How to Stay Fit on the Road

/in /by

Being on the road can be hard, especially sitting for a longer period with little to no activity. Truck drivers normally get about 30min break every 5½ hours they worked, and they are also entitled to at least x2 15mins break. On average they would work 10-11hrs in total a day, both night and day shift.

Being seated for 11hours can cause bad posture (poked neck, rounded shoulders, lower and upper back rounded forward this may due to tight chest from leaning forward. Gluteal muscles will be affected by sitting down longer hours and tight hip flexors and weak on the abdominal muscles area, due to bad posture.
Within this 11hrs, they are mostly on the road, seated with less activity so, it is important that they at least doing some sort of stretching or exercise to keep their body active and in shape

Here are some activities that truck drivers could do to improve posture and a healthy lifestyle while on the road:
15mins stretch is all it takes to make a change in their everyday routine
Truck’s driver can perform these stretches while sitting in the car
-Chin tuck stretch (this will prevent paining in neck causing headaches)
-Chair twists stretch (stretches the spine, shoulders and hips)
-Above the head chest stretch (this is good to loosen up tight chest, and you can perform this sitting or standing up)
-Scapula retraction (squeeze shoulder blades together and hold for 15secs)
-Wall/Car door stretch (hold for at least 30secs on each side, this will help stretch each side of your chest separately)
Walking around the truck and do various stretches that will help improve posture during their 30 or 15 minutes break

For truck drivers that has access to any gym equipment’s or a gym, these are some of the workouts that they could do:
-bench press (BB or DB)
-push-ups
-assisted pull ups
-barbell bent over row
-seated shoulder press (BB or DB)
-bicep curls (BB or DB)
-leg press
-hip thrust
-Squat
-plank
-sit ups

*Recommended doing x3 sets & x10-12 reps each, take 60-90 seconds rest in between, try incorporating 15 min HIIT cardio
Advantages:
• increase metabolism, which means you burn more calories faster even after your workout is done
• you can do it at home without any equipment’s
• Increase Speed and Endurance
Cycling is another good cardio to burn calories and help improve posture
Have something to eat after 30mins of workout, otherwise they will go hungry and start binge eating or take a snack to eat 15mins after workout.

Written by Hugo Phillipps

Recruiting Good Truck Drivers Who Will Stay

/in /by

According to a conference organised by Truckload Carriers Association and ACS Advertising in 2012, truck owners found out some key features to maintain the high standard of the fleet and maintain the good relationship with their drivers. Recommendations to manage and run a fleet in a digital era, as well as useful tips to hire a truck driver and operating strategies, were mentioned in the conference. Let’s deepen into significant changes to get more idea about growing sustainably in the logistics and transportation industry.

1. Drivers are seen as a human, not a steering-wheel holder
Throughout many of the sessions, there was a message of “drivers are people, too.”

Compensation is one of the first things people ask about when looking for a job. Mark Murrell is president of CarriersEdge, which does the Best Fleets to Drive For the program for TCA. He reported that company drivers working for carriers in the Best Fleets program averaged $53,673 annually, on an average of 111,851 miles, while owner-operators averaged revenue of $162,985 a year on 116,021 miles.

Following to his words, there is a strong belief that a support company will make people stay, even their salary is average and not seemingly increase through years.

2. Communication for sustainable relationships
An increase of social media and smart devices encourages conversations between people. The same happens in the relationship between owners and their employees. To have good driver retention and make them feel they are home, a seamless connection between the operator and their drivers should be maintained. “Retention starts with the very first call the recruiter gets from a driver,” Chappell – safety and recruiting coordinator for Fikes Truck Line – said, “but it’s everybody’s responsibility, right down to the operator who answers the telephone. Every conversation can make a difference.”

Drivers can call to tell about their problems while working, and the first 3 months are the perfect time to create a healthy relationship and long corporation, operators need to take these matters seriously and make a right decision to them to improve the work experience.

3. How to have good driver retention
So you knew the importance of a prompt communication. It is better to know that a judicious move in operating strategy can save for a company thousands of dollar recruiting new people and making them stay.

The issue resolution process is important, said Rim Yurkis, president and CEO for employment consulting firm Strategic Programs Inc. Some companies even created a buddy program that creates a safe and informative support for new drivers where they time for questions and trials at their first time. In a long-term, it creates a sense of belonging for employees when they spend their time and commitment to the company and earn valuable experience as well as a close-knit relationship with their counterparts.

It’s important for driver managers, dispatchers, whatever the fleet calls them, to have a one-on-one relationship with their drivers. Understanding work characteristics of different drivers in various backgrounds, skills, experiences and their motivations help the company build a healthy model to support the work condition, from that the company can maintain their service standard and earn more profit from a professional and productive fleet.

Written by Hugo Phillipps

Speed limit around Auckland’s Waterview Tunnel to return to 100km/h from July

/in /by

The speed limit on Auckland motorways around the Waterview Tunnel will increase to 100km/h from July.

The NZ Transport Agency said the proposed changes on State Highways 20 and 16 will allow maximum speeds of 100km/h in certain driving conditions.

Public feedback was open for a four-week period with more than 3000 responses provided during that time, with the significant majority in favour of increasing the maximum speed limit.

The changes to increase the variable speed limit from 30–80km/h to 30-100km/h will be introduced in two phases.

 

The first phase is planned in the following locations:

• SH20 northbound – 25m south of Dominion Rd to 440m south of Maioro St

• SH20 southbound – 650m north of Maioro St to 5m north of Dominion Rd

• SH16 westbound – 255m east of St Lukes Rd to 880m west of the eastern abutment of the Rosebank Bridges

• SH16 eastbound – 880m west of the eastern abutment of the Rosebank Bridges to 235m east of St Lukes Rd

• Including all on and off ramps connecting to local roads.

Source / NZTA

 

These changes are expected to follow shortly after investigations into the signage and system requirements have been completed.

Speed limits are likely to be reduced during peak periods when there are typically high traffic volumes and in the event of incidents, crashes, maintenance work or extreme weather conditions.

Source / NZ Herald

Auckland Traffic and Congestion affects on Truck Drivers

/in , /by

It is no secret that Auckland has a traffic problem, during the peak hours of 6am-8am and 4pm-6pm during the working/school week the congestion along motorways, state highways and roads is ridiculous. Not only is there stop-start traffic during peak hours, but traffic may also occur due to other factors including natural disasters and roadwork, closing busy motorways and main roads. According to the New Zealand Herald, the average Aucklander spends up to 12 working days per year stuck in traffic. The government has encouraged the use of public transport with the updated train services, increased bus stops, discounts and automated payments including the Hop Card, but what is the affect traffic and congestion is having on our truck drivers? Those who earn a living sitting behind the wheel of a heavy vehicle.

The North-Western Motorway is currently undergoing structural and infrastructural change due to increased housing opportunities in areas including Riverhead, Hobsonville Point and Helensville. Eastbound lanes between Lincoln Road off-ramp and Te Atatu Peninsula off-ramp are usually closed between 10pm-5am, and Westbound lanes between St Lukes Road off ramp and Great North Road on ramp are closed between 11pm-5am. Closures similar to this are frequently occurring all over Auckland, adding to the poor road layouts and detours. The government and New Zealand Transport Agency have chosen to work on the roads at night to benefit the majority of the Auckland community with day jobs, but on the other hand, this notion negatively affects those who work night shifts. Truck drivers working night shifts are forced to take elongated routes, ultimately using more petrol and working longer hours trying to make deadlines. These sacrifices are for future benefit in which will include extra motorway lanes and a tunnel to South Auckland which will knock a considerable amount of time off Airport round trips from West Auckland. But how can we change the current structure to accommodate those transporting the goods and products we consume daily?

On the 20th December 2016, a truck crash caused major traffic congestion on SH20, the main route to the Auckland Airport spilling gravel all over the road. Travellers rushing to catch flights abandoned their cars and made their way to the airport by foot adding to the traffic problems. Auckland Airport tried to damage control with the use of their social media accounts, tweeting to the travellers to stay within their cars, but fell on many deaf ears as there were no delays in flights due to the incident. The lanes on SH20 were closed at approximately 4.20pm and were re-opened at about 6pm that same day, with southbound lanes cleared around 5.30pm. The almost 2-hour ordeal could have been avoided with the conditions taken into consideration, including speed, vehicle size and weight, time, route and most importantly (for truck drivers) job urgency.

The use of technology and the internet can help each trucker plan for their individual journeys before taking off. When planning each route, considerations in areas including natural disasters/weather, current events, time frames, public holidays and school holidays will impact traffic and congestion throughout Auckland and New Zealand. The Trucker App available on PlayStore for Android and iTunes for Apple makes planning your route as a truck driver simple, with trucker stops located around New Zealand incorporated on the maps and routes.