May 2019 – Trillium Staffing

Distracted Driving and It’s Implications in the Trucking Industry

Thu, 30 May 2019 13:12:50 +0000

As we all know, distracted driving can include eating while driving, talking on your cellphone, putting on make-up, texting and even messing with the radio or music player. No matter what activity is being performed to distract a driver, these simple actions can have catastrophic effects for not just the guilty party but the public as well. This past April, a round table discussion was held in Houston, TX by the National Transportation Safety Board in order to specifically touch on and discuss distracted driving and how this can effect the trucking industry.

Brian Fielkow, CEO of the Houston based trucking company Jetco Delivery, was one of 20 speakers who participated in this event in April of this year. Brian believes that in order to ensure trucking and logistics companies are handling the issue of distracted driving properly, there has to be a 3 way approach. Combating the problem lies with the individual offenders, the company itself and fellow peers and colleagues. By all 3 groups working together, companies can hope to instill a company culture where distracted driving is not acceptable in any way.

“It’s about holding yourself accountable, having a company that walks the walk and having team members hold themselves accountable,” Fielkow said. “No load is more important than the safety of the public.”

According to NTSB reports, almost 10% of all traffic fatalities in the US are caused by distracted driving such as glancing a cell-phone, or simply not paying attention to what is going on around them. The group found that the problem seems to be even more prevalent in Texas where in 2017, around 19% of all accidents involving motor vehicles involved distracted driving in some way. These accidents resulted in 444 deaths and over 3,000 injured. It is due to statistics like this that caused Texas to ban texting while driving in 2017, a trend that is becoming extremely widespread across the country.

While cracking down on distracted driving needs to be a team effort involving company officials, drivers and peers alike, ultimately, the choice to not be distracted while driving is on the individual driver. However, for truck drivers specifically, not using your cell phone while driving can be difficult in certain circumstances. For instance, many drivers rely on cellphones to give them information on available parking choices and hours of service issues. This can turn into a problem, especially if the driver is entering a new city or is using an unknown route.

What this all comes down to is distracted driving is perceived as being unacceptable for others to do, but not necessarily affecting individuals at the personal level. No one likes to see someone else driving while texted or eating a cheeseburger, but a large percentage of those same individuals have been known to similar tasks while driving their own vehicles. So why the disconnect? Why is it not acceptable for them but okay for me? Simply put, we all live with idea that we are able to handle multi-tasking while driving without an issue and something like an accident could never happen to us. This mentality needs to change! The implications of distracted driving need to be recognized at the personal level for all motorists, meaning that anyone who takes to the road should take responsibility for their own actions and remember that a small mistake on their end can completely change or even end the life of another. It doesn’t matter how good of a driver you think you are, if you’re distracted, you’re distracted. In addition, accountability at all levels of an organization is the first step to ensuring safer roadways for truck drivers and motorists alike.

For more information on this round table discussion, please visit www.ttnews.com.

The Trillium brand of companies is privately owned by René Poch and provides more than 30 years of industry leading recruitment and staffing services through its divisions including: Trillium Staffing, Trillium Construction Services, Trillium Driver Solutions, and Trillium Technical. With approximately 100 offices nationwide and nearly 400 internal recruitment professionals, the Trillium brand is proud to be recognized by Staffing Industry Analysts as a Top 25 Largest Industrial Staffing Firm in the U.S., a Top 100 Largest Staffing Firm in the U.S., a Top 100 Fastest Growing Staffing Firm in the U.S., and a 2017 and 2018 winner of National Best and Brightest Companies to Work For. For more information please visit www.trilliumstaffing.com.

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Unspoken Truths About Recruiters and What That Means for You!

Tue, 21 May 2019 19:58:32 +0000

Are you currently working with a Recruiter or are considering using a staffing company to help you land a job? If so, take a look at these unspoken truths regarding Recruiters and what this can mean when it comes to you and your next job opportunity!

Believe it or not, Recruiters WANT you to get the job! Most Recruiters, regardless of who or where they work, are paid on some kind of commission structure. This simply means that they earn a fee based on you make on the job that they placed you on. This DOES NOT come out of your pay but is added to the amount owed by the company that hired you. Why does this matter? It’s simple. First, because the fee is typically a % of your base salary, your Recruiter is going to try and get you the best pay rate possible, in essence the more you make, they more they make. With this in mind, always have the conversation with your Recruiter what you feel you are worth or what it is you are looking to get paid. The Recruiter can then try and negotiate on your behalf.
Recruiters will typically put the interests of the company first. While Recruiters do work with both candidates and companies to fill positions, the companies that seek out the Recruiters are, ultimately, the ones who foot the bill. What this means is that even though many Recruiters will agree that helping workers find their next job is the most rewarding part of their job, they have to focus on only presenting candidates who truly have a shot. As harsh as this sounds, it can work to your benefit. Recruiters will typically try and work with you to make you sound more appealing to Hiring Managers in order to get you hired for a job you feel you’re a fit. The key here is to listen!
Due to confidentiality agreements, Recruiters are not always able to divulge everything, especially early on in the process. Try not to get upset with a Recruiter if they are not able to provide all of the information regarding the company or position up front during the recruiting process. It is quite possible that the company in question has specifically asked this of the Recruiting team for one reason or another. In addition, when you’re told that you’re not a good fit for a position, simply ask if they can provide any constructive feedback as to why. Is the reason something in your control or is there something going on behind the scenes that truly does not have to do with your professional experience. Asking this question can help you better understand where to go next in your job search.
Recruiters may not know it all when it comes to the job in question. This can be especially true for positions that are extremely technical or specialized in nature. While Recruiters may become comfortable in using lingo in your industry, that doesn’t mean they know everything about everything. To feel more comfortable with the Recruiter you are working with, don’t be afraid to ask questions to gauge their knowledge of your field. The Recruiters that are doing this job for the right reasons will gladly answer your questions and if they are unsure of the answers will try and do more research to make sure you’re both on the same page.

Finding your next job or following a new career path is an extremely important stepping stone in anyone’s life and it shouldn’t be taken lightly. With that said, making sure that you and your Recruiter are in this together will make the task a lot less daunting, on both sides.

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Landing that Interview in a Few Simple Steps!

Tue, 14 May 2019 16:34:49 +0000

For the thousands of new college graduates hitting the job market in the coming weeks, the prospect of landing that job interview can be a terrifying and overwhelming prospect. However, if you follow these simple steps, you will go into your job search feeling confident and ready to hit the ground running!

Treat your job search as if it were literally your job. The best way to go about looking for and applying for a new position is to devote time and energy into the process. Set aside time each day that you can devote to searching and applying for positions and responding to network connections. This will allow you to stay focused on your end goal of landing a new career rather than getting distracted along the way.

Self-reflection, as hard as it can be, is important to growing in your career. Focusing on what your true strengths are will enable you to narrow in on the positions that you are truly qualified for and interested in. Be honest with yourself to determine what skill sets you might be lacking in so that you can steer clear of applying to positions that are heavy in those areas. The key to self reflection is to ensure you are applying for positions that you would truly be a good fit for in terms of personality and ability.

No matter what, stay determined! If you are starting to fill discouraged at the lack of interviews you’ve received, don’t give up. Reach out to your network connections and continue to constantly put your name out there. Never stop applying for jobs that you feel you are good fit for. Not finding positions of interest? Reach out to local Recruiters in the area to try and get your foot in the door that way. This can easily be accomplished by making connections on LinkedIn and other networking sites. Tenacity and drive are extremely important in landing that job interview and if you can prove your worth to a Recruiter, they will go the extra mile on your behalf.

Although, these concepts may sound simple, in reality the process of locating, applying for and landing a job can be difficult. You will face rejection or you might get ignored or simply forgotten about somewhere in the application process. Your main goal is to ensure that the drive and initiative you portray in your job search comes across when you inevitably get in front the Hiring Manager / Recruiter. Do the leg work and watch it pay off when your future employee is finally able to see your true worth!

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Personality Fit vs. Performance and Why Top Performers Might Not Work Out

Tue, 07 May 2019 20:37:38 +0000

Like with any company or organization, regardless of the industry, culture and teamwork go hand in hand when discussing the overall health of the company. With that said, what do you when one of your top performers doesn’t get along with the rest of your team? They bring in the most sales but tend to butt heads with everyone. Honestly, the most simple solution may also be the hardest; if your top performer is causing a toxic or hostile work environment, they need to go.

In order for any machine to keep running in an efficient and profitable manner, all aspects need to work together. Having one gear out of place, especially a substantial gear, can cause slowdowns and even breaks in the process. This, in turn, can ultimately effect overall profitability and production.

With that said, all people should be given the opportunity to alter their behavior. Bring the issues to the employee’s attention and set forth goals in order to get them on track with the rest of the team. If the issues persist, it’s time to move on. It is much easier to replace one person that an entire well-oiled team. The less your team has time to focus on a hostile or toxic working environment, the more time can be spent on improving production and inefficiencies. It’s proven that the more an employee feels comfortable and happy at work, the more they are inclined to perform better with the job at hand.

With the advent of AI and Machine Learning, technical skills among employees are becoming more and more standardized. As technology continues to improve, employers are going to begin looking at a prospective employee’s emotional intelligence to see how they fit within the team. Because emotional intelligence is hard to quantify, companies need to start looking at their teams differently. Instead of simply focusing on sales and numbers, look at how each employee works with other team members. If someone has lower sales numbers but appears to be the person that their peers turn to for advice or issues within the workplace, their worth may be more than what shows on paper. In these instances, your employees with high emotional intelligence could be the glue that holds the team together. In essence, these team members may be what keeps the team running smoothly through times of profitability and loss.

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