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Miami — It was a packed house at the Florida Limousine Association’s (FLA’s) June 18 member meeting, which saw an afternoon of both local and industry-wide education.
FLA President Rick Versace of A1A Airport & Limousine Service is also an NLA board member, and spoke of not only the new partnership between the national association and Chauffeur Driven but also how “membership has its privileges.” Versace detailed how the “best operators belong to a local association to keep up to date with what is going on in their local markets, as well as the National Limousine Association to keep abreast of national and international industry issues and events.”
He elaborated on how belonging to an association that places a premium on safety and upholding high standards “is like the Good Housekeeping seal of approval,” signaling to passengers and peers alike that your priorities are aligned—and the perks available to members, particularly association-exclusive affiliate and farm-out work, educational opportunities, and discounts on services and goods ranging from vehicle repairs to flowers.
More locally, members of the FLA are privy to FLA-Job Trade, a free tool available through WhatsApp that helps with the likes of recovering from service failures and booking additional work. FLA members and their staff are encouraged to sign up so that a message sent to the group reaches the widest audience possible to help operators work together.
With Super Bowl 2020 coming to Miami Gardens, it’s never too late for operators to begin preparing for professional sports’ biggest event and coordinating their efforts. Applications will become available as the event gets closer; temporary license dates are yet to be determined. Applications will be open to both unlicensed and licensed Miami-Dade County limousine/PMC license holders. Licensed companies will pay $100 per vehicle and unlicensed companies will pay $100 application fee and $100 per vehicle being licensed.
Companies that are unlicensed within Miami-Dade County will need to provide proof of licensing from their regulatory division. All companies will need to provide a COI showing vehicles being licensed and a copy of chauffeurs' licenses if they do not have a Miami-Dade County chauffeur registration.
The next FLA meeting will be July 30.
Visit floridalimousine.com for more information.
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Dallas, Texas — Limo Anywhere, a software solutions provider for the ground transportation industry, is excited to be hosting its inaugural Users Conference in Ft. Worth, Texas, from September 10-12, 2019. The goal of the conference is to empower Limo Anywhere customers to use the software to its fullest extent as they grow their businesses.
“With a software as comprehensive as Limo Anywhere, we frequently find many new and existing features are not utilized by our customers, which results in leaving revenue (or savings) on the table,” explains Limo Anywhere President Sean Arena. “With that in mind, we have established this exclusive opportunity for Limo Anywhere customers to dive into every facet of the platform, ensuring they unlock the full potential of the technology that helps them run their business every day.”
Limo Anywhere has long been dedicated to providing multiple training opportunities for its clients, such as videos, blog posts, articles, and trade show demonstrations. In response to client requests for more advanced and immersive training, Limo Anywhere explored the idea of a user conference, a common offering of many software companies, which would provide education at a much more affordable rate than dedicated on-site training. A survey of its nearly 5,000 customers revealed widespread demand for the conference, which Limo Anywhere aptly named Limo Anywhere Academy.
Attendees will participate in a dozen sessions taught by Limo Anywhere and The LMC Group training experts. They will go home with concrete learnings and steps they can immediately implement, such as hands-on training on advanced rate setup, which will help to maximize their profit margins. They will also have the chance to learn how to turn their website into a reservations machine, giving them an advantage over their competition by streamlining their businesses with Limo Anywhere’s booking, scheduling, dispatch, and reservation management system.
In addition to these benefits, Limo Anywhere has just announced that Scott Solombrino, former president and CEO of Dav El/BostonCoach and current executive director and COO of GBTA, will be the keynote speaker at Limo Anywhere Academy. Solombrino is a legend, having spent more than 40 years in the industry as he developed the largest privately owned ground transportation network in the world, with a fleet of 25,000 in 550 worldwide markets. With his vision and insight, Solombrino’s remarks will be invaluable to the operators in attendance.
“The industry events I attended during my years in the chauffeured car world were invaluable,” shares Solombrino. “The education, networking opportunities, and inspiration paid real dividends in my business. I’m excited to be a part of the Limo Anywhere Academy, which I know will enable Limo Anywhere’s clients to use their software to its fullest potential.”
Registration is currently open for Limo Anywhere Academy, with Early Bird Pricing set to expire June 30th.
Visit LimoAnywhereAcademy.com for more information.
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Washington, D.C. — On June 29, 2012, the United States Congress passed the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (MAP-21) and signed it into law July 6 that same year. MAP-21 was passed as a highway spending bill and, as with most spending bills contained several different items.
According to Joe Guinn of Limo & Bus Compliance, one such item is about to have major consequences for the bus industry. Along with provisions for pedestrians, cyclists, and even student loans, Congress mandated that all new CDL drivers and those adding certain endorsements must go through Entry-Level Driver Training (ELDT).
Guinn has clarified what this means for any company with CDL chauffeurs and drivers.
Affected Drivers
ELDT applies to any driver who applies for a new CDL, upgrades their existing class of CDL or adds a passenger, school bus, or hazmat endorsements to their existing license. This applies to all drivers, including both interstate or intrastate operations. The only exception is those who are exempt from skills testing, primarily military members. This exemption will not generally apply to passenger carriers, since many military licenses do not carry a “P” (or passenger) endorsement.
What this means is that, effective February 7, 2020, any chauffeur wanting to either get a license upgrade or add a “P” endorsement will need to complete a course through a certified school. For operators who encourage chauffeurs to get a CDL or regularly hire truck drivers that add a “P” endorsement, this means the cost to hire CDLs may go up substantially.
Training
Going forward, these drivers will need to complete a required curriculum that includes behind-the-wheel training—both “parking lot” and on-road, as well as classroom training for the license type or endorsement they are applying for. Drivers will not be allowed to complete their skills test and get their license until completed. As part of the course, drivers must complete a written test with a score of at least 80 percent and show proficiency behind the wheel. All behind-the-wheel training must be in the same type of vehicle the chauffeur is requesting licensing for.
Once a driving student completes the course, the trainer submits their information to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA). Once the state receives the information, then the driver will be eligible to take their skills test.
Cost
Professional driving courses are already commonly used by the trucking industry: The average cost is $3,000-$7,000 per student. Compare that to the $20-30 it currently costs most driving staff to upgrade their licenses, and we can expect to see an increase in hiring incentives and average pay for chauffeurs.
What to Do
Between now and February 2020, it is highly recommended that companies encourage their eligible chauffeurs to get their CDLs. Companies that frequently have drivers add P endorsements should also plan to hire proactively ahead of the deadline. One of the biggest complaints we hear is the difficulty of hiring CDLs. With the cost to get licensed increasing, expect it to get worse.
Visit fmcsa.dot.gov or dotbuscompliance.com for more information.
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