Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays:

As we approach the end of one year and the start of another, I think it is important to always reflect on what the past year has brought – both in our personal lives and professionally.  What challenges have we faced?  What was worth celebrating?  How do we position ourselves to meet the New Year head on?  

Despite rough beginnings to 2019, the entire Bison USA team has done an outstanding job of turning things around.  We’ve been under budget with regards to our crash spend three out of the last four months and we are set to end Quarter 4 extremely strong.  Most importantly, everyone has gone home safe at the end of each day. 

Accordingly, we are positioned to enter 2020 with the right kind of momentum.  To that end, some areas of focus to pay close attention to as we start the New Year:

• Continued focus on Winter Driving.  It is not surprising that our worse accidents related to winter weather in 2019 happened in late January and February – after a couple of months to adjust to winter driving, it’s easy to become overconfident.  However, we must stay diligent.  Icy roads are just as dangerous in February as they were in November.
• Vehicle Space Management.  Of our accidents in 2019, the vast majority were related to not managing the space around the vehicle – either the trailer caught something on a turn or something was backed into.  These types of accidents are completely avoidable.  It is imperative that all employees maintain focus and take the time to do it right (e.g. Get Out And Look).
• ELDs.  At the time of writing, we have only a handful of trucks to convert to the FMCSA-mandated software.  I understand that this change has brought its own share of challenges, and I am proud of how our drivers have navigated the changes.  As we turn to 2020, it will be important to tighten up our attention to detail – logs will be monitored to ensure they are certified everyday and Unassigned Drivetime will be accounted for.

Finally, as we approach the calendar rollover, I’d invite you to reflect on yourself.  What are your goals for the upcoming year – both personally and professionally?  Are there any changes you’d like to make in your life?  This kind of evaluation sets the stage for the improvement that will drive our company forward into 2020.

Thank You,
Tyler N.
Director of Safety