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Commercial motor vehicles have a strict obligation to comply with several federal regulations to ensure that our roadways are safe for travelers. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA regulation subpart 392.9) requires commercial vehicle drivers to inspect and properly secure all cargo before starting and operating their vehicles.

Fantham served as ASA president in 2015 and was at the helm and played a key role during that timeframe when ASA was able to add a critical codes and standards staff position. Fantham currently is doing a second stint on the ASA board of directors, while many Hajoca team members are volunteer leaders serving on a variety of different ASA advisory councils, task groups and special interest divisions.

I have been fortunate this past year to have traveled the country as ASA president and was able to speak to many different groups. Each time, I talked about what I call the base case for what ASA delivers to its members, which is impressive on its own.

I wrote a book for homeowners in 2003 and called it, “We Got Steam Heat” (with apologies to The Pajama Game). I wrote that book because I had written another book 11 years earlier that I called “The Lost Art of Steam Heating.” A lot of homeowners bought “Lost Art" because they were having difficulty finding a contractor who knew anything about steam heat, so they decided to get their learn on.

Over the last year we’ve dug into the value you can receive from developing peer networks in your personal and professional life. A network of peers is a fantastic source of ideas and feedback and an amazing tool for exploring challenges and opportunities. Your counterparts have lived in your shoes and share the same daily struggles you do. You have these groups all around you and whether you realize it or not you’re probably a member of quite a few.

Writing this column I am just getting home from my first-ever trip to Chicago. While I was there — on Thursday, Nov. 10 — the city recorded a record high temperature for that time of year at 76° F. This was great news for a born and bred North Carolinian who doesn’t fare well in temps below about 50°. Now, the culprit behind these record-setting temps — global warming caused by greenhouse gas emissions — isn’t such great news, but it is one our industry is actively working to address (check out the story on geothermal trends and decarbonization in this issue for more information there).

Over the years, there have been plenty of occasions where I have been overwhelmed/flooded with material provided to me on subjects I have written about.

This is a good thing because it tends to reinforce that person’s already known prominence/level of reverence in their particular vocation/walk of life.

Knowledge is power. And knowledge is powered by data. Access to real, actionable data is one of the most important tools for any leader in today’s rapidly changing business environment. The ability to analyze, manipulate and act upon real-time information is not only a need but increasingly a requirement for success in business today.

As an owner or manager, your laser focus is on each vendor’s profit and, mistakenly, assume that your salespeople share your bottom-line focus. I suggest you are focusing on the deliverables, and they are involved in the process, the sales process. In most cases, you will not be able to move your salespeople to your side of this question by simply showing them the money. The way to move them is to show them how these HVVs will fuel their desire to be a great showroom salesperson.

The purpose of this article is to raise awareness on the importance of having an established active shooter program. Given the nature and unpredictability of these events, nearly every business benefits from doing so.