Summer Safety: What Every Driver Needs to Watch For

1 00:00:01,200 --> 00:00:07,320 Memorial Day hits and the roads don't just get busier, they get completely unpredictable, as if 2 00:00:07,320 --> 00:00:12,760 they were some other shade of unpredictable before summer. But somehow now it seems even worse. 3 00:00:12,800 --> 00:00:17,920 You've got teenagers behind the wheel with a brand new license, zero experience, and even less 4 00:00:17,920 --> 00:00:24,200 common sense. I don't know how that's possible, but it is families in RVs that they drive three times 5 00:00:24,200 --> 00:00:29,800 a year, and even those three times they don't know how to drive them. Motorcycles flying past you at 6 00:00:29,800 --> 00:00:36,780 80 miles an hour, splitting lanes and not realizing they are so small compared to an 80,000 7 00:00:36,780 --> 00:00:43,159 pound loaded down semi. Construction zones will squeeze lanes down to inches, and a whole lot of 8 00:00:43,160 --> 00:00:49,360 people who are more focused on their GPS, their phone, the beach more than the road that's in 9 00:00:49,360 --> 00:00:56,080 front of them. And here's the reality. When all of that shows up at once, the margin for error 10 00:00:56,120 --> 00:01:02,669 disappears. And the problem is that people creating that chaos aren't the ones driving the 11 00:01:02,669 --> 00:01:09,430 80,000 pound trucks. You are the Cypress and Sun Belt drivers, so now it's 12 00:01:09,470 --> 00:01:14,910 on you to see it coming. To stay patient when nobody else is, and to make the right decision 13 00:01:14,910 --> 00:01:21,790 when somebody else makes the wrong one. Today's episode isn't just about summer driving, it's 14 00:01:21,790 --> 00:01:23,949 about merely surviving it. 15 00:01:28,949 --> 00:01:33,469 Countdown to the Cypress Truck Lines podcast starts now. 16 00:01:35,830 --> 00:01:42,309 Your number one professional flatlining podcast here to deliver stories, safety updates and 17 00:01:42,309 --> 00:01:47,469 company news directly to your ears. Let's get down to business. 18 00:01:53,950 --> 00:01:59,529 How's the weather out there? Cypress and Sun Belt. Welcome into episode 21 of the Cypress Truck 19 00:01:59,569 --> 00:02:06,529 Lines podcast. I am your host, Marcus, from all the way over here in the very green and warming state 20 00:02:06,529 --> 00:02:12,649 of Oregon. And that's a little bit important for this episode. Okay. Uh, I will get to what the 21 00:02:12,649 --> 00:02:18,889 episode content is in just a moment. But first, as always, I gotta remind you where your one stop 22 00:02:18,889 --> 00:02:25,769 shop is for everything. Cypress Truck Lines podcast that is podcast.cypresstruck.com 23 00:02:25,770 --> 00:02:31,529 head on over there. That's our podcast landing page if you haven't bookmarked it yet. I mean, what 24 00:02:31,529 --> 00:02:36,289 are you even doing out here in the streets? You gotta put a bookmark on that. It just keeps you 25 00:02:36,289 --> 00:02:41,689 from having to go to one of those other sites if you don't want to. Now, the cool part about it is 26 00:02:41,729 --> 00:02:48,489 we are available on every podcast platform that you can think of. We're on Spotify, we're on Apple, 27 00:02:48,490 --> 00:02:53,209 we're on iHeart. If I'm not mistaken. I think we might even be on one of the smaller ones, like 28 00:02:53,210 --> 00:02:59,080 Stitcher. We try to put this podcast in every place that you guys can find it, so that the ease 29 00:02:59,080 --> 00:03:04,600 of getting it to you while you're out there on the road, uh, is, is as big as possible. We want to 30 00:03:04,600 --> 00:03:09,919 make it easy for you. Uh, the website does have a couple other features that you should check out, 31 00:03:09,920 --> 00:03:15,800 which is, of course, full descriptions of all the episodes. Uh, all the episodes, obviously, and lists 32 00:03:15,800 --> 00:03:21,480 of who joined us in those episodes. So if you're a fan of one of your fellow drivers when he joins 33 00:03:21,480 --> 00:03:27,480 this podcast, um, great. You can get on the website and see which episodes that person's been on and 34 00:03:27,480 --> 00:03:32,920 listen to them all. I mean, just keep listening to him. We love it. We love to hear you guys repeating 35 00:03:32,920 --> 00:03:38,480 episodes, uh, going back and checking out some of the older ones. That episode catalog will be there 36 00:03:38,480 --> 00:03:45,360 for as long as the podcast is alive. So make sure to go on over to podcast.cypresstruck.com 37 00:03:45,360 --> 00:03:52,199 and check it out there. Or you can check us out on Spotify, Apple, Google, iHeart, you name it. All you 38 00:03:52,199 --> 00:03:57,819 got to do is punch in the name the Cypress Truck Lines podcast. We will show up and I know that for 39 00:03:57,820 --> 00:04:03,859 a fact. I'm going to say this because I know he's listening to this right now, but I helped my dad 40 00:04:04,179 --> 00:04:10,739 find this podcast on an iPhone eight, and it was not on the website, it was actually through Apple. 41 00:04:10,739 --> 00:04:16,699 So if he can do it on iPhone eight, unless you're out there with a crank start Nokia phone from 42 00:04:16,700 --> 00:04:23,659 1997, I think you're probably pretty, uh, this this podcast is pretty available to you. Okay, 43 00:04:23,660 --> 00:04:28,939 so go out there and find it however you prefer to find it. And if you want to get in touch with me, 44 00:04:28,940 --> 00:04:35,219 that is the one time you're going to have to go over to podcast.cypresstruck.com. Click the link over there. You 45 00:04:35,219 --> 00:04:41,059 can send an email directly to me if you want to hear about anything on this podcast, or if you 46 00:04:41,059 --> 00:04:45,700 would like to make an appearance on this podcast, everybody is welcome. Uh, there's something like 47 00:04:45,700 --> 00:04:51,179 500 of you drivers out there, and we've only talked to a very thin portion of you. So we're 48 00:04:51,179 --> 00:04:56,328 always welcoming new drivers to come on here and talk about all the various things that they want 49 00:04:56,369 --> 00:05:02,809 to talk about on the Cypress Truck Lines podcast. Once again, podcast.cypresstruck.com 50 00:05:02,810 --> 00:05:09,289 is that website, so go check it out. Today's episode is a very important one. By all 51 00:05:09,290 --> 00:05:14,929 means, the number one aspect of trucking, regardless of whether you're yanking a tank, 52 00:05:14,929 --> 00:05:19,689 whether you're flatbed, and whether you're out there in a pneumatic trailer, a side dump, maybe 53 00:05:19,690 --> 00:05:26,410 you're driving a box truck delivering furniture. It doesn't matter. The number one aspect is safety. 54 00:05:26,410 --> 00:05:33,329 And as the seasons change, safety hazards change as well. And that is why we're here today. We've 55 00:05:33,329 --> 00:05:38,729 got Memorial Day weekend in the vicinity of this episode, and we know that that's kind of the 56 00:05:38,730 --> 00:05:44,209 unofficial start, right? Everybody's getting through graduations. They're planning a big three 57 00:05:44,250 --> 00:05:50,449 day weekend. They're out hitting the beach. They're out hitting their motorcycle. Uh, teenagers are 58 00:05:50,450 --> 00:05:56,189 flying all over the road. Hey, one bright spot. We don't have school busses to deal with anymore, but 59 00:05:56,190 --> 00:06:01,429 just remember that each one of those school busses that is now parked used to haul 50 or 60 60 00:06:01,429 --> 00:06:07,350 kids around two ways every single day, and now those kids have been released upon the general 61 00:06:07,350 --> 00:06:13,870 population, and they will be in places that you will never expect them to be. This is all what our 62 00:06:13,870 --> 00:06:20,350 conversation encompasses today, and we're bringing in three people to talk about it from very unique 63 00:06:20,350 --> 00:06:26,750 perspectives. I have the director of safety for Cypress Truck Lines, Sharee DeHart, joining us again 64 00:06:26,750 --> 00:06:32,109 today. She's so awesome on this podcast. And I will tell you right now, if you pay special attention, 65 00:06:32,109 --> 00:06:37,350 you've listened to what she says today, you will not find a more dedicated person to the safety of 66 00:06:37,350 --> 00:06:42,749 this company. She's right where she needs to be and she's out there talking about coaching all 67 00:06:42,750 --> 00:06:47,109 the time. It's one thing you're going to hear Sharee say a couple of different times, maybe even 68 00:06:47,109 --> 00:06:52,458 more than that today during the conversation that's right around the corner. She uses the term 69 00:06:52,459 --> 00:06:59,459 coaching, and I think that's a very unique aspect of Cypress. There's a lot of coaching that goes on, 70 00:06:59,459 --> 00:07:05,219 a lot of, hey, how can we get better? How can we do this better so that the next time somebody faces 71 00:07:05,219 --> 00:07:11,459 this, it's it's handled in a better, more safe way that allows us to fulfill our obligation to the 72 00:07:11,459 --> 00:07:17,619 motoring public and get home safely. Um, I've, I've talked to enough trucking fleets to know that 73 00:07:17,620 --> 00:07:22,939 sometimes coaching falls by the wayside, and reprimand is the way that these things are 74 00:07:22,940 --> 00:07:27,739 handled. Um, I don't get that at all from Sharee when I talk to her. We're also going to be joined 75 00:07:27,740 --> 00:07:33,779 today by two people making their first appearance on the show. Uh, we've got a terminal manager from 76 00:07:33,780 --> 00:07:40,219 Leland is Ison Cates, and we've also got Katy, who is a dispatcher and driver manager, and I'm 77 00:07:40,220 --> 00:07:46,459 going to save Katy's last name for now. Only because, uh, I don't want to spoil what's going to 78 00:07:46,499 --> 00:07:51,520 happen in the break that we're about to play for you guys. I've already recorded this conversation. 79 00:07:51,520 --> 00:07:56,279 I know where it's going. Little peek behind the curtain. Sometimes we record these segments out of 80 00:07:56,280 --> 00:08:02,239 order. Uh, so just. I'll bite my tongue. And I won't say anything more about Katy for right now, 81 00:08:02,240 --> 00:08:08,199 because, uh, you'll get that coming up in the interview. Uh, a very good dose of it. Okay. 82 00:08:08,239 --> 00:08:13,560 Sometimes I'm a professional. Other times I have trouble. Um, this was one of those days. The 83 00:08:13,560 --> 00:08:19,160 conversation is great, but I didn't fulfill my obligation as a host and learn somebody's last 84 00:08:19,160 --> 00:08:23,639 name before they came on the air. So we have a little bit of fun with it at my expense. I got 85 00:08:23,680 --> 00:08:29,719 broad shoulders. I promise you, I can take it. Uh, so, without further ado, it's time for us to get these 86 00:08:29,720 --> 00:08:35,759 three in here. Because, uh, such a wealth of experience. Of course, Ison has experience behind 87 00:08:35,760 --> 00:08:42,279 the wheel, uh, in dispatch, in, uh, load planning. And now he's the terminal manager, and Katy is out 88 00:08:42,280 --> 00:08:47,759 there talking to drivers every single day as a driver, manager and a dispatcher. So lots of good 89 00:08:47,760 --> 00:08:53,468 info coming your way right now. Here on the Cypress Truck Lines podcast. Let's get to it. 90 00:09:01,549 --> 00:09:07,030 Welcome back into the Cypress Truck Lines podcast. I'm always excited about what we've got coming up 91 00:09:07,030 --> 00:09:12,589 next, but I'm very excited for this one because we get to welcome two new guests to the Cypress 92 00:09:12,590 --> 00:09:17,430 Truck Lines podcast along one of our favorite guests, which is going to be the person I'm 93 00:09:17,430 --> 00:09:22,949 bringing in here first. Now, I always will say, the Director of Safety is one of my favorite guests 94 00:09:22,949 --> 00:09:28,189 to bring on the show, because safety is such an important thing in the job that we're doing here. 95 00:09:28,190 --> 00:09:33,149 So please welcome back to the program. Sharee DeHart, Director of Safety. Thank you so much for 96 00:09:33,150 --> 00:09:37,509 being here. Sharee. Even on your day off, you're willing to come on and talk safety here on the 97 00:09:37,509 --> 00:09:44,109 podcast. No problem. Mark, it's nice to be back. Well, we're glad to have you. And we're going to welcome 98 00:09:44,109 --> 00:09:48,329 on a couple of others that are going to join us for a pretty important conversation, especially 99 00:09:48,330 --> 00:09:55,090 when we talk seasonally here on the Cypress Trunk Lines podcast. Uh, first, joining us as a 100 00:09:55,090 --> 00:10:01,929 dispatcher and driver manager, we've got Katy Mongkhonvilay. Oh, I butchered it, didn't I. 101 00:10:01,969 --> 00:10:08,769 Did I butcher that? Katy. Just a little bit. Just a little bit. I even wrote. It down to it. Okay, 102 00:10:08,769 --> 00:10:13,409 well, let me let me have you say it one more time. I wrote it down phonetically and still killed it. 103 00:10:13,409 --> 00:10:19,689 So, please, uh, your last name so I don't butcher it again, and I apologize. It's Mongkhonvilay 104 00:10:19,689 --> 00:10:25,929 the age of silent. Gotcha. That's what threw me off right there. Mongkhonvilay 105 00:10:25,929 --> 00:10:32,048 Okay, I'm not gonna do that again. Thank you so much for being here. And real quick, Katy. 106 00:10:32,090 --> 00:10:37,929 Which terminal are you out of? I'm out of Smyrna, Georgia. Smyrna, Georgia. All right. Well, thank you 107 00:10:37,929 --> 00:10:43,530 so much for being here. Our third guest today on the program is Ison Cates. He is the terminal 108 00:10:43,530 --> 00:10:48,439 manager out at Leland Ison. We appreciate the time. Thank you so much for being here. Thank you 109 00:10:48,440 --> 00:10:54,159 for having me. Now, I like to start out by getting to know the people that haven't been here before 110 00:10:54,159 --> 00:10:58,119 with us. So Ison. I'll stick here with you. How long have you been the terminal manager out there 111 00:10:58,119 --> 00:11:04,479 at Leland? Um, I've been terminal manager 3 or 4 112 00:11:04,480 --> 00:11:09,520 years. I can give you an exact date if you need that. But, no, you don't have to pull out the exact 113 00:11:09,520 --> 00:11:14,640 date. 3 or 4 years works. And it. Was this your first, uh, your first gig at Cypress, or did you 114 00:11:14,680 --> 00:11:21,479 kind of come up through the ranks? No, I started driving in 2007 115 00:11:21,719 --> 00:11:28,679 here, and then in 2011, I came into being 116 00:11:28,679 --> 00:11:35,279 the dispatcher and then a load planner, and now I'm terminal manager. Wow. So a very 117 00:11:35,280 --> 00:11:41,159 unique view of every little bit of what's going on out there at Leland is what I'm seeing. Yes, sir. 118 00:11:41,760 --> 00:11:46,459 Well, I, I think that you're going to provide some great insight today on the safety aspect, 119 00:11:46,460 --> 00:11:51,299 especially having seen some time behind the wheel. Uh, really looking forward to digging into that 120 00:11:51,299 --> 00:11:56,819 here with you. Katy, how about for you? How long have you been, uh, dispatch and driver manager out 121 00:11:56,820 --> 00:12:03,380 there at Smyrna? Um, two years in now. Two years. Okay. All right, so we got some good experience 122 00:12:03,380 --> 00:12:08,099 here. I like this. Uh, what I was hoping is that you guys had seen a couple of the changes of the 123 00:12:08,099 --> 00:12:13,059 seasons in your current, uh, positions, and you definitely have. And that's what we're here to 124 00:12:13,059 --> 00:12:18,620 talk about today. Uh, summer is on the cusp. And, of course, if you're down there in Florida, Georgia, 125 00:12:18,659 --> 00:12:23,579 any of those places, uh, it's just always kind of summer for you down there compared to where I'm 126 00:12:23,580 --> 00:12:29,299 at here in the Pacific Northwest. But what we see a lot this time of year, kids are out of school, 127 00:12:29,340 --> 00:12:36,219 teen drivers are out on the road. More families start vacation, travel with RVs. Motorcycle traffic 128 00:12:36,219 --> 00:12:42,699 becomes very common, construction season ramps up, pedestrian activity skyrockets, and traffic 129 00:12:42,729 --> 00:12:48,089 patterns can change dramatically. That's what we're here to talk about today. It's the change of 130 00:12:48,090 --> 00:12:53,329 the seasons Memorial Day weekend coming around. So I want to just kind of ask you guys some 131 00:12:53,330 --> 00:12:59,929 questions and roundtable them a little bit. Um, my first question, I think, uh, Sharee, starting with 132 00:12:59,930 --> 00:13:06,689 you, can you as the director of Safety, kind of feel when the season starts to change based on 133 00:13:06,689 --> 00:13:13,289 the things that you're dealing with day to day? Oh, absolutely. Uh, for us in 134 00:13:13,289 --> 00:13:20,169 Florida, it starts pretty much right around Christmas vacation, believe it or not, is when it 135 00:13:20,169 --> 00:13:26,889 starts with all the children coming with their parents to go to Disney World, SeaWorld and so 136 00:13:26,890 --> 00:13:33,330 forth and so on. Universal Studios, so our traffic increases exponentially. Our drivers are 137 00:13:34,010 --> 00:13:40,569 very safe drivers and they try to drive very safely. Unfortunately, when you've got a car full 138 00:13:40,570 --> 00:13:45,669 of children and their distracting you, or you're on your phone or you're looking at your map. You 139 00:13:45,669 --> 00:13:50,189 don't always pay attention to those big trucks that are on the road in front of you, and you cut 140 00:13:50,189 --> 00:13:56,309 them off. You take risky maneuvers, changing lanes to lane, creating 141 00:13:56,349 --> 00:14:03,069 accidents. We see the road care workers who initially aren't out during the 142 00:14:03,070 --> 00:14:08,909 winter because grass doesn't need to be cut, and now we've got just minions on the side of the 143 00:14:08,909 --> 00:14:14,789 road with their lawn mowers, and they don't always see what's going on. They have the headsets over 144 00:14:14,789 --> 00:14:19,669 their ears and, you know, the grass is blowing up and they don't pay attention when they do that. 145 00:14:19,670 --> 00:14:25,549 Swivel around that. There's a truck right there. And it could you know, our guys have to watch out 146 00:14:25,550 --> 00:14:30,749 for them. They should be watching out for us as well. But they don't always. So that's why our guys 147 00:14:30,750 --> 00:14:37,710 have to do that for sure. So we see a lot of that. Yeah yeah. Now Ison in from the 148 00:14:37,710 --> 00:14:42,658 former driver perspective. Now terminal manager perspective. Can you speak on that at all? What it 149 00:14:42,659 --> 00:14:47,819 was like when you start to see the seasons change and, uh, all of these, uh, minions on the side of the 150 00:14:47,819 --> 00:14:54,418 road, as Sharee put it. Well, yeah, it's definitely a lot more traffic to deal with, um, 151 00:14:55,260 --> 00:15:02,019 than you would normally have. You know, in, you know, seasons where 152 00:15:02,099 --> 00:15:06,859 people are in school or like, bus traffic. I mean, that's the plus of the summer is you don't have 153 00:15:06,860 --> 00:15:12,259 school busses to deal with. Right. So that is a bonus on that end. But then you just have more 154 00:15:12,259 --> 00:15:19,099 cars. Um, and they're not exactly. Well, usually if they're on vacation or traveling to 155 00:15:19,140 --> 00:15:25,979 vacation, they don't they're not familiar with their area. So they're just guaranteed. If you see 156 00:15:25,979 --> 00:15:30,379 the plates out of state, that's pretty much a good sign that they're going to do something erratic 157 00:15:30,379 --> 00:15:37,099 or potentially erratic around you. Um, and just to put your guard up when that happens, when you see 158 00:15:37,099 --> 00:15:43,159 that for sure. You know, another thing that comes up this time of year is that RV traffic. And I 159 00:15:43,160 --> 00:15:48,920 wonder, as a former driver yourself, uh, do you get nervous around those big RVs that you kind of 160 00:15:48,960 --> 00:15:53,998 look at and know that those people only probably drive them a couple of times a year? And what on 161 00:15:53,999 --> 00:16:00,599 earth are they going to do next? Yeah. I mean, as a fellow RV owner, um, I'm not really worried about 162 00:16:00,599 --> 00:16:07,360 myself. Um, but and, you know, yeah, you you could see a lot of people pulling trailers, 163 00:16:07,360 --> 00:16:14,120 campers even, you know, like construction workers. Uh, would that have trailers on theirs and 164 00:16:14,120 --> 00:16:20,959 driving faster than the trailers designed to do, and you start to fish tailing and, um, that could 165 00:16:20,960 --> 00:16:27,239 be, you know, and fortunately, with, unfortunately, with our trucks, you know, with the 166 00:16:27,919 --> 00:16:33,279 the speeds that we're governed at, you really have no choice but to slow down, to get away from them. 167 00:16:33,280 --> 00:16:38,749 So hopefully they can hopefully they'll blow by in they're gone instead of you can't pass them or 168 00:16:38,750 --> 00:16:45,149 anything. Right, right. I totally understand that. You know, um, it we see a lot of that. That's 169 00:16:45,190 --> 00:16:49,870 actually probably as the seasons change out here in the Pacific Northwest. That's what I see the 170 00:16:49,870 --> 00:16:55,989 most of the biggest change because of the fact that we don't have the nice weather year round 171 00:16:56,030 --> 00:17:01,029 out here, and nobody wants to go camping for nine months out of the year for the most part. Uh, so 172 00:17:01,029 --> 00:17:05,709 there's a big influx, but I imagine in the areas where the weather's a little bit nicer, you're not 173 00:17:05,709 --> 00:17:10,869 seeing quite as big of a change with the RVs, given that you can kind of get around and do some 174 00:17:10,870 --> 00:17:17,189 camping, you know, 6 to 8 months out of the year down in the southeast? Yeah, 100%. I mean, around 175 00:17:17,189 --> 00:17:22,229 here, people, people come from the the North or I don't know about the West, but definitely the 176 00:17:22,229 --> 00:17:29,030 North. They come all year to camp because we're not as, uh, 177 00:17:29,030 --> 00:17:34,469 tropical as they are down in Florida. But it we're definitely more temperate climate down here than 178 00:17:34,469 --> 00:17:39,809 they are up there. So, sure, you get a lot of what they call them snowbirds or whatever. The escaping 179 00:17:39,810 --> 00:17:46,089 the snow up north to get to get to warmer temperatures. Yes, I totally understand that. Katy, 180 00:17:46,130 --> 00:17:52,009 I'll go to you here. Uh, being, uh, on dispatch and a driver manager, you're constantly in touch with 181 00:17:52,010 --> 00:17:58,050 the drivers. Um, what kind of things do you start to see as the seasons start to change? What are 182 00:17:58,050 --> 00:18:03,569 drivers telling you that they're seeing out there? And what can you kind of remind them to look out 183 00:18:03,569 --> 00:18:10,448 for, uh, this time of year? Lately, it's been the construction all around Atlanta. And I think we 184 00:18:10,449 --> 00:18:17,249 just went through last weekend, which was was going to be the biggest issues of the 185 00:18:17,249 --> 00:18:23,249 detours on 285. So now we're all just counting down for the summer 186 00:18:23,449 --> 00:18:30,329 traffic because it's less traffic on the roads, even for me to come my commute for work. It goes 187 00:18:30,329 --> 00:18:37,159 from an hour to maybe 40 minutes. Wow. That we've been counting down. Absolutely. I've 188 00:18:37,199 --> 00:18:42,479 told you before. I live less than 20 miles from the office, and it's an hour each way, every day. 189 00:18:42,719 --> 00:18:48,719 Goodness. Uh, and what kind of lessons do you learn, uh, while while beating on your steering wheel 190 00:18:48,719 --> 00:18:55,560 during that hour long, uh, one way trip, uh, that you can pass on to the drivers? It doesn't. Help. 191 00:18:55,719 --> 00:19:02,639 It does not help you. You just gotta go with the flow of the traffic. Absolutely. Listen 192 00:19:02,640 --> 00:19:08,119 to some meditation music. That's what calms me down. Yeah. For sure. Now, uh, one thing that we kind 193 00:19:08,119 --> 00:19:12,280 of touched on, on just a little bit here that I always want to make a little bit of room for, 194 00:19:12,280 --> 00:19:16,919 because I know it resonates with truck drivers. I know a lot of truck drivers in their off time 195 00:19:16,920 --> 00:19:21,838 that they get out of the rig and they go and get on a really nice Harley-Davidson or a Honda 196 00:19:21,839 --> 00:19:27,959 touring bike, and they like to put some miles behind them on a motorcycle during their off time. 197 00:19:27,959 --> 00:19:34,098 So I want to bring up the fact that we see a large increase in motorcycle traffic this time of 198 00:19:34,099 --> 00:19:40,379 year and man. Ison. And I'll come to you for this one just because of your experience behind the 199 00:19:40,379 --> 00:19:47,160 wheel. How small does a motorcycle look when you are driving a flatbed loaded with 70 80,000 200 00:19:47,160 --> 00:19:54,059 pounds down the highway? Oh, yeah. Not not big at all. I mean, and especially, you know, usually 201 00:19:54,060 --> 00:19:59,660 more of the sport by guys who are, you know, maybe driving a little bit over the speed limit. Uh, they 202 00:19:59,660 --> 00:20:05,459 can they can come up on you and pass you before you even realize they were they were there. Yeah. 203 00:20:05,500 --> 00:20:12,260 Um, so yeah, it's definitely have to constantly be, you know, scanning your mirrors and 204 00:20:13,060 --> 00:20:17,099 try not to make any sudden movements because. Yeah. Or, you know, lane changes or anything just for 205 00:20:17,140 --> 00:20:23,819 that fact of, um, they're out enjoying themselves. And, uh, 206 00:20:24,139 --> 00:20:29,139 no matter what, if you're on a bike and anything happens with a truck, it's not bad, you're not 207 00:20:29,139 --> 00:20:35,169 going to die. But that's a high, high probability of something like that happening for sure. And do 208 00:20:35,169 --> 00:20:40,249 they allow lane splitting down there where you're at where the the motorcycles can come between the 209 00:20:40,249 --> 00:20:45,010 rigs? No they don't. But that doesn't mean people don't do it. But right now it's not legal. No, I 210 00:20:45,010 --> 00:20:50,849 don't think anywhere other than maybe the West Coast. Yeah, that's that's what I was gonna say. I 211 00:20:50,849 --> 00:20:55,769 see enough of them do it. And enough cops look the other way that it might not be legal in Oregon, 212 00:20:55,770 --> 00:21:00,089 but they're doing it in Oregon. And it's kind of where how it is everywhere, right? Ison. And they're 213 00:21:00,089 --> 00:21:06,970 doing it whether or not it's legal. Exactly. Now, uh, Sharee, I wonder, do you have any type of 214 00:21:06,970 --> 00:21:10,929 any special safety campaigns that you put together for this time of year that maybe 215 00:21:10,930 --> 00:21:16,249 surround, uh, motorcycles or any of the rest of the stuff that we're talking about? Or are you kind of 216 00:21:16,290 --> 00:21:21,929 just always sort of feeding this to the drivers and trying to remind them, as the year goes on, uh, 217 00:21:21,930 --> 00:21:27,129 that these things can be potential hazards and maybe even more so, potential hazards this time of 218 00:21:27,130 --> 00:21:33,909 year. Well, we do start a campaign early. And when? When it starts right 219 00:21:33,910 --> 00:21:39,269 after Christmas break, we start sending out messages, sweet messages to all our drivers, 220 00:21:39,270 --> 00:21:45,229 letting them know to watch out for increased traffic, increased holiday visitors, tourists, 221 00:21:45,230 --> 00:21:51,789 motorcycles, people walking along the sides of two lane roads trying to get to wherever they're 222 00:21:51,790 --> 00:21:58,509 getting to. There are a lot of beach goers. Some of our guys have to run down Daytona Beach way, so 223 00:21:58,509 --> 00:22:04,469 there are a lot of tourists who really don't pay attention to crosswalks. They just jaywalk. So you 224 00:22:04,469 --> 00:22:11,389 know that that is things that we present to our drivers as they're dangerous. It's it's a 225 00:22:11,390 --> 00:22:16,869 situation. You have to give yourself some speed, space, following distance, making sure that you've 226 00:22:16,869 --> 00:22:22,429 got plenty of following distance between you and the vehicle ahead of you, scanning your mirrors at 227 00:22:22,430 --> 00:22:29,189 all times, watching the sides of the roads. It's really a very frustrating thing for drivers 228 00:22:29,259 --> 00:22:34,579 in big rigs because not only are they watching their mirrors all the way around their truck and 229 00:22:34,579 --> 00:22:40,499 trailer, they're focusing ahead. They're checking for lights. They're scanning for tourists. They're 230 00:22:40,500 --> 00:22:46,979 watching the vehicle in front of them. So they're on point for 14 hours a day. And that's 231 00:22:46,979 --> 00:22:52,859 exhausting for a lot of guys. By the time their break comes, they're ready for it. Oh yeah. You know. 232 00:22:54,140 --> 00:23:00,299 Yeah. So so yeah, that's what we do. We talk to them a lot. We coach them, uh, we watch their videos. 233 00:23:00,300 --> 00:23:06,139 Smart drive video. Um, if we see something that's concerning, we'll call the driver, have him come in 234 00:23:06,140 --> 00:23:10,939 and watch the video with us, or have him pull the video up and take a look at it just so we can use 235 00:23:10,939 --> 00:23:17,499 it as a coaching point, you know, at this time of year. So that helps. Motorcycles. They're just, uh, 236 00:23:17,620 --> 00:23:23,979 they're a little bit dicey down here in Florida. We have Bike Week several times during the the 237 00:23:23,979 --> 00:23:30,160 spring and summer season. Do we have Daytona Bike Week. That happens and that's always a big push. 238 00:23:30,520 --> 00:23:37,399 Guys get stupid on bikes. They think they can. Handstand on them. Can't walk them down the center 239 00:23:37,400 --> 00:23:43,959 lanes. You see all kinds of crazy during bike week, so we send out even more messages during bike 240 00:23:43,959 --> 00:23:50,840 weeks. Oh I'm. Sure graduation. Yeah. Grad week. It's the same thing grad week here. And almost 241 00:23:50,840 --> 00:23:57,279 every grad heads down for Disney World or Universal during grad weeks. And there are a lot 242 00:23:57,280 --> 00:24:04,039 of teenagers on the road, so, you know, they're not as experienced drivers as maybe their parents are 243 00:24:04,040 --> 00:24:09,759 or their friends are. So we ask our drivers to be mindful of the fact that these kids are already 244 00:24:09,760 --> 00:24:16,358 on their phones. Driving a car, not paying attention to kind of be aware of what's going on 245 00:24:16,359 --> 00:24:22,719 out there and potentially avoid any disastrous situations. Yeah, for sure. And listen, if you're 246 00:24:22,720 --> 00:24:27,109 looking at this from the teenager's perspective, they're all invincible at this time in their life, 247 00:24:27,109 --> 00:24:33,988 right? Nothing bad can happen to them. Exactly, exactly. Yeah. So gotta pay some special attention. 248 00:24:33,989 --> 00:24:39,589 And I'm really glad you brought that up, Sharee, because, um, there's something here that I kind of 249 00:24:39,630 --> 00:24:45,589 want to talk to you guys about. The period between Memorial Day and Labor Day, uh, is often referred 250 00:24:45,590 --> 00:24:51,669 to as the 100 Deadliest Days. Uh, this is associated with a major spike in crashes 251 00:24:51,670 --> 00:24:58,309 involving teen drivers. Triple A data shows a large percentage of fatal crashes involving teen 252 00:24:58,310 --> 00:25:04,349 drivers occur during this period. Uh, so, Ison and I want to go back to you here. Given your driving 253 00:25:04,350 --> 00:25:11,188 experience, how much more unpredictable would you say teen drivers are around big rigs than just 254 00:25:11,189 --> 00:25:18,109 your standard, typical 40 year old heading to work? Well, I mean, definitely. Um, so, you know, they're 255 00:25:18,110 --> 00:25:24,910 they're already new to driving. And now most people, most of the motoring public 256 00:25:24,930 --> 00:25:31,848 is fairly intimidated by the size of a truck. So, you know, instead of quickly passing the truck and 257 00:25:31,849 --> 00:25:38,729 getting out of the blind spot and or just hanging out beside them, they. I don't know if they panic 258 00:25:38,729 --> 00:25:44,009 or whatever, but then they just camp out next to you, whereas it's even more dangerous. Um, instead 259 00:25:44,010 --> 00:25:50,489 of just accelerating a little bit more to get out of the the danger zone. Um, and then you look at 260 00:25:50,490 --> 00:25:57,369 the fact of, I think it was Gen Z is the least driving generation yet or something like 261 00:25:57,369 --> 00:26:03,810 that to where and most of them attribute it to anxiety of driving. So the ones that are on the 262 00:26:03,810 --> 00:26:10,609 road, you know, you I'm sure they have some anxiety too. And then, yeah, 263 00:26:10,609 --> 00:26:16,449 it's just it could be a recipe for disaster for sure. Yeah. Not understanding that, uh, blind spot, 264 00:26:16,489 --> 00:26:22,088 like having zero blind spot awareness is something that I remember being such a sticking 265 00:26:22,089 --> 00:26:27,479 point. You know, my my father worked at a sawmill for a long time, so he was constantly giving me 266 00:26:27,479 --> 00:26:33,839 tips on how to drive around log trucks and things like that, especially on back roads. And, you know, 267 00:26:33,879 --> 00:26:40,039 give them space, stay out of the blind spots. But if you've got a generation of kids that A isn't 268 00:26:40,040 --> 00:26:46,160 driving nearly as much as their predecessors, and B just has so little experience, they're not going 269 00:26:46,160 --> 00:26:51,599 to just natively have that blind spot awareness. They're going to be a little bit more panicky on 270 00:26:51,599 --> 00:26:57,719 the brakes, I would assume, which is a huge deal for a big loaded truck. Um, you know, merge speed is 271 00:26:57,720 --> 00:27:03,479 another thing I think of. That's what it just from my four Wheeler experience out there on the road, 272 00:27:03,480 --> 00:27:08,519 when I have trouble with somebody that doesn't clearly understand how to merge, it's almost 273 00:27:08,520 --> 00:27:14,439 always a young driver. And I don't mean to take anything away. Look, there's some great 16 year 274 00:27:14,480 --> 00:27:19,239 olds out there racing late models on the NASCAR circuit, but they aren't the ones that are on the 275 00:27:19,239 --> 00:27:25,420 highway with our drivers. Uh, so, um, can you talk a little bit about, you know, the dangers that might 276 00:27:25,420 --> 00:27:32,339 come Ison and from not understanding merge speed or that panic braking. And really, are you as a 277 00:27:32,339 --> 00:27:37,939 driver looking at at younger drivers, if you see somebody there on the road, are you trying to just 278 00:27:37,939 --> 00:27:43,660 give them room? Back off, speed up. What's the what is kind of the standard operating procedure if 279 00:27:43,699 --> 00:27:50,219 you, as a driver, see a clearly inexperienced teen out there on the road and you're trying to, I 280 00:27:50,219 --> 00:27:55,419 guess, make sure that an accident doesn't happen? Well, yeah, I mean, and that that would come with, 281 00:27:55,459 --> 00:28:01,379 you know, always scanning what's in front of you, especially when you're coming up to, to 282 00:28:01,420 --> 00:28:07,099 interchanges where you know, there's going to be or the potential of someone getting on the 283 00:28:07,100 --> 00:28:13,020 highway. And yeah, a lot of people don't understand there's no speed limit sign on an on ramp 99% of 284 00:28:13,020 --> 00:28:18,379 the time, because you're supposed to get up to speed before you get on the highway. So, yeah, I 285 00:28:18,379 --> 00:28:23,809 mean, you you got to use all, you know, all your senses. When you're doing that, either you need to, 286 00:28:24,449 --> 00:28:30,569 you know, probably default. You need to slow down so you let them on. Or if it's possible, you can 287 00:28:30,610 --> 00:28:36,169 safely get in the next lane, you know, get in the next lane. But then you gotta then the the other 288 00:28:36,170 --> 00:28:42,369 problem comes when they get on next to you, and then they match your speed less your speed. And 289 00:28:42,409 --> 00:28:47,810 now you're sitting, blocking up and everyone behind you is mad at you, even though you know you 290 00:28:47,810 --> 00:28:53,809 were just doing the courteous thing and letting someone on the highway, right? So then that adds 291 00:28:53,809 --> 00:29:00,329 more stress to it, because everyone's quite happy that you're going 63, 65 whatever miles an 292 00:29:00,329 --> 00:29:06,569 hour down the highway and they're just camping out next to you. Yep, I hear you. I hear you, I see 293 00:29:06,570 --> 00:29:12,888 it happen out when I'm on. It just took a seven hour road trip over the last weekend, and I doing 294 00:29:12,889 --> 00:29:19,169 the job that I do now. I hope that all the drivers listening to this know I am out there, and I am 295 00:29:19,169 --> 00:29:23,750 really upset for you. I know that doesn't do anything for you, but I see the way that other 296 00:29:23,750 --> 00:29:30,509 people drive around big loaded semi trucks and I always just, I, I feel what the drivers must 297 00:29:30,509 --> 00:29:36,109 feel. I actually feel like I feel probably a small percentage of what the drivers must feel because 298 00:29:36,109 --> 00:29:42,829 I'm not behind the wheel of a semi truck, but, uh, it's it's wild out there this time of year. Um, 299 00:29:42,829 --> 00:29:48,109 Katy, my next question kind of comes to you because you're talking to drivers so much as a 300 00:29:48,110 --> 00:29:53,550 dispatcher and driver manager. Um, what have your drivers been talking to you about as far as 301 00:29:53,550 --> 00:30:00,349 distracted driving lately? Because it's a big, big deal. Uh, with most drivers that I talked to, I 302 00:30:00,349 --> 00:30:06,429 would say I would put it in the top two of the issues that drivers talk to me about. Uh, how about 303 00:30:06,430 --> 00:30:12,628 from your perspective? From my perspective, most of my guys are aware of their surroundings. I deal 304 00:30:12,629 --> 00:30:18,660 with a lot of the veteran drivers, and that's not one thing they'll complain to me about. I'm. I'll 305 00:30:18,739 --> 00:30:25,099 try to calm them down and distract them myself and just focus on what needs to be done. Just for 306 00:30:25,099 --> 00:30:32,099 the most part. Mind your own business and focus what is ahead of you. And do they tell you that 307 00:30:32,100 --> 00:30:38,060 there's that they see a lot of, you know, let's say drivers on cell phones or drivers rubbernecking 308 00:30:38,060 --> 00:30:43,339 and things like that. Is that something that is not not our drivers getting distracted, but the 309 00:30:43,339 --> 00:30:49,019 drivers that are out there on the road around them? Yeah. Is that an issue? Absolutely. They see a 310 00:30:49,020 --> 00:30:55,379 lot of the passenger cars are always texting and driving. And that's that's a big no no for them. Oh 311 00:30:55,380 --> 00:31:00,539 yeah. No I totally understand. And the drivers are good about it. I've, you know, trying to organize 312 00:31:00,540 --> 00:31:05,620 interviews with drivers on this podcast. That's something that we're kind of up against is when 313 00:31:05,620 --> 00:31:11,539 can you do it but do it safely? When can you handle the interview and not have it? Take your 314 00:31:11,540 --> 00:31:16,939 focus away from the job that you're doing, and I'm always trying to make sure that the drivers feel 315 00:31:17,040 --> 00:31:23,279 comfortable when they come on the show here. But that's a very, very small portion of their job. Um, 316 00:31:23,360 --> 00:31:28,559 Sharee, I'm wondering from your perspective, you see a lot of, uh, of what happens all the way 317 00:31:28,560 --> 00:31:34,399 across the country or, excuse me, the company. Um, let's talk distracted driving. How big of a 318 00:31:34,400 --> 00:31:40,319 problem is it out there on our roads? Uh, I know Cypress does a great job with the drivers, um, you 319 00:31:40,319 --> 00:31:44,919 know, staying off their phones and such, but we can't. We can't manage everybody else out there, 320 00:31:44,919 --> 00:31:51,919 right? Correct. We can't manage everyone else. So we do coach our drivers to watch out 321 00:31:51,920 --> 00:31:57,719 for the distracted drivers. Unfortunately, it's not always possible. And distractions can come in a 322 00:31:57,719 --> 00:32:02,999 lot of different forms, not just cell phones. They can be distracted by their children in the 323 00:32:02,999 --> 00:32:09,759 backseat. Uh, they had a guy a few years back who was riding a motorcycle during 324 00:32:09,759 --> 00:32:16,709 spring break period, and he broke down on the side of the road. He was in all black, and it 325 00:32:16,710 --> 00:32:23,269 was pre dawn and he decides to push his motorcycle across the interstate in front of the 326 00:32:23,269 --> 00:32:29,910 trucks coming down a hill. There is no lighting, no one could see him. So you know the unfortunate 327 00:32:29,910 --> 00:32:36,669 experience as he's pushing his motorcycle across a busy interstate. He was hit. Um, unfortunately, he 328 00:32:36,670 --> 00:32:43,309 did not survive. That's another distraction. He was distracted by the fact that his bike was, you know, 329 00:32:43,350 --> 00:32:48,030 obviously broken down. And he wanted to get it to the other side of the road where he could leave 330 00:32:48,030 --> 00:32:54,669 it. And he wasn't paying attention to the traffic that was on the interstate. So one point of 331 00:32:54,670 --> 00:33:01,629 distraction. Another, of course, is cell phones. That's probably 90% of what we see today are 332 00:33:01,630 --> 00:33:07,029 cell phones. Yeah. And people are distracted by their cell phones and they're not paying 333 00:33:07,030 --> 00:33:13,149 attention to the trucks. Yeah. Or anybody else. Right. Anybody else on the road? And this is I 334 00:33:13,150 --> 00:33:17,930 think, one of the reasons that we have these conversations, and especially this one as the 335 00:33:17,930 --> 00:33:24,609 change of the seasons is is upon us, is that, um, there really is no end to the 336 00:33:24,610 --> 00:33:29,889 distractions that people can have. And the drivers know this, right? I know we're preaching to the 337 00:33:29,889 --> 00:33:35,729 choir here, especially since all of you guys do such a good job in enforcing and reminding and 338 00:33:35,730 --> 00:33:42,209 coaching and all the rest of it. But, uh, it is just, uh, I guess a refresher that, hey, there's a lot 339 00:33:42,250 --> 00:33:47,728 going on. I mean, I was down there in Florida. I saw some of the beaches. Look, I can understand how it 340 00:33:47,729 --> 00:33:52,890 could be easy to get distracted on a five hour road trip as a four Wheeler. And you look over and 341 00:33:52,890 --> 00:33:58,209 think, man, I wish I was on that beach. And then you look up and you've gone 500 yards and you have 342 00:33:58,209 --> 00:34:03,369 not been watching the road. We know that stuff happens out there in and out every single day, 343 00:34:03,370 --> 00:34:10,089 right, Sharee? Absolutely. Every single day that happens. It's just like if you're driving and 344 00:34:10,090 --> 00:34:15,519 you're talking on your phone and you're distracted and you miss your exit. You don't 345 00:34:15,520 --> 00:34:21,799 realize it until you pass your exit. You were so into your phone conversation that you were 346 00:34:21,800 --> 00:34:26,439 totally distracted by what was going on on your phone. You're not paying attention to your exit, so 347 00:34:26,439 --> 00:34:30,639 now you're going to drive ten miles before you can loop around and do another exit and make a 348 00:34:30,639 --> 00:34:37,479 U-turn. You know, it happens every day. It's a very easy it is very easy to be distracted 349 00:34:37,479 --> 00:34:44,199 by things like conversations, cell phones, seeing people. You look up and all of a sudden, 350 00:34:44,200 --> 00:34:50,759 bam! Hey, I'm 500ft further down the road. In that car in front of me is stopping, or the girl in the 351 00:34:50,759 --> 00:34:57,079 bikini is running across the road in front of me and I can't stop. Those are the types of things 352 00:34:57,080 --> 00:35:03,279 that happen if you're not paying attention. Absolutely. And far be it for me to get distracted 353 00:35:03,280 --> 00:35:10,079 by a girl in a bikini. Sure, he never happened in my life. Yeah. I'm to Florida. Um, to Florida. We 354 00:35:10,080 --> 00:35:16,270 have. We have avenues of them walking down the sides of the road. Yeah, they're all wearing parkas 355 00:35:16,270 --> 00:35:23,269 and muck lucks out here in Oregon. So, you know. You know, I can't help you 356 00:35:23,269 --> 00:35:29,628 guys get snow all the time. We live in a tropical Paradise. Yeah, absolutely. And that's why it's so 357 00:35:29,629 --> 00:35:34,628 important. Because it's tropical Paradise. People are out there. People come there to get away from 358 00:35:34,629 --> 00:35:38,668 this type of weather. Meaning not only are you dealing with everybody that already lives there, 359 00:35:38,669 --> 00:35:44,070 but you always are dealing with an influx in population. Um, I kind of want to roundtable this 360 00:35:44,070 --> 00:35:51,069 one because I want all of your opinions on it. Uh, what is in your opinion? And, uh, isan I'll 361 00:35:51,070 --> 00:35:56,628 start with you here. What is, in your opinion, the biggest safety issue out there on the roads that 362 00:35:56,629 --> 00:36:02,388 you want your drivers to be paying attention to all the time? Um, and if you guys all have the same 363 00:36:02,389 --> 00:36:06,949 answer here, that's fine. We don't have to have them be different answers. But I'm just curious. 364 00:36:06,949 --> 00:36:12,729 And I want the drivers to hear you guys say what the biggest safety issue is facing Cypress 365 00:36:12,729 --> 00:36:18,729 Trucking right now from your perspective? Ison. And go ahead. Um, I mean, it's kind of generic, but I 366 00:36:18,729 --> 00:36:25,049 mean, it's kind of overarching, but the general motoring public, um, 367 00:36:26,370 --> 00:36:32,649 and and being aware of where you are. Um, I think 368 00:36:32,889 --> 00:36:39,449 sometimes drivers get over reliant on their GPS and they don't 369 00:36:39,489 --> 00:36:46,008 actually, you know, open a, an atlas to where, you know, 370 00:36:46,409 --> 00:36:53,409 they're just following the turn by turn directions and having situational awareness 371 00:36:53,409 --> 00:36:59,648 of where you are, what's ahead of you, what was behind you. You know, to know, like, oh, okay, I'm 372 00:36:59,649 --> 00:37:06,449 coming up to Charlotte or something. So again, obviously traffic is going to get a lot busier as 373 00:37:06,450 --> 00:37:13,439 I get towards Charlotte because of all the towns that any outline, any big city to where 374 00:37:13,960 --> 00:37:20,319 get that phone call done with my wife before I get there so I can give all my attention to what 375 00:37:20,320 --> 00:37:26,479 I gotta do, you know, to be safe. Mhm. Um, so that was kind of 376 00:37:27,479 --> 00:37:32,599 a generic thing to look out for. But yeah, I mean you gotta look out for everything. You got to be 377 00:37:32,600 --> 00:37:39,559 perfect almost every day to not have something happen. Right in an imperfect world. 378 00:37:39,560 --> 00:37:45,679 And that's a really tough that's a tough ask. But, uh, and ask all the same. Um, Katy, how about from 379 00:37:45,679 --> 00:37:50,879 your perspective, what do you think the number one safety issue is? Uh, facing Cypress out there on the 380 00:37:50,879 --> 00:37:57,799 road? I would say hands free. You know, drivers with, um, the distracted driving, make sure that 381 00:37:57,800 --> 00:38:04,599 they are on Bluetooth, that, um, I know Georgia is a hands free, and I, 382 00:38:04,600 --> 00:38:11,539 I just hope that all the states go that route one day and that'll help with, you know, our drivers on 383 00:38:11,539 --> 00:38:17,739 the road as well. Doing the same thing. Yeah, 100%. And you know it's it's amazing to me that. 384 00:38:18,379 --> 00:38:24,259 Even like with that with Ison and saying, you know, I know for a fact a lot of the younger generation, 385 00:38:24,260 --> 00:38:31,179 they do rely on their GPS solely turn by turn versus just really paying attention and looking 386 00:38:31,179 --> 00:38:38,099 at real landmarks. For sure. For sure. I really just to your point there, Katy, I'm I'm so surprised 387 00:38:38,100 --> 00:38:44,138 that it's not been somehow federally legislated yet. Or maybe it has and I don't know it, but that 388 00:38:44,179 --> 00:38:49,619 hands free law, you know, it really does make sense. And you're talking to a guy who, yes, has a ticket 389 00:38:49,620 --> 00:38:55,059 from back when I was in college because I was on my phone and it happened one time, and I was so 390 00:38:55,059 --> 00:39:00,539 upset with myself for it, but I was upset that I got caught. All right. I want to be 100% honest 391 00:39:00,540 --> 00:39:06,169 here. I'm not better than anybody out there. I was upset that I got caught when I was 25. Now that 392 00:39:06,169 --> 00:39:11,689 I'm 41, I look back and say, you should have been upset because you were being an idiot. Um, that 393 00:39:11,730 --> 00:39:17,168 that's the the the tall and the short of it. Right. Phones in your hand while you're driving. It's 394 00:39:17,169 --> 00:39:24,089 just asking for something to go wrong. Right. Sharee, from your perspective, 395 00:39:24,129 --> 00:39:29,769 the number one safety issue. You've got a very interesting perspective here, being the director 396 00:39:29,770 --> 00:39:36,729 of safety. So, uh, what are you going to talk about as the number one issue? The number one issue 397 00:39:36,730 --> 00:39:43,448 that I see is cell phone use. It is absolutely 100% cell phone use. 398 00:39:43,449 --> 00:39:50,409 And whether you're hands free or you just pick up the phone, it's still a 399 00:39:50,409 --> 00:39:55,289 distraction. Whether you're in a car, whether you're in a truck, it really doesn't matter. It is 400 00:39:55,290 --> 00:40:02,129 a distraction. And for truck drivers who are incessantly there on the road for miles and 401 00:40:02,129 --> 00:40:07,669 miles and miles to pick up the phone, they call a friend. They get engrossed in that conversation, 402 00:40:07,669 --> 00:40:12,990 and then they want to pass the vehicle that's ahead of them. Our trucks don't go very fast. We're 403 00:40:12,990 --> 00:40:19,949 65 miles an hour is our, you know, top speed in those trucks. So in order to pass something, you 404 00:40:19,949 --> 00:40:26,908 move to the left lane to get past it. It's going to take a few minutes to get on past it. But if 405 00:40:26,909 --> 00:40:32,508 you're engrossed in that conversation and you don't check your mirrors, you lane change into 406 00:40:32,550 --> 00:40:38,589 someone else. Some little teenagers hanging at the rear of your trailer. You don't see them, and your 407 00:40:38,590 --> 00:40:45,349 trailer hits the car and sends it spinning. Then we have an accident and we could have potential 408 00:40:45,350 --> 00:40:52,149 fatalities. Nobody wants to see that. So it's not just the cars that you have to drive for. You 409 00:40:52,149 --> 00:40:57,628 have to drive your truck and the cars that are out there on the road as well. Absolutely. 410 00:40:57,950 --> 00:41:03,189 Management's always they've said on this podcast so many times before, and we try to carry it with 411 00:41:03,260 --> 00:41:10,178 us as a main theme, that we've got an obligation to the motoring public, right, jury? We do. We have 412 00:41:10,179 --> 00:41:15,899 an absolute obligation to the motoring public. We all have families. We all want to see them come 413 00:41:15,899 --> 00:41:22,899 home every night. Absolutely. Absolutely. Now with you guys mentioned this 414 00:41:22,899 --> 00:41:28,179 a little bit, but it's something else that I have highlighted here that I know across the United 415 00:41:28,179 --> 00:41:34,139 States. This is more of a midwest thing. And also obviously over here on the West Coast. But, uh, how 416 00:41:34,139 --> 00:41:41,059 much more construction do you guys see down there in the southeast and on the East coast as the 417 00:41:41,059 --> 00:41:45,860 weather warms up? I imagine in a place like Florida, they can probably do construction almost 418 00:41:45,899 --> 00:41:52,139 year round. But does it ramp up in the southeast at all during the summer? Sharee. 419 00:41:53,020 --> 00:41:59,820 It does ramp up in the summer. We see much more construction in the summer. It does go year round, 420 00:41:59,820 --> 00:42:06,399 but it increases in the summer and with the increased tourist traffic that is influx into 421 00:42:06,399 --> 00:42:13,079 Florida. Lane changes. Roads change all the time. Um, even just on my road, I 422 00:42:13,159 --> 00:42:19,279 drive 45 miles one way every day. Wow. And they've changed the roadway coming out of my neighborhood 423 00:42:19,279 --> 00:42:26,159 seven times in the past six months. Seven times in six months. Seven times in 424 00:42:26,159 --> 00:42:31,799 six months. Our speed limit has been changed. They put up a traffic light. They wanted another 425 00:42:31,800 --> 00:42:37,759 traffic light. They put in a new apartment complex. So, you know, trucks are entering and leaving the 426 00:42:37,760 --> 00:42:44,399 highway all the time. Uh, down to one lane road. So it's an adventure every day when I leave my house. 427 00:42:44,399 --> 00:42:49,439 Not sure how long it's going to take me to get to work. It averages between an hour to an hour and 428 00:42:49,439 --> 00:42:56,399 20 minutes to get to work every day. One way. Wow. Yeah. So, yeah. So the increase in construction is 429 00:42:56,399 --> 00:43:03,149 a real thing. And we try to in the safety department. We try to keep up on how many lane 430 00:43:03,149 --> 00:43:09,029 closures there are, and drivers are a great resource for that because they're always sending 431 00:43:09,029 --> 00:43:14,949 in messages or calling and letting us know where they see construction, so we can send out fleet 432 00:43:14,949 --> 00:43:20,709 messages to all the drivers and let them know, hey, this lane is shut down, or you might have to 433 00:43:20,750 --> 00:43:27,589 reroute and take a different alternative. So that helps. It's very helpful when they do that, but 434 00:43:27,589 --> 00:43:33,909 we do try to help our drivers as much as we can with construction shutdowns. Well, I will say this. 435 00:43:33,909 --> 00:43:39,309 You might want to have Ison and send you an atlas. If they keep changing the the traffic patterns at 436 00:43:39,310 --> 00:43:44,749 your place so that you can actually get home, that is unheard of seven times in six months. Just 437 00:43:44,749 --> 00:43:51,709 blows my mind. Yeah, yeah, it is something. And here you are, still smiling and laughing about 438 00:43:51,709 --> 00:43:55,908 it. You are a better person than I am. Sorry. I would be calling. I would be writing a strongly 439 00:43:55,909 --> 00:44:02,249 worded letter. At least that's all I can say. so. God bless you in your patience there. Hopefully 440 00:44:02,249 --> 00:44:09,249 that is is a thing of the past for you before too long. I hope so. We'll see. We'll see. 441 00:44:09,290 --> 00:44:15,050 We'll keep you updated on that. Uh, Katy. I want to go to you here because of of something that 442 00:44:15,050 --> 00:44:19,969 Sharee just said. You know, um, traffic patterns changing. You talked about the construction on one 443 00:44:19,970 --> 00:44:26,929 of the interstates there. Uh, near Smyrna. How important is the trip planning that drivers are 444 00:44:26,929 --> 00:44:33,449 doing right now? With, uh, respect? Yeah, with respect to construction. Can you talk to me about it? 445 00:44:34,649 --> 00:44:40,768 That is definitely. If they want to be successful, they have to plan coming into Atlanta. They and 446 00:44:40,769 --> 00:44:47,050 everybody talks about Atlanta and Florida traffic the same way. So most most of our guys are kind of 447 00:44:47,090 --> 00:44:53,649 prepared. They watch out for each other when it comes to accidents, construction detours 448 00:44:54,449 --> 00:45:01,080 and when Sharee was describing her neighborhood. That's definitely mine in the making right now. Oh, 449 00:45:01,080 --> 00:45:07,879 no. Why are they doing this to you guys? Uh, I think in Atlanta, they're preparing for the World 450 00:45:07,879 --> 00:45:14,120 Cup, so they're doing a lot of construction. They're trying to make Atlanta extra pretty for 451 00:45:14,120 --> 00:45:21,079 the visitors and the tourists. You know, they've been doing good. It's just affecting us regular 452 00:45:21,080 --> 00:45:27,159 folks traveling the little roads. Yeah. I'm sure. And. And how much? Uh, when when you're talking to 453 00:45:27,199 --> 00:45:33,360 one driver and you hear about a new bit of construction that's going to have an effect. Um, 454 00:45:33,399 --> 00:45:37,639 how are you going about just disseminating that to the rest of your drivers? You said they have 455 00:45:37,639 --> 00:45:43,319 their backs, so I assume they kind of connect outside of of when they're out there driving, 456 00:45:43,320 --> 00:45:47,560 they're talking to one another to let each other know. But how do you apply some of the things that 457 00:45:47,560 --> 00:45:52,519 they tell you? Are you calling up drivers that you know are going to be facing this soon and trying 458 00:45:52,519 --> 00:45:58,418 to get out ahead of them to help them with their trip planning? Absolutely. If I'm not calling them, 459 00:45:58,419 --> 00:46:05,378 I am sending out fleet messages as well. Copy. That's great. Everybody at the same. Same page? 460 00:46:05,419 --> 00:46:11,178 Yeah. For sure. Ison. How about you out there? Same question. Um, how do you help your drivers along 461 00:46:11,179 --> 00:46:16,378 with with trip planning? I know being the terminal manager, you probably have somebody like Katy 462 00:46:16,419 --> 00:46:21,859 helping out with that. But how important is it from the top down that these drivers communicate 463 00:46:21,899 --> 00:46:26,698 not only with you guys at the terminal, but with one another to try to help out with the massive 464 00:46:26,699 --> 00:46:33,539 amount of construction influx you see this time of year. Yeah. I mean, you know, the, uh, the driver 465 00:46:33,660 --> 00:46:39,539 communication network is alive and well, for sure. You know, they usually find out about things 466 00:46:39,540 --> 00:46:45,499 faster than we do here, but yeah, any time, like Katy said, if, like we had a shipper, they had to 467 00:46:45,540 --> 00:46:52,020 close their entrance down a couple weeks ago to repave it for a couple of days. So we made sure to 468 00:46:52,020 --> 00:46:57,049 send out a fleet message to the whole company. So anyone that was picking up there and anyone we 469 00:46:57,050 --> 00:47:02,849 talked to on the phone. Um, if they didn't ask, we by the end of the conversation, we made sure they 470 00:47:02,850 --> 00:47:09,729 knew. Um, especially if they were picking up there or delivering. But, uh, yeah, I mean, it's, you 471 00:47:09,729 --> 00:47:16,609 know, I know North Carolina, South Carolina are the well, at least top five 472 00:47:16,649 --> 00:47:23,330 growing states in the United States. And, uh, Florida's, I'm sure still in there 473 00:47:23,330 --> 00:47:29,689 somewhere. And, you know, Georgia's got a huge population. So as the populations grow, not just 474 00:47:29,690 --> 00:47:35,610 vacation wise, but there's going to be a lot more construction in the southeast for the foreseeable 475 00:47:35,610 --> 00:47:41,889 future. Um, the county we live in here. Last time I heard, it was one of the fastest growing counties 476 00:47:41,889 --> 00:47:48,810 in the United States, so. Wow. Um, yeah, I it's that's not even a seasonal thing. That that's 477 00:47:48,810 --> 00:47:55,749 just going to be a way of life, uh, you know, for a while. Yeah. Sounds like. It 478 00:47:55,749 --> 00:48:00,989 sounds like it now. Uh. Real quick. I want to touch on one more thing with you. Icing on this 479 00:48:00,990 --> 00:48:06,590 construction thing. Um, just again, from a four wheelers perspective here, sometimes some of the 480 00:48:06,590 --> 00:48:13,069 lanes that I drive through in construction zones feel like my full size pickup is going to be 481 00:48:13,070 --> 00:48:19,750 either raking the, uh, raking the, the guardrail or the cones that they've set up on the road. Uh, how 482 00:48:19,750 --> 00:48:25,069 important is it for drivers to really pay attention to, uh, the the width of the lane in 483 00:48:25,069 --> 00:48:31,190 these construction areas because they get really tight and you guys are in a really big rig? 484 00:48:32,030 --> 00:48:38,309 Yeah, I mean, there. Yeah. Sometimes it feels like there's no room for error. Um, and that could be in 485 00:48:38,310 --> 00:48:44,909 a car. Uh, let alone now you're in a semi. Um, and that's the best thing to do there is. Slow 486 00:48:44,909 --> 00:48:50,509 down. Um, so you. And usually they always have a lower speed limit through that area, but 487 00:48:50,510 --> 00:48:57,219 definitely to observe the speed limit and maybe go a little slower if you feel overwhelmed by the 488 00:48:57,219 --> 00:49:03,419 tightness of it. Um, your best bet is to slow down just so you can process 489 00:49:03,979 --> 00:49:10,219 the, the, the distances you have. And it's even worse when they do the transitions, uh, from like 490 00:49:10,259 --> 00:49:16,579 one side, they'll have one whole length, uh, one direction of the highway shut down. So then 491 00:49:16,580 --> 00:49:22,139 they'll go two way traffic on the other side. Those can be especially because usually it's two 492 00:49:22,139 --> 00:49:28,779 lanes going into one and then it's going to go across. So and they I don't know if 493 00:49:28,779 --> 00:49:35,099 construction workers like to see how tight they can get it, but um, they, they definitely, 494 00:49:35,780 --> 00:49:42,339 uh, can make it difficult and especially I mean, if it's a cone, you know, a cone is a kind of a 495 00:49:42,339 --> 00:49:47,340 forgiving thing. Not that we want to hit the cones, but when you have places that use the Jersey 496 00:49:47,340 --> 00:49:53,799 barriers, um, there's, there's there's no where our vehicle is going to lose that battle pretty much 497 00:49:53,840 --> 00:50:00,079 every time. So every time, every. Tiny room for distraction, they're. For sure. For sure. Well, this 498 00:50:00,080 --> 00:50:05,439 is all been great, you guys. This I I'm, I feel like a safer driver. Just having spoken to you for as 499 00:50:05,440 --> 00:50:09,999 long as we have right now. And, and I've got a couple more questions here that I think I'm going 500 00:50:10,000 --> 00:50:15,479 to let you guys answer individually, but feel free to chime in if there's something you want to add 501 00:50:15,479 --> 00:50:20,999 to any of these. Um, Katy, I'm going to start with you here because you touched on the patience and 502 00:50:21,000 --> 00:50:26,839 just calming down out there and trying to stay kind of centered and focused. Uh, do you think that 503 00:50:26,840 --> 00:50:33,519 patience is the biggest skill that's required out there by drivers outside of actually operating 504 00:50:33,519 --> 00:50:38,840 the truck during the summer months when we're seeing such influx in traffic, travel, construction 505 00:50:38,840 --> 00:50:45,480 and the rest of it. Yes, that is a superpower of theirs. If they can, if they can have a lot of 506 00:50:45,480 --> 00:50:51,989 patience, that's a that's considered a superpower. Do you, uh, do you have any drivers that you think 507 00:50:51,990 --> 00:50:56,389 of? And you don't have to name them unless you think you you want to to give them their flowers 508 00:50:56,389 --> 00:51:02,229 here. But are there any drivers that are just unshakable out there? They have a patience and and 509 00:51:02,230 --> 00:51:09,029 a focus that's just, uh, second to none. Oh, oh, just about all my drivers, especially the 510 00:51:09,029 --> 00:51:15,669 trainers. Um, angel, Mr. Tony Miller, they are the most patient. And I 511 00:51:15,790 --> 00:51:22,668 tell all the drivers the same thing is safety first. A load 512 00:51:22,669 --> 00:51:29,589 can be rescheduled, but safety is always first. 100%. Well, I love that you shouted out 513 00:51:29,629 --> 00:51:34,909 Angel and Tony on this podcast because they both been on here plenty. And uh, for good reason. Those 514 00:51:34,909 --> 00:51:41,429 are two really good examples, shining examples of how things should be done at Cypress, right? Yes, 515 00:51:41,469 --> 00:51:46,469 and most definitely shout out to all my drivers who's always, you know, doing everything that is 516 00:51:46,469 --> 00:51:53,330 needed and always safely turning those wheels? Yes, 100%. And I love how you said all my drivers 517 00:51:53,330 --> 00:51:58,529 are patient. That is a huge. I love them. All. Yeah, well that's huge because that's a big part of 518 00:51:58,529 --> 00:52:02,689 what you're out there to do, right? You are a driver manager. That's part of the game, is to keep 519 00:52:02,689 --> 00:52:08,409 these guys in a place where they can operate safely, and it's not always easy. Uh, there's a lot 520 00:52:08,450 --> 00:52:14,209 that can happen out there on the road, right? I think most days I'm more their doctor filled in 521 00:52:14,210 --> 00:52:19,809 their driver manager. I love it. Well, you must be really good at doing that. Otherwise they wouldn't 522 00:52:19,810 --> 00:52:24,249 go to you for that. Katy. So that's that's going to. Be that's that's that's kind of. Like building 523 00:52:24,249 --> 00:52:29,769 the rapport, you know, between the driver manager and the driver. You got to know what they're going 524 00:52:29,769 --> 00:52:35,049 through and what what life changes they go through to be able to help them and have their 525 00:52:35,050 --> 00:52:41,810 back for sure. For sure. Great stuff there, Katy. I love that answer. Uh, Sharee, this next one's for you. 526 00:52:41,889 --> 00:52:48,239 What's one thing? As the director of safety at Cypress and Sun Belt, you wish that summer drivers 527 00:52:48,240 --> 00:52:54,878 understood about trucks and truck drivers. That a big truck cannot 528 00:52:54,879 --> 00:53:01,639 stop on a dime when it's 80,000 pounds? Yep. So we get a lot 529 00:53:01,639 --> 00:53:07,439 of of cars who cut off our drivers, jump in front of them and slam on the brakes, and they expect 530 00:53:07,440 --> 00:53:13,239 our drivers to be able to do the same thing. And they just need to realize that trucks are not 531 00:53:13,239 --> 00:53:19,759 like cars. They're just too big, too heavy. Can't stop as quickly. So that's the one thing I'd like 532 00:53:19,759 --> 00:53:26,600 cars to understand. Give them their their space so that they can drive safely down the road and not 533 00:53:26,600 --> 00:53:33,479 injure anyone. Right. Yeah. And, you know, I see it all the time that truck drivers do such a good 534 00:53:33,479 --> 00:53:38,760 job of leaving themselves and out until somebody takes it away from them by pulling in front of 535 00:53:38,760 --> 00:53:44,679 them because they've left themselves that out. I would think as a driver, if I was a driver, that 536 00:53:44,679 --> 00:53:49,739 might be one of the single most frustrating things is I've given myself room between me and 537 00:53:49,740 --> 00:53:55,339 the driver in front of me. I have an out right now. Oh wait, I don't have an out. There's a Honda Civic 538 00:53:55,340 --> 00:54:00,899 that's just made himself part of my front grille, and he's pulled in front of me right in front and 539 00:54:00,899 --> 00:54:06,740 taken away my out. Uh, Sharee, how do you how do you counsel a driver through that type of frustration? 540 00:54:06,740 --> 00:54:13,458 That probably happens day in and day out. Well, it does happen more frequently than we like to 541 00:54:13,499 --> 00:54:20,100 see. Um, we catch it on videos almost on a daily basis, and we have 542 00:54:20,100 --> 00:54:26,938 great drivers who try to stop and not shift the load. Unfortunately, sometimes the 543 00:54:26,939 --> 00:54:33,539 load shifts and then they take it to the end result. We have to rework the load and it takes 544 00:54:33,539 --> 00:54:38,219 more time from the away from the driver, more money away from the driver, because now he's a 545 00:54:38,219 --> 00:54:44,249 load behind. You know, and we counsel them at that time and say, you know, we know that you could not 546 00:54:44,289 --> 00:54:51,049 stop on a dime. You did your very best. You avoided an accident. Thankfully, 547 00:54:51,090 --> 00:54:56,369 we try to help them out with an attaboy every once in a while, when we can. And you know, we 548 00:54:56,370 --> 00:55:01,649 understand that you're a load behind. But don't take the rest of your week to speed up to try to 549 00:55:01,689 --> 00:55:06,849 catch up, because there is no catching up. Right, right. You've lost that time, unfortunately. And 550 00:55:06,850 --> 00:55:12,209 it's out of your control too, right? Just completely out of your control. Correct. Completely 551 00:55:12,209 --> 00:55:17,449 out of your control. So we try to compensate and help them with an attaboy and and try to make 552 00:55:17,490 --> 00:55:22,769 sure that they do get paid something towards their lost time when things like that happen. 553 00:55:22,809 --> 00:55:28,329 That's amazing. It wasn't their. Fault. Right. And that's that's so cool. And again, another part of 554 00:55:28,330 --> 00:55:34,049 of the Cypress model that is so unique among trucking, at least the fleets that I've dealt with. 555 00:55:34,370 --> 00:55:39,849 Um, just the way that you guys try to help out with that type of stuff. Those atta boys, I've been 556 00:55:39,850 --> 00:55:44,869 on my boss ever since we started doing this podcast. Hey, can I get an attaboy here? Can you? You 557 00:55:44,870 --> 00:55:49,829 know, how about one for me? It hasn't happened yet, but I think I've got. I'm. Yeah, I'm gonna wear him 558 00:55:49,830 --> 00:55:55,669 down. I'll say that, but don't worry about that. That's, uh, another topic for another time. Um, great 559 00:55:55,669 --> 00:56:00,749 stuff there from you, Sharee, I love it. Um, I love hearing about how Cypress takes care of the 560 00:56:00,749 --> 00:56:06,829 drivers, and you can always tell on this podcast in particular, because not only do you hear it 561 00:56:06,830 --> 00:56:11,389 from the drivers when they come on and and tell us about it, but you can hear that you guys at the 562 00:56:11,389 --> 00:56:17,309 terminals are dedicated to not only having them, helping them do the job safely, but trying to take 563 00:56:17,310 --> 00:56:21,709 care of them a little bit when something out of their control totally throws an entire week off. I 564 00:56:21,710 --> 00:56:25,589 imagine that if you weren't like that, you'd probably have some drivers that are a little bit 565 00:56:25,590 --> 00:56:31,949 more hot under the collar than what you do. Correct. Yeah, we've got some great drivers. They 566 00:56:31,950 --> 00:56:38,830 all do a great job. Um, a couple come to mind. David Darling went from a a Coast 567 00:56:38,830 --> 00:56:45,659 Guard veteran to a guy who came through the door as a Southeast regional driver, has 568 00:56:45,659 --> 00:56:52,339 now expanded to a two week driver. Fantastic driver. Luke Drew has been with us seven years. 569 00:56:52,379 --> 00:56:59,019 He's been fantastic. He's gone from southeast to Jockey to OTR. I mean, just great 570 00:56:59,020 --> 00:57:05,139 guys and they all call in and talk to us whenever they see anything that's happening out there that 571 00:57:05,139 --> 00:57:10,219 maybe we're not aware of, they let us know so we can let the rest of the fleet know, and that that 572 00:57:10,219 --> 00:57:16,219 is a huge help. Those guys are all big help. Yeah, I imagine so. I got to have a fantastic conversation 573 00:57:16,220 --> 00:57:21,299 with David Darling down in Tampa, and, uh, we haven't been able to get him on the show yet, but 574 00:57:21,299 --> 00:57:26,379 we will. I am insidious, you can't get away from me. I've got his phone number. I'll keep asking until 575 00:57:26,379 --> 00:57:31,940 he says yes. Uh, but, uh, just a very insightful conversation. And and again, I'm glad you brought 576 00:57:31,940 --> 00:57:37,859 him up, because that's one thing that really stood out to me in the conversation was, this guy's very 577 00:57:37,859 --> 00:57:43,638 serious about being a very safe driver, and he's not pulling any punches when it comes to that. No. 578 00:57:43,920 --> 00:57:50,759 No, he is not. He is. He is a fantastic driver, very safe, always communicates well with his 579 00:57:50,759 --> 00:57:57,639 driver manager and with safety. So no complaints from us? No. And one of many of those types of 580 00:57:57,639 --> 00:58:03,159 drivers that Cypress employs. Uh, one last question here for Ison. And then we're going to get to our 581 00:58:03,159 --> 00:58:07,279 final thoughts and get you guys back to work. I know you're busy. It means so much to me that 582 00:58:07,279 --> 00:58:13,639 you've given me as much time as you have already. Uh, but Ison and, um, what habits 583 00:58:13,639 --> 00:58:19,439 separates safe, professional drivers from unsafe professional drivers this time of year, in your 584 00:58:19,440 --> 00:58:25,799 opinion? Uh, given that you've had some experience behind the wheel. Having having a plan, really, you 585 00:58:25,799 --> 00:58:31,239 know, plan out where you're going to get fuel today, plan out where you're picking up or, you 586 00:58:31,239 --> 00:58:37,720 know, delivering if you know what your preplan is. And then that way you can 587 00:58:38,910 --> 00:58:45,309 You have an idea of what the day holds for you. And then when the 588 00:58:45,550 --> 00:58:52,229 traffic jam happens, the the construction zone or someone, someone else's 589 00:58:52,269 --> 00:58:58,869 accident. You know, traffic whatever, or you break down. I mean, with the summer heat, you know, the 590 00:58:58,870 --> 00:59:02,989 roads hotter. If it's hotter outside, it means the roads hotter. So then you got a higher potential 591 00:59:02,990 --> 00:59:09,989 for, uh, tires blowing out. So the mechanical failures would definitely ruin your 592 00:59:10,030 --> 00:59:15,189 day. But that way, at least if you, you know, you know what? Your logbook, what you have your hours 593 00:59:15,189 --> 00:59:19,829 on your with your logs, you know where you're delivering. You know where you need to get fuel. 594 00:59:19,829 --> 00:59:26,669 You know where you could park if you can't make it to somewhere. To me, I think that at least, you 595 00:59:26,669 --> 00:59:33,669 know, having a plan for your day, it makes makes it easier when things go awry and they're going to 596 00:59:33,710 --> 00:59:40,249 go awry. There's it's trucking, you know, it's never stationary, but at least 597 00:59:40,250 --> 00:59:46,929 you. Have a goal for the day, I guess. For sure. For sure. Trip planning is so 598 00:59:46,929 --> 00:59:51,289 important. And also this time of year. I guess I'll just touch on it because you mentioned it there. 599 00:59:51,330 --> 00:59:56,489 Those pre trips are really important because the the roads getting hotter and not that pre trips 600 00:59:56,489 --> 01:00:01,928 are ever not important. Uh but definitely be checking your fluids and and hey if I do say so 601 01:00:01,929 --> 01:00:06,928 myself, maybe throw some extra fluid in the cab for yourself. Given that this is a very physical 602 01:00:06,929 --> 01:00:11,650 job the temperatures are getting hot. Make sure you stay hydrated too. You don't want to take a 603 01:00:11,650 --> 01:00:16,610 header out there when you're getting unloaded just because you get dizzy because of the heat. So, 604 01:00:16,810 --> 01:00:22,089 uh, always I, I'm, I'm a, I'm a champion of hydration on this show, so I want to throw that one out 605 01:00:22,089 --> 01:00:28,209 there too, because pretty important this time of year, right. Icing. Absolutely. Yeah. Well you guys 606 01:00:28,209 --> 01:00:33,249 have done a fantastic job here. Absolutely knocked it out of the park from my perspective. I want to 607 01:00:33,249 --> 01:00:38,159 get to our final thoughts here. Uh, we leave the Final Thoughts segment for anything that we might 608 01:00:38,199 --> 01:00:42,559 have left on the table. Anything that you guys want to say before we get out of here? Shout outs 609 01:00:42,560 --> 01:00:47,919 you want to give the floor is yours. And since Sharee is our pro here and the other two joining 610 01:00:47,919 --> 01:00:53,360 us for the first time, I'm going to let her set the example. Uh, director of safety, Sharee DeHart. 611 01:00:53,399 --> 01:00:58,559 We appreciate every minute that we get from you. Thank you so much for being here today. Uh, final 612 01:00:58,559 --> 01:01:04,199 thoughts from you before we let you get out of here. I guess I would just have to say to all our 613 01:01:04,200 --> 01:01:10,758 drivers. Safety is always first, no matter what. And just be aware of your 614 01:01:10,759 --> 01:01:16,880 surroundings. Watch everything and everyone around you as best you can if something happens. Always 615 01:01:16,880 --> 01:01:22,679 call safety first. There you go. And if you ever doubted her dedication, she's here on this podcast 616 01:01:22,720 --> 01:01:29,359 on her day off. So safety is very important to Sharee. Never doubt that at all. Thank you so much 617 01:01:29,360 --> 01:01:36,340 for your time today, Sharee. You're welcome. Have a great day. We'll do it. Icin final thoughts from 618 01:01:36,340 --> 01:01:40,939 you before we let you go today, my friend. Thank you for making your your first appearance on here 619 01:01:40,939 --> 01:01:46,938 today. I really enjoyed getting to talk with you my friend. Final thoughts from you today. Um, you 620 01:01:46,939 --> 01:01:53,379 know, I guess don't let mistakes that you made in the past set the tone for your future. You know, 621 01:01:53,660 --> 01:01:59,820 if maybe you got a cell phone violation or overweight ticket or, you know, any of the possible 622 01:01:59,820 --> 01:02:06,020 things that could happen. But as long as you can learn from the mistake and, 623 01:02:06,900 --> 01:02:13,698 you know, eliminate that, you know, mistakes are going to happen no matter what, but to move 624 01:02:13,699 --> 01:02:19,899 forward from it and, I don't know, not be crippled by it or what the word would be there, 625 01:02:19,899 --> 01:02:26,739 but just to everyday try to be better. There you. Go. Sage advice there 626 01:02:26,739 --> 01:02:31,099 from a guy who's got some experience behind the wheel, Ison Cates. We greatly appreciate the 627 01:02:31,100 --> 01:02:37,569 time from you as well. And here it is. Katy. The moment of truth. Katy McConville. 628 01:02:37,850 --> 01:02:43,289 Final thoughts from you today. I get it, I'm giving myself a round of applause for that. It only took 629 01:02:43,290 --> 01:02:47,889 me an hour to get it down, but I did it. Final thoughts from you. Katy, thank you so much for 630 01:02:47,889 --> 01:02:54,649 your time today. Um, I would say be proactive. All of our drivers out there. Be proactive. Be overly 631 01:02:54,649 --> 01:03:01,128 prepared and always keep those safety scores low. Great advice from you as well 632 01:03:01,169 --> 01:03:06,409 Katy, Ison, Sharee, thank you all so much for being here with me today on the Cypress Truck 633 01:03:06,409 --> 01:03:11,049 Lines podcast. We're going to do this one again. Safety's that important. You can guarantee you're 634 01:03:11,049 --> 01:03:16,889 going to hear another one of these episodes down the road as conditions change. So thank you all 635 01:03:16,890 --> 01:03:22,289 today for this great conversation surrounding the safety of summer. Uh, you guys are awesome. We'll 636 01:03:22,290 --> 01:03:28,409 talk to you again soon, okay? All right. Thank you. All right. Bye bye. 637 01:03:35,149 --> 01:03:41,189 I feel so fortunate to be the host of this podcast in that every time we have a conversation 638 01:03:41,189 --> 01:03:47,829 like the one that we just had, I feel like I am a better steward of the road when it comes to the 639 01:03:47,829 --> 01:03:53,309 the trucks that are around me when I'm on road trips with my family, or I'm out driving from 640 01:03:53,310 --> 01:03:59,989 point A to point B. I am so much more aware now than I was even 20 episodes ago, 641 01:03:59,990 --> 01:04:06,109 or a year before that, or a year before that. Every minute that I spend talking about safety on this 642 01:04:06,110 --> 01:04:12,149 podcast is a minute that I become a better four Wheeler, in hopes that I clear the way and make 643 01:04:12,149 --> 01:04:18,229 things safer for the truck drivers out there on our highways and byways in this great country. 644 01:04:18,309 --> 01:04:24,469 Great stuff from Ison and Katy and Sharee there. Thank you so much to all three of them for their 645 01:04:24,469 --> 01:04:30,540 time. Uh, those are three busy people, okay. They got a lot going on, and even Sharee was here on her 646 01:04:30,540 --> 01:04:36,419 day off and she was still working, coming on this podcast talking about how important safety is, 647 01:04:36,460 --> 01:04:41,539 especially as the seasons change this time of year. And we get a lot of young drivers on the 648 01:04:41,539 --> 01:04:46,978 road, a lot of distracted drivers on the road, and an influx of construction that can even make 649 01:04:46,979 --> 01:04:52,459 getting to your house a tough thing. Some are driving doesn't just test your skill. That's what 650 01:04:52,459 --> 01:04:57,979 we found out today. It tests your discipline because everything we talked about, whether it be 651 01:04:57,980 --> 01:05:03,339 distracted drivers or teenagers with no experience. RVs, motorcycles, construction zones, 652 01:05:03,379 --> 01:05:09,499 none of it is going away. If anything, it's only getting worse. And what stood out in this 653 01:05:09,500 --> 01:05:14,540 conversation to me isn't just what's happening out there, it's actually what it takes to deal 654 01:05:14,540 --> 01:05:20,139 with it. You know, Katy touched on it a couple of times. She said how good her drivers are at just 655 01:05:20,139 --> 01:05:26,860 staying centered, staying calm, patience, preparation, awareness and understanding that 656 01:05:26,860 --> 01:05:33,559 you're not just driving your truck you're driving for everyone else on the road too, because the 657 01:05:33,560 --> 01:05:39,320 reality is this a car can make a mistake and maybe get away with it. A truck, especially one 658 01:05:39,320 --> 01:05:46,199 loaded down with 80,000 pounds, does not get that luxury. So as you're out there this summer, slow it 659 01:05:46,199 --> 01:05:51,039 down. When you need to give yourself more space than you think you might need. Stick to the plan. 660 01:05:51,080 --> 01:05:57,639 Stay off the phone and remember the goal isn't to keep up with traffic. The goal is to get home 661 01:05:57,639 --> 01:06:04,120 safely every single time. And I know it's really tough to be perfect all the time out there, 662 01:06:04,120 --> 01:06:10,519 but you heard Cherise say it. Cypress is a very safe company. Okay. Especially given the number of 663 01:06:10,519 --> 01:06:17,120 drivers that we've got. And that is a tip of the cap, not only to those of of us working in the 664 01:06:17,120 --> 01:06:21,919 safety department, I say those of us, those of you working in the safety department across all the 665 01:06:21,919 --> 01:06:28,789 terminals, but the drivers, the trainers, uh, can over there at CTC, Um, everybody 666 01:06:28,790 --> 01:06:35,110 in orientation. Randy and the guys out there, uh, load sacrament with Cecil Clark. Man, all of this 667 01:06:35,110 --> 01:06:42,070 comes into being a safe company, and, uh, Cypress, uh, just has it in 668 01:06:42,070 --> 01:06:47,228 spades. I really will say it's a unique company. I've said it so many times on this podcast. I 669 01:06:47,350 --> 01:06:52,589 really do believe it to be true. And I love the way that Cypress handles the coaching aspect. Uh, 670 01:06:52,590 --> 01:06:57,709 tries to give out some attaboy if something out of your control affects your entire week. These 671 01:06:57,709 --> 01:07:03,229 are all great things to hear. And, uh, especially if you're out there and you're not really enjoying 672 01:07:03,230 --> 01:07:07,509 the company that you're working for right now. But you found this podcast and you're thinking maybe 673 01:07:07,550 --> 01:07:12,789 Cypress is the way to go. I can't give you a better representation of how safe of a company this 674 01:07:12,790 --> 01:07:18,148 really is than what we gave you today on this episode, so I hope you can take something from it. 675 01:07:18,149 --> 01:07:23,148 I hope all of the Cypress drivers that are listening, uh, especially those that heard their 676 01:07:23,149 --> 01:07:29,849 name shouted out today like David Darling, Tony Miller. Angela Scotto and more. Okay, 677 01:07:29,969 --> 01:07:34,169 we heard so many names get shouted out today. Those are just the three that come to the top of 678 01:07:34,170 --> 01:07:38,888 my mind. And that's because I've met those guys personally. Those of you that got shouted out 679 01:07:38,889 --> 01:07:44,809 today, uh, if I didn't repeat your name a, I apologize. And B, let's strike up a conversation. 680 01:07:44,810 --> 01:07:49,488 Let's get you on the podcast here. There's a reason that you were mentioned today, and it's 681 01:07:49,489 --> 01:07:56,089 because you do a really good job. Uh, a perfect job, if you will, most of the time. And that is not easy 682 01:07:56,090 --> 01:08:02,288 to do when you're hauling around 80,000 pounds on your back. With all of these wackos driving around 683 01:08:02,289 --> 01:08:07,769 you, trimming up the roads and trying to, you know, bring it down to two lanes and cones all over the 684 01:08:07,769 --> 01:08:14,249 place. We got motorcycles doing handstands. We got bikinis out there on the beach. It's a distracting 685 01:08:14,250 --> 01:08:19,009 world. All that, all that stuff I just talked about, we didn't even talk about the number one problem. 686 01:08:19,009 --> 01:08:24,799 The phone's in everybody's pocket. It's a really tough thing to do. As good of a job as Cypress 687 01:08:24,799 --> 01:08:30,519 drivers do. And hats off to you guys. We want you all home safely. We want to fulfill that 688 01:08:30,519 --> 01:08:37,399 obligation to the motoring public and it really is done day in and day out here at Cypress and Sun 689 01:08:37,399 --> 01:08:43,119 Belt. Thank you all for tuning in today. I feel like this is a very gravitational episode. It's 690 01:08:43,120 --> 01:08:48,799 it's important. It's something that you've all heard before, but that doesn't take away from how 691 01:08:48,839 --> 01:08:54,839 truly important the safety aspect of the job you guys are doing really is. Once again, thank you to 692 01:08:54,880 --> 01:09:01,560 Sharee Ison and Katy. And you know what, Katy? One more time for good measure, Mongkhonvilay 693 01:09:01,599 --> 01:09:08,559 got it right again. I'm giving myself another round of applause. You wouldn't think that the 694 01:09:08,559 --> 01:09:13,599 guy that does podcast for a living and constantly talks to different people would be bad with names, 695 01:09:13,600 --> 01:09:19,679 but that is the cross that I bear. And my obligation to you. Cypress Truck Lines is to not 696 01:09:19,680 --> 01:09:25,020 butcher anybody else's name on this podcast, if I can keep from it. And I really appreciate Katy 697 01:09:25,020 --> 01:09:29,899 playing along with me there and not taking it. Uh, not not taking it the wrong way. What an awesome 698 01:09:29,900 --> 01:09:33,979 group of people we just had on the show. We're doing that every single week right here on the 699 01:09:33,980 --> 01:09:40,858 Cypress Truck Lines podcast, so make sure to tune in next week, Wednesday, 5 a.m. local time for 700 01:09:40,859 --> 01:09:46,539 a new hour of content from us here at the Cypress Truck Lines podcast. Don't forget to head over to 701 01:09:46,540 --> 01:09:52,939 that website podcast dot Cypress truck.com, and you can also find us on all the rest of those 702 01:09:52,940 --> 01:09:59,020 platforms. Spotify, Apple, the works. You guys stay safe out there. That's the order of business today. 703 01:09:59,020 --> 01:10:02,660 We'll see you next week right here for the Cypress Truck Lines podcast.