ANIMAL STRIKES
Do not try to swerve around an animal! You could lose control of your vehicle and hit a tree or another vehicle — both are potentially much worse than hitting an animal. If you swerve, there’s also a chance that the animal will panic and run into your path. According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, there are an estimated 1.5 million animal-vehicle collisions annually in the United States, causing more than 150 fatalities and $1.1 billion in property damage each year. Certain states experience more collisions with animals than others. According to State Farm’s annual claim statistics, the states with the highest number of accidents involving animals between July 1, 2005, and June 30, 2006, were Pennsylvania, Michigan, Illinois, Ohio, Georgia, Virginia, Minnesota, Texas, Indiana, and South Carolina. Take special care near animal-crossing warning signs. Be aware that animals adapt well to living close to humans and that some populated areas are as likely to have animals around as rural areas. The signs are there for a reason. Use your high-beams whenever possible. They will give you more time to spot and react to animals on the road.
remind everyone that our policy is to use the APU for all parked HVAC needs and any inverter needs. Controlling idle time is so simple. When you set your brakes, turn off the truck engine. The APU should turn on and take care of any needs you have. If the APU does not work, it is the driver’s responsibility to get it to a shop for repair. Help us lower the cost of fuel and keep the main engine turned off when parked. Doing pre-trip inspections is one of the most important steps a driver can take to promote safety. It is also the most frequently bypassed step. When you fail to do pre-trips, you fail to protect the people around you as well as yourself. Please take nothing for granted. Protect yourself and protect the motoring public by doing a good walk- around pre-trip anytime you start to drive. We have 110 new Hyundai trailers being delivered. These trailers are the first we have purchased with disc brakes. They will carry the numbers of 19001–19110, so when you have one, please let us know how you like the brakes. Please remember we are here to help and we will do our best to take care of your trucks and trailers. We are in no way perfect, but we do care, and we will try to get you fixed right the first time. Please let me know if you have any comments, and thanks for what you do! –Tim Tipps If you see one animal, expect that there are others nearby. According to the Animal Protection Institute, 70 percent of animal-car collisions result after the driver slows down for one animal and then accelerates, failing to see another. Know which seasons and times of day are worse than others. Deer are most active in the months of October, November, and December, during the peak breeding season. Late February and early March are also critical months for deer collisions. Be especially watchful for animals in fair-weather periods before storms. Animals are usually seen along the roadside during the early morning hours and in the late evening. Don’t jeopardize vehicle control when avoiding animals. If you do see a deer or other animal on the road, don’t slam on the brakes. Keep your lane position, and sound your horn while braking in a controlled manner. Sudden panic stops are not a good idea, as they could spook the animal and cause it to suddenly dart into the path of another vehicle.
Keep your speed down at night. Most collisions occur on narrow, two- lane rural highways, but they can occur on any type of road.
SHOP TIPPS
Hey there, employee owners! What a great time to be at Big G Express. We have so much going on and we are always happy to serve our fellow employee owners. The maintenance department is making changes in the work schedules of our mechanics so we can better serve you. We are rescheduling manpower to put more focus on the time of the day you are most likely going to need help. This puts us in a better position to get you in and out of the shop more quickly. Please keep in mind that there will be times when we have more work than we can do, so please be patient with us. We would also like to make sure everyone knows that our shops in East Tennessee and Deason can take care of your needs. Many times we see drivers travel right by these shops only to go to Mount Juliet and get in line for a repair. These shops in Deason and East Tennessee are well- equipped with great people who can do all repairs — often with no wait time. If you need something fixed, call Travis at Deason or Larry at ETN. I think you will be pleasantly surprised with the experience.
We currently spend $2 million a month on fuel. Idle time for Big G Express is at its highest point since we invested in APUs. I would like to
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