Commercial Carrier Journal’s annual Fleet Forum, taking place on Aug.21 in Dallas at the Great American Trucking Show, is aptly titled “Steering Past Obstacles to Success.” That title is a more measured one than some of the other proposed titles, such as “Running for Your Life in the Coming Economic Meltdown” or “Bailing Out of the Catastrophic Disaster.”
I prefer the visual of a captain steering a ship through a course of buoys, reefs and sudden storms. They say that calm seas do not make a competent sailor. If so, we should all have a good pair of sea legs by now. But every captain manages his crew a little differently, so all benefit by sharing insights, exchanging tactics and tapping into the combined success stories of industry experts. That’s one reason industry conferences are so valuable and why we’ve put together a top-notch CCJ Fleet Forum to address pressing concerns. Topics include:
- Fuel-saving tactics – Savvy fleet owners will share strategies for minimizing fuel
- Avoiding legal pitfalls with employees – As the trucking industry becomes more diverse in gender, race, religious beliefs, physical capabilities and so on, employers bear a growing risk from how they interact with job applicants and employees. Attorney Eddie Wayland will discuss many of these pitfalls in an informative and entertaining way.
- The tightening grip on safety and compliance – The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is becoming more aggressive in using information technology to monitor the safety and compliance of motor carriers. A panel of carrier officials and industry observers will discuss what’s happening today and what the future holds.
- Managing crash risk after the fact – Despite your best safety efforts, crashes happen. While it’s important to take steps before accidents happen and on the scene immediately after crashes to contain the legal damage, some of the most damaging actions follow months later. Attorney Mike Bassett discusses various issues in defending litigation, including the ins and outs of depositions.
The CCJ Fleet Forum is sponsored by the Texas Motor Transportation Association, Peterbilt, Shell, Cummins, the Midnight Trucking Radio Network and Bridgestone. While you’re there, join us Aug. 21-23 at the Dallas Convention Center for GATS, where there’s plenty of gorgeous show trucks, new products and services, and plenty of entertainment for the whole family to enjoy.
