Here are our 10.5 spectacular processes for selecting our coach suppliers:

1. Carrier must come into our network on a referral from another coach carrier who has already qualified to join or from a current client who personally recommends them to us for excellence in service and performance. This eliminates any carrier who might try to join our exclusive network that may not be able to meet or exceed our strict criteria.

2. Carrier must have a DOT number issued by the Texas Department of Transportation. This number proves that the carrier has been properly registered with the state and allows us to
access all the research we need to qualify the carrier for entry into our network.

3. Carrier must have a minimum of five million dollars in liability insurance and preferably more as two of our suppliers have ten million or more as safety leaders. In order to operate legally, the state requires a minimum of five million. Anything less than this amount usually indicates a dishonest and unethical supplier as well as leading to a whole host of DOT violations. We require a valid and current insurance certificate from the carrier to be on file in our office at all times and check periodically to make sure that it remains in force

4. Carrier must have a clean crash history with no fatal or injury crashes on their record in the last 24 months. However, when a carrier has an accident of any kind, it goes on their record no matter what the circumstances are or whose fault it was. In the case of a single injury accident that was not the fault of the carrier an exception can be made. Carriers with fatal crashes will never be considered or admitted into our network.

5. Carrier must have a minimum of two coaches and preferably no less than five in their fleet. They must be newer models or semi-older coaches that are clean and extremely well-maintained. No single coach operators are allowed because they do not have replacement vehicles in case of a breakdown or an accident.

6. Carrier must be a member of a nationwide organization comprised of coach carriers obligated to help each other with replacement vehicles in the event of an emergency. If not, the carrier must have relationships in place with other carriers who will offer them substitute vehicles of the same quality or better during breakdowns or accidents.

7. Carrier must have their own mechanical facility and handle the majority of their own maintenance. Carrier must have a safety director on staff or someone who specifically manages the entire maintenance program for them. All major work must be completed in-house to avoid losing the strict controls needed to operate the fleet safely and legally.

8. Carrier must visit with us on a periodic basis to discuss processes for improving service to our clients after an initial visit to discuss their philosophy of serving their clients.

9. Carrier must have a strict driver training program and tough background check requirements for any proposed driver that would be placed behind the wheel of their coaches.

10. Carrier must agree in advance to partner with us in always bringing out the optimal positive result during any situation involving conflict resolution. Carrier must show empathy to each client and treat each one the way they would wish to be treated in each circumstance.

10.5. Carrier must offer our clients discounted pricing based on our large volume of business and assist our clients in maximizing their budgets. Carrier must help us keep you coming back because you are the reason we all exist and have food to feed our families! Thanks!

Here are 5.5 commandments for maximizing your relationship with your coach drivers on trips:

1.  Never ask a driver to provide you with any of his personal information.  In addition to offending your driver, federal privacy laws prohibit the coach carrier from giving you any background information on their drivers. When the coach arrives at your facility, you may ask the driver to show you a current and valid CDL license.  However, you may not copy it for any reason.

2.  Never interfere with the ability of the driver to properly operate the coach.  Allow the driver to review any rules and regulations provided by the carrier before departing to your destination.  This will help your and your group avoid any misunderstandings later about what was expected.  Confirm with your group that the rules were heard and understood before leaving.  If at all possible, avoid touching any of the operating controls if you are unsure how to operate them.  You may accidentally cause the coach to malfunction if you ignore this advice!

3.  Have your group ready to load luggage when the coach arrives.  Do not expect the driver to pack the coach unless you plan to offer an additional gratuity.  The driver has rested well for eight hours and will need all of his strength and concentration to focus on transporting your group safely.  Treat the driver like a family member and not a hired servant.

4.  Respect the driver and coach at all times.  Your group will be riding in a vehicle that represents a $400k investment for the carrier. Keep the coach clean, avoid yanking on window shades, and never sit on the armrests.  Pick up trash and bring extra trash bags with you as a backup.  Treat the coach as if you personally owned it.  Be courteous and kind when conversing with your driver.

5.  Never get into an argument or get personal with a driver!  If you determine that you can’t work with the driver, or that they are unfit for duty, call the carrier and ask for another one!

5.5   Never ask the driver to leave the coach while anyone is inside or while it is running.  The driver must protect the coach and will be fired if he commits either of the above infractions.  Build a predetermined gratuity for the driver into your budget, and never ask the driver to deviate from the itinerary unless you would like an unexpected bill at the conclusion!   Show your love for your driver as the lives of your group will be riding on it!

This article was authored by Craig Speck, President and Founder of Speck Transportation.  He can be reached at 817-477-3003, 817-437-8702, or 817-405-0874.  Email him craig@specktransportation.net or visit our website at http://bit.ly/niLh6m

Speck Transportation provides all types of ground transportation with and without a driver, except planes and trains.  We serve our clients as trusted advisers, assistant buyers, tough negotiators, and safety experts.  When you call us, we will respond quickly to your requests for quotation in a timely manner.  We will remove all the hassles and legwork for you, negotiate the optimal overall value package, maximize your budget, and keep you extremely safe as we guide you through the transportation maze!  Turn to our twenty years of experience and let us serve as your transportation authority! 

Here is a story from my heart along with a plea for prayer and a request for you to return!

As you may be aware, Speck Transportation most recently served our clients as the largest independent representative and volume buyer for a DFW based regional van rental supplier in five states.  Our clients reserved vans through us with this supplier at discounted rates for a total of 8.5 years.

On June 10, 2010, I received a call from the the president of that company  He informed me that the owner just decided he did not want to work with Speck Transportation any longer.  After hearing this shocking news, I asked for a reason and was never given one.  The relationship ended that day with no notice and no clear answer was ever provided.  No meeting was ever called to discuss the termination of an 8.5 year relationship that had brought them $1.7 million dollars from my following of loyal clients in the last 2.5 years of representing them.

On July 9th, 2010, the owner decided to run a report using the source code that was utilized to keep track of my referrals and print a listing of every client that I had placed with his stores.  He then sent an intrusive and impersonal letter behind my back to all of those clients at their home addresses inviting them to bypass me and come directly to him.  I made an attempt to counteract the letter with a mass email and a video, but was unable to reach everyone due to two previous database crashes,  This caused my clients to believe that I could no longer supply them with vans and hurt my business greatly.  In addition, I had many hours of blood, sweat, and tears invested in helping them grow.

As a final blow, they approached my number one producer of van rental reservations and offered him an agreement at half of the fee for service they compensated me with.  Three years earlier I had brought this individual into the van rental business and helped him grow an additional income to supplement his ski trip business.  He also decided to go and work with them as a broker without me.

These events caused me to panic and attempt to start a second business selling self-defense products and surveillance systems.  That company failed and I closed it after four months at the end of 2010.  Instead of praying and trusting God to pull me through, I attempted to do everything on my own.  I questioned my intelligence, abilities, and whether or not this business would make it another year.

At the beginning of 2011, God reminded me that I had all the boxes in my office attic of every client that I had placed with my former supplier. He told me to contact all of you and restore my crashed databases.  “They have done business with you, like you, and trust you.”

As a result, I am doing that right now.  Many late nights have been worked to contact my former clients on social media and through mail.

We are now the largest independent rep for Enterprise in Texas and especially here in the DFW area.  The DFW region, comprised of over 150 locations, has just purchased 300 additional vans to take care of Speck clients.  They are available in every city and you have unlimited miles going almost anywhere.  All reservations will be absolutely guaranteed!  You can also rent cars, minivans, SUV’s, cargo vans, pickups, and box trucks through Speck again!  You can do business with us all over the USA and even on an international basis.

In conclusion, I would ask that you pray for me and the future of my business.  You will have helped us make it to ten years on November 5th.  If you have worked with me before, please come back and do business with me again.  We have access to over 30 fleets now and can basically get you anything that rolls on the ground, with or without a driver.  We do specialize in passenger van rentals and coaches with a driver.

If you will come back and do business with me again, I will offer you the no-risk guarantee as stated below:

Speck Transportation now offers its clients an unprecedented, no risk guarantee! If you are not happy with the service provided by any supplier in my network, and I am unable to successfully resolve the challenge to your complete satisfaction, I will gladly refund my entire fee for service back to you or your organization!  Visit my updated site here and you can follow us on social media there.

Thank you for your past business.  I appreciate each of you and would love to serve you again.  Thanks for your time and consideration.

If you need anything from a small car to an 81-passenger double decker motor coach, please call me at 817-437-8702, 817-477-3003, or on Skype at 817-405-0874. We also now have access to school buses with a driver.  I look forward to a renewed long term relationship.

Craig Speck

Speck Transportation

Here are the top ten benefits of partnering with Speck Transportation:

1. An experienced and Christian owned company that can provide anything needed from a small car to an 81-passenger double-decker motor coach with a driver! One call and one contact!

2. Access to over 150 rental locations with unlimited miles going almost anywhere!

3. A full fleet of vehicles ranging from small-luxury cars, minivans, sport utilities, pickups, cargo vans, and 15-passenger vans! Box trucks and rental trucks for trailer towing will be available!

4. Absolutely guaranteed reservations on all orders and confirmations sent by email.

5. Delivery and pickup available for a nominal fee per van for extra convenience.

6. Fixed annual daily and weekly fees available when reserving through Speck only!

7. The largest fleet of new and loaded Ford 15-passenger vans in the DFW area.

8. Access to mini coaches, motor coaches, school buses, and limousines from our carefully-screened supplier network of over 30 suppliers nationwide.

9. The ability to reserve rental vehicles nationwide and on an international basis with Speck.

10. Speck Transportation now offers its clients an unprecedented, no risk guarantee! If you are not happy with the service provided by any supplier in my network, and I am unable to successfully resolve the challenge to your complete satisfaction, I will gladly refund my entire fee for service back to you or your organization!

Call me today and rent a 15-passenger for $103 daily or $618 weekly with unlimited miles in Texas only! Reserve by 9-30 and secure these lower fees for anytime in the future! Call me right now!

 Speck Transportation provides all types of ground transportation with and without a driver, except planes and trains.  We serve our clients as trusted advisers, assistant buyers, tough negotiators, and safety experts.  When you call us, we will respond quickly to your requests for quotation in a timely manner.  We will remove all the hassles and legwork for you, negotiate the optimal overall value package, maximize your budget, and keep you extremely safe as we guide you through the transportation maze!  Turn to our twenty years of experience and let us serve as your transportation authority! 

Here are five common sense tips for inspecting rented 15-passenger vans:

1. Make sure that you lead the inspection, not the rental agent employed by the van rental company.  You as the renter are responsible for all damages to the vehicle, regardless of fault.  Therefore, you must take the initiative to protect yourself with a detailed and precise damage inspection prior to leaving the rental office.  The rental agent will not be as careful to note previous damages as you will be.

2. Inspect the entire perimeter of the van thoroughly, looking for dents and scrapes of any notable significance.  Look at the front, back, and sides of the van from several different angles to avoid missing any damages.  Do not accept a van that has not been completely cleaned and washed so that no previous damage will be hidden or concealed from your view.  The van must be totally dry and spotless before you walk around it.  All damages, tar, and scratches should be noted and initialed on the rental agreement without exception.

3.  Inspect the front windshield from the outside of the van first, noting all chips, stars, or cracks. Do not overlook or consider anything you view to be too insignificant.  Lift up both wipers and look under them because many times missed chips or stars show up there upon return.  Next, step inside the driver door and climb into the driver seat.  Scan the entire windshield from left to right, looking for anything you may have missed on the outside of the van.  Make sure everything has been noted on the agreement once again.  Do not accept a van with a big crack!

4.  Open every door on the van.  Step up inside the van, propping yourself up to view the roof.  Look for scrapes and dents from as many angles as possible to make sure you make an accurate assessment of anything you see up there.  Repeat this same step all the way around the van from every door.  The roof takes 30 days to replace and costs more than any other part of the vehicle.  Again, all damage must be noted, agreed upon, and the roof must be dry.  You must get this done correctly as the rental firm will charge you for loss of use as well!

5.  Climb inside the van and make sure that all the bench seats are there.  Look at all the seats, carpet, and the headliner very closely.  Make note of all stains, cigarette burns, and holes.  Check the steering column and make sure that everything looks normal.  Make note of any damage to the dashboard or any missing knobs on the control panels.  Do not accept a dirty van or one with a missing seat.

5.5  Walk to the rear of the van and drop to one knee.  Look underneath the van and make sure the spare tire and jack are both there.  If they are not, ask for another van!  Take a look at all four tires on the van, looking for nails or screws.  Make note of any excessively worn tires or those with low tread.  Finally, if the tires look like they are deflated, ask the rental company to get them up to the correct tire pressure.

If you will heed my advice regarding the points above, you will never be charged for damages you did not cause when you return vans!

Please visit our new motorcoach rental page at http://www.specktransportation.com/speck-transportation/

Here are four horror stories and extreme situations with past trips that you can learn from others mistakes!  These will save you time, hassle, money, and possibly even some lives!

1. Never allow anyone or anything on the roof of a 15-passenger van or minicoach that you rent and drive yourself!

A few years ago a church rented seven 15-passenger vans during the week of July 4th.  They took the vans to a local event and watched fireworks.  Instead of bringing their own seats, they decided to let the kids use the roofs as stadium seating!  They jumped up and down on them and sat on them for the entire time!  When they returned the vans, the roofs were extremely damaged, and the church insurance had to pay to replace the roof on each van!  In addition, and because replacing a roof on a large van takes a month at minimum to complete, they were charged for loss of use.  In a nutshell, they had to compensate the rental company for the daily rental rate of each van for 30 days!

2.  Never place unleaded gasoline in a vehicle that has been clearly marked for diesel fuel only!

One church rented a 24 foot box truck for a week that had a sign right above the fuel tank that said DIESEL FUEL ONLY!  During the entire week, the driver put in unleaded gas several times with little or no effect on the engine.  Upon return, the fuel system had to be flushed and the glow plugs had to be replaced.  The total damage to the box truck turned out to be $2000.  In addition, the driver for the church was a professional truck driver by trade and should have known better.  Fortunately, this church appealed to us and we got the bill settled for half of the original total.  Since the sign was clearly marked, and the smell of diesel fuel has a very distinct odor, how could the guy not know wht type of fuel he was putting in there?  He told my church contact that he never saw the sign!  Open your eyes and just look!

3.  Never cancel an existing order with a motorcoach carrier just to get the cheapest package without consideraing all other factors!

Back in 2003, a church in Dallas charted a coach with a carrier that was reputable and had older coaches in the fleet.  Just a few days prior to the pickup, the church decided to go with a carrier that gave them an offer $300 less than they would have paid with the original one.  They removed their reservation and decided on this carrier that they had done no research on before making this decision.  At the last minute, the new carrier subchartered to another carrier who had multiple driver violations and expired tags on their coaches.  On the way back home, the coach crashed into a bridge killing the driver and four passengers.  Multiple lawsuits were filed and lives lost because someone was trying to be cheap and skip their homework.  Do your research before you travel on a coach as your lives are riding on your choice!

4.  Never withhold payment from a coach carrier in an effort to gain the upper hand in negotiations or to try and lower the investment!

One church in 2003 rented three coaches and went to Florida during a summer trip!  Instead of sending the final investment to the carrier prior to pickup, the client took the final check with them to Florida in an attempt to negotiate the toal investment with the carrier!  This caused the owner to become very angry and threaten to leave the group in Florida.  After many hours of negotiation with the owner of the carrier, and many phone calls to the church administration, we got the coach paid for and the group was returned home safely.  Many hours were wasted in solving a problem that could have been easily avoided.  Both sides had tempers flaring and the whole situation could have easily been a disaster!  In conclusion, if you hold back the funds from a coach agreement, you can be charged with theft of service and will not have a leg to stand on as you have autographed a legal binding agreement.  My lesson personally was never do a three way call when tensions are high.

If you need a van rental or a coach with a driver visit us at http://bit.ly/niLh6m

Here are five crucial mistakes to avoid when you charter a coach with a driver!

1. Not having an established itinerary for the driver. You not only need this far in advance to obtain a correct and valid quote, but also to allow the carrier to map out the route and familiarize the driver with it.  Your driver must know in advance where they are going so they can get your group there on time!  Without an itinerary, you driver may get lost or worse.

2.  Not sticking to the itinerary you created.  The total investment in chartering a coach is based on days, times, miles, and hours.  If any of these variables change, the total investment increases proportionately.  Changes in your itinerary must be negotiated before the trip.  If you divert the driver from the original route, you may very well receive an unwanted bill after the trip! If the trip has been based on miles, the investment per additional mile will be less pre-negotiated than after the fact.

3.  Failure to keep control of your group on the trip.  The driver must be able to concentrate on driving the coach with both eyes focused on the road.  Your group should be seated if not going to the restroom or moving to another seat.  Playing in the aisles or standing for an excessive period of times creates a dangerous situation if the coach has to stop in a hurry.  Speak to everyone before departure and make sure they understand the rules before leaving.  Allow the driver to speak to the group beforehand as well to state any expectations.  This will help avoid any misunderstandings between the driver and the group leader.  Establish a no tolerance rule for screaming, running, or rudeness.

4.  Failure to respect the motor coach.  When you leave the coach at the end of the trip, or each leg of two one-way transfers, have a few members of your group walk through the coach and pick up all of the trash that was not already bagged.  Instruct your group to utilize available trash bags on the coach.  If you stop at a fast food place to eat, finish eating and drinking inside the restaurant.  Most spills and stains on the coaches come from fast food.  Try bringing pre-packaged food and snacks with bottled water as an alternative.  Do not allow your group to yank on or play with the window shades.  They tear easily and cost $350 each to replace.  Excessive cleaning fees on a coach run a minimum of $300.  These coaches represent an investment of $400-$500K per unit.  Treat them like they are your own!

5.  Failure to respect the driver.  The driver will make or break your trip.  If you do not like the driver you have, call the carrier and ask for another one.  Do not allow yourself to get into an argument with any driver.  Do not allow your group members or yourself to insult or profane the driver.  Prepare a driver gratuity in advance and make sure that the driver receives it.  Be kind, courteous, and respectful at all times.  Everyone’s greatest need is to feel appreciated!  Coach drivers are no exception to that rule!

If you need a coach with a driver for your group, visit us at http://www.specktransportation.com/speck-transportation/

What Type of Vehicles Can You Get Through Speck? http://youtu.be/5_eGkLMILjA

Two safer and better controlled alternatives to towing trailers with vans would be to remove back seats or rent a cargo van for the luggage!