A Saturday in Florida

Meet Frasier Crane

Frasier and Roz

New ban on Cell Phones for Commercial Drivers

In November U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood announced a new rule "specifically prohibiting interstate truck and bus drivers from using hand-held cell phones while operating their vehicles".  I have not seen any press or announcements about this new rule but it affects many companies including a-fabco.  


The rule goes on to state: "The final rule prohibits commercial drivers from using a hand-held mobile telephone while operating a commercial truck or bus. Drivers who violate the restriction will face federal civil penalties of up to $2,750 for each offense and disqualification from operating a commercial motor vehicle for multiple offenses. Additionally, states will suspend a driver's commercial driver's license (CDL) after two or more serious traffic violations. Commercial truck and bus companies that allow their drivers to use hand-held cell phones while driving will face a maximum penalty of $11,000. Approximately four million commercial drivers would be affected by this final rule."


While I agree with the ban it will definitely affect our deliveries.  It will require us to always have two people on deliveries at all times.  Most of our customers request a 30 or 60 minutes heads up before delivering to their jobsite and if we only schedule the driver with no helper that will mean he has to pull over every time he makes that phone call.

I am curious if anyone else heard about this change?  If so are you making any changes to your current delivery policy?

It is Invasion Weekend!

I moved to Tampa, in January, 16 years ago.  Imagine my surprise when after just a few weeks of living here I was told we were going to be invaded by Pirates!  And quite the invasion it was...and is.  Pirates seem like a bizarre source of celebration, at least to me, yet for Tampa it works.

www.destination360

Gasparilla started in 1904 when a group of Tampa businessmen dressed up as pirates (left over from Mardi Gras) and rode through the City on horseback to celebrate May Day. They named themselves the Ye Mystic Krewe of Gasparilla after the famed pirate Jose' Gaspar.  It was so well received that next year "all of Tampa's 60 cars" participated.

This year Tampa celebrates Gasparilla with parades, a pageant, running (from the pirates I would assume) & truly one of the best Art Shows I have ever attended.

     2012 Events

www.sptimes.com

•  SAT., JAN. 21: Gasparilla Extravaganza
  3:30 p.m.: Children's Parade
  7 p.m.: “Piratechnic” Extravaganza
  7:30 p.m.: Fireworks
• SAT., JAN. 28: Gasparilla Pirate Festival
  10 a.m.: Gasparilla Invasion Brunch
  11:30 a.m.: Gasparilla Invasion
  2 p.m.: Parade Of Pirates
• FEB. 18-19: Gasparilla Pageant
• MARCH 3-4: Gasparilla Distance Classic
• MARCH 3-4: Gasparilla Festival Of The Arts
• MARCH 29-APRIL 1: Gasparilla Film Festival

Official Gasparilla Site

Though it seems to be all about beads, parties and parades there is a serious side to the more than 50 Krewe's who participate each year.   Each Krewe has a mission and the majority of those missions are about helping others.  In 2004 Ye Notorious Krewe of the Peg Leg Pirate was created and their mission is to "assist amputees, their families and organizations that work with amputees".  I hadn't realized we had so many soft hearted pirates in Tampa but we do.

If you are in town this weekend or any of the dates listed above I would highly recommend donning an eye patch and joining in the fun and frolic.

Florida Garden

red leaf lettuce

cabbage

Part of my Job

I received an interesting phone call last week from the job superintendent (JS) that was in charge of the Winthrop school project that I provided doors, frames and hardware on last Fall.  If you don't remember the blog post here is a refresher.   At the time the GC was building two schools concurrently and had given the doors, frames and hardware scope to two different distributors.  The JS called me because he was receiving several phone calls from the school I didn't get that the levers on the locks were breaking. Was the same thing happening at Winthrop?  No it wasn't.  The JS wanted to know why.  I asked him to email me the Hardware Schedule from the other school so I could review what type of locksets were supplied.  After some investigation the hardware distributor supplied exactly what was specified.  I had not however.  

When I originally quoted the project I felt the Grade 2 lockset specified were not a good fit for a school application.  This is the description from the manufacturer's website: cost-effective performance for entrance doors and interior passages where heavy duty levers may not be required. This keyed lever lock is especially designed for both light/medium commercial and multi-housing applications.  Based on my experience a school is exactly where heavy duty locks are required and to be fair the manufacturer specified offered heavy duty locksets.  I quoted & submitted a different Grade 2 Lockset with a lifetime warranty and had the free wheeling clutch built into the lever.  Pricing didn't come into play either as the locks I submitted were actually less expensive than the locksets specified.  I made sure to take a sample of the lock I wanted to supply with me to the first jobsite meeting so the Architect could physically look at it and hold it to better understand why I was requesting this change.  He approved the lock and that is what I supplied.  

I am not writing this post to bash architects either.  I admire architects and wouldn't want to do their jobs.  The knowledge they need to know to design a building and meet all the codes is overwhelming to me.  In my opinion part of my job as a supplier is to communicate to the GC and/or Architect if I see something on the plans or in the specifications, for my scope, that doesn't make sense.  We all have the same goal - to provide a safe building that meets code with good longstanding material that the end user is happy with.  

I am disappointed that the other distributor didn't step up.  At this point I have provided a quote to change out all the classroom locks at the other school.  This will entail extra expense, time and a major inconvenience to the school that could have been avoided.  

A Half a Century - Really?

Every two weeks Bloggers unite for a day to write about a communal topic. This week LetsBlogOff asks the question  what would you change if you could turn back time? 

This year marks a milestone birthday for me and honestly I am having a bit of a time wrapping my brain around this number.   I am currently the age my mother was when she was diagnosed with lung cancer after smoking all of her adult life (don't smoke!).  In a few months I will be the same age as my mom when she died so I have been thinking about the past a lot recently.  


I think we all have had moments when perhaps we acted less than honorable and wish we could take back the hurtful words flung in anger or hurt.  It is part of being human and though I can't change my past actions I certainly can analyze those reactions and change my future actions.  But would I change something major in my past life?  Not really.  Love, money and people have all come and gone but I wouldn't be who I am today without experiencing all those good and bad moments. 

deshforum.com

I can take those lessons and begin each day anew.  I can make the time to work on my creative side.  I can choose to capture that big voice of fear and work to make it nary a squeak.   I can choose to see myself as my friends see me.  My wonderful caring friends who wouldn't keep me in their lives if I wasn't also wonderful and caring.  I can encourage other women to be their best.  I can relish in the amazing technology that has transpired in my lifetime that has allowed me to meet new people across the globe all via Social Media.  I can look at the lines on my face and know I came by them honestly. 


"I must govern the clock, not be governed by it"  Golda Meir


Please take some time to read what the other participants in LetsBlogOff shared about looking back

What do you see?

I took this photo of a glass globe yesterday.  What do you see in it?