Mikay Samson, Author at Eclipse DOT

Driver Files Made Easy

Posted on June 9, 2023June 9, 2023 by Mikay Samson

Have you ever looked for an easy-to-use solution for Driver Qualification Files (DQ Files, or Driver Files)??

I know that when I first got handed DOT, the company I worked for had NOTHING!

When I say nothing, I mean we had nothing. Not even one driver file. No driver application.

We literally had personal files, and none of the applications came even close to meeting the Federal requirements. (FMCSA)

So, I built a DOT program from the ground up. And just after our company got audited, I was on a time crunch, to say the least.

The reason for the time crunch was that when the officers finished the audit, they said that if they didn’t see improvement in the next 90 days, then they were going to come back and threatened to pull our operating authority.

And get this, I wasn’t handed the position of DOT manager until 45 days after the audit. Before that, I was just a trainer.

So I jumped through a TON of hops really quick and worked a TON of hours. There were times that I thought my wife was going to go crazy because I was working sooooo much.

But I never gave up.

And guess what!

Within my 45 day deadline, we were……….

NOT IN COMPLIANCE!!! not even close!

I had about 90 out of 600 driver files put together. And I just kept waiting for the cops to call and say that they were coming back next week so I’d better get my stuff together.

Stressed doesn’t even begin to explain what I felt every day.

I made a goal for myself. It was to get 100% on the driver files by January 1st. and I got handed the job in June.

As I built the DOT program for our company of 1800 people with 1200 drivers there was a lot to track and to keep up on.

It seemed that I kept running into setback after setback, but I never gave up. I just kept moving forward, pivoting as needed to keep the momentum.

I not only made my personal goal of getting the files 100% by January I made it by October!

During that time I also implemented the entire DOT program. Don’t get me wrong I continued to shape it and make it better every day. I would tweak it, then tweak it again, and again. I just kept doing it until finally it was running pretty smoothly.

But I never quit trying to make it better.

After 2.5 years of running the DOT program for that company, we got acquired. And I was asked to join the team of the other company’s DOT.

Then the DOT manager of that company pulled me into her office and said, “Dan you are an asset, I need you to take over DOT for 5 of the 6 companies. Can you do that?”

Sure, why not! Lol

So, I took on another 900 drivers spread out across the country. And their DOT was about where ours was when I first started.

But get this, it only took me 30 days to get them into compliance, because I had figured out how to do it. most of all I had a framework to follow that worked.

That framework had everything in it from how to talk to the drivers, their leaders, and the presidents of the companies.

So that was nothing.

I was so proud of the ducted-tape mess of spreadsheets, calendar reminders, and other free things that I found and spent tons of time creating this DOT solution.

Then after another 3 years of working with these amazing companies and people. I finally got the courage to start my own business, Eclipse DOT.

At this point you might be asking yourself, “Dan why are you telling me all this, I’m not you and I don’t have the knowledge you do about DOT!”

Get this!!!

Neither did I when I first started! So, I know how you feel no matter where you are at in the process, because I have been there.

I have started with nothing, I have joined companies with some, and I have been through multiple acquisitions.

That is exactly why we built DOT Docs. www.DOTDocs.com

I took those frameworks that I built and perfected then built a software that others could use to make their lives simpler. At least when it comes to DOT!

DOT Docs is the all-in-one tool when it comes to DOT Compliance.

We have an inside joke here at the office, we call it the Turbo Tax of DOT.

So simple that anyone could do it. Simple enough for one driver, and also robust enough to handle multiple companies, DOT numbers, Divisions, and yes even terminals.

If you don’t believe me, then my team would love to show you exactly what it can do.

You can sign up for a Demo here!!

If you are one of those people who just love to do it on your own, then head over to www.DOTDocs.com and get your free 30-day trial right NOW!!

Seriously what are you waiting for?

This is literally the best thing since sliced bread when it comes to DOT!

When I first started building DOT Docs, I took the time to make sure that we kept it simple to use. That meant that we had to put TONS of extra time and $$$ into the design and user experience.

And we did just that.

I took all of my frameworks, processes, and procedures, then put them all into DOT Docs.

But we didn’t stop there.

Because I know that I don’t know everything (no matter what my wife might tell you I think lol) I went to the industry and found over a dozen companies from across the board that could use a tool like this.

Then I asked them to help us build it.

No money, just their wisdom, and thoughts.

We took their advice and built the FIRST EVER All-IN-ONE DOT COMPLIANCE SOLUTION THAT IS BUILT BY THE INDUSTRY, FOR THE INDUSTRY!!!

A lot of people ask me, does it work?

Well……….

Last year alone our team helped more than 56 companies with audits and NONE OF THEM HAD ANY VIOLATIONS that resulted in fines!!!

That right there is proof that no other DOT platform has!

So, check it out www.DOTDocs.com!!!

See you on the Inside!

Why is DOT Compliance important to you the driver?

Posted on June 2, 2023June 2, 2023 by Mikay Samson

When I first started driving trucks (legally) back when I was 18, I never heard anything about compliance.

All I ever heard from other drivers. And to be 100% honest it wasn’t GREAT information that I was being taught.

I heard things like, “Always make sure your load has enough straps!”

My follow-up questions would be something like, How many straps is that? Do they have to be a specific size?

Or the other thing that I got told was, “Don’t be stupid when it comes to driving! Or Cops, you are a billboard for the company.”

I never heard anything about roadside inspections, and NEVER anything about why I always had to fill out these crazy forms every year.

When I got into a DOT position for a company I didn’t do a great job at explaining why these things needed to be done at first either.

But the more I learned about how liability works and how a TON translates back to the driver and the company I started teaching others about why it is so important to be in compliance.

One thing that I didn’t realize is that if as a driver if I was running over hours then I was putting not only myself at risk but also my family.

HOW you ask!!!

Well, when I am knowingly breaking the rules and I get into an accident, even if I’m not at fault I could be charged with more aggressive charges. In a few cases, the prosecutors upped the charges from a misdemeanor to something MAJOR like Homicide!!

That is intentional murder!

CRAZY RIGHT?!?!?!?

The other thing that I didn’t realize is that when I got pulled into a port of entry and inspected. My results were what made the difference whether we got audited or not.

Or even if our trucks were targeted for inspections.

That’s right. when you get violations during a roadside stop that can lead to your company getting more inspections.

Which then triggers an audit! And that audit can cost the company $$$$$.

In 2022 the government issued more than $25,698,341 in fines for onsite investigations alone!!!!

Let me say that again. During audits in the year of 2022 our lovely government issued more than $25.5 million in fines to companies for violations they found during audits!!

Can you say WOW??

I never knew that either.

When I used to get pulled into a port of entry the officer always told me, “This is just a fix it ticket, no fines today!” or, “I’m not going to give you any tickets today just need to get these fixed.”

That way they came off to the driver as a good guy.

What a Crock Of CRAP!!

Because each of those violations is what leads for more roadside inspections, and if you continue to get violations then it leads to an audit.

That’s not all that you need to know as a driver though.

You also need to know that you can get tickets for almost all of these violations.

I personally know one guy who got an overweight ticket for over $10,000.00. Yes you read that right. over $10 Thousand dollars.

This ticket was not in the company’s name. It had the drivers name on it!!!

Can you imagine getting a ticket for over 10K?

You might be thinking, “wow that guy must have been really overweight!”

NOPE. He was only a little more than 5,000lbs over on his drives. He just rubbed the cop the wrong way during the inspection.

Are you guys getting how important that it is as a driver you understand DOT?

As a leader for a company do you understand how important it is to educate your drivers about DOT?

CRAZY important.

Because get this, if you drivers understand why DOT is important then they can be your best advocates for the company.

And I have said this forever, people want to do it right. sometimes they just don’t know how to or what right is.

It is our job as leaders to help those we lead to understand and encourage them what right is.

At this point I would be doing you a HUGE disservice if I didn’t tell you about some the training that we offer to help drivers, leaders, and office staff to really understand DOT.

We offer quarterly training for companies and their drivers we can come to you, or we can make it happen via virtual meetings.

For those of you who love to do the training yourself, we offer train the trainer. And to top it off we have a membership specifically for that. Where you get a weekly group training with other professionals. And a group where you can ask questions and learn as you go.

If you don’t have time and your drivers all over the place, then we have a solution that is in our web-based software DOT Docs. Right now we are building new trainings all the time that you can assign to your drivers as needed. And they can complete them from anywhere in the world, as long as they have an internet connection.

How cool is that???

We also offer DOT certifications for those of you are ready to take your knowledge and resume to the next level!

When I say that here at Eclipse DOT we have you covered, we really mean it!

Our mission is to help you grow and scale your business effortlessly. And we do everything in our power to make it happen!

If you want to learn more about any of our services or how you can work with us to make your businesses even more amazing reach out today! info@eclipse-dot.com or check out our website. www.eclipsedot.com

We’ll chat soon.

My tips to “Recharge” Your batteries

Posted on May 26, 2023May 26, 2023 by Mikay Samson

When you read the title to this you might have thought I was going to give you some cooky advice about how to jump-start your car or truck.

Like take a 50-pound bag of potatoes and a spool of copper wire then hook it up to the positive side of the battery. And wahalaaaaa.

I’m just kidding, don’t try that. For real, I have never done that and have no idea if it would work. So really DO NOT try that.

Anyways……..

I hate to disappoint you, but that’s not what’s going to happen here. lol

Today I wanted to let you in on a few of my secrets so that you can figure out how to live a life that you love, every day!!

Are you guys & gals ready for this???

Ok my first tip is to get your mind in a place where you LOVE what you do!!!

That’s right if you LOVE what you do then you will never get tired.

Just kidding. I LOVE what I do, but I still get tired. But in being 100% transparent I work WAYYYYY more than a lot of people do and I hardly ever get burnt out.

And.

The big reason for that is because I absolutely LOVE what I do.

Let me give you a quick preview of my typical day. I wake up at about 3:30-4 am and pee. That’s right I have to take a wizz first thing in the AM. Then just after that, I take 30 minutes total on social media. but I’m not scrolling and using it for entertainment.

I am using it as a tool.

I am spying on my competition and potential customers to see if they have anything cool coming up. I make it point to wish everyone a happy birthday if they have a birthday that day.

Then I find 5 posts on each platform, like them, and comment on them. Those 5 posts are for potential clients or current clients.

After that, I make a pot of coffee for my amazing Queen (Jenna). Ok I drink a few cups too.

Next, I head to my home office where I check my emails and put out any fires that need to be addressed.

After that, I pick 3-7 projects that I want to get done today. I start with one that can either get done in 2 hours or one that I can pause in 2 hours when the kids get up at 6 am.

At 6 I step away from my computer and with the help of our little Maltipoo Rosie, I wake the kids up. I’ll have to make a video of her doing her job. It is absolutely amazing how much she loves her job. Lol

Then I take about 30 minutes with the kids before they catch the bus. After that, I usually spend about 10-15 minutes chatting with Jenna to top off her tank of quality time.

Then it’s back to the grind.

I hit the office and get it done.

About the only time that I step away from my computer is when I need to pee or grab more water to drink.

Most days it seems that I have some type of meeting(s) between 9 am -1 pm. So, I make sure that I am doing projects that I can easily step away from during those hours.

After the meetings, I take the afternoon to make sure that todays projects are buttoned up.

I usually finish up the day at about 5-6p, head upstairs, and help with dinner or make dinner if Jenna is chasing the kids.

Then I spend the evening with my family (recharging my batteries)

If there is something pressing after the kids go to bed and I finish reading to them I get that one item knocked out. And then head to bed.

Most nights Jenna and I watch one tv show together and then fall asleep about 9:30-10 pm.

I know you didn’t really want to hear about my schedule, but you needed to hear about so you can see that when I say that I GRIND, you can see that it is truly a GRIND. No lunch most days, a protein bar for breakfast, and I make sure that I get my batteries recharged with my family as much as possible.

Even with all of that, I do and all the stress that comes with running a growing small business I still LOVE what I do.

My second tip for recharging throughout the day is to build a playlist of music that gets you pumped!

I have one that I call setting the stage on Amazon Music. Check it out here, but be warned it is a WIDE variety of music and it might not all be clean music.

This helps me focus and get stuff done. Not to mention that the beats of the music keep me motivated throughout the day.

Those are just things that I do every day.

The next thing is to find something(s) that you can do every week that helps you.

For me its time with my family.

Like on Saturday when we play a family game together. That right there recharges my batteries and does it QUICK!

Some games that we love are, CashFlow, the Thing, Cribbage, Hand and Foot, and of course Clue!!

If you want more info on any of those games hit me up and I will be more than happy to share what they are. CashFlow is my favorite one because it makes me want to grow my assets!!

Then the next step is to find something that charges your batteries that you can do every quarter.

I really like to take a family trip every quarter. We go places like the beach, or a national park or where ever, just as long as we go as a family.

This one might be harder. But if you get creative you can definitely make it happen without costing much money.

Like a long weekend trip to a state or national park.

It shouldn’t be a trip where when you get back from you feel like you need to go back to work to rest up. I used to travel like that, but not anymore.

Now we go and have fun, we don’t try to pack every moment with something to do. We also don’t make a lot of schedules when we travel. We say if we make it to this it would be awesome, but our plan is to recharge, not drain!

Personally, I try to go to some sort of business event every quarter.

This is 2-fold.

One I learn, and to be honest, I recharge when I learn!

Second, it gets me around people who want to grow!! And I know that we are the sum of the people we surround ourselves with. So, if I hang around 5 broke people I will become the 6th. but if I hang around 5 billionaires I will become the 6th!

Well…….

I know that it’s not much, but those are my tips and tricks for keeping my energy and motivation throughout the day, week month, and yes even year.

Because if you want to be ULTRA successful then you have to find a way to keep moving when everyone else is sleeping.

What is that one phrase, I don’t quit when I’m tired, I quit when I’m finished.

Or my other favorite quote from Thomas Eddison is, “Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.”

I hope that this helped and that you find a way to keep your “Batteries” charged without hooking up jumper cables every time you stop. Lol

Serving Your Tribe

Posted on May 20, 2023May 20, 2023 by Mikay Samson

Hey guys, hope that you are having a wicked awesome day so far and that you are living the life that you love.

Because that is probably the most important part of life that sometimes we forget. Or at least I forget sometimes.

The other day I had a conversation with a young lady after training that I put on.

She came up to me afterward after everyone left the room and said, “Dan this was probably the best training that I have ever been to. You did a great job making it relate to everyone in the room especially me. Most of the time when I go to training being a young woman in a room full of guys I feel out of place. But today I felt like I BELONGED here. Thank you!”

What do you say to that?

Thanks??

After a little awkward silence, I could see that she didn’t just want to tell me that. She had other reasons for coming over to see me. So, I asked her what caused her to come to the training.

I got the typical answer, My boss made me. Lol

After some more casual small talk she was still hanging around, so I kept digging and finally, she started to open up.

“Dan as you know I work in an industry that is full of guys, and sometimes being a young female I feel a little out of place. Do you have any suggestions that might help me feel less out of place?”

YOU BET I DO!!!!

Being a leader in the industry our team is mostly made up of ladies and let me tell you my whole team is awesome, and we all pull out the weight.

And when someone is not pulling their weight, they know it and find out pretty darn quick that they better shape up or ship out.

But that is for another blog……

The advice I gave her was something that I learned a few years ago and really wished that someone would have told me when I was 22.

What I told her was that her gender is not a determining factor in any position in today’s world. it might have made a difference back in the early 1900s and before, but not anymore.

The only thing that is holding you back from being ULTRA successful is your own mind.

I thought maybe she would give me a look and roll her eyes at me like most people do when I give them such a simple and straightforward answer.

But instead, she paused for a second reflecting on what she just heard, and said, “That is so true. I haven’t advocated for myself and to be 100% honest I don’t really have any goals set in my life to help give me a true direction.”

We chatted a bit more and I found her more about her situation. This is something that I really like doing because it gives me the opportunity to learn about all the circumstances.

There is always at least a few circumstances in everyone’s life that are causing these doubts and disbelief.

After a while, she asked if I had any advice on how to change her mindset and really propel herself forward.

I gave her a few books to read that changed my entire life. Like Napoleon Hills Think and Grow Rich. And of course, Dale Carnegie’s How To Win Friends And Influence People.

Before she left I asked her what she really wanted to do and where she wanted to go. In other words what were her goals and her purpose in life?

She said I don’t know.

So……

We worked through a small goal-setting process that I use all the time.

By the end, she was a whole new person and had a whole new outlook on where she wanted to go.

You see when we set goals we create what Napoleon Hill calls Definiteness of Purpose. When we have a purpose it is easier to create the route.

The way I explained it to her was, that if you don’t know where you want to go and jump in the car and start driving you might be moving but if it’s in the wrong direction and you finally figure it out after 2 days of driving you might be farther away from your destination then if you would have just held tight.

Does that make sense???

As leaders, it is our job to help others find their purpose and passion.

NOT OURS, but theirs!

As a leader do you push others to be better even if it’s not what’s best for you???

I am so grateful that she took the time to jump out of her comfort zone and chat with me.

That right there is why I always hang around after every live event making myself accessible to everyone who attended.

You never know who God will introduce you to, and how might be able to help them!

Update on Jill (not her real name)!

We chatted the other day again after she had read both books and she sent me the goals that she built for herself.

Now that she has a destination in mind, I encouraged her to make the hard decisions that were going to help her get to the final destination.

The other thing that I did was encourage her to think bigger!

A lot of times we don’t think as big as god has plans for us.

Because God doesn’t call the qualified, he qualifies the called. And we are all called to do something, but it is our choice whether we pick up the task and take action or stay on the sidelines.

I am pleased to say that we are currently in negotiations to have her join the Eclipse DOT team!!! And I couldn’t be more excited to potentially bring her into the Eclipse Family!!!

But the choice is hers!

Just like the choice to change your life is yours! Will you make the change and get in the game, or will you be a bench warmer sitting there waiting for someone to tell you to get in the game???

Take that chance and get out there.

Author: Mikay Samson

Driver Files Made Easy

Why is DOT Compliance important to you the driver?

My tips to “Recharge” Your batteries

Serving Your Tribe

Get In Touch

Sign up for Text Alerts - Text ECLIPSE to 662-200-4303

Subscribe to Eclipse!

Services

Training

About

Join our Newsletter