It's an unwritten Hollywood rule: Every blockbuster demands a sequel. This summer, as your kids drag you off to Mission: Impossible III, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, and X-Men: The Last Stand, Ron Koons, president of Middletown, Ind.–based Rosako Safety, will be putting the finishing touches on the Delivery and Fleet Safety training program (DFS) a follow-up to 1999's hugely successful, award-winning The Forklift and You video training program produced by Rosako and the National Lumber and Building Material Dealers Association (NLBMDA) that was ultimately responsible for training some 100,000 forklift operators across the country, according to the association.
Shot on location at Home Lumber of New Haven in New Haven, Ind., DFS delves into the issues of load building, in-yard and on-the-road driving safety, and delivery on the jobsite with the comprehensive coverage and straightforward clarity that has made The Forklift and You a sustained hit with building material dealer audiences. “We feel a responsibility like most lumber-yards do to contribute back to the industry where we can, and this was a pretty painless way of doing it,” says Home Lumber president Chad Korte of the shoot at his lumberyard that spanned from March 13 to March 17. “We have the space, it didn't interfere with our operation, and of course our employees were only too willing to get in front of a camera and be in the spotlight versus carrying drywall. It was a nice diversion for them.”
Video production is being financed in part by sponsors that include Pennsylvania Lumbermens Mutual Insurance Co. and Indiana Lumbermens Mutual Insurance Co. Other sponsors, including Princeton Delivery Systems; Combilift USA; Cargotec/Hiab and Moffett by Cargotec; International Truck and Engine; and MSA Safety Works, also provided in-kind donations of vehicles, drivers, and personal protective equipment.
“We had great participation from all of the sponsors, who brought in professional drivers for their vehicles, and we had great weather for the shoot,” says Koons, who spent a day on the road with a Department of Transportation (DOT) enforcement officer as background research for the film, which he says opened his eyes even wider to the immediate need for a project like DFS. “Within the first 10 minutes, we were doing 110 mph chasing a truck driver,” Koons says, adding that during the course of the day he observed the DOT official put three drivers and three trucks out of service for on-the-road safety infractions. “Having a vehicle out of service costs money; having a driver out of service costs money. All of these things cost money to the dealer, but even more than that, having a vehicle involved in a wreck is just absolutely catastrophic,” Koons says. “Something as small as a fender bender in the parking lot can launch a lawsuit, but imagine the catastrophic effect if the steering goes out on the highway when a semi is carrying a full load of lumber.”
Targeted for a late summer/early fall release, Delivery and Fleet Safety aims to provide yard operators and delivery professionals with a comprehensive look at safety for when the yard is building up the load, when the load is being placed on the truck, load securement, on-the-road safety, and jobsite delivery.
“It's really a soup-to-nuts comprehensive package,” says Bill Pohl, general manager for Princeton Delivery Systems, an NLBMDA Manufacturers and Services Council member and DFS sponsor that provided Princeton PBX and PB50 truck-mounted forklifts along with drivers for the video shoot. “With all of the changes to DOT regulations and changes in load-securement laws and enforcement, this video makes perfect sense as a follow-up to The Forklift and You,” he says. “Load building and being on the road and preparing to unload are issues that the association members deal with every day, and between us and our industry partners like International, we can provide all of the rolling stock that you would typically encounter for the video. I think we're all very interested in association members having the best information they can on using over-the-road equipment and forklifts. It is good for all of us.”
