When the Safe 7 is unsafe

Go ahead and drink the Roehl Kool-Aid. I realize some treat anything from Roehl as being from their mouths to God's ears, but when they come out with something like they just did, it's fodder for experienced drivers and also something where those of us with experience need to warn and remind less experienced drivers how to handle driving situations. Sara's memo was basically we should treat a stale green as a stop sign. It is entirely possible that she sends out these messages without proofreading them first. There comes a point that before you send out a message stating policy, you should have a couple of other people read it over to make sure you are saying what you intend to say. Several years ago we were being told all trucks had to enter the Wyoming port of entry on I-80. That message had to be altered when drivers pointed out that it was a Pre-Pass scale and their own signs told us to follow in cab instructions. Since we were getting a green light, we kept going.

By the way, as I pointed out earlier, all Roehl has done with their Safe 7 is to make the 5 Keys of the Smith System more complicated. What I am pointing out is that sometimes what seems like a safe idea can actually be unsafe. FYI I have been a trainer with another company and what we did was a lot more dangerous than what we do at Roehl. If you made a mistake you didn't just put your truck on its' side, you could kill someone so safety is very important to me and that includes docks as well.

 

It was well over a year ago and if I remember correctly it was sent out during a time that there was a rash of drivers getting caught by red light cameras. As I also just pointed out, what came out may well have been different than what she intended to say. That is why before sending out a general email message, or written letter a person should always have one, or two other people proofread what you have written. These messages come out usually when Roehl is having a problem with a specific area with drivers. If you remember, just a week ago we even got a message from John Spiros as well. About 4 years ago we had several rollovers as well as a driver dying and they did a complete review of driving techniques with all of the drivers over the phone. One of the trainers in Gary was pointing out that in his opinion Roehl had adopted and attitude that had drivers driving out of fear of getting in trouble, rather than concentrating on just being as safe as possible while still moving the trucks.

A little FYI, I have been driving a truck for almost 10 years, before that I held a B CDL and drove a school bus for several years. I have been a trainer, have not even had a parking ticket in longer than I can remember, plus I have been through over 8 inspections without a single violation. I have been an owner operator with Roehl for just shy of 4 years and was with them for almost 2 1/2 years before that. I have lost count of how many dispatchers have come and gone during that time. In short I have been around the block a few times to the point that if I want to, I have been offered a conditional approval to join Schneider's Choice Board. My next move has nothing to do with my feelings towards Roehl, it is strictly a business decision based on the best way to grow my company. So, before you try to make this personal, keep in mind I have always been an entrepreneur and there is no room for personal grudges in business if you want to succeed.

I will repeat myself again, no matter what message you get, always make sure you are doing what is truly safest and not what sounds safe while sitting in an office, or sitting in front of a computer typing.

 

The reason to get back on the pedal is to get power back to the drive train. You aren't going to increase your speed as much as you have to get your momentum moving forward again. Just remember the point of no return for a big truck is a lot farther back than it is for a car. I agree about the timers, I think more than anything else these could reduce accidents. I just dealt with one though that was set up wrong. Most are set that when the counter hits zero the light begins to change. This light went red on zero.