July 1, 2009 | Link This | Email this | Comments (0)

I was listening to my favorite rush hour FM morning team while commuting from kitchen to home office when something I heard stopped me in my tracks. Luckily no one was following close behind or there would have been a major cereal spill. The morning show host was talking about forklifts. Specifically, he was citing a report from the National Consumers League that “forklift operator” was number three on the list of five most dangerous jobs for teen workers.

Wait a minute. Isn’t it illegal for young teens to operate forklifts? It is, according to the ...Read More

June 27, 2009 | Link This | Email this | Comments (0)

Know what my dog Simba and South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford have in common? They both did the wrong thing because they believed they could get away with it.

Before sitting down to write this blog in the comfort of my living room, I had to chase my yellow lab off our leather couch. My wife and I don’t want him on our leather couch, and we’ve made this clear to him many times. He stays off it when we’re around, but when he thinks the coast is clear, he’ll sneak back onto his forbidden pleasure.

Speaking of sneaks, how about that Mark Sanford? If you’ve been following the news, you know where I’m going with this—and it ain’t Argentina.

June 24, 2009 | Link This | Email this | Comments (0)

If anything good is coming out of the tough economic times we’re living through, it’s that logistics people are starting to think more strategically than reactively. Better late than never. Unfortunately, reactive thinking is still at play in helping us learn the lessons behind the tough times plaguing our transportation infrastructure.

Just the other day we read about the commuter train crash in Washington, DC that killed nine people and injured scores. Early findings are that the Metro system routinely delayed system upgrades that could have resulted in a far less ugly outcome. Who knows, maybe there are operator training implications as well.

A few weeks before that we heard about th...Read More

June 22, 2009 | Link This | Email this | Comments (0)

I wanted to share one more observation that came out of my researching lift truck leasing for Modern’s upcoming August Lift Truck Tips column as well as for an article I'm writing for Logistics Management magazine. A couple blogs ago I told you you’re in a better bargaining position than ever, thanks to lift truck providers trying to salvage as much margin as they can in this tough economy.

Well, it turns out not only are leasing terms becoming more flexible, but rental is becoming an attractive short term option for many users when they're not ready to commit to purchasing or leasing a new lift truck. Ralph Petta, vice president of research and industry services for the Equipment Leasing and Fina...Read More

June 17, 2009 | Link This | Email this | Comments (0)

There are some changes in the works that could affect the economic benefits you enjoy from leasing lift trucks. The Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) and the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) are collaborating to develop a new model for recognizing assets and liabilities under lease contracts. The proposed new standard is expected to affect the balance sheets of all companies that lease equipment.

Under the existing standard, a company must classify and account for leases as operating or capital leases, depending on whether the lease transfers all or substantially all of the risks and rewards incident to ownership. The capitalization model wo...Read More