We do that too: DOT Administrative Check-up

 

Every once in a while we like to send a reminder out about all the programs we offer. Sometimes in the compliance world, things can be out of sight, out of mind. As long as no one is bothering you about your program, you must be on the straight and narrow -- right?

That's not always the case, and that's why we're here. One of those services we're outlining today is our DOT administrative check-up. This is something we can easily do remotely for you. What we're offering to do for member companies is to go over all your DOT paperwork to make sure everything is shipshape. There's lots of components to a DOT program, and a lot of it can be overwhelming. Maybe you've outsourced part of this to a third party, or maybe you've decided to take this on yourself. Either way, it's worth it to get an extra set of eyes on things to see how things are going.

Here's the checklist we've devised to determine how your program stands:

 

DOT standards / checklist

-  Are driver qualification files kept separate from general employee files? Are they reasonably secure?

-  Do driver files have all documents needed?   

-  How are all of these renewal dates tracked? (med card, MVR, driver’s license, etc)

-  If needed (for non-CDL drivers), is the person administering the driving test qualified?

-  All random testing standards followed?

-  How are ELD’s managed?

-  Are drivers certifying their logs at a reasonable interval?

-  Are unassigned driving events logged and assigned?

-  Are all driver supervisors trained in reasonable suspicion (60 minutes alcohol abuse training; 60 for controlled substances)?

-  How are daily vehicle inspections managed?

-  Are DOT inspections signed and returned? Is a file kept of all DOT inspections?

-  How are fleet annual DOT inspections managed?

-  Is the person who does the annual brake inspections qualified to do so? Is that qualification on file?

-  Is DataQ’s checked regularly?

-  Familiarity with different levels of DOT inspections?

-  Do you send in your FMCSA MCS-150 biennial renewal at the required times?

-  How is the fleet managed in general? Dates on required services, etc. 

Feel free to use this checklist on your own as a resource as well, but if you want that extra security, feel free to contact TT&S to discuss further.

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TT&S 2024 Conference Rundown

Nice weather loading up on Monday... before wintery Tuesday.

169 attendees.

29 vendors.

25 sessions.

And all of this accomplished with yet another year of winter weather warning on Tuesday morning.

All ready for everyone, despite the wind and snow.

 

Tuesday Kick-off

Art Thompson, Executive Director of WSI

 
The conference started with a stirring keynote from Art Thompson, executive director of North Dakota's Workforce Safety & Insurance (WSI). He included statistics about North Dakota workplace injuries and fatalities, including the sobering fact that four out of the top five causes of workplace fatalities in North Dakota included a motor vehicle. Data shared also included how the most commonly injured group by far include those who have been on the job for less than a year (we'll stay off our soapbox after this, I promise, but here's the link to our post about how important new hire training is). He underlined the importance of workplace safety and that while safety may begin in a classroom with a training program, it doesn't end there. Mentorship programs, either formal or informal, are integral to helping new employees become acclimated to safety programs by showing them what safety protocols look like while on the actual job.

Dot Frank's "Spare Change"

 

Dot Frank was our second speaker, with her topic on how to anticipate and ultimately embrace change. She shared her experience with change in her life and explained some strategies to harness the positive elements of change rather than be defeated by it. She left us with an inspiring message that change can be an opportunity to learn and experience new things, and with this attitude we can find ourselves much more successful.

Attendees then were able to join the vendor social, which included door prizes, the tech wars competition, and the opportunity to meet, greet, and learn more about our great vendor lineup. SRT gained the prize and bragging rights this year for the tech wars!

First place Tech Wars Winners from SRT

 

Second place Tech Wars Winners from United Communications

Third place Tech Wars Winners from NDTC

Wednesday Sessions and Social

The next day attendees broke up into their preferred sessions, which included four different tracks. Sessions included many different topics, including:

- OTDR Testing
- Email Etiquette
- Enabling the IoT: A WLAN Security Crucial Conversations Wake-up Call
- Fiber Splicing and Troubleshooting
- Service Order Start to Finish - iVUE, Scheduler, and Appsuite
- Mapwise: Network Connectivity - That's Spliced How?

... and many more!

A spirited Andy Walding session

Jane Wigen presents a session on retirement

 

While this was going on, TT&S, along with the support of a group of member company volunteers, also offered local career academy and technical center high schoolers the opportunity to learn more about the broadband industry.

 

Student swag bag member company donations

Student swag bag contents from DRN

Their agenda included a session with Andy Walding about the how the Internet actually works, a question and answer session with industry HR professionals and field professionals, and a hands-on portion with Sean Kelly from Light Brigade and Steve Wolles from AFL. We're excited about this new addition to the conference, as in future years this will allow member companies to sponsor local high schoolers to attend, perhaps igniting the spark that leads them to seek out an internship or job with their local broadband co-op down the line.

 

Sean Kelly's hands-on demonstration for students

We also held a recognition luncheon where we had the opportunity to thank all the wonderful board members, vendors, volunteers, and everyone else who came together to make the conference and TT&S in general a success.

Recognition luncheon

 

Wednesday evening saw another vendor social, as well as more door prizes and the cornhole tournament. The winners this year were from Venture Communications, and second place went to a team from Consolidated.

First place cornhole winners

 

Second place cornhole winners

 

Thursday Morning Speakers

On Thursday morning TT&S introduced a couple of excellent speakers. Luke Kapella with the ND Bureau of Criminal Investigation along with his sidekick General Lee (a very well-behaved black lab) gave a fantastic presentation on illicit drugs in North Dakota and what techs should watch out for when going into private residences. He especially noted that some substances, especially fentanyl, could even be fatal if touched, so techs need to be wary of these substances and watch out for these clues.

Luke Kapella's presentation

 

General Lee stealing the show in the background

The second speaker, Beth Warford, founder of Pretty Loaded, gave a presentation on self-defense and on how to carry yourself to avoid confrontation. She gave practical information that anyone can use to help keep themselves safe.

 

Beth Warford's contact info

Overall, the conference was a success, and it was absolutely great to get everyone together again for another year, despite the weather not cooperating... as usual. Thanks to everyone who helped us to coordinate the conference, attended, or simply provided moral support from afar. We appreciate you all!

'Tis the Season of... Cargo Securement

As we slowly slide into warmer weather, the temptation to spring clean, start that big renovation project, and begin bigger work operations outdoors again begins afresh. As we wade through the messy spring thaw, it's good to be reminded about how to haul equipment all over again. Let's make sure that we do things the safe way for another successful busy season.

Here's some things to keep in mind about hauling cargo and equipment.

 

 

 

So pretty much everything this picture isn't.

Here's a few more tips to keep in mind.

Also make sure to inspect everything before you begin your trip, and during the trip if it's of any significant distance. You'll want to be inspecting that the cargo or equipment being hauled is secure, your securing devices, and that all tiedowns are taut.

It is the law to make sure you are securing your cargo and equipment before hauling, and not doing so could seriously hurt someone, so make sure to take all of this to heart.

If you'd like more in-depth training on this, TT&S does have an entire training on the subject, to either present for you or to be used as training materials for your staff to use. We'd be more than happy to help you out either way.