T&P Driver’s Meeting on October 20, 2013
T&P Trucking hosted the latest of the semi-annual T&P Driver’s Meeting at the Surrey Sport & Leisure Center in (Fleetwood) Surrey, BC on October 20, 2013. Find out what was presented by reading more.
T&P Trucking commonly hosts the T&P Driver’s Meeting in October and April of each year. The purpose of these meetings is to provide all of our drivers with training on personal and public safety, on laws pertaining to the various government sectors and on company policy. We do this by means of audio-video demonstrations, best practice scenarios and oral and written testing. Further to this, we keep our drivers up to date with industry and company news, and we give our drivers the opportunity to voice their concerns and give suggestions on how to improve the safety, efficiency and service of the company.
The T&P Driver’s Meeting was held from 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM in the MP Room #1. Refreshments were provided by Café Central who are located at the same facility. Don Mills and Sam Pattison were the presenters. Some of the highlights from the discussions were:
Hazardous Materials Handling
Don Mills presented information on the safe handling of Haz-Mat shipments via video demonstration. It identified that it is the Shipper’s responsibility: (1) To provide the Driver with the manifest or bill of lading that identifies the materials along with quantities, codes, and weight; (2) To place the labels identifying the material on the packaging itself on 2 or 4 sides; (3) And to provide the driver with the necessary placards that identify the material being hauled. It also identified that it is the Driver’s responsibility: (1) To apply the placards on 4 sides of the vehicle; (2) To do visual checks both during shipping, while en route, and when delivering the product to make sure there are no spills or leakage; (3) To secure the product properly so as to avoid possible spills or leakage; (4) And to have the manifest or bills of lading kept within close reach of the Driver, or when away from the vehicle, to leave it in plain view for Emergency Responders or the Authorities. This section was concluded with an oral and written test.
Shipping and Safety Policies
Sam Pattison presented information on the compliance with shipper policies. It was explained that while CSA and WCB set the standards on proper shipping procedure, it is the Employer’s responsibility to enforce the proper practice of safety standards on the job. When a driver arrives to a location that does not appear to have an established safety policy, they are required to default to the safety standards that have been established at T&P Trucking’s facility. Otherwise, the driver is required to follow carefully and obey all established policy and signage throughout their facility. Some examples were given of the policies established by Western Stevedoring Lynntem, Fraser Surrey Docks and other shippers.
Fuel Savings
Of course, we know that if we can save on fuel costs, we can be more competitive in the industry. We want to cut costs for our drivers, so we announced that we worked out a deal with TCH that we will only use their service when purchasing fuel in Canada or the USA and in return TCH offers to our drivers savings right off the pump price. These savings are put right back into the each driver’s pocket. T&P Trucking benefits from this arrangement also as it will lower the administration costs involved in managing and reporting this process. This arrangement starts on November 1, 2013.
Thank you to all who attended and made this meeting a success! All in all, we had a great time discussing the above issues and other information with the drivers. Some were unable to make the meeting due to illness or scheduling of deliveries. We hope that more will be available for the next meeting, as at the April 2014 meeting, we will center our discussions on the education and prevention of Workplace Bullying, Harassment and Violence between drivers, shippers, and employees.
Until next time!
Sam Pattison