News

Hetzels Overland Transport, Inc. recognized by Mid-West Truckers Association as Trucker of the Month May 2015

Mid-West Truckers Association’s Trucker of the Month is Hetzels Overland Transport, Inc. of Effingham, Illinois.

Owned and operated by Stacey and Darrell Durbin, Hetzels Overland Transport started out in 1993 as Poverty Trucking by Keith Hetzel. Poverty Trucking was providing spotter and shuttle services in Effingham for local business and manufacturing. As customers demanded longer distance services, Keith started Hetzels Overland Transport. Business grew and the company added more trucks to handle the increasing demand for over the road work.

When Keith passed away, his brother Scott stepped in and ran the company operations. He hired Stacey Durbin in 2007 as a secretary to handle invoicing. Stacey had been involved in trucking for years and her husband drove a truck for another local company. Scott’s heart was in farming, not trucking, so in 2009 Stacey and Darrell purchased Hetzels Overland Transport and Poverty Trucking.

Poverty Trucking is still doing spotter services and shuttle service in Effingham just as it has since 1993. Hetzels Overland Transport has had 18-20 trucks since 2009 and still does today.  One of the first things Stacey and Darrell took care of was upgrading all the trucks and trailers to 2010 or newer models. All of the tractors are Internationals. Just the fuel savings alone on the new tractors paid for the cost of upgrading all the equipment.

“We have almost all the same drivers when we bought the company, with very little turnover,” says Stacey. “We like to know our drivers and their families.” They also have a number of owner-operators leased on and pulling freight for Hetzels Overland Transport. With the many trucks and two companies, they have two full-time mechanics working on everything from DOT inspections to complete overhauls.

Stacey and Darrell are happy with the size of their company and are not actively seeking large growth opportunities. They primarily haul Midwest regional van freight in a 500-700 mile radius of Effingham.  With the recent changes to IRP they may look at doing a few east-coast and longer hauls in the future.

Stacey manages the day-to-day operations and Darrell is the safety manager for both companies. They live in Dietrich, IL with their 17 year old daughter Alyssa and have twin girls Amber and Ashley, 21, who are attending Southern Illinois University at Carbondale.

Stacey uses Mid-West Truckers Association to get answers to her trucking questions and takes advantage of the many services provided by MTA. “When I have a question, I never hesitate to call the MTA office and quickly get the answers I need,” she says.

The Board of Directors of Mid-West Truckers Association expresses their true appreciation to Hetzels Overland Transport Inc, and Poverty Trucking for their 22 years of membership and salute Stacey and Darrell Durbin as our May Trucker of the Month.

Congratulations!

To learn more about Mid-West Truckers Association, click here.

Proposed FLSA overtime regs go to OMB for review

The federal Department of Labor (DOL) has submitted proposed changes to the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) overtime regulations to the office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review. These regulations will increase the number of employees nationwide who qualify for overtime.

Employers get ready, because these overtime changes will likely have a substantial effect on your workforce. Many employees who qualify for an exemption from overtime right now, will be entitled to overtime once the regulatory changes are finalized.

How we got here

On March 13, 2014, President Obama issued a Presidential memorandum directing the Secretary of Labor to begin the process of addressing overtime pay protections to increase the number of workers who would qualify for overtime.

In May 2014, the DOL announced in its Semi-Annual Regulatory Agenda, under the section “Defining and Delimiting the Exemptions for Executive, Administrative, Professional, Outside Sales, and Computer Employees,” that the DOL was directing the Secretary to “modernize and streamline the existing overtime regulations for executive, administrative, and professional employees.” Proposed rules were originally due out in November 2014 according to the Agenda, but they were delayed.

Thomas Perez, Labor Secretary, has just announced that the proposed regulations have been submitted to the OMB for review. The review process can take anywhere from 30 days to 60 days, or in some cases even longer.

How the changes will look

The DOL changes to the overtime regulations will increase the number of employees nationwide who qualify for overtime in several ways.

First, it is very likely that the DOL will increase the salary threshold required for exemption, perhaps even double it. The current salary threshold for white collar employees is $455 per week. If the threshold increases, more employees will be entitled to overtime.

Second, the DOL may make the duties tests for exemption more difficult to pass. The overtime regulations require that employees perform certain duties in order to be classified as exempt. An exempt administrative, executive, professional, computer, or outside sales employee must have his or her primary duty work that meets the first requirement of the standard duties test for the particular exemption.

A determination of whether an employee passes the primary duty test is based on all the facts in a particular case. The amount of time spent in the performance of the required duties is one key factor.

Third, the DOL may impose a hard and fast minimum 50 percent time requirement on exempt primary duties. Currently, "primary duty" means over 50 percent of the employee's time. However, time alone is not the only test. For example, an employee who does not spend over 50 percent of his or her time in managerial duties might still have management as his or her primary duty if other pertinent factors are present. These include:

  • The relative importance of the executive duties as compared with other types of duties
  • The amount of time spent performing exempt work
  • His or her relative freedom from supervision
  • The fact that his or her salary is greater than the wages paid to other employees for the kind of nonexempt work performed by the executive

If a hard and fast minimum 50 percent time requirement is imposed on exempt primary duties, then these factors will no longer play into the analysis.

Cost to employers

Most employers will be affected by the changes to the FLSA regulations. In addition, most business establishments will incur costs from the changes. What types of costs are we talking about? Some costs will be one-time implementation costs and other costs will be ongoing for an indefinite period of time.

  • Devoting time to reading and understanding the new regulations
  • Updating corporate overtime policies to comply with the FLSA changes
  • Establishing communication between employers and employees about the benefits of qualifying as an exempt or nonexempt employee
  • Reviewing job categories and job descriptions to classify them as either exempt or nonexempt
  • Paying overtime to those employees who exceeded the current salary threshold of $455 per week, but will fall below the new salary level—yet to be announced
  • Increasing the salaries of certain employee groups to raise them above the salary threshold to classify them as exempt
  • Facing lawsuits by employees who claim they qualify for overtime under the FLSA

Conduct a self-audit

To help ensure that your company will not be subject to an FLSA claim or a DOL audit, conduct an internal audit once the proposed regulations are released. Review job descriptions to determine whether they are still accurate, reflect the jobs being performed, and reflect the skills necessary to perform the job.

Do you have the required posters hung in the appropriate places in the workplace? That is an easy violation for DOL investigators to spot right when they walk through the doors of your company.

Make sure you have properly calculated overtime for nonexempt employees. And pay past overtime due to employees you have misclassified. Paying them now will be far less expensive than paying them in a DOL settlement or class action lawsuit.

 

REFERENCE: HR.BLR  Susan E. Prince, J.D.

Top 5 Actions to Prevent Calls That Can Kill

Thank you for celebrating with us Distracted Driving Awareness Month. As April closes down, you can still put an end to distracted driving and help save lives throughout the year.

  1. Avoid using hands-free devices while driving.
  2. Don’t use your dashboard Infotainment system for tasks unrelated to driving.
  3. Change your voicemail message to tell people that you may be driving and will call them back when you can safely do so.
  4. Share with others this educational Infographic and video.
  5. Register for our FREE April 21 webinar "Hands-free or Handheld: Risks your Workplace Can’t Afford."

For more FREE resources including posters, fact sheets, and the NSC Cell Phone Policy Kit, visit us at nsc.org/cellfree.
   
Thanks again for helping to promote Distracted Driving Awareness Month and spreading important safety messages.

National Safety Council   1121 Spring Lake Dr    Itasca,  IL   60143-3201   United States
 

This Week's Training Shorts

 

Click here to log in to your personalized platform

 

These training shorts can increase safe work habits, productivity, and morale. The shorts cover a wide variety of work-related subjects to assist your organization in preventing injuries.

Ladders - Selection and Maintenance - English

Guidelines for the selection and maintenance of ladders.
Ladders - Selection and Maintenance - English

 

April is Distracted Driving Awareness Month

Traffic crashes are the leading cause of workplace death. With one in four crashes estimated to involve cell phone use, we need to be concerned. Join NSC in educating your workers on the risks of driver cell phone use. Calls kill - it doesn't matter if a driver is talking on a handheld or hands-free device. More than 30 studies show hands-free doesn't make a driver any safer - the brain remains distracted by the conversation.

Join us for two free webinars, hosted by experts on distracted driving:

April 9, "Our Brains on Technology: A Risky Combo for Drivers"

April 21 "Hands-free or Handheld: Risks your Workplace Can't Afford."

Download these resources including, posters, fact sheets and a PowerPoint presentation to engage your employees during Distracted Driving Awareness month.

Encourage your employees to take the Focused Driver Challenge and pledge to drive cell free.

http://files.ctctcdn.com/5a30c209001/0fc72d56-8d22-4801-87a3-7294cf2bd9ef.jpgDon't Assume the Driver Sees You

Focused Driver Challenge

Just Not Worth It

Consequences Can Be Deadly

Factsheet Habits Worth Breaking

Factsheet Hands Free Myth

 

Visit nsc.org/cellfree for details.

REFERENCES: National Safety Council, 1121 Spring Lake Drive, Itasca, IL 60143-3201, Benefits Spotlight, April 2015

This Week's Training Shorts

 

Click here to log in to your personalized platform

 

These training shorts can increase safe work habits, productivity, and morale. The shorts cover a wide variety of work-related subjects to assist your organization in preventing injuries.

Incident Investigation - English

What to do when investigating an accident.
Incident Investigation - English

Incident Investigation - Spanish

What to do when investigating an accident.
Incident Investigation - Spanish

 

 

This Week's Training Shorts

These training shorts can increase safe work habits, productivity, and morale. The shorts cover a wide variety of work-related subjects to assist your organization in preventing injuries.

Safety - Everyone's Responsibility - English

Presents the worker's responsibility for creating a safe workplace.
Safety - Everyone's Responsibility - English

Safety - Everyone's Responsibility - Spanish

Presents the worker's responsibility for creating a safe workplace.
Safety - Everyone's Responsibility - Spanish

 

Office Closed 02/03/2022

Due to the weather, our office will remain closed today, February 3, 2022. We will resume normal operations tomorrow, February 4th at 8 am. 

Please stay safe and if you need any assistance contact us via email. 

The Tedrick Group Recognizes Bolin Enterprises, Inc. as a Wellness Partner and Champion

Casey, Ill. (February 27, 2015) – Bolin Enterprises, Inc. a pipeline maintenance company in Casey, Ill., was recognized by The Tedrick Group as its first annual Corporate Wellness Partner. Additionally, Bolin Enterprises, Inc. HR and Marketing Manager, Deb Bohannon, was recognized by The Tedrick Group as its first annual Wellness Champion recipient.

 

The Tedrick Group Risk Management Consultants, Scott Giles and Chad Brandon, presented the recognition during the weekly Monday morning safety meeting on February 23, 2015.

 

The Tedrick Group, Risk Management Solutions, is committed to the growth and success for their customers throughout their initiatives involving Healthcare, Human Resources & Benefits and promoting a safe working environment. The Tedrick Group created the Wellness Partner and Champion Recognition Awards in 2014 as a way to acknowledge how companies are challenging themselves to accommodate the recent healthcare industry changes and to improve the overall health of their employee base.

 

“I am honored that Bolin Enterprises, Inc. has received these recognitions,” says Judy Bolin, President. “We have always had a Safety First moto in which our goal is that each day concludes with completing the circle of excellence and all employees return home safely.  Getting annual Wellness checks and being aware of health risks is part of that too.”

 

Bolin Enterprises, Inc. (BEI) a major pipeline company was started in 1986 as a family owned paint and body shop. In 1987, BEI began performing sandblasting and painting of exposed pipe locations. This rapidly expanded to include a variety of pipeline maintenance projects that propelled BEI into the pipeline maintenance arena with contracts with several pipeline companies. In 2003, BEI expanded services to include Underground Storage Tank (UST) and Aboveground Storage Tank (AST) Inspections / Cleanings / and Coatings. They are currently performing UST and AST Tank Inspections in all 50 states and Puerto Rico.

 

BEI is centrally located between Indianapolis, IN and St. Louis, MO on Interstate 70, placing the company in the heart of many major pipelines and communication hubs in St. Louis, Chicago, Detroit, Columbus and various Kentucky markets.  For more information visit Bolin Enterprises, Inc. website at www.bolininc.com.  General inquiries can be emailed to info@bolininc.com or call BEI direct at 1-800-650-7834.

 

 

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Rollback of Hours of Service Restart Rule Creates Potential for Confusion

One of the most controversial pieces of the Hours of Service (HOS) rules put into place in 2013 was a limitation on the 34-hour restart for drivers. In July 2013, the 34-hour restart rule was restricted so that drivers could only restart once every seven calendar days (168 hours) to reset the 60 or 70 hour clock. In addition, the restart needed to include two nighttime periods of 1 a.m. to 5 a.m., using the driver's home terminal time zone.
 
Those restrictions were overturned as part of the congressional budget bill passed in December 2014, returning the restart and other HOS regulations to pre-2013 requirements. In the wake of the legislation, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) immediately suspended the requirement that each restart contain two 1 a.m. to 5 a.m. overnights and the prohibition on using the provision more frequently than once every seven days.
 
While the suspension was immediate and the FMCSA is required by the law to produce a Federal Register notice to alert drivers, enforcers and other stakeholders of the change, it may take those charged with enforcement of the regulations a while to catch up. Truckers should be aware that current legislation means that:
 

There is no limit on the number of restarts a driver or motor carrier can use: the 2013 limitation of one restart every 168 consecutive hours in 7 days requirement is now gone.
The 34 consecutive hour restart can begin and end at any time during the day or night, and the two 1 a.m. to 5 a.m. consecutive nights requirement is also gone.
The 34 consecutive hour restart can commence at anytime regardless of the number of cumulative hours worked.


Although restart limitations were overturned, the 30 minute rest break required for all drivers who complete records of duty status is retained. This rule is not applicable to 100- or 150-air-mile radius operations. For more information on the hours of service rule visit the FMCSA web page on the subject by clicking the link below.

FMCSA - Hours of Service


Have a great day!
ACUITY Trucking Team

InGear Express Trucking News

 

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