Here are some moving truck tire tips to help extend the life your truck tires and help them operate at their best.

This may seem like a “master of the obvious” type comment, but check your tire pressure and condition of your tires often at least at the start of every trip or day.  By CHECK TIRE PRESSURE, I mean use a tire gauge, not just a hammer, tire billy or bat.  “Thumping” tires can tell if they are completely flat, but it won’t tell if they are underinflated.  Also check all the tires, not just the easy to get to outside tires of a tandem.  I’ve seen dozens of times where the inside tire runs low, goes flat, is ruined, and then affects the outside tire.  Remember,  if you are purchasing tires from a tandem, the preferred method is to purchase them in pairs so they wear evenly.  Save both tires by checking the inside tire of a tandem every time.  For moving companies with company drivers and equipment, it’s not a bad idea to do a random test on vehicles after they have been pretripped, but before they hit the road to ensure the checking is being done.  Have the drivers record an actual pressure reading for each tire on their pretrip, not just a check mark that the procedure was done.  This makes sure the test is actually being performed and that the driver is getting an accurate reading. 

It’s probably ever more important for household movers to perform the tire checks than other truckers because of the tricky residential areas that moving trucks have to go into.  Scuffing a curb, marker post, culvert, decorative stone, etc can dent a rim or break a tire seal so it’s critical for movers to check their tires condition often.

PREPARING MOVING TRUCK TIRES

Remember, when getting tire readings; make sure the tires are neither under inflated which will reduce fuel mileage or overinflated which can create accelerated wear issues.  Check the tires when they are cold and make sure they are at the manufacturer’s suggested PSI.

Make sure you rotate your tires since right and left turns are different and make tires wear differently. Left hand turns are usually taken at higher speeds and are wider while right hand turns are usually taken at slower speeds and are tighter.  If you rotate your tires when you change your oil, this can help even out your tire wear and extend the life of your tires.

Make sure you keep your moving trucks in alignment because an out of alignment vehicle not only wears the tires out faster, it reduces fuel mileage, too.  Any signs of uneven wear should spark a trip to your truck shop or service provider to check the trucks alignment. 

It doesn’t seem like a big deal but make sure the value stems on your moving truck(s) tires have a cap on them.  No, your tire won’t immediately go flat without a cap but some value stems can leak slowly and things like dirt, snow and ice can wedge themselves in the stem tip causing air loss.

When shopping for tires, check with tire manufacturers on load recommendations and other tire specs and properties.  Since moving trucks usually carry more bulk than weight things like tread depth and load range are things to look at when purchasing tires.  Tires aren’t just tires, do some research on which tires fit your moving truck application the best.

Understanding workers compensation is a four part series written by Bill Stankevitz, senior vice-president of St. Charles, IL based Wine Sergi & Co. LLC.  He has been involved with the insurance industry in many capacities for the last 45 years and invites people to visit his blog “insurance answers for business” at www.mysweethaven.com/blog.

In the final installment of the 4 part series on Workers Compensation, Bill investigates how you as a moving company (or other business) can conduct a self analysis of your policy.

The first option is do it yourself and although it’s important to understand your policy conducting a self analysis with no other help from any professionals can be risky.

Option two is to hire a risk manager to handle this part of your business.  This isn’t an option for medium to small moving companies but option three of hiring an independent consultant can be.  The beauty of option three is reduced cost from option two, and an objective analysis of your moving company’s workers compensation policy.  Option four is have your current workers compensation insurance provider do the study, but since workers compensation commissions are generally low its harder to entice your agent to agree to lots of work for little money.  Another potential problem with option four is its subjectivity. What company is going to steer you away from their own workers compensation insurance products? Option 5 is to have another workers compensation provider (or two) conduct the study as part of the bid process.  Since the carrot of earning your business is their motivation this is a much easier sell.  Also, by getting a couple other quotes you can validate your decision by comparing rates and services.

As we’ve stated before, learn all you can about your options when it comes to moving company workers compensation.  To review the article in its entirety read Understanding Workers compensation (Part IV).  The subject of workers compensation and Moving companies should be understood and reviewed often as the potential costs (or savings) can be significant.

 Understanding workers compensation is a four part series written by Bill Stankevitz, senior vice-president of St. Charles, IL based Wine Sergi & Co. LLC.  He has been involved with the insurance industry in many capacities for the last 45 years and invites people to visit his blog “insurance answers for business” at www.mysweethaven.com/blog.

In part three, the six components of how premiums are set is covered.  It references the regulations specific to Illinois so check with your state to see if these rules apply to you.  In any case, these are areas that can potentially help moving companies or other businesses in other states save money on premiums as well.

A contractor’s credit can affect the policy in certain cases and the premium “discount” amount can change between different insurance companies and different states by as much as 7%.  Excess limits charges as related to umbrella liability coverage is covered as well as the terrorism catastrophe components of premium calculation.

Overall the message in this article, I feel, is find out the specifics from your workers compensation insurance agent on what components make the premium calculation process.  Don’t blindly give payroll information and accept whatever premium you get without understanding how the process works.  As with everything else, the more you know the better decisions you can make and the more money you can save.  How workers compensation affects a moving company can be managed and adjusted with some homework and proper decision making.  Always consult a professional.  To read this article Understanding Workers Compensation Part III.

Understanding workers compensation is a four part series written by Bill Stankevitz, senior vice-president of St. Charles, IL based Wine Sergi & Co. LLC.  He has been involved with the insurance industry in many capacities for the last 45 years and invites people to visit his blog “insurance answers for business” at www.mysweethaven.com/blog.

In part two, bill covers the experience modification (or Mod).  The mod is set by the NCCI (National
Council on Compensation Insurance) and determines whether a company has a below average, average, or above average loss history.

Depending on what the “mod” is determines the company’s annual workers compensation premium.  Once workers compensation underwriters set what a company will be charged for their annual premium, that number is then multiplied by their “mod”.  For instance, if a small moving company gets a premium quote for $40,000 in annual premium, the mod can make the actual premium fluctuate greatly.  A mod of .8 means the premium will be $32000 or .8 x $40,000.  However, a company with a higher mod (due to loss history) like 1.3 will pay $52,000 or 1.3 x $40,000.  So you see, the premium for like sized companies can vary greatly ($20,000 in this case) due to a difference in loss history (and higher mod).  This can be a huge expense or savings for a moving company (or any other business).  Bill goes on to explain how the formula for calculating the mod is quite complicated and that there are ways a company can potentially help improve their mod with certain practices.  Moving companies and workers compensation insurance can be a frightening topic but if you would like to learn more, read Understanding Workers Compensation Part II.  The stakes are way too high to not understanding this part of business fully.

 The new health insurance reform package (Affordable Care Act was enacted on March 23, 2010) includes an immediate tax break for qualified small businesses: the Code Sec. 45R small employer health insurance tax credit.  Qualified moving & storage companies (other companies and non-profit organizations may qualify for some or all of this credit) may reduce the cost of providing health insurance to their employees this year through the year 2013. The tax credit is retroactive to January 1, 2010.  You may have received a postcard from the IRS announcing this tax credit.

 Small Employers

Employers that have no more than 25 full-time equivalent (FTE) employees paying wages averaging less than $ 50,000 for each employee per year qualify for this tax break.  To determine eligibility for the credit, you have to calculate the number of FTEs and the average annual wages.  See the applicable descriptions for these calculations later in this article.  Also see the 3 Simple Step worksheet developed by the Internal Revenue Service as part of this article that will help determine if you may qualify for this credit.

 Family Members

Since many moving & storage companies are family owned, it is important to point out some limitations in this tax credit:

1. Generally, a sole proprietor, a partner in a partnership, a shareholder owning more than two percent of an S corporation, and any owner of more than five percent of other businesses are not considered employees for purposes of the credit. Thus, the wages or hours of these business owners and partners are not counted in determining either the number of FTEs or the amount of average annual wages, and premiums paid on their behalf are not counted in determining the amount of the credit.
2. A family member of any of the business owners or partners or a member of such a business owner’s or partner’s household, is not considered an employee for purposes of the credit. Thus, neither their wages nor their hours are counted in determining the number of FTEs or the amount of average annual wages, and premiums paid on their behalf are not counted in determining the amount of the credit. For this purpose, a family member is defined as a child (or descendant of a child); a sibling or step-sibling; a parent (or ancestor of a parent); a step-parent; a niece or nephew; an aunt or uncle; or a son-in-law, daughter- in-law, father-in-law, mother-in-law, brother-in-law or sister-in-law.

 Tax Credit Amount

The maximum tax credit is 35% of the qualified health care premiums paid by the employer for its employees.  However, the moving & storage company must pay premiums for each employee enrolled in health care coverage offered by the employer in an amount equal to a uniform percentage (not less than 50 percent) of the premium cost of the coverage to qualify for the credit. The credit is subject to phase-out rules.  The credit is reduced by 6.667 percent for each FTE in excess of 10 employees.  The credit is also reduced by four percent for each $ 1,000 that average annual compensation paid to employees exceeds $ 25,000.  This means that the credit completely phases out if the moving & storage company has 25 or more FTEs and pays $ 50,000 or more in average annual wages.

 There are some other limits that apply to the amount of the premiums paid that can be considered for this credit. These limits may be determined by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

Employees (FTE)

This is determined by dividing the total hours of service (including paid time off) for all employees (but not more than 2,080 hours for any employee) by 2,080.  The result, if not a whole number, is rounded to the next lowest whole number.  The 2,080 hours comprise the number of hours in a 52-week period assuming a 40-hour work week.  Any hours beyond 2,080, such as overtime hours, are not taken into account when calculating FTEs.

 Average Annual Wages

This is determined by first dividing the total wages paid by the moving & storage company to employees during the year by the number of FTEs (calculated per above) for the year. The result is then rounded down to the nearest $ 1,000 (if not otherwise a multiple of $ 1,000).  Remember to exclude from the total wages any wages paid to an employee for hours in excess of 2,080.

 Example of Moving Company Receiving Credit

Moving & Storage Co. with 12 employees in 2010:

            Employee Class           Number              Wages

            Drivers                             2                   $   60,000

            Helpers                           5                   $ 100,000

            Warehouseman               2                   $   45,000

            Dispatcher                      1                   $   35,000

            Salespersons                   2                   $   60,000

            Owner/Family                N/A                   N/A

            Totals                          12                   $ 300,000

Average Wage per Employee                         $ 25,000

 Employee Health Care paid by Company      $ 72,000

 2010 Health Care Credit @ 35%                    $  25,200

 Claiming the Credit

The credit is a general business credit that will be claimed on your annual income tax return.

 Investing in business assets or employees is never just a matter of taxes.  Please consult with your tax advisor before acting on this topic.  Your tax advisor can ensure you receive the maximum tax benefits considering your company structure, income tax rates, etc.  You can also visit the Internal Revenue Service web site http://www.irs.gov/ for more information on this issue.

 Thomas L. Broderick, C. P. A. is the Treasurer of Pickens-Kane Moving & Storage Co. in Chicago, Illinois. He has served as Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Illinois Movers’ and Warehousemen’s Risk Management Trust since 1996. Many individuals, small businesses and non-profit organizations consult him for various accounting, investment, insurance and tax issues.

ADDENDUM A

3 SIMPLE STEPS

If you are a small employer (business or tax-exempt) that provides health insurance coverage to your employees, determine if you may qualify for the Small Business Health Care Tax Credit by following these three simple steps:

1 Determine the total number of your employees (not counting owners or   family members): 

            Full-time employees: _____________________________

            (enter the number of employees who work at least 40 hours per week)

+

            Full-time equivalent of part-time employees: __________________________________

(Calculate the number of full-time equivalents by dividing the total annual hours of part-time employees by 2080.)

            = ______________________ total employees

            If the total number of employees is fewer than 25 GO TO STEP 2

2   Calculate the average annual wages of employees (not counting owners or family members):

            Take the total annual wages paid to employees: ______________________________

÷

            Divide it by the number of employees from STEP 1: ___________________________

            (total wages ÷number of employees)

            = ______________________ average wages

            If the result is less than $50,000, AND

3   You pay at least half of the insurance premiums for your employees at the single (employee-only)

            coverage rate, then

→→  you may be able to claim the Small Business Health Care Tax Credit.  Find out more information at IRS.gov.

Understanding Workers compensation is a four part series written by Bill Stankevitz, senior vice president of St. Charles, IL-based Wine Sergi&Co. Llc.  He has been involved with the insurance industry in many capacities for the last 45 years and invites people to visit his blog “insurance answers for business” at www.mysweethaven.com/blog.

Moving companies and workers compensation insurance have always had an important (yet stormy) relationship so the more a mover understands about workers compensation, the better off they are.  This series of articles can help.

In part one, Bill reviews a time line of the birth of workers compensation and gives an explanation of  it’s intended areas of coverage for medical care, compensation for lost wages during recorporation, and settlement for permanent and temporary (full and partial) disabilities.  The compensation for the above mentioned areas were and are intended for work-related injuries (and illness).

The article explains that there are different ways that states can operate their workers compensation program including exclusive monopolistic funds, competing funds and for most states purchase of workers compensation insurance from an approved private insurance company.

In recent years independent contractors (1099 workers) have become a hot topic with both the IRS and workers compensation insurance underwriters because of a company’s premium amount and rating (which greatly affects premium amount) can be swayed by the inclusion of independent contractor compensation as employee wages.  That is why the subject is so important to businesses because of the huge ramifications and expense workers compensation premiums can have.  Even small businesses can be affected by tens of thousands in premiums in a single year. 

The next part of the article concentrates on classification of employee and accuracy.  It covers how premiums can vary greatly due to what is reported to the workers compensation insurance company and how the NCCI (National Council on Compensation Insurance) rates a company.  To read more on the initial exploration of what workers compensation is read (Understand Workers Compensation Part I) in its entirety along with the other 3 articles in the series to get a better grip on this important part of  businesses.

Whether you own a moving company, manage a moving company, or work for a moving company, there are some things you can do to make your company more “green”.  Many of the following tips are not only environmentally friendly; they can provide a cost savings too.

 BIODIESEL

 If possible use biodiesel or a biodiesel blend in your diesel trucks.  It lowers carbon emissions and comes from renewable sources (different types of processed vegetable oil).  To read more about it, visit www.biodiesel.org for more information about biodiesel and characteristics, locations where you can purchase biodiesel, etc.

PAPERLESS INVOICING:

Paperless invoicing is a practice that can work well for a process like recurring storage and speed up receivables at the same time.  When someone comes into storage (the mover) can keep a credit card number on file and on the date storage is due, charge the credit card, and email a confirmation or paid invoice to the customer.  This not only gets you paid faster, you save paper for invoices, envelopes, postage and the labor to stuff the envelopes.

GPS DEVICES OR MAP BOOKS

You can save a great deal of paper if you don’t print maps for every job, every day.  It may not be popular with drivers right off the bat, but by issuing them a map book or providing them with a GPS device the paper savings can be big.  Even if you check the GPS devices out (like a library book) or purchase them for the drivers and let them take the units home (and be responsible for them), it can not only save paper, but save the office labor involved in generating maps.  With the reduction in paper, you can purchase recycled paper (which may be a little more expensive) and be “green” without costing the company more.

RUBBERBANDS VS. TAPE

On the trucks, instead of using tape to secure pads on furniture, use rubber bands.  Road drivers and owner operators often do this to save money, but since tape is a disposable, and not reusable product using rubber bands can reduce the amount of garbage you generate.  Even small movers use 3-5 36 roll cases per week, so it’s definitely is an opportunity area to be “greener” and save money.

 PLASTIC OFFICE TOTES/MOVING CRATES

The purchase of plastic office/household moving crates for use on moves instead of all corrugated boxes can be an environmentally friendly supplement to your typical corrugated box stock.

 RECYCLING USED CARTONS

Call customers after you move them, to see if they would like you to pick up their used cartons they’d like to dispose of.  It’s good as a customer service follow up and you can provide used cartons at a discounted price for new customers (and reduce garbage).

DUMPSTERS

Make sure you have a regular dumpster for regular garbage and a recyclable dumpster for paper, corrugated, and plastic stretch film, etc.   It’s an economical alternative to one large dumpster and dramatically reduces “land fill” type garbage.

THINK TANK

Have a contest with all employees to come up with “go green ideas” with prizes and the top idea to be implemented by the company.  This approach can be not only “green” but a good team builder.

“Going Green” is a hot topic and important for all of us.  These tips can help your moving company be more environmentally friendly.

.

What Is Biodiesel?

Biodiesel is a cleaner burning fuel produced from domestic and more importantly renewable resources.  Is it vegetable oil?  No.  It is produced when vegetable oil (like from soybeans or restaurant waste oil) is refined in a process called transesterification.  The process produces glycerin and biodiesel, a fuel that is biodegradable is non toxic and free of sulfur.  It must meet the ASTMD6751 industry standard for fuel so it’s safe to use in any diesel engine, whether it’s blended like B20 (20% biodiesel and 80% conventional petroleum diesel) or straight.  A visit to the NATIONAL BIODIESEL BOARD SITE at www.biodiesel.org will give you information on biodiesel news resources, where you can buy biodiesel and much more.

Why Should I Use It?

The EPA reports that even B20 biodiesel can reduce emmisions by 15% vs. conventional petroleum diesel.  Since the raw materials behind it are domestic and renewable it is a sustainable fuel that will lessen our dependence on foreign oil.  The process to refine biodiesel is cleaner than refining conventional petroleum diesel too.  Studies suggest that production of biodiesel can help generate farm income, reduce farm subsidies, add jobs and even cut the trade deficit.  All these things along with excellent lubricity that reduces wear and tear on the engine make biodiesel a fuel to consider.

Are there are Concerns or Drawbacks?

Biodiesel straight does not like severe cold so it should be blended in colder climates.  More information concerning biodiesel in the cold can be obtained by reading at www.biodiesel.org/cold/.  Also, since it has a mild solvent in it biodiesel has a tendency in the early stages of use to loosen deposits in the fuel tank, and fuel systemof a conventional diesel user and potentially clog fuel filters.

Overall, it appears the potential benefits far outweigh potential problems.  More research is being performed every day so it looks like biodiesel could be a viable fuel option for diesel moving trucks and other diesel engines.

Moving a pool table can be difficult, follow these steps if you plan on doing it yourself, and not hiring a pool table mover.

1. Unfasten the pockets.  This varies per model table (i.e. leather pockets, vinyl drop pockets, or a ball return).  On a vinyl pocket table, from here you will slide the pocket out from under the pocket opening.
2. Remove the rail bolts.  These are usually directly under the sights on the top side of your bumpers.
3. Remove the rail-pocket assembly.  Again this varies per table.  If you have a vinyl pocket table in most cases there are just a few screws or bolts to remove and this assembly comes completely apart.
4. If you have a ball return table you can now remove the ball return system from under or aside the table, depending on your configuration.  From here you have just a few remaining bolts or screws to remove and the rail assembly comes apart.  If you have a leather pocket table, just remove the few remaining bolts holding the pockets to the rails and slide the pockets out of the rail.
5. Carefully remove the felt from the slate.  Usually there is an adhesive or staples fastening this to the table.  Pliers and patience will be handy here.Rushing anything is a bad idea when moving a pool table.
6. At this time you should now see screws exposed around the top perimeter of the slate.  Remove these screws.  If your tables’ screws are covered by plaster or wax, very carefully remove this material and clear the heads of the screws and remove them.
7. At this time the slate bed is ready to be removed from the cabinet of the pool table.  In most cases your slate bed is in three sections, however in some rare occasions it may be in one piece.  Whatever the case may be this requires two people at a minimum to do so.  Keep in mind that even though the slate is extremely heavy and porous it is very fragile.  It is suggested that your slate be crated for transportation.  If you opt not to crate your slate make sure it is transported laying flat, one piece on top of the other, with some form of padding in between them for cushion.
8. At this time unfasten and remove the table legs.
9. If it is necessary, at this time you can dismantle the pool table cabinet.  It is suggested that if not required to do so, leave the cabinet together for transport.  This will reduce the chances of critical small pieces or brackets from being misplaced or lost.
10. If you have any questions or would prefer not taking on this daunting task of moving a pool table, it is suggested that you contact a qualified pool table service company. It is also suggested that once the table has reached its final destination that it be reassembled by a pool table service technician.  It is not as simple as just following the above directions in reverse order.  There is specialized tuning, leveling, restretching of the billiard fabric, and aligning that only a professional pool table technician will know how to do properly.   Believe me when I say it will be money well spent to have this service done correctly.

All business owners (especially owners of moving companies) cringe when they hear workers comp, but it’s a subject that really needs to be researched and understood rather than ignored.  At www.workerscompensation.com, there is a ton of information like workers compensation rules and regulations by state and an up to date listing of each state’s applicable workers compensation forms.

Some of the information is free like their comp yellow pages directory that has categories like legal services, insurance solutions, medical services and claims and support services.   Some products like the forms and educational seminars do have a charge.  A news and blog section is always available as well as a forum section where companies can ask business and compliance questions.  There is a also a free newsletter that companies can subscribe to. 

There are clicks to get free workers compensation claim help and a “get insurance” section where you can fill out an online quote request form to receive quotes from local workers compensation insurance professionals.  It’s always good to have a professional in the industry (that you trust) work with you and give you direction but a sight like this with a wealth of information is always a good reference, especially in the moving industry.