fact that we got 45 plus minutes out of Tim today of his very valuable time should mean something 621 01:02:38,020 --> 01:02:43,059 to you. He's dedicated to it. He knows that you guys are listening to this podcast, and you just 622 01:02:43,059 --> 01:02:49,059 got to hear it right from his mouth, like you do at the meet and greets. Very, very great episode 623 01:02:49,060 --> 01:02:54,459 today. Can't thank Tim enough. And for everybody listening. We'll catch you next time on Always 624 01:02:54,459 --> 01:03:01,418 Pneumatic, Never Static. Next week, Wednesday, 5 a.m. local time. Be safe out there, drivers. That's the 625 01:03:01,419 --> 01:03:08,259 name of the game. And that's all she blows for today's episode of Always 626 01:03:08,260 --> 01:03:14,299 Pneumatic, Never Static. Your number one and probably only Pneumatic Trucking podcast, brought 627 01:03:14,300 --> 01:03:19,899 to you by Bulk Transit. Thanks for rolling with us today. Till next time, stay safe. Keep those lines 628 01:03:19,899 --> 01:03:21,779 clear and keep it pumping.