Be Thankful

Recently we had a family friend come out to visit us.  They are awesome and we have a lot of fun while they are here.  

The thing is that I sometimes lose sight of why they come.  

It’s not for the awesome adventures we go on, over 15 national parks, and countless state parks across the country.

It’s not because they need a break from work and have no other place to go.

It is because they want to see us and spend time with us.  

They consider us family.

Sometimes I lose sight of that.

I forget that they aren't here just for an adventure.  I’m not thankful that they made the effort to come out and see us. 

Instead, I feel almost as though they are using us.  Sponging off of our trip allowing us to pay for everything.

My thankfulness gets lost in the commotion.

It happens all the time to me.

I forget about the real reason we are doing something and get caught up in something that doesn't matter.

My loving wife usually tells me to pull my head out of wherever it is and be thankful for what we have and where we are.

Being thankful is NOT always easy.  

In Fact, it's a lot easier to just look at the gloomy side of everything.  That's what the Devil wants us to do.  

He wants us to be depressed and upset. That’s when he wins.

Honestly I let him win too often.

Today I want to encourage everyone to look for the silver lining to the situation you are currently in.

If you are too busy, then be thankful that you have an abundance to do.

If you are traveling too much, then be thankful that you have the means to go.

If you are trying to make the decision to start a business, be thankful that you have the opportunity to do so.

If you just got out of a bad relationship (work or personal) be thankful that you are no longer there.

I could go on and on, but I think that you get the point.

Be THANKFUL for where you are, God put you here for a reason.  He put the people around you for a reason, He gave you those ideas for a reason.  

You are awesome, amazing, and going to go places.  Be the 1% of people who are always happy and thankful for where they are.

I didn’t say that it would be easy, but you can do it.  Look for the bright side of every situation as soon as you can.

Why I pray all day, every day!

Have you ever felt like you were missing something in your life?

All the time right!

As you know I grew up in a Christian house,  mom went to church every Sunday and Bible Study Fellowship (BSF) during the week.  Her bible was always out on the table.  Dad could quote scriptures without even trying.  

But that’s not the reason I pray.  

While I want to make sure that my parents know that they were instrumental in my faith, they aren’t the only reason I pray.  

It was about a year and a half after we started Eclipse DOT that my wife and I were talking on one of our many road trips. I told her that I was frustrated that the business wasn’t really taking off and I couldn’t figure out why or how to make it go faster.   

She asked if I had prayed about it?

To be 150% honest, the answer was,

NO!

Why would I ask God to help with a business?  That involves making money, and the bible says that “the love of money is the root of evil”

She was 100% right though.  Why hadn’t I prayed about it?  Why was I keeping all this fear and doubt to myself?

We prayed right then and there. 

That was the turning point in the business.  I stepped down as CEO and we named God as the CEO. 

We decided that no matter how big the company grows, God will always be a HUGE part of it.  

At that point, I stopped worrying about the growth of the company and started thinking about how we can use it to help God?  We started a weekly devotional God First.  I went back and added verses to the bottom of every webpage.  

Personally, I started praying even more about every decision and every meeting. 

Before a meeting, I always try my best to send a quick, “God we know that you are in control and that you have all this handled, but please guide our words to make this the best meeting possible.  Let your will show through every situation.”

Oh my goodness what a HUGE changed happened almost instantly.  

We made the decision to change our CEO in July, and by September we were being pushed to step out on our own and leave my other employer.  

We still keep our faith strong in the company.  Before any functions, we pray.  Before any large meetings, we pray. 

We ask for God to continue to guide us, for him to show us how we can help him grow this company in his way.  

We know that sometimes, like any good CEO when we bring up a hair-brain idea he has to tell us “no.” That’s ok, we understand.  

Within the first year of stepping out on our own, we grew so much (like over 2000%). 

I can still remember our accountant going over that first year’s taxes with us.  She was very encouraging, but I could see the doubt in her eyes as we talked a little about goals for the next year and the next 5 years.

This last year she called me to ask if I knew how good we were doing?  I told her what I thought we made over the last year, and she was awe-struck.  How did you know that?

My response shocked her, “I prayed and listened with all my heart, I listened to what God said about what we make and I trusted him. So how close was he?”

“Within a few thousand dollars” she replied.

All too often we remove God from the business.  We have been brainwashed that God and business don’t go together.  God belongs in your personal life.  

Well to me God is my life, and he belongs in every aspect of it.  

That’s why I pray constantly. 

Before every meeting, before answering the phone, before I send an email, after I hang up, after a meeting, after that email is sent.  

God is in full control of every aspect of my life from my marriage (Love you Jenna), my kids (HUGE shout out to Billy, Nathen, Brianna, Jacob), the business (Eclipse DOT, Eclipse Training), the non-profit (God First Life Next), and everything I do.  

Today I want to encourage everyone who reads this to take a moment right now and think, what part of my life have I not invited God into?  Is there anything that I’m trying to keep all to myself because “God doesn’t belong there”

God belongs in every aspect of your life.  He loves and wants us to succeed.

Pray continually, Rejoice always, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. 

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

You can do Anything

All too often we look at someone’s appearance and don’t see what God sees.  

Heck, I do this with myself every single day.  

When I look in the mirror I might see someone too young to lead a team. Or an aging person who has passed their best opportunities because I was too scared to listen to God.  

Sometimes I see a guy who looks too tired and worn out to keep moving.

But that’s not what God sees.  

He looks past the outward appearance to see what’s really on the inside.

Someone who never gives up.  When they are told “No” it really means that I try even harder to make it happen.  A person who has the knowledge to do anything I want. 

He sees the person he designed. The person he shaped me into. 

God did the same thing when he chose David to be king.  

If we go back and read a few verses in 1 Samuel Chapter 16 you would find that Samuel really thought that Jesse’s oldest son was going to be chosen to be king.  

Probably for a few reasons.

He was strong, had distinguished features, and he looked the part.

What Samuel couldn’t see was his personality.

Much the same way we can’t see someone else’s personality until after we have spent several days with them.  

After God said, “Not this one” I’ll bet Samuel was a little disappointed.  

He went through all of Jesse’s children and God said, “Not this one.” to all of them.

Then Samuel asked, “do you have any other children?” 

Jesse told him,  “One more he’s out in the field with the flocks.”

They sent for David and the bible describes him as, “Ruddy!”

Ok, Then it goes on to also describe him as “God Like” too.

But you see God never judges a book by its cover.  Why do we judge ourselves as well as others by our appearance?

Have you ever seen someone in a suit and thought wow that guy/gal must be important? 

Or seen a person walking down the street in jeans with holes in them, and an old T-shirt and thought glad I’m not like him.

In a book, I recently read the author talked about when he met one of the people who invested greatly in Pixar animation, and how he noticed that he had holes in his pants down by his calf.  There were 2 small holes on each side of his pants, on each leg.  

He said, “This guy has so much money that he just bought part of Pixar, and he walks around with holes in his pants.  If it were me I would just go out and buy new pants.”

As he got to know Steve Jobs better he realized that while Steve cared about his outward appearance, those minor holes didn’t change who he was.  

You see those holes were there because Steve pulled up his socks several times a day and that was where he would grab his socks through his pants and pull them up.  

Our outward appearance doesn’t affect what God has in store for us.  It doesn’t change what he wants us to do. 

Have you ever judged yourself by your outward appearance?

I can’t tell you how often I used to look in the mirror and say, “I can’t do this”  or, “I’m not good enough.”

If I could be completely honest with you for a minute.  That’s what stopped me from starting my own business for many years.  I didn’t feel that I was “good enough” to have a business.  

Do you listen to God and know that we can do anything? Or do you listen to your inner critic and not get off the couch because “you’re not good enough?” 

Today is your day to take action!

Get up, look in the mirror and see the REAL person God shaped you into.  

The Vibrant, outgoing, gorgeous person he designed has been right there the whole time.

Just like David was there the whole time.

So today I want you to do something that you have never done before.

I don’t care what it is, just do something that you have never done before.  

For me, it’s going to be to write a letter to myself explaining all of my qualities and why I can do this.  

I know it might sound silly, but hey it works. Try it!

But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

1 Samuel 16:7

Drug & Alcohol Supervisor Training Guidance

U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) Drug & Alcohol Supervisor Training Guidance 

Have you ever received a notice stating the following? 

“Your Company is out of compliance.” 

“Don’t fail your DOT audit!” 

You are subject to a civil penalty up to $ 10,000 for being out of compliance.” 

More than likely the letter you received was sent from a private company that is aggressively marketing supervisor training to motor carriers. Neither FMCSA nor any other agency within the U.S. DOT is affiliated with or endorses the services offered by these companies. FMCSA is monitoring the marketing of training services by private entities and is taking steps to ensure that these companies are not representing themselves as affiliated with or endorsed by FMCSA.   

What You Need to Know: 

• 49 CFR 382.603 is the applicable regulation requiring supervisors of commercial motor vehicle drivers who operate vehicles that require a commercial driver license to take 60 minutes of training on the symptoms of alcohol abuse and another 60 minutes of training on the symptoms of controlled substances use (120 minutes in total).  The purpose of this training is to teach supervisors to identify circumstances and indicators that may create reasonable suspicion that a driver is using or under the influence of alcohol or drugs, supporting referral of an employee for testing.

• If you operate vehicles that require a CDL on the public roads and you have more than one employee in the company, you are required to get DOT Supervisor Training. To verify if you are subject to the drug and alcohol regulations, please visit http://www.dot.gov/odapc/am-i-covered

• Owner-operators are not subject to DOT supervisor training. However, you are still required to register with a consortium for DOT drug and alcohol testing.

• Employers need to ensure that the required content is made available to all persons designated to supervise drivers. Information can be found at http://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/regulations/drug-alcohol-testing/what-are-my-employee-and-supervisor-training-responsibilities

• There is no requirement you go through the company that sent you a solicitation. Below are a few suggestions on how you can get all of your employees designated to supervise CDL drivers trained.

• The Federal Transit Administration provides a reasonable suspicion training video at http://transit-safety.volpe.dot.gov/DrugAndAlcohol/Tools/ReasonableSuspicion.aspx

• For more information on drug and alcohol regulations http://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/regulations/drug-alcohol-testing/overview-drug-and-alcohol-rules

• There is no requirement you go through the company that sent you a solicitation. 

DOT Hazmat Awareness Training

Every day facilities across America send out thousands of shipments. 

We depend on safe and efficient transportation by air, land, and sea to get these goods to their destinations. Many of these materials require special attention.  

Some are fragile... others are bulky... some are hard to handle. Other shipments, however, need attention for a more important reason. 

These are the ones that pose health and safety risks.  

We're talking about...hazardous materials. In the United States alone there are over 800,000 shipments of hazardous materials each day.  

It is extremely important to handle hazardous materials safely.  Not handling them properly can lead to serious incidents, such as chemical spills and fires, and even injury or death. 

Many materials that are classified as hazardous are essential products to the industry but can be potentially deadly weapons in the hands of a terrorist.  

When packaged individually they may not be dangerous but when in the wrong hands and combined with other materials they could create a powerful explosion.

The Hazardous Materials Regulations affect all "Hazmat Employees." 

Because the safe transportation of hazardous materials is so important, a "Hazmat Employee" is defined very broadly. It includes anyone who directly affects a material’s transport, such as: 

• Employees who load, unload or handle hazardous materials. 

• Workers who prepare hazardous materials for transport, or who are responsible for ensuring that safe handling procedures are followed. 

• Workers who manufacture, recondition or test containers and another packaging that is used in the transportation of hazardous materials are also covered. 

• Vehicle operators, such as truck drivers and train engineers, who transport hazardous materials, are classified as "HAZMAT Employees" as well.

Employers take many different precautions to ensure that all “Hazmat Employees” are properly prepared for the position.  

They do this for many different reasons, one of the biggest is because the most likely terrorist threat will be from an internal source.  

The first step that the employer takes is to perform a careful background check and verification process.  Not all terrorists fit a preconceived picture of a criminal so this is a vital part of the process.   

Transporting Hazardous Materials can be dangerous because during transport is when the materials are the most vulnerable.  Some good ways to keep the transportation of hazardous materials safer is to:

• Avoid discussions with strangers while transporting such materials

• Always lock all of the doors of your vehicle while transporting the material

• If you are questioned about what you are hauling avoid answering the question until you know for sure that the person asking has a true need to know.

• Always ensure that you have the correct placard on the package or transportation container

• Make sure that you have the proper shipping papers prior to transporting the material. Those shipping papers should include

• Material Identification Number

• Proper Shipping Name

• The material’s hazardous class or division number

• It’s packaging group

All of this information must be shown in sequence, with no additional information interspersed. And all paperwork must be accessible from the driver’s seat.

If you ever have any questions about how to transport any type of hazardous material please refer to the Emergency Response Guide (ERG) Book.

You want to cross state lines with your CDL truck?

So you want to cross state lines with your CDL truck, there are a few things that you need to know before you do it.

The first thing is to make sure your DOT number is set up as INTERstate and not INTRAstate.

If it is set up for INTRAstate then all you have to do is use your DOT number, DOT Pin number, and FEIN you can update your MCS150 online here (https://li-public.fmcsa.dot.gov/LIVIEW/PKG_REGISTRATION.prc_option)

The next thing to check for is if you have filed your UCR (Unified Carrier Registration.  You can check that at www.ucr.gov.  

UCR is good for this year. It always expires 12/31 no matter when you buy it.  And it always costs the same.

Now that you are set up for INTERstate commerce and have your UCR filed for this year. The next step is to decide if you need to get IRP (International Registry Plan) plates for your truck and IFTA (International Fuel Tax Agreement)

Some key questions to consider are

1. Is your GCWR (gross Combined Weight Rating over 26k lbs

1. Only CDL vehicles (GCWR over 26k lbs) are required to have IFTA and IRP plates to cross state lines.

2. How often will you cross state lines or operate out of the state where your truck is registered?

1. If it's more than about one or two trips a month, then it's most likely worth it to get those plates and IFTA for your rig.

If you don’t feel that it’s in your best interest to get IRP and IFTA don’t stress you can still get trip and fuel permits for your truck so you can cross state lines.  

If you are crossing into Kentucky, New Mexico, or New York you also need to get weight distance permits for those states on top of IRP and IFTA.

Getting these permits is super simple and will only cost anywhere from $5 to $500+ per trip.  It all depends on how many miles you are traveling in that state. 

We always recommend that if you haven’t pulled a permit before to reach out to a professional to make sure you get the right permits.

We can help you get those and we won't charge you an arm and a leg to get them.  

Don’t forget that you also need to have all the safety equipment for your truck.  

1. 3 safety triangles

2. Spare fuses

3. Minimum 5lb fire extinguisher BC rated.

4. DOT Annual Inspection

I hope that this helps!

Load Securement

 

Do you have a rub rail on your vehicle?

Are all of your securing devices on the inside of your rub rail?

If you don’t have a rub rail are there any other securing points on your vehicle that you could use?

Are the ends of your straps or chains hooked in a fashion so they cannot break free if your strap or chain becomes loose during transport?

Is the hook of your chain pointed towards the ground?

When using chains, how tight is your connection by the truck/trailer?

If your load shifts during transport will it affect the tension of your securing devices?

Are you attaching the securing device to the proper place on the equipment?

Is it going to damage what you are hauling when you tighten your straps/ chains?

Can you see the tie-down icon next to where you are securing the piece of equipment? Does the securement point look to be in good physical condition?

Are you securing the machine in 4 different directions?

Do you have all of the attachments lowered and touching the deck?

Are those attachments secured to the deck?

Do you have the proper number/strength of securement devices?

1.5 times the weight of the cargo in securement strength? Minimum of 2 straps for any load?

At least 2 straps within the first 10’ and one strap every 10’ thereafter?

Are there any “rub” points or spots where the securing device might become damaged due to vibration during transport?

Can you move the securing device to eliminate those spots?

If not, are you using the proper guards to protect your securing device from damage?