10-4 Magazine April 2024

10-4 Magazine / April 2024 51 I use the term “go big” I’m talking about doing something special or going out of my way to impress others on my service. This is not to be confused with bragging or being boastful. What I’m referring to is doing a good job or going out of my way to provide a service above and beyond the expected. Service today is a lost art. What got me thinking about this topic was an experience I received last week when loading steel at one of our shipping points. Normally, I don’t service this account (notice how I used the word “service” and not load at or ship from). In the business I’m in, service is the only commodity we have to sell. Anyone can load and move this stuff. Note to self: the sweet flavor of a low price is often lost to the sour taste of poor service! Far too often we only notice when the service is substandard or less than we expected. How often do we overlook good (or even exceptional) service just because we weren’t discomforted during the process? Think about anything we do and then put that in the context of service provided. I had the good fortune to load three separate loads in Columbia City, Indiana, where the overhead crane operators were possibly the best I’ve ever worked with. They not only loaded my trailer in a timely manner, but they took extra precautions to insure they didn’t damage it (my trailer) or the freight. They even offered to help secure my load to speed things up for me. For the record, I searched out the supervisor and complimented the company and the skills of their workforce. Fewof us can live up to the standard that we would expect from others. I’m a person who lives in a world governed by positive energy. I don’t go looking for things to complain about or criticize. Yes, I except that not all people will be compatible with the job assigned to them, but that doesn’t mean they get a pass on doing less than their absolute best, at whatever that might be. The responsibility for my expectations are on me, and in normal situations, if I can see a degree of difficulty that overshadows their honest, well-intended efforts, then it’s my opportunity to help – if I can. How often do we lend a helping hand or jump in to assist before someone asks, even if it’s only to offer guidance, because you yourself have struggled with the same issue? If you do offer help and it’s rejected, you can’t be offended, because it was offered as “help” not part of their job. By the same token, if they don’t take your assistance and their own way proves to also not work, you still don’t get to complain about the failure. Compounding a bad situation with “I told you so” isn’t going to speed things up, either. Sometimes you have to walk away and give them a minute to compose themselves and reassess the issue. Then, if you are consulted and asked for advice, think before you speak. Starting your sentence with words like “I” or “Me” probably isn’t going to be helpful; try using “we” or “us” making it more inclusive and sharing the responsibility (the other person may already feel like an idiot). This way, at this point, they may feel it was more of a bad choice and less of a service failure. Bad service or a low level of help or assistance is most often displayed as an example, however what do you do with good service or the times when you’re amazed at the professionalism displayed? Do you complement that person or group of people? Do you report their deeds to a supervisor, or just carry on as if that was their job in the first place? I’m sure all of us have a list of customers we prefer to do business with for varying reasons. All these reasons stem from some level of service, from the guard at the gate, to the cleanliness of their restrooms, if they have any. Price or freight rates are also a measure of service. In my experience, the worse the service the more I would request in the rates. Time is money, and wasted time is lost money. Anytime an employee has to figure out how to load your trailer it is costing you, so when you get to a shipper that has trained and productive loaders, you want to go back there for more loads. If the product is properly prepared for shipment and rides well to its destination, that is a service, too, so be sure to offer feedback to the managers for future loads. Any positive exchange of information is a service from you, and remember, you’re being graded as well, by them. Don’t be afraid to ask questions about the commodities you are expected to transport. Once again, the more you know about their product, the better you can serve your customers. I know some of our readers are contract, or lease operators, who don’t get the option of choosing who they load freight from or to. With that being said, each of them has the opportunity to provide such exceptional service that the shipper or the end user will request them on future loads. As a truck driver, you become the face of every company