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Posts Tagged ‘VPSI’

Houston Hosts Vanpool Safety Meetings

December 8th, 2011 0 Comments

As part of VPSI’s ongoing efforts to promote safe driving, Cecilia Cannon, VPSI’s Houston Project Manager, hosted several vanpool safety meetings for volunteer vanpool driversin the month of October. The meetings were at Marathon Oil, the Harris County Appraisal District, the Houston VA Medical Center and the Houston Veterans Administration Regional Office. Ms. Cannon was accompanied by VPSI Account Managers Henry Moz and Jeffrey Miller. Andy Bawden, a Vanpool Safety Instructor for VPSI, conducted the meetings.

Each of the 70-minute meetings began by asking the drivers to identify the different sizes of the vans used, the lengths of the commutes, the number of drivers in each van and where the vans are parked when not at the workplace. With this information Mr. Bawden provided instructions on how to safely handle a van in many situations. He then presented The Vanpool Difference, VPSI’s three-part 14-minute safety video. At the beginning and end of each part the drivers discussed what they had seen and offered comments relative to their own vanpooling experiences.

Houston Safety

VPSI thanks Ellen Meyer at Marathon Oil, Charlene Fields at the Harris County Appraisal District, Martha Barragan at Houston VA Medical Center and Mittie Gregory and Jo Ann White at the VA Regional Office for all their help and support in organizing these meetings recently and in the past.

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Posted in Commuting, Vanpool | No Comments »

Help Us Help Others this Holiday Season

November 28th, 2011 0 Comments

Each year during the Holiday season, VPSI, Inc. organizes an employee charitable drive to support Toys for Tots. For us, it’s a fun way to get into the holiday spirit and to make sure that less-fortunate children are able to enjoy the Christmas season.

And this year, we thought it would be fun to bring our vanpoolers into the mix and showcase some of that generosity on the blog.

From now through Christmas, we’re encouraging our vanpoolers to organize their own donations to Toys for Tots (or any other charity) and to send us pictures of their efforts, whether it’s a van full of toys or your vanpool presenting a check to a local charity.

The size of the gift isn’t important. It’s the thought behind it that’s significant.

Here’s how it works: Send your photos and mailing address to chris.hooper@vpsiinc.com. Throughout the season, we’ll pick our favorite shots and post them to our van-pools.com blog. If we post your picture, we’ll send you a $50 Starbucks gift card for you to share with your vanpool group.

We’re excited about working together with our vanpoolers to make a difference in peoples’ lives this season.

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Posted in Commuting | No Comments »

Winter Driving Tips

November 21st, 2011 0 Comments

By Mark Kreindler
VPSI’s Risk Manager

Winter weather is (unfortunately) fast approaching and snow has already started falling in some parts of the country. It’s a good time to review some basic winter weather safe driving tips. Here are some pre- trip tips to make sure your vehicle is in top winter driving shape:

First, check the battery, coolant and wiper blades. Fill the washer fluid and always keep the gas tank at least half full. Next, check the tires for wear and proper inflation and be sure to keep a snow scraper/brush in vehicle.

Now for the driving tips:

  • Always clear snow from your vehicle, including the roof
  • Keep windshield and windows clear of ice and snow
  • Allow extra time for your trip and slow down
  • Avoid sudden stops and quick direction changes
  • Watch for icy bridge decks and slippery shady areas on roadways
  • Leave extra room between your vehicle and the vehicle in front of you
  • Turn on headlights during wintery weather
  • Did I mention to slow down and drive for conditions?

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Posted in Commuting, Vanpool | No Comments »

The Key to Sweet!

November 14th, 2011 0 Comments

By Emmanuel Echeverria
VPSI Account Executive

El Paso, Texas — For the past few weeks we’ve been working with a client at a local Texas penitentiary. One of the vans needed minor repairs and I closely oversaw the process from the time it was reported. One of our local service shops worked on the vehicle and, when it was ready, I notified the primary and alternate drivers, delivered the van back to the group and exchanged out the loaner vehicle.

Later that day, at around 4:30 pm I received a call; the caller (Griselda) sounded worried as she explained her situation. She believed her personal keys might have been left in the loaner van. I offered to step outside and check, and sure enough, her keys were there. I called her back to tell her our hours, but the group had long passed our office. Since I live on the side of town they were heading, I offered to meet them and give Griselda her keys. I headed out to the strip mall where Griselda’s car was parked to find her and another rider standing in the cold waiting for me.

I arrived at the office two days later to find our Project Manager with two sweet boxes, yes.. delicious Krispy Kreme doughnuts! Griselda took the time get up early, buy and deliver the sweets in show of appreciation. It really made our day here at the office. We strive for customer service satisfaction, so for one of them to go out of their way was a true rewarding feeling. A true key to sweets!

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Posted in Riders and Drivers, Vanpool | No Comments »

Time Change Affects Drive Times

November 7th, 2011 0 Comments

Andy Bawden

By Andy Bawden
VPSI Vanpool Safety Instructor

Now that you’ve set your clocks back an hour, you’ve gained and hour of daylight drive time in the morning. You also lost an hour of evening daylight for the drive home. This grand tradition was started to save electricity during summer months by extending evening hours and allowing school kids more opportunity to go to school in the daylight. It can affect drive times and you need to change with the times.

As fall makes its way towards winter the days will become shorter until the third week in December. Until then the days will become shorter and daylight will be limited. As a vanpool driver you need to make sure you are well rested before driving and prepare yourself for other challenges.

Other changes and adjustments that will need to be made:

  • Adjust your tires’ pressure to recommended levels found on the driver’s door post.
  • Approach intersections carefully and be prepared to stop or slow down.
  • If you stop – stop before the limit line to allow other drivers and pedestrians a clear and unobstructed pathway.
  •  Limit the number of lane changes.
  • If you change lanes – signal well ahead of time.
  • Increase the following distance.
  • Maintain a safe and consistent speed.

Andy Bawden is a Vanpool Safety Instructor and is now a guest contributor to VPSI’s Commuter Chronicle newsletter and van-pools.com blog. He is certified by the National Safety Council as a Defensive Driving Instructor. He was previously VPSI’s Loss Prevention and Vanpool Safety Manager.

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