Don’t O.D. On O.T.

Supervisors are responsible for seeing employees accurately record the time they work and receive overtime when it is due. Frequently, employees have stated “their department doesn’t allow overtime.”

Unfortunately, the unspoken meaning of this phrase means employees may be required to work overtime to complete their work, but will not be paid for it. Employees fear their supervisors will reprimand them if they show overtime on their time cards, so they work the hours and don’t record them.

In addition to this practice being illegal, it creates an atmosphere that hurts morale and productivity. Employees who believe they have been cheated out of pay will not be as productive or willing to go the extra mile. Fearing retribution for recording overtime, employees may carry that feeling over into the rest of their jobs, also fearing supervisors may retaliate against them if they do something wrong. This creates a hostile and intimidating workplace.

Overtime Trust
Supervisors should foster a sense of trust where employees feel comfortable raising the issue if they believe they need more hours to complete assigned work. Upon hiring an employee and at various times throughout the employee’s tenure, the supervisor should be sure the employee understands the following:

• Employees must receive permission to work overtime
• Employees must accurately record all overtime on their timecards
• Employees cannot work overtime out of the goodness of their hearts

You need to keep an eye out for individuals who work excessive overtime. It’s not uncommon for companies to have 20% of their employees working 80% of the overtime. Such a disparity should raise a red flag, because people who routinely log 60-70 hour weeks are candidates for fatigue related errors.

Don’t try to solve this problem overnight. People who work a lot of overtime quickly become accustomed to the larger paychecks and often adjust their lifestyles accordingly. Make sure workers understand the basis for policy changes and build in steps that reduce overtime gradually.

If overtime is a regular feature of your operation, you should have some type of formal distribution system. This reduces the likelihood you’ll be left shorthanded on any given day and prevents workers from feeling a supervisor is playing favorites.

Training For Flexibility
Emphasize cross training in your company. Some companies get into a bind because only a small percentage of the workforce can handle certain jobs and tasks. So a few workers end up getting a lot of overtime whether they want it or not. When you train employees to handle jobs other than their own, it becomes easier to distribute overtime evenly. It may also reduce the need to call people in for overtime and reduce the number of people you need to provide relief coverage.

Raising Pay
Since you will save money by reducing overtime, you may want to offer slight raises to your employees to offset their perceived pay cut. This raise should be less than the money you will save in overtime. If you choose this route, you should compile data and do a thorough analysis on the expected costs.

If your overtime is inconsistent, you may not have to take extreme measures to eliminate it, but you should be aware of when overtime occurs and try to identify the causes. Overtime is costly and can mean the difference between a profitable week and a losing week. By improving your overall efficiency and eliminating waste in your operation, you should be able to reduce the overtime in your company.

In summary, the task of managing overtime is critical on many levels, which includes financial topics as well as compliance with overtime laws. Begin managing overtime before you find it managing you.

Ron Sorci is the founder and CEO of Miami-based Professional Consulting Resources Inc. (www.pcrforyou.com). A former senior executive at public and private companies, Sorci most recently worked as CFO of Aventura Worldwide Transportation in Miami. He also served as President of the National Limousine Association from 2009-2010. He can be reached at Ron@pcrforyou.com or (786) 229-3662.

Keywords

chauffeur pay   driver pay   employee issues   employee management   employee wages   finance   human resources   Profit Driven   profits   Ron Sorci   time management   

 

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Mobility Expert Joins Executive Ranks At Blacklane

BERLIN — Blacklane has named former Daimler Financial Services AG executive Ralf Echtler as COO/CFO.

Most recently, he managed Daimler Financial Services’ Ride4Hire business unit, which owns mytaxi and shares of Blacklane and FlixBus. The company has led two rounds of investment in Blacklane, most recently in August.

“Ralf has been instrumental on our Board of Advisors as an expert on innovative mobility and automotive strategy,” said Jens Wohltorf, CEO and co-founder of Blacklane, in a press release. “His industry knowledge and managerial expertise will help us better serve customers on the ground and online.”

Blacklane spans more than 250 cities and 500 airports in 53 countries. Major partners include Amadeus, Expedia, HRS, Sabre’s TripCase, TripAdvisor’s Viator, Miles & More, and Asia Miles.

“In my previous position I had a front-row seat to watch Blacklane grow its footprint and add key travel partners,” Echtler said. “I am excited to help accelerate Blacklane’s growth and scale our services around the world.”

Echtler will manage Blacklane’s customer care, driver relationship, finance, controlling and legal teams. He will report to Wohltorf.

Echtler joins after 11 years at Daimler in Germany, the U.S., and Asia. He held leadership roles in finance and controlling, international strategy and business development, and investor relations.

“Blacklane is gaining an expert on travelers’ needs for high-quality transportation, as well as an operational leader. We thank him for his leadership and contributions at Daimler Financial Services. We wish him all the best and look forward to continuing to work with him in his new role,” said Klaus Entenmann, chairman of Daimler Financial Services.

Source: Blacklane press release

Keywords

apps   Blacklane   executive changes   vehicle apps   

 

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LiQMeng Pampers The Seating Plan

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. — As the popularity of executive vans like the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter and Metris and Ford’s Transit soars, operators are always looking for new and creative ways to make their vehicles stand out.

Coachbuilders oblige by upfitting them with hardwood floors and incredible sound systems, and now they can go above and beyond in the seating department with the help of LiQMeng Corp.’s (pronounced lee-meng) “Luxvan” conversion kits.

Tapei City, Taiwan-based LiQMeng brought its luxury seats to the floor of LCT-NLA Show East Nov. 13-15, drawing a steady stream of attendees reclining in the ultra- captain’s chairs on display. LCT Spoke with James Chang, the company’s marketing manager, to learn a little more about its unique products.

For Client And Coachbuilder Alike

LiQMeng’s power seats can transform from an upright to full reclined position with the press of a single button, which allows passengers to lie back in comfort and enjoy their ride. These seats are crafted with Italian leather and multi-layered and multi-density foam, and feature adjustable head cushions as well.

Cabinet models (as seen in the photos) contain conference seats that pop open from storage and fold away electronically via remote control. The cabinet itself can feature any design including corporate logos or lavish patterns via water transfer printing. The center control console includes a touch screen interface that allows users to control all interior functions of the vehicle including curtains, lighting, TV, DVD, CD, and aux input.

The company’s Luxvan conversion kits are also distinctive because, as a coachbuilder, they understand what builders need and want. Therefore, they can provide a whole solution as a kit.

This allows coachbuilders to reduce design and development costs, as well as decrease man-hours needed for installation. They can then build vehicles faster and cheaper, but more importantly, improve the quality and function of the vehicles.

“Limo vans have been popular in Asia and Europe for many years, and, as we’ve seen from LCT Magazine’s coverage, they are becoming increasingly popular in the U.S. as well,” Chang says. “LiQMeng’s luxury conversion kits will further increase the appeal of limo vans by upgrading their luxury and versatility even further.”

Feedback from buyers at LCT Shows has been great, Chang says. “We’re already receiving orders and inquiries from several well-known American coach builders. We’ve already gained several top-tier buyers from the IAA Show in Germany who have expressed their eagerness for long-term cooperation in their markets as well.”

Journey To The West

LiQMeng has already established a name for itself as one of the top quality luxury converters in China for 10 years, Chang says. 2016 is the company’s first year exporting to the international market. “Our seats are a unique design, patented in the major countries and regions of the world,” he says.

“We’re confident we can bring added value to the industry. In fact, since our exhibition at the IAA show in Germany in September, two of the top-tier van converters have already started working with us to incorporate our products into their vehicles.”

Several American coachbuilders have already bought the company’s seating products for use in their vehicles since LiQMeng started coming to the 2016 International LCT Show in Las Vegas. The vendor’s products are mainly used in Mercedes-Benz Metris and Sprinter vans, but can be easily used to upfit other vans and buses as well.

Non-Stop Innovation

The company was founded by YC Lee, who received training as an engineer in Japan. After garnering knowledge and experience, he returned to Taiwan to become an entrepreneur. In 1981, Lee founded YinJian Cordless Telephone Co., which became one of the technological leaders in the industry. He then founded LiQMeng Corp., which means “beautiful alliance” in Chinese, in ’88 (see infographic).

Lee developed the technology and patents for the parking radar sensor (the device that peeps when you put your car in reverse, and becomes a tone when objects are close to the bumper) in the early 90s, and then founded Zhuhai Coligen Electronics Corp., a producer in parking sensors and communication devices in 1993.

An avid inventor, Lee founded SunMeng Corp., a producer of conversion parts such as powered seats, tables, and other various specialized parts for luxury vehicle conversions, and Shenzer Auto Sales in 2006 to pursue his passion for the burgeoning luxury vehicle conversion industry where all components were built in-house.

More than 20 years since its first development, the parking sensor market has become saturated. Therefore, Lee sold Zhuhai Coligen Electronics Corp. in 2013 to focus his attention on SunMeng and Shenzer.

This “Alliance” Has A “Beautiful” Future

LiQMeng has a few more developments ahead. On display at the 2016 LCT East Show, it debuted a prototype electric powered table set that’s fully adjustable and folds away into a center armrest. This could have an application in a wide range of vehicles, such as vans, SUVs, and buses. “We’re also developing something for the RV industry, and we hope to show that soon,” Chang says. “LiQMeng has a history of inventive and innovative designs, and we may even take our patented seat design and branch out into new markets. But we’re thankful for all the interest and support we’re already receiving from our core market, the limousine industry.”

Keywords

Atlantic city   coachbuilders   custom coachbuilders   entrepreneurship   Harrah’s   industry vendors   LCT-NLA Show East   Mercedes-Benz   Mercedes-Benz Metris   Sprinter   upfitters   WebXclusive   

 

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All In A Day’s Driving For Uber

Uber May Have Just Driven Itself Out Of A Big Loophole: By choosing SUVs for their self-driving vehicles, the company may have found a loophole that allows taxi companies to avoid costly American with Disabilities Act requirements—a shift that could require the company to make its self-driving cars wheelchair accessible, adding thousands of dollars to the cost of every autonomous vehicle it puts on the road. Wired article here

What I Learned About The ‘Gig Economy’ From 24 Lyft Drivers: One journalist’s attempt to understand the TNC driver mindset came back with mixed answers. The “I’d rather be working a nine-to-five…” response was the most popular, with 12 of the 24 drivers saying they were only doing it between jobs and are actively looking for work elsewhere. Instead of liberating workers from the dreaded nine-to-five, it seems most people are using digital platforms as a stopgap between usual forms of work. The Hill article here

Police Say Uber Driver Made Unwanted Sexual Advances, Charged: During the trip, the victim says 46-year-old Jehad Abdula Makhoul put his arm around her neck, grabbed her, kissed her face and put his hand on her inner thigh. She pushed him away and called 911 after he dropped her off at a restaurant. ABC News article here

Uber Is Treating Drivers As Sweated Labor, Says Report: The report says drivers described conditions that matched the Victorian definition: “When earnings were barely sufficient to sustain existence, hours of labor were such as to make lives of workers periods of ceaseless toil; and conditions were injurious to the health of workers and dangerous to the public”. The Guardian article here

Palm Beach Police Charge Wrong-Way Uber Driver With DUI: Ramon R. Miranda, 50, was seen driving east in the westbound lane of a bridge “at a high rate of speed,” almost colliding with another vehicle. An officer pulled him over and noticed he was unsteady on his feet, the report stated. Palm Beach Daily News article here 

Keywords

autonomous vehicles   Boston operators   driverless cars   drunk driving   employee vs independent contractor   Florida operators   independent contractor issues   labor laws   Lyft   Pennsylvania operators   self-driving vehicles   Sexual Assault   TNC travesty   TNCs   Uber   United Kingdom   Washington DC operators   

 

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Tragic Accident Illustrates Need For Party Bus Rules

Attorney Mark Bello writes: In recent years, the industry has been faced with safety concerns because of the irresponsibility of some passengers and operators. Even though the bus company typically can’t provide or serve alcohol, depending on state laws, passengers can bring alcohol and consume alcohol during the ride. This has created an environment where underage and irresponsible drinking has occurred.

Additionally, there is presently little regulation of the party bus industry. Some companies have clear guidelines requiring all riders to wear seatbelts and adult or parental supervision, while others lack any policies at all sacrificing safety of passengers to promote a fun and exciting environment. This lack of safety has become all too common, resulting in party bus accidents that have claimed more than 20 lives. When this happens, the bus company and its drivers can be held liable.

The Legal Examiner article here

Keywords

alcoholic beverages   drunk passengers   industry regulations   party buses   passenger safety   regulatory enforcement   safety   vehicle safety   

 

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