Robert Kaferle

Are you recognizing the right drivers?

How do you define a “good” driver?

For many carriers, that definition begins and ends with those who deliver as much freight as possible on time. After all, this is how carriers generate revenue.

Robert Kaferle, vice president of safety at Reliance Partners, a trucking insurance agency and provider of safety consulting, urges fleet owners to measure drivers beyond who makes the most deliveries.

While most companies expect their drivers to be compliant with regulations and company policies, some...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/are-you-recognizing-the-right-drivers

How you can prepare to ace a weigh station inspection

Weigh station inspections can take as little as thirty minutes or, if a driver is having a bad day, it can end up costing them 10 hours. 

Of course, 10 hours is only if a driver receives a violation severe enough to put them out of service.

These violations cost drivers not just their time but could require them to pay fines and impact the Pre-Employment Screening Program (PSP) report, which might make it more difficult to get hired by another carrier in the future.

But passing an inspection isn’t...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/how-you-can-prepare-to-ace-a-weigh-station-inspection

Wisdom doesn’t come from experience but from willingness to learn

No two days are the same for a truck driver. And so there’s always something new to learn.

Think of the highway challenges you encounter every day, the maintenance issues that pop up from time to time, not to mention the ever-changing regulatory environment.

Robert Kaferle, Reliance Partners’ vice president of safety, explains that from an educational standpoint, many wrongfully think that earning a CDL is the last bit of learning you will need to enter the transportation industry.

“But it’s...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/wisdom-doesnt-come-from-experience-but-from-willingness-to-learn

Post-accident violations? They may be challengeable

Has a post-accident inspection ever blemished your compliance, safety and accountability score? If so, there’s a chance it could be reversed.

“Violations that occur as a result of an accident are not supposed to count toward your CSA score,” said Robert Kaferle, Reliance Partners’ vice president of safety.

However, carriers far too often accept the penalty as just a byproduct of the accident investigation process when this simply isn’t the case — or at least it shouldn’t be. 

Inspectors make...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/post-accident-violations-they-may-be-challengeable

Don’t forget bill of lading, trailer numbers before hitting the road

The attributes of a good driver go beyond driving ability and punctuality — paperwork is important too.

A driver is only as reliable as their logs are accurate.

Robert Kaferle, Reliance Partners’ vice president of safety, reminds drivers to tighten up when it comes to form and manner violations, making sure to update their trailer numbers and bill of lading numbers before each haul.

Drivers involved in drop-and-hook freight exchange trailers often on a daily basis. Changing hands constantly, it’s...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/dont-forget-bill-of-lading-trailer-numbers-before-hitting-the-road

Staying warm key to surviving winter emergency

Winter is just around the corner, bringing with it colder weather, snow and ice — are you prepared?

While the leaves are still orange and red and the breeze just slightly cool, truckers may not want to think about the sub-zero conditions or frigid, icy and snow-packed routes that many will journey in the upcoming months. However, properly planning for winter driving may well save your life if you’re ever stranded in the cold.

“It’s the mentality that, ‘It’ll never happen to me,’ but in reality...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/staying-warm-key-to-surviving-winter-emergency

Bringing drivers and dispatchers together helps dispel misconceptions

You sip your morning coffee preparing for another long day on the road when you get the call from dispatch, and what you hear upsets you. 

It’s not the destination, the customer or the load itself that has you frustrated. It’s the internet video you hear in the background. That may seem insignificant, but it leaves the distinct impression that you aren’t the dispatcher’s top priority.

Any negative preconceptions you had about your company’s office staff have now been confirmed.

Reliance Partners

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/bringing-drivers-and-dispatchers-together-helps-dispel-misconceptions

Insurance FAQ: What exactly is DataQs?

Do you DataQ?

The answer should be yes, especially considering it could take you off the hook for a number of violations.

Let’s face it. Everyone makes mistakes from time to time — even those writing the tickets. If you receive a violation that you feel is without merit, don’t let it go unnoticed. 

DataQs allows users to track and petition a review of federal and state data issued by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration that’s believed to be inaccurate or incomplete.

“It gives carriers...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/insurance-faq-what-exactly-is-dataqs

Fleet safety can be as easy as rocket science

Fleet safety isn’t rocket science. But for the sake of the argument, let’s pretend it is.

Think of your company as a rocket and your drivers as the astronauts. When the countdown to launch begins, their training and trust in the engines will determine the success of the mission.

Your engineering better be top-notch because one error can lead to catastrophic failure. 

Here, the engines are your safety program. Reliance Partners Director of Safety Robert Kaferle uses the rocket analogy to describe...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/fleet-safety-can-be-as-easy-as-rocket-science

In the trucking industry, saving pennies can add up

The miles may be long in trucking, but the grind also occurs at a more granular level. 

“Trucking is a business of ‘a little goes a long way,’” notes Reliance Partners Director of Safety Robert Kaferle. Everything from contracts to fuel charges and driver pay can be drastically affected by just a nickel or dime, more or less.

A couple of cents more doesn’t sound like much, but at the end of each quarter your accountant can prove otherwise.

“Fuel is getting more expensive and we’re seeing less...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/in-the-trucking-industry-saving-pennies-adds-up

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