Omnitracs' Road Ahead blog

From Labor Day weekend to other long holidays, here's how you can prepare your operation for success

Omnitracs

Labor Day weekend is just around the corner, and with it comes another holiday-weekend round of online sales and road congestion. The holiday, which dates back to the late 19th century, is a tribute to the everyday American worker. While many in the workforce enjoy a three-day weekend as a part of the commemoration, truckers — one of the largest and most historical sectors of the American labor force — remain in full work mode.  

The Michigan Center for Truck Safety is launching a Labor Day safety campaign aimed at truck drivers and motorists in response to a 32% increase in crashes involving trucks and buses over the past five years. This campaign, aimed at the excess need for safety that accompanies holiday weekends, points to just one example of proactive precautions industry professionals can take to tackle Labor Day weekend, along with other holiday weekends.

Care for your cargo

A recent analysis conducted on historical trends between 2014 and 2019 found that the Friday before Labor Day is the most common day for cargo theft. While truckers are on the road, many logistics employees are on vacation, leaving distribution centers and warehouses less guarded and secure. Food and beverage loads are the most targeted ones. In 2017, 22% of all cargo thefts were food and beverage related. While this statistic relates to Labor Day, all national holiday weekends can easily see this risk as well.

You can utilize a trailer and asset tracking solution that’s right for your business to combat this risk. Modern solutions can provide up-to-the-minute data into the status of your trailers, drivers, and cargo. You’ll also want to ensure that your solution of choice has sensors included that detect doors opening and closing. With the right solution at your disposal, you can rest easier knowing your loads are secure. Not only will this benefit you during high-theft holiday weekends, but it will significantly help you in the long run by eliminating time and money wasted searching for — and possibly never finding — lost assets.

Be a good neighbor on the road

Similar to Michigan’s safety campaign, the American Trucking Associations also recently led a safety initiative during Memorial Day weekend to encourage travelers to take extra driving precautions on the road. Roads on national holiday weekends see many travelers all looking to reach their destinations in an efficient amount of time. While understandable, this mixture of congested roadways and impatient drivers can often result in hazardous accidents.

From video monitoring to routing solutions, there are many ways fleet managers can protect truckers who are diligently working to transport goods amid holiday traffic jams. One of the best solutions to seek is one that incorporates turn-by-turn driver navigation that works to guide commercial fleets accurately. With an enhanced solution that works for fleets, truckers can remain on the least congested routes without having to worry about commercial-specific hazards, such as low bridges and road-use restrictions.

Holiday weekends aren’t the only thing to set your sights on these coming months. Check out how you can combat changing weather and weather-related crashes in this throwback blog post.