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The Hidden Costs of Not Washing Your Truck Frequently Enough

StrategyDriven Tactical Execution Article | The Hidden Costs of Not Washing Your Truck Frequently EnoughTrucking companies must perform a variety of tasks to maintain the fleet trucks and keep the vehicles on the road. Any failure to complete maintenance tasks can generate a high financial loss for the company and may lead to certain liabilities. Dirty trucks are liabilities for the company in more ways than one.

A truck that hasn’t been cleaned could accumulate debris on the top of the vehicle that could flow down onto the windshield. Limited visibility for the driver increases the risk of trucking accidents and serious injuries for the driver and others who collide with the truck. By setting up professional truck cleaning services, the trucking company stops these events and protects their drivers and others on the roadways.

Paint Corrosion and Body Damage

Debris and pollutants that are not removed from the trucks properly can eat through the paint. Once harmful substances get underneath the paint, the body and structure of the vehicle could become damaged, too.

Commercial trucks must be cleaned regularly to remove the debris and protect the paint and body. If not, the owner can sustain serious financial losses. Business owners can learn more about dfw fleet washing by contacting a service provider now.

The Collection of Animal Droppings on the Trucks

Animal droppings can accumulate on the truck body depending on where the driver travels. In areas where there are berry trees, birds are likely to defecate onto the vehicle and drop pieces of the fruits, too.

The acidic compounds in animal droppings cause body and paint damage, but the substances also present serious health risks for the driver and anyone who comes in contact with the affected portion of the truck. If a driver places packages on the truck’s hood, the droppings could transfer to the parcel and spread to the recipient.

Increasing the Frequency of Truck Inspections

The Department of Transportation has strict regulations related to commercial vehicles, and if an officer comes across a filthy fleet truck, the agency has the authority to conduct roadside inspections. During the inspection, the DOT can determine if the truck complies with federal sanitation regulations. If the truck fails the inspection, the trucking company faces penalties and fines based on the severity of the violation.

Making the Wrong Impression on Customers

Customers will look at the truck when assessing the company, and if the trucks are disgusting, this paints a negative picture of the company. In most instances, the customers won’t place orders or hire the business for services if the trucks are dirty and unsanitary.

With the emergence of new health risks throughout the world, trucking companies must follow protocols to eliminate dangerous substances from the trucks and protect customers, drivers, and the public. Once there is a negative impression of the business, customer retention can become a serious problem.

A Decrease in Lifespan of the Truck 

Without proper cleaning, the truck’s lifespan is shortened. While owners may think that body and paint damage isn’t a major issue, the damage could travel further and cause mechanical issues. Corrosion on the truck hood allows rainwater to leak on top of the engine, transmission, and other major parts. The rust can also travel and cause defects that prevent major parts from working and increase auto repair costs for the owner.

Regular truck cleaning can remove all debris that causes damage and prevent more corrosion. If the owner doesn’t eliminate harmful substances frequently, no one will get the full use-value of the vehicle, and the price of the truck decreases quickly and dramatically.

The Truck Cannot Pass Certain Borders

In Canada, commercial fleet trucks that are dirty or present health risks cannot pass the border crossing. Federal health regulations give border authorities the right to refuse entry to any commercial driver that has health risks on the vehicle.

If the transport service delivers goods to Canada, the business owner must clean and maintain the vehicles. Border authorities can complete a full safety inspection of the truck, and if there is a higher accumulation of debris on the truck, the driver cannot enter the country and deliver any products beyond the country’s borders.

Debris Accumulation Hides Damage and Defects

Bird droppings, pollen, and other debris on the truck can hide major defects on the body. If the trucks aren’t cleaned thoroughly and often, the driver and the owner are less likely to notice the damage until there are holes and significant signs of rust or breakage. This can become a serious problem for a company that doesn’t have the capital to buy new trucks.

Professional truck cleaners sanitize the entire truck body, around the tires, and all spaces underneath the carriage. Dirt, pollutants, and other harmful materials are removed properly and stay off the vehicle with regular cleaning services. By setting up the services, the owner can avoid high costs later and protect their commercial vehicles.

Increasing Maintenance and Repair Costs

When maintaining commercial trucks, cleaning services are part of routine maintenance, and the vehicle should be cleaned at the first sign of debris accumulation. Business owners know how important oil changes, air pressure assessments, and tune-ups are to the longevity of the trucks.

However, most owners don’t consider how dirt and other substances can damage the vehicle and affect how the truck performs and how the vehicle looks. With regular truck cleaning services, the business owner completes all steps for truck maintenance and gets the most out of the investment.

Professional truck cleaning services eliminate a variety of liabilities and issues for trucking companies. Cleaning services aren’t just for aesthetic purposes, and the options can prevent major trucking accidents. Debris accumulation can damage the truck body and paint, and corrosion can damage parts underneath the hood.

Trucking companies can get major advantages by allowing a professional to clean the commercial trucks. The service providers will complete a thorough job, and all trucks pass inspections conducted by the DOT and border authorities. By setting up regular cleaning, the owner gets the full benefits of the services.

How to Use an Online Consultant

StrategyDriven Tactical Execution Article | How to Use an Online ConsultantWith all of the information that is available at our fingertips, it can be a bit overwhelming to determine what is actually applicable to our business needs. While some people do not mind researching for hours on end to find an answer to their company’s issue, others want a more efficient and custom option that allows them to quickly get the information and advice they need. Because of this, there are online consulting firms that give people the answers they need. Online consultants can help in a variety of ways.

Marketing

Have you ever wondered how your business could better utilize social media platforms like TikTok or Facebook, but did not know where to start? An online consultant with expertise in digital marketing can provide information and advice on how to begin your adventure with social media marketing. This is valuable for a multitude of reasons, but especially because many social media users do not have all of the information about how to properly leverage social media before they actually start using it. Having an online consultant can help business owners avoid embarrassing and unsuccessful social media marketing campaigns before they start.

Finance

Is your business growing faster than you know how to manage? Talking to an online consultant with a financial background can help you determine how to best utilize and maximize your funds. From creating different investment accounts to further building business credit, this type of consultant can help you have better control and understanding of your business funds.

Leadership and Human Resources

Do you want your business to have a better organizational structure than it currently has? An online consultant with expertise in human resources can help your team be better aligned and have more synergy through projects and team goals. From advice about training practices to helping your leadership better understand their management style, an online consultant can help give you the tools to make your organization more efficient and professional as your company grows.

From marketing to human resources and every business function in between, an online consultant can provide efficient, educated and customized advice that is tailored specifically to your business needs. Having an expert work as a resource for your company allows you to focus on what your strengths are and utilize the advice you have received to give your business the tools it needs to thrive.

10 Factors to Consider When Choosing a Roof Type for Your Construction Projects

StrategyDriven Tactical Execution Article | 10 Factors to Consider When Choosing a Roof Type for Your Construction ProjectsYour roof will determine the durability and appearance of your business facility whether it’s an office or factory. Here are 10 factors worth considering when choosing a roof type for your construction projects.

Choosing a roof type comes with great responsibility. This also involves choosing the right contractor for your construction projects as they influence your decisions the most. Baker roofing company provides you with the 10 factors to put into consideration when choosing a roof type for your construction projects.

Your budget

Finances will always be your number one constraint. How much are you willing to spend on your roof? A good roof type will always be more expensive than the rest. You should be aware of the costs you will likely incur through the process of purchasing, installation, and maintenance. Costs may include that of raw materials, transportation costs, a roofing contractor, and maintenance costs.

Budget involves estimation of costs prevailing in the market. The use of construction estimating software eliminates the likelihood of underestimation or overestimation. Having a good budget with correct estimates shades more light on how much the project will cost you.

Business needs of the facility

When choosing a roof type for your construction projects you need to consider the business needs. Does it need a roof? Is it an office? In case it’s a factory, are there any pollutants emitted? Will they react or cause damage to the roof? These are some of the questions you need to ask yourself to make a good choice.

The geographical location of your building

Different regions have different trends of weather. The weather may differ year to year in terms of wind velocity, rainfall, and snowing and other regions may experience the extremes of these weather conditions. Different roof types are made to withstand the extremes. Your geographical location may restrict you to only certain types of roofs hence you should consider looking into this.

Cost of maintenance

Roofs also need maintenance to keep them functional. Some types of the roof will require high maintenance with the need of expertise which may be expensive. Some may also need to be replaced wholly, therefore, you should take into account this factor.

Reviews, references, and testimonials

A good roof type will be followed by positive reviews. Check the provider’s website or social media platforms to see the reviews and testimonials given by their customers. Ask for references from other owners of buildings who have already installed their roofs.

The length of service

Longevity varies from one type of roof to another. In addition, other factors may influence its normal lifecycle by either prolonging or shortening it. These factors may include exposure to the sun, level of maintenance, and installation. The key goal of any business is to maximize profits and minimize costs hence the need for long-term goals prioritization.

You need to ask yourself this: will there come a time when you’ll have to relocate? Do you have ideas of converting the building into something else shortly? Answering these questions will help you make an informed decision on the type of roof you need to purchase.

Level of expertise of the roofing contractor

Some negative reviews of the roof types may arise due to poor workmanship. You may end up not liking your roof type because it was wrongly installed by an unqualified professional. Expertise in this field has vast knowledge on the different types of roofs and has a better understanding of which one will suit your business. You should also consider looking into the number of years the roofing contractor has been in the market. Those with over 50 years of experience such as slate roofing should provide a high level of expertise.

Energy saving

Energy-saving roof systems are becoming popular because of their efficiency. They can recycle toxins that are hazardous to the environment hence leading to energy bills savings. They are quite expensive than others but in the long run, you save more on your energy bills.

Building codes

Some states have restrictions on the type of roofing for safety purposes. This is because some states are exposed to risks that are natural such as tornadoes and hurricanes.

The roofing application

Are you applying the roof to a new building, as an addition or as a replacement? Answering this will help you in choosing the correct roof type needed.

Conclusion

Making a good choice of roof type is very vital for the success of your business. Your decisions should be informed. Considering the 10 factors discussed above, you will be guided to arriving at the best decision.

Improving Quality Assurance During The Software Development Process

Quality assurance (QA) is a crucial part of the software development process. Regular testing ensures that applications are not filled with bugs and they operate as they should. Unfortunately, a lot of companies have trouble with their QA process because they think that throwing money or more people at the problem guarantees results. However, that’s not the way that it works and if you want to improve QA, you need to adapt your strategy and change the way that you approach it. Here’s how you can improve quality assurance in the software development process.

StrategyDriven Tactical Execution Article | Improving Quality Assurance During The Software Development Process

Improve Project Management

One of the biggest ways to improve QA is through project management. If you want to make sure that QA is working, you need to make sure that it’s an integrated part of the development process and not something separate from everything else. So many companies make the mistake of thinking of QA as an afterthought and that’s when the process suffers. Everyone has to have clear roles and responsibilities in testing as well as communicating with each other about what’s going on. It’s important that you have a good project management team to help integrate QA and ensure that it is a priority throughout the development process.

Implement Automation Tools

Another way that you can improve QA is through automation. With automation, it’s going to be a lot easier for people to do their jobs and test applications because they have tools at their disposal that make testing much more efficient. Using automation tools (like this one at testRigor.com) allows you to automate a lot of the time-consuming aspects of QA instead of testing everything manually. You can create detailed reports so you know exactly where the issues are and they can be resolved quickly and easily. Many people make the mistake of expanding their QA team instead of improving efficiency with automation tools. The problem is, more people complicate the process and increase the chances of mistakes. Automation tools solve this problem and save you a lot of time and money, while also ensuring that your QA processes are working as they should.

Test Throughout The Development Process

Another way that you can improve QA is by testing throughout the entire development process. Instead of waiting until everything is more or less completed and then testing, you should be constantly testing as things are added to applications. This ensures that new components and features don’t throw off the balance of what’s already been created and that there aren’t any crucial components that are overlooked. The more you test, the easier it is to fix issues when they arise and improve production quality. It’s always more effective to deal with small issues as and when they come up instead of trying to iron out complex problems at the very end of the development process.

Quality assurance is so important during the software development process and if you don’t get it right, the user experience of your applications will suffer. By making these simple changes, you can drastically improve QA in your business.

Why You Should Take Advantage Of Overnight Shipping Services

StrategyDriven Managing Your Business Article | Why You Should Take Advantage Of Overnight Shipping ServicesToday’s world has been influenced by numerous factors, many of which have resulted in a consumerist mindset. The two main factors are the internet and the media.

As the name suggests, overnight delivery is done overnight. The term refers to a delivery option guaranteeing that shipments will be delivered by a specific time the following business day.

The term is often used interchangeably with other phrasings such as next-day shipping, 1-day shipping and express delivery (next business day). These are some of the advantages of using overnight shipping services.

Convenience For Certain Shipments

Overnight delivery is ideal for time-sensitive shipments. For example, if they needed to be delivered at the beginning of the following day, preferably by a certain time. Regardless of the industry, businesses selling a product should take advantage of this delivery method. Ensure that any important packages are delivered the following morning at the earliest convenience.

Trusted Shipping Companies

Identify the most reputable companies. Find one that sets high standards in their service of delivery.

It should offer more than just tips and standard shipping services. For instance, LSO is an example of one such shipping firm. They provide tips on shipping practices, as well as an overnight shipping service to customers. As a leading delivery service, they offer a selection of next day delivery services, which can be delivered at certain times the following day.

Earn Loyalty Of The Customer

Next day delivery has a loyal customer base. The flexibility and success rate of this option has built this loyal base. Customers who have had a bad experience with a business that offers next day delivery, do not want to go through that again.

Instead, they look for businesses that provide standard delivery services, in addition to the next day. Keeping in mind customer satisfaction, provide customers with this professional and reliable delivery option is the best way to go.

Satisfied customers generate business. They tell friends, relatives, co-workers, or business partners about the positive service they received. Some leave positive reviews that can be integrated into marketing materials to promote the business. Positive information that customers put up about the company online is good for website optimization.

Potential To Save Money

The cost of overnight shipping is often more than regular shipping. However, it costs more to keep items in storage. You have to pay monthly rent on a storage facility and invest in security to keep belongings safe.

Overnight shipping can cut these costs. The need for storage space decreases when items are shipped out overnight.

Reputation is crucial for business. Research the delivery options available to you as a business. Consider their reputation and what previous customers have said about the service. Use this information and the benefits of implementing overnight delivery services to make an informed decision.

Taking these steps will enable you to take off your company’s shipping effectively and efficiently for years to come.