Due to some personal hardships I have had to take the website down for awhile. The same time I will be working on another book with a new program. This will mainly focus on pain management, and exercising without any equipment on the road. A YouTube channel maybe a part of it. Given the current economic conditions I will have to wait and see when I can invest into this project and go live.
Keep checking the blog as this is my only current way of reaching out.
Saturday, February 2, 2013
2013, hopefully a better year!
Last year was a very difficult year for myself. Christmas time my grandmother and uncle went both went into the hospital. My grandmother made it past Christmas and a week into the new year. Then she passed away, talking to my Grandfather that has been dead for 15 years. 2 weeks later my Uncle passed away. My poor aunt lost her mom and husband within a month.
Then at my job, there was a plan to get rid of my crew and self in order to hire people at minimum wage. Needless to say buttons where pushed. In the end I was let go. The funny part was the company in doing so and losing so many good employees, started to under perform. Costing to company many times more in shipping costs as they had to expedite many shipments, that should of been non cost to the company.
So out of employment during an election year. Many good prospects that then dried up as the year went on. During this time my brother had to deal with some personal problems of his own. During this time my mother had to have surgery on her foot. The down side no weight on her foot for 6 weeks, but ended up being 8 weeks. So much of my summer was spent taking care of her. Shopping with someone in a wheel chair sucks, but thanks for those scooters.
Into the fall a great job offer that would happen Jan 1st. However due to the election results the offer was with drawn. During this time I have seen many companies start laying people off. Although the media has not been reporting, I can see certain signs that the economy is getting worst. Lunch meat costing $9.00 a lb. Restaurants now offering smaller salads and portions as the prices increase.
This is going to be another year of lowered expectations, where most companies are just trying to survive. A 2nd term of this white house will see many unfriendly things happen to the economy. 2014 is the earliest we may see a right kind of change.
Then at my job, there was a plan to get rid of my crew and self in order to hire people at minimum wage. Needless to say buttons where pushed. In the end I was let go. The funny part was the company in doing so and losing so many good employees, started to under perform. Costing to company many times more in shipping costs as they had to expedite many shipments, that should of been non cost to the company.
So out of employment during an election year. Many good prospects that then dried up as the year went on. During this time my brother had to deal with some personal problems of his own. During this time my mother had to have surgery on her foot. The down side no weight on her foot for 6 weeks, but ended up being 8 weeks. So much of my summer was spent taking care of her. Shopping with someone in a wheel chair sucks, but thanks for those scooters.
Into the fall a great job offer that would happen Jan 1st. However due to the election results the offer was with drawn. During this time I have seen many companies start laying people off. Although the media has not been reporting, I can see certain signs that the economy is getting worst. Lunch meat costing $9.00 a lb. Restaurants now offering smaller salads and portions as the prices increase.
This is going to be another year of lowered expectations, where most companies are just trying to survive. A 2nd term of this white house will see many unfriendly things happen to the economy. 2014 is the earliest we may see a right kind of change.
Saturday, January 21, 2012
Election Year
2012 a presidential election year, what will this mean to the economy?
With this election year, we have some interesting things that may happen. If we get a new president, I feel we will see a huge jump in the economy, if not it will be more of the same sluggish economy. There is still great fear out there in the business world, and from my current industry of the automotive supplier side, things are not going as planed.
We are at about 75% of what we had planned for this year. Still not growing from the customers as they had hoped. Now we are starting to see some of the same things that happened back in 2008, banks not loaning for operational cash flow. Vendors not getting paid and customers not paying for the services.
There has been a lot more truck driving jobs being posted, then again is this just part of the baby boomer retirement, or CSA 2010. It does seem like many companies that I talk to these days are interesting in my services, but more or less just trying to build a pool until after the election.
We shall see after the first Tuesday in November.
With this election year, we have some interesting things that may happen. If we get a new president, I feel we will see a huge jump in the economy, if not it will be more of the same sluggish economy. There is still great fear out there in the business world, and from my current industry of the automotive supplier side, things are not going as planed.
We are at about 75% of what we had planned for this year. Still not growing from the customers as they had hoped. Now we are starting to see some of the same things that happened back in 2008, banks not loaning for operational cash flow. Vendors not getting paid and customers not paying for the services.
There has been a lot more truck driving jobs being posted, then again is this just part of the baby boomer retirement, or CSA 2010. It does seem like many companies that I talk to these days are interesting in my services, but more or less just trying to build a pool until after the election.
We shall see after the first Tuesday in November.
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
The future of Logistics
During the next 5 years, the logistics industry is going to go through some painful times. One of the biggest concerns is going to be trucking capacity. Drivers are getting older, and younger people just do not see driving a truck as a good job. Add in the CSA that is going to take many drivers out of the cabs.
Right now we are just barely at the right capacity, but 2012-2014 we will see it drop. This means rates will have to go up, simply because it will be hard to keep drivers. We will also have to deal with the new fuel efficiency standards, which will drive up the costs of new equipment.
The railroads are making a solid play to handle more opportunities, that will be coming because of shortened capacity. Inter-modal will be a large part of their services. Many new projects have been in the works to allow for quicker delivery of the inter-modal containers, from more tracks to heightening of their tunnels to allow for double stack trains.
The perfect plan would be that the economy will have a very strong recovery, and there by increase demand. However this is an imperfect world. We have many things that may change the game. Inflation will be a concern, which may mean less demand for just in time inventory management and buyers looking to go to hedge position to not take as big of a hit on inflation.
Another possible concern which can be considered catastrophic, is if the US Dollar will no longer be considered the reserve currency. That is all commodities right now are traded in us dollars, if that changes say to the euro, or yuan, we will see hyper inflation. That will take decades to get out of, if ever.
So as you can see the future maybe good, or very bad. 20 years ago the industry was very different, then compared to today's lean method. We however can see that some of the problems that can happen, with just in time. Japan imports right now are becoming harder to get, to the point that Toyota has told their dealerships to not order parts unless they are absolutely needed.
Right now we are just barely at the right capacity, but 2012-2014 we will see it drop. This means rates will have to go up, simply because it will be hard to keep drivers. We will also have to deal with the new fuel efficiency standards, which will drive up the costs of new equipment.
The railroads are making a solid play to handle more opportunities, that will be coming because of shortened capacity. Inter-modal will be a large part of their services. Many new projects have been in the works to allow for quicker delivery of the inter-modal containers, from more tracks to heightening of their tunnels to allow for double stack trains.
The perfect plan would be that the economy will have a very strong recovery, and there by increase demand. However this is an imperfect world. We have many things that may change the game. Inflation will be a concern, which may mean less demand for just in time inventory management and buyers looking to go to hedge position to not take as big of a hit on inflation.
Another possible concern which can be considered catastrophic, is if the US Dollar will no longer be considered the reserve currency. That is all commodities right now are traded in us dollars, if that changes say to the euro, or yuan, we will see hyper inflation. That will take decades to get out of, if ever.
So as you can see the future maybe good, or very bad. 20 years ago the industry was very different, then compared to today's lean method. We however can see that some of the problems that can happen, with just in time. Japan imports right now are becoming harder to get, to the point that Toyota has told their dealerships to not order parts unless they are absolutely needed.
Saturday, December 25, 2010
The Government and The New Year!
2011 we will see some changes in the trucking industry. With CSA 2010 we will see some 10% of drivers being taken off the road. The is also talks of changing HOS to making driving time only 10 hours a day and reducing the 14 hours also. They may also change the reset time from 32 hours to 48 hours. There may also be more required equipment that forces mandated breaks and to get rid of paper logs to reduce "cheating"!
When we look at things we will also see many more boomers retiring in the coming 2 years. Trucker capacity is going to be strained heavily and if the economy picks up it will strain things even more. Add on the increase in fuel prices and things will start to look harder at a recovery.
There is also the need for highway spending in which the money has not been authorized for this year. This will be a fight. For the trucking industry hard times will be coming, and it will be the companies that are smart enough to adjust to the changes. There is also talk of taxing trucking companies even more because of their use of the highways. In my state of Michigan they are hiring 50 new Motor Carrier Officers focusing on weight stations, to get more money.
As I have been saying for the past 2 years drivers are in the sights of the liberal government. Simply because of those "dirty Diesel Trucks". 1 less hour per day is 55 miles not driven and equals 385 miles less during seven days. This will force more drivers out of the cab.
One of the advantages is if we can get drivers more on a 24 hour day cycle. One huge factor in weight gain is no normal sleeping patterns. It will also be nice to have 48 hours to restart the clock. Much better then getting 36 hours of home time.
We will see the games being played in June as the presidential election will start.
When we look at things we will also see many more boomers retiring in the coming 2 years. Trucker capacity is going to be strained heavily and if the economy picks up it will strain things even more. Add on the increase in fuel prices and things will start to look harder at a recovery.
There is also the need for highway spending in which the money has not been authorized for this year. This will be a fight. For the trucking industry hard times will be coming, and it will be the companies that are smart enough to adjust to the changes. There is also talk of taxing trucking companies even more because of their use of the highways. In my state of Michigan they are hiring 50 new Motor Carrier Officers focusing on weight stations, to get more money.
As I have been saying for the past 2 years drivers are in the sights of the liberal government. Simply because of those "dirty Diesel Trucks". 1 less hour per day is 55 miles not driven and equals 385 miles less during seven days. This will force more drivers out of the cab.
One of the advantages is if we can get drivers more on a 24 hour day cycle. One huge factor in weight gain is no normal sleeping patterns. It will also be nice to have 48 hours to restart the clock. Much better then getting 36 hours of home time.
We will see the games being played in June as the presidential election will start.
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
That Time of the Year!
This time next week I will be so excited to indulge in the Thanksgiving feast that happens at my parents house. Turkey, Mash potatoes, gravy, stuffing, yams, cranberry sauce, green beans, some classic Polish food and the pumpkin pie. Finish the night off with It's a Wonderful Life! The one down side of eating healthy now is that my stomach can no longer hold 3 plates of mom's home cooking.
But the good side of adopting my plan is I am always able to enjoy a good meal when such an occasion happens. Matt during the years of yo yo dieting, or just eating that one big meal a day would feel so guilty about blowing my diet.
Currently I am doing more of a muscle building phase, so I can have more carbs with my meals. This will build up to January when it will be time to lean down for the summer time. This is also me trying to learn the ways of properly maintaining my weight. If I get a few lbs out of my ideal range then a few weeks of clean eating and a few double cardio days and I am back within my range.
The election just happened and it was an historic election. Hopefully we will have some good changes coming. I have noticed many more truck driving jobs being available and in other fields also.
This will still be a tough holiday season, but we still need to be thankful that we are still alive, and things will get better. Enjoy your holiday.
But the good side of adopting my plan is I am always able to enjoy a good meal when such an occasion happens. Matt during the years of yo yo dieting, or just eating that one big meal a day would feel so guilty about blowing my diet.
Currently I am doing more of a muscle building phase, so I can have more carbs with my meals. This will build up to January when it will be time to lean down for the summer time. This is also me trying to learn the ways of properly maintaining my weight. If I get a few lbs out of my ideal range then a few weeks of clean eating and a few double cardio days and I am back within my range.
The election just happened and it was an historic election. Hopefully we will have some good changes coming. I have noticed many more truck driving jobs being available and in other fields also.
This will still be a tough holiday season, but we still need to be thankful that we are still alive, and things will get better. Enjoy your holiday.
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Differences in society
One thing that OTR truck drivers get to see is the differences in the regions in which they travel. This is something that is also easily seen in today's Global business environment. So it is important for people to be able to understand each other.
The English language in the United States alone has over 27 different distinct dialects. When you are driving a truck across this country you can hear the differences almost at every 6 hours of travel. All of these different speech patterns are parts of the unique ethnicity for different regions.
In one 14 day stint of being out I heard the New York, Boston, Chicago, Minnesota, Cajun, Mississippi, Texas and of course South Florida's many different versions of the English language. You have to be able to understand people when talking to them.
When I did customer service at one place of employment, it was amazing to hear the differences during the day. 8:00 am to 9:00 was mostly east coast, with Boston, New York and southern east coast versions. 10:00 to 12:00 I would start hearing Texas, Mississippi, Minnesota, Midwest. 12:00 to the rest of the day was a different time of hearing every different type of English being spoken.
Now add in international calls and you can easily have some misunderstandings. A place that I used to love getting calls from was the UK. Hearing proper English was nice. But there could easily some misunderstanding. The way we say vitamins, and aluminum will sound completely different. When I look at the way it is said in the UK it is the proper way of pronouncing the words.
What makes English in the United States so much different is the unique diversity of the immigrants that came to this country. Many of the styles can be directly traced to the different ethnic groups that would settle in an area. So around the Minnesota area their is a strong Norwegian influence in the speech patterns. Cajun came from the French. Just to name a few of the many different types.
The same thing can be said for many of the differences in food. Look at the simple hot dog. New York, Chicago, Detroit and the Southwest all will have different versions and I have enjoyed them all. This type of diversity should be embraced. The one down side of eating at a truck stop is everything that is served is usually just some industrialized version of food.
When you open yourself to experiencing other society's diversity, you can truly experience what our society has to offer. Thomas Jefferson once said " Traveling makes a man wiser, but less happy." So yes as truck drivers you can see this first hand.
The English language in the United States alone has over 27 different distinct dialects. When you are driving a truck across this country you can hear the differences almost at every 6 hours of travel. All of these different speech patterns are parts of the unique ethnicity for different regions.
In one 14 day stint of being out I heard the New York, Boston, Chicago, Minnesota, Cajun, Mississippi, Texas and of course South Florida's many different versions of the English language. You have to be able to understand people when talking to them.
When I did customer service at one place of employment, it was amazing to hear the differences during the day. 8:00 am to 9:00 was mostly east coast, with Boston, New York and southern east coast versions. 10:00 to 12:00 I would start hearing Texas, Mississippi, Minnesota, Midwest. 12:00 to the rest of the day was a different time of hearing every different type of English being spoken.
Now add in international calls and you can easily have some misunderstandings. A place that I used to love getting calls from was the UK. Hearing proper English was nice. But there could easily some misunderstanding. The way we say vitamins, and aluminum will sound completely different. When I look at the way it is said in the UK it is the proper way of pronouncing the words.
What makes English in the United States so much different is the unique diversity of the immigrants that came to this country. Many of the styles can be directly traced to the different ethnic groups that would settle in an area. So around the Minnesota area their is a strong Norwegian influence in the speech patterns. Cajun came from the French. Just to name a few of the many different types.
The same thing can be said for many of the differences in food. Look at the simple hot dog. New York, Chicago, Detroit and the Southwest all will have different versions and I have enjoyed them all. This type of diversity should be embraced. The one down side of eating at a truck stop is everything that is served is usually just some industrialized version of food.
When you open yourself to experiencing other society's diversity, you can truly experience what our society has to offer. Thomas Jefferson once said " Traveling makes a man wiser, but less happy." So yes as truck drivers you can see this first hand.
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