It's a Team's Life

Cross Training - Bills

Whether you are a team truck like we are, or you have someone doing your back office (paying your bills).  Each of you need to know how those bills are paid.  You may ask why you need to do this.  Just think the person responsible for paying the bills get sick or hurt and cannot communicate on how and where they are to be paid.

So, cross train and build a system that makes it easy for your partner to keep the bills paid.  What we do is we use a software a package like KeePass, it keeps our username, passwords, and the urls of all the websites we login to.  Also, we created an Excel spreadsheet that lists what the bill is, due date, amount to pay, the website, and how it is paid.  What we mean (how it is paid) is the bill paid by a credit card, a bank account, etc.  This way either one of us can get the bills paid if one of us cannot do it.

This is just one way to do this.  Talk to your partner and how best to do the cross training on how the bills are paid.

Here are some other ways we found online on keeping track of your bills. 

Someone suggested use automatic bill pay.  Using this method makes bill paying easy but you still have to keep track of them.  You could over draft your back account if that is where the funds come from.  If you pay by credit card you have to make sure you update the credit card information when you get a replacement card.

Create calendar reminders.  Many email accounts will also include a calendar.  Put reminders into the calendar that will send you an email or alert you on your desktop or mobile device.

Most of your online bills will offer reminder emails.  This is great because that initial email of the bill can get buried in with all the other emails.  Some of the online bills will allow you to set the amount of time before the bill is due that you get the reminder.

This cross training can carry over to a team truck.  Each person gets into a routine of what they are responsible for in the operation of the company.  Each person should know how to fuel the truck, do a pre and post trip, know what is required of load paperwork (like a bill of lading) and entering and submitting that paperwork.  If you have GPS’s how to update them.  Where items are stored on the truck that you can find them.

Bottom line is share your knowledge with your partner and/or codriver.

Sandy & Stephen

Pinch Hitting for TeamCaffee