Landscape & Hardscape Design-Build

Landscape & Hardscape Design-Build - Jan 2012

WWW HINO COM HIGHEST IN CUSTOMER SATISFACTION AMONG CONVENTIONAL MEDIUM DUTY TRUCKS TWO YEARS IN A ROW AND HIGHEST IN CUSTOMER SATISFACTION WITH CONVENTIONAL MEDIUM DUTY ENGINES FOUR YEARS IN A ROW IT TAKES GREAT CUSTOMERS TO BUILD GREAT TRUCKS YOU DESERVE THIS Hino Trucks received the highest numerical score among conventional medium duty trucks in the proprietary J D Power and Associates 2010 2011 Medium Duty Truck Customer Satisfaction StudiesSM 2011 study based on 1037 responses measuring 6 manufacturers Survey was o fprimary maintainers and owner operators and measures opinions of primary maintainers of their new Medium Duty Class 5 6 and 7 trucks 2010 model year Proprietary study results are based on experiences and perceptions of consumers surveyed in June July 2011 Your experiences may vary Visit jdpower com Hino Trucks received the highest numerical score among conventional medium duty trucks in the proprietary J D Power and Associates 2008 2011 Medium Duty Truck Engine and Transmission Customer Satisfaction StudiesSM 2011 study based on 1037 responses measuring 4 manufacturers Survey was of primary maintainers or one year old conventional cab medium duty trucks Proprietary study results are based on experiences and perceptions of consumers surveyed in June August 2011 Your experiences may vary Visit jdpower com Insert 112 on page 21 manufacturers that offer these types of lock protector products include Blaylock Industries Transport Security Inc Ranger Lock and War Lok Theyre expensive but theyre worth it he reports Out of sight Mikael Farris senior loss control representative with Hortica Insurance strongly recommends the use of specialized door locks that block bolt cutters Its also a good idea to use locks on the trailer tongue or chock the wheels to prevent anyone from towing the trailer away he adds A few examples of products designed for these purposes include coupler locks from Diversi Tech and Master Lock as well as locking wheel chocks from Norco Industries and Trimax Of course these steps are not guaranteed to prevent theft No matter what you do even if you have cameras and extra locks if someone wants to steal something theyre going to find a way Farris states Still having visited countless landscape companies and job sites and seen reports from many equipment thefts Farris says that there are ways to lessen the chances of theft The main thing is to make it as difficult as possible for thieves he explains The biggest thing on job sites is to lock everything up and keep it locked up If youre not using something chain it up Especially with increased fuel prices Farris says that reports of fuel theft are on the rise He says that locked cages fitted on the front of landscape trailers are a good place to protect gas cans as well as small tools And if a company has a diesel tank in their yard there are devices to lock the hose and nozzle onto the tank to prevent anyone from coming in and filling up he adds Keeping equipment and tools out of sight is another important theft deterrent says Farris A lot of times if the thieves cant see it they wont be interested he explains He says many landscape construction companies use cargo containers to lock up equipment both in the yard and on job sites Those storage containers are great because there are no windows and no way to see inside If the thieves dont know whats inside theyre less likely to waste time trying to figure out if theres anything in there of value he states The same principles apply inside landscape company offices says Farris For example if you have a drop safe be sure its not anywhere visible where people can see it through a window and be sure it is bolted down he advises Ive seen places where they have drop safes but theyre not anchored In those cases you might as well not even have a safe Keep your guard up While there are many different types of locks and other theftdeterrent products on the market sometimes commonsense measures are the most powerful tools The biggest thing I see on job sites is landscapers leaving keys in the vehicle and then walking over to meet with the property owner or get access to the backyard says Farris Then youre pretty much wiped out if someone decides to jump in and take off with the vehicle youve suddenly lost your truck trailer and everything Thats exactly what happened last October to Dave Ward owner of Dave Ward Landscaping in Cottage Grove Ore Our truck was unlocked and unattended for literally one or two minutes on a job site he recalls I was walking up toward the truck and I actually saw it drive away down the road I was that close to it Our trailer mowers equipment everything we use on a daily basis was gone The value of the stolen items was more than 30000 Continued on page 10