Truck Topics
A Day in the Life of a Safety Director
John Mueller of the Toledo, Ohio-based Premium Transportation Logistics (PTL) is a busy man!
His duties as PTL's Safety Director are enough fill his day, but he serves as the Director of Recruiting as well.
He explains, "With a smaller company like ours, the workload has to be divided between my two partners and myself. One of the partners handles Operations, another takes care of Sales and Marketing and then there's my job."
Mueller has extensive experience in the transportation industry, both in general trucking and expedite. He is an expert on trucking regulatory, safety and compliance issues.
He tells us that just like the expediters in his fleet, sometimes his job runs round the clock and when duty calls, he has to be there for the drivers.
A list of his duties includes:
Compose and implement safety policies.
Conduct an ongoing evaluation and revision of the company's safety program.
Act as an advisor to PTL's owner-operators. Update them on regulatory changes, safety trends and handle retraining if necessary.
Watch for workplace hazards or unsafe practices.
Develop measurement criteria and controls to ensure accountability.
Compose and revise the company's driver/contractor manual.
Recruit and screen new contractors and drivers.
Conduct the driver orientation.
Administer the drug and alcohol testing.
Oversee the log auditing.
Do all the permitting and fuel taxes along with other taxes.
Manage workers comp for office employees
Keep up on DOT requirements, accident register, Driver
Qualifications and annual vehicle inspections.
Handle accident reporting/review and accompanying insurance work.
Even with that full plate of jobs and tasks to accomplish, Mueller somehow finds time to enjoy his family and to have a life. The following diary shows the breakdown of his day and how he manages to put everything together.
6:00 am – Rise and Shine
6:45 am – Newspaper and coffee
7:30 am – Head to Office Max to have newly revised Contractor/Driver’s Manuals printed and bound
8:10 am – Fuel pickup truck for $87.00 - Wonder where and when do I get a fuel surcharge.
8:30 am – Arrive at work. Boot-up computer and make coffee so when Accounting Manager arrives at 9:00 she has coffee.
8:35 am - Review emails. Respond immediately to urgent messages. Respond to contractor applicants that do not meet hiring criteria with individual emails. 86 the rest.
9:10 am – Prepare order for additional accident camera kits needed for orientation.
9:15 am – Ask the operations manager if it is slow today – got 5 minute dissertation on why there are 4 trucks sitting in the lot – these guys won’t run. I'm happy I asked. Seek aspirin to relieve oncoming headache.
9:20 am – Complete insurance renewal informational packets for all lines of insurance, including the fleet program for our owner-operators.
9:57 am – Stop working on insurance to accommodate driver standing behind me with questions. Driver leaves a happy camper!
10:05 am – Resume working on insurance renewal. Need to produce a number of reports to obtain requested information.
10:12 am – Am interrupted by Operations Manager – needs an insurance certificate produced for new partner carrier. I stop what I'm doing and contact insurance company to request certificate.
10:19 am – Take call and give personal reference for a past driver seeking position as a minister for church.
10:29 am – Retrieve voicemails.
10:37 am – Call Sales Manager regarding local dedicated semi tractor runs.
11:02 am – Take a call from contractor/driver who had quadruple by-pass surgery in January. Provide info for new physical, doctor’s release and assistance with re-activating insurance on his truck.
11:18 am – I have recently taken recruiting calls and made a few calls to potential contractors. More calls are coming in than I can take and call back.
11:30 am – Have a meeting with Insurance Professional.
1:45 pm – Return from meeting, attempt to retrieve even more voicemails and review email inbox. A driver stops in needing IRP renewal application completed.
2:30 pm – Meeting with Accounting Manager, bank and business partners.
4:10 pm – Attempt to retrieve voicemails and emails. Wonder how I will call back and answer all messages. Still have not had time to even begin to prepare for random controlled substance and alcohol testing.
Still need to produce and send drivers reminders on expirations of physicals, driver’s licenses, annual vehicle inspections and insurance certs. I also need to finish reports required for insurance renewal.
5:15 pm – Retrieve all messages, answered most.
5:20 pm – Repair and reactivate fuel card for tractor driver on line. Call fuel card company to discover reactivation can only be performed by them. Card fixed, driver happy.
5:33 pm – Resubmit previous employment verifications to companies on prospective contractor/driver.
5:45 pm – Run MVR on another prospective contractor/driver. Review MVR along with driver’s application and employment history – looking good.
6:07 pm – Finish notes on the day in the life of a Safety Director for EO.
6:19 pm – Begin to shut down computer and close up shop. Need to stop at Office Max on way home to pickup newly revised Contractor/Driver’s Manuals.
7:15 pm – Arrive home. Kiss wife and dogs. At least someone is happy to see me.
11:05 pm - I begin to take calls at home on a cargo van accident. I work with the driver and the insurance company till around
12:40 am. Will meet with the insurance agent at 8:00 am this morning!
Mueller tells us that he is really looking forward to his upcoming vacation!