Unregistered Carriers on 11/18/2009 - 1609
Unregistered Carriers on 11/19/2009 - 1597
Maine - 93.14%
Illinois - 92.50%
I've been thinking overnight about the prospects for collaboration .... and I'm struck by a recurring question:
What does/will it actually mean for "us" to collaborate?
First, who is "us"? If we're talking about NCSTS, we could be talking about the current officers, the Past Presidents, the Executive Committee, the States, the Industry, the Past Hospitality Suite Coordinators or the entire NCSTS membership.
Second, what will collaboration mean? Frequently, I approach the adequacy of a new piece of software in terms of, "Here's what I need it to do. Does it do that?" In this case, it's almost like we're looking at what Sharepoint does and figuring out if that type of collaboration could apply to the "new and improved" collaborative us.
In other words, we have no Grand Collaboration Plan to test the capabilities of Sharepoint against.
And I'm struck by the extent to which we don't collaborate now.
And I think we're going to have to "grow into" collaboration.
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
UCR - Prospects For Collaboration
Unregistered Carriers on 11/17/2009 - 1619
Unregistered Carriers on 11/18/2009 - 1609
Maine - 93.11%
Illinois - 92.44%
As luck would have it, Maine got swamped by 4 new carriers and registered one of them, so they took a little percentage hit while we managed to move ahead a tad. We now sit at .67% behind them. The plan comes together ...(;
But that's not why I called you here ....
My agency is starting to work with Microsoft Sharepoint, a giant collaboration tool/site. The capabilities are prodigious - and can be aimed at the outside (outside of my agency) world. This leads me to the concept of external collaboration (collaboration + outside world)and begs the question, "If we (UCR Administrators, UCR Board, NCSTS) could collaborate at a common site to do common things, what kinds of common things would we choose to collaborate on?". Pithy question.
Sharepoint can handle document storage, document versioning, offshoot Web sites, blogs, discussion forums (fora? fori? forae?) and, trust me on this, all kinds of other stuff. If we can figure out something to collaborate on, I'm guessing Sharepoint can accomodate us.
Over the next couple of weeks, I'm going to work up a couple of test things and demonstrate them via Live Meeting because we don't have external Sharepoint access yet ... it costs extra $$$. But I think the agency is willing to spend the money if we can demonstrate a legitimate use. So work with me on this, people.
And try to be mindful of what the late, great, granny-glass-wearin', kite-flyin', Constitution-signin', odometer-inventin' Ben ("It's all about the Benjamins") Franklin said:
We may have all come on different ships, but we're in the same boat now.
Amen, brother!
Unregistered Carriers on 11/18/2009 - 1609
Maine - 93.11%
Illinois - 92.44%
As luck would have it, Maine got swamped by 4 new carriers and registered one of them, so they took a little percentage hit while we managed to move ahead a tad. We now sit at .67% behind them. The plan comes together ...(;
But that's not why I called you here ....
My agency is starting to work with Microsoft Sharepoint, a giant collaboration tool/site. The capabilities are prodigious - and can be aimed at the outside (outside of my agency) world. This leads me to the concept of external collaboration (collaboration + outside world)and begs the question, "If we (UCR Administrators, UCR Board, NCSTS) could collaborate at a common site to do common things, what kinds of common things would we choose to collaborate on?". Pithy question.
Sharepoint can handle document storage, document versioning, offshoot Web sites, blogs, discussion forums (fora? fori? forae?) and, trust me on this, all kinds of other stuff. If we can figure out something to collaborate on, I'm guessing Sharepoint can accomodate us.
Over the next couple of weeks, I'm going to work up a couple of test things and demonstrate them via Live Meeting because we don't have external Sharepoint access yet ... it costs extra $$$. But I think the agency is willing to spend the money if we can demonstrate a legitimate use. So work with me on this, people.
And try to be mindful of what the late, great, granny-glass-wearin', kite-flyin', Constitution-signin', odometer-inventin' Ben ("It's all about the Benjamins") Franklin said:
We may have all come on different ships, but we're in the same boat now.
Amen, brother!
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
UCR - "The 300" (The Goal - Not The Movie)
Unregistered Carriers on 11/16/2009 - 1646
Unregistered Carriers on 11/17/2009 - 1619
Maine - 93.20%
Illinois - 92.39%
Last Thursday, I wrote that we need a net reduction of approximately 300 carriers from our unregistered list if we are going to give Maine a run for their money.
I also said that our unregistered list showed approximately 350 carriers who haven't updated their MCS-150 in at least two years and I told you that our strategy was to address that group as the potential source for many of the 300.
Today, that same number (350) stands at 267, a reduction of 83. At the same time, our unregistered list has been reduced by a net of 79. Coincidence? You decide.
We will continue to address this group in our quest for the top spot.
It's interesting to note that some of these people were early "sideways" additions - before we know what a "sideways" addition was - so they missed our early mailings and are, in some cases, just now hearing from us.
Sometimes, this process still amazes me. As Dave Barry says:
The world is full of strange phenomena that cannot be explained by the laws of logic or science. Dennis Rodman is only one example.
Unregistered Carriers on 11/17/2009 - 1619
Maine - 93.20%
Illinois - 92.39%
Last Thursday, I wrote that we need a net reduction of approximately 300 carriers from our unregistered list if we are going to give Maine a run for their money.
I also said that our unregistered list showed approximately 350 carriers who haven't updated their MCS-150 in at least two years and I told you that our strategy was to address that group as the potential source for many of the 300.
Today, that same number (350) stands at 267, a reduction of 83. At the same time, our unregistered list has been reduced by a net of 79. Coincidence? You decide.
We will continue to address this group in our quest for the top spot.
It's interesting to note that some of these people were early "sideways" additions - before we know what a "sideways" addition was - so they missed our early mailings and are, in some cases, just now hearing from us.
Sometimes, this process still amazes me. As Dave Barry says:
The world is full of strange phenomena that cannot be explained by the laws of logic or science. Dennis Rodman is only one example.
Monday, November 16, 2009
Why Do We Still Have 1600+ Unregistered Carriers
Unregistered Carriers on 11/14/2009 - 1626
Unregistered Carriers on 11/16/2009 - 1646
Maine - 93.17%
Illinois - 92.26%
When I can pull myself away from "War Games", I tend to reflect on why we (Illinois) still have over 1600 unregistered carriers. While I believe we have done extremely well, I still think that's a huge number. The answer, quite frankly, is that I don't really know the whole answer. As the dad said in My Big Fat Greek Wedding, "so there you have it!" (He also said that Windex fixes everything, but it hasn't worked on registration percentage yet.)
Here's what I DO know:
About 400 of these are USDOT numbers issued since January 1 that have not yet registered. Many of them are "in process" - in fact, 20 of them came to our attention for the first time this morning.
Some percentage of them - a small percentage, I think - are guys who are in the "boonies" and who pretty much refuse to register and probably won't get caught.
Some percentage of them - again, a small percentage, I think - are guys for whom we have bad addresses, but they appear to be active when we do our due diligence.
Some percentage of them - maybe another 10% - are really inactive carriers that we haven't deactivated yet.
Some percentage of them - probably a small percentage, at this point - are bad MCMIS records.
Believe it or not, we still make a fair number of contacts where the carriers say, "This is the first I've heard of this." Kathy maintains that this group is primarily private carriers with old numbers. Many of them end up registering, but, for the moment, they are still "in process".
Beyond that, I'm still searching for answers.
One thing we have learned is that you can register 90+% of them, but the other few percent can still be quite elusive.
No matter - I'm still trying to "get to zero"! I may not get all the way there without ultimately having a SWAT team trained on the last holdout in a small farm house somewhere in the boonies! News at 11!
I'm JUST KIDDING about that last part - hopefully, we can avoid that unpleasantry!
Unregistered Carriers on 11/16/2009 - 1646
Maine - 93.17%
Illinois - 92.26%
When I can pull myself away from "War Games", I tend to reflect on why we (Illinois) still have over 1600 unregistered carriers. While I believe we have done extremely well, I still think that's a huge number. The answer, quite frankly, is that I don't really know the whole answer. As the dad said in My Big Fat Greek Wedding, "so there you have it!" (He also said that Windex fixes everything, but it hasn't worked on registration percentage yet.)
Here's what I DO know:
About 400 of these are USDOT numbers issued since January 1 that have not yet registered. Many of them are "in process" - in fact, 20 of them came to our attention for the first time this morning.
Some percentage of them - a small percentage, I think - are guys who are in the "boonies" and who pretty much refuse to register and probably won't get caught.
Some percentage of them - again, a small percentage, I think - are guys for whom we have bad addresses, but they appear to be active when we do our due diligence.
Some percentage of them - maybe another 10% - are really inactive carriers that we haven't deactivated yet.
Some percentage of them - probably a small percentage, at this point - are bad MCMIS records.
Believe it or not, we still make a fair number of contacts where the carriers say, "This is the first I've heard of this." Kathy maintains that this group is primarily private carriers with old numbers. Many of them end up registering, but, for the moment, they are still "in process".
Beyond that, I'm still searching for answers.
One thing we have learned is that you can register 90+% of them, but the other few percent can still be quite elusive.
No matter - I'm still trying to "get to zero"! I may not get all the way there without ultimately having a SWAT team trained on the last holdout in a small farm house somewhere in the boonies! News at 11!
I'm JUST KIDDING about that last part - hopefully, we can avoid that unpleasantry!
Saturday, November 14, 2009
UCR "Wars" - Saturday Edition
Unregistered Carriers on 11/13/2009 - 1678
Unregistered Carriers on 11/14/2009 - 1626
Maine - 93.10%
Illinois - 92.35%
From the movie "Patton"
--------------------------
Capt. Jenson: They haven't spotted our positions yet.
Gen. Patton: They will get some education in about 10 seconds when they get a dose of our artillery fire.
Just as General Patton waged a battle without letting the other side know until the last few seconds, I am stealthily "sneaking up" on Maine. With any luck, I'll be "in position" in a couple of weeks.
We've gone from a deficit of 1.25% to a deficit of .75% in three days(although I happen to think we will get clobbered with a bunch of new carriers after the weekend updates, which will increase the deficit).
Bill Leonard tried to let the cat out of the bag at the Board meeting last Thursday, but nobody even knew what the heck he was talking about, which can only be attributed to my masterful tactical preparation.
Things are also going well on the California "front". We lead them by about 60 registrations, although that may also change after the weekend updates.
Have a great rest of the weekend! And keep your heads down!
Unregistered Carriers on 11/14/2009 - 1626
Maine - 93.10%
Illinois - 92.35%
From the movie "Patton"
--------------------------
Capt. Jenson: They haven't spotted our positions yet.
Gen. Patton: They will get some education in about 10 seconds when they get a dose of our artillery fire.
Just as General Patton waged a battle without letting the other side know until the last few seconds, I am stealthily "sneaking up" on Maine. With any luck, I'll be "in position" in a couple of weeks.
We've gone from a deficit of 1.25% to a deficit of .75% in three days(although I happen to think we will get clobbered with a bunch of new carriers after the weekend updates, which will increase the deficit).
Bill Leonard tried to let the cat out of the bag at the Board meeting last Thursday, but nobody even knew what the heck he was talking about, which can only be attributed to my masterful tactical preparation.
Things are also going well on the California "front". We lead them by about 60 registrations, although that may also change after the weekend updates.
Have a great rest of the weekend! And keep your heads down!
Friday, November 13, 2009
UCR "Renewal" - What's Your Approach?
Unregistered Carriers on 11/12/2009 - 1709
Unregistered Carriers on 11/13/2009 - 1678
Maine - 93.10%
Illinois - 92.11%
I have given considerable thought to 2010 UCR "Renewal".
I use quotation marks because the very word "renewal" already suggests a particular approach to the task - send a UCR form/letter/postcard/email to everybody who registered for UCR in 2009. But that's only one approach - and it may not be the best approach for you and your state.
Let's suppose that you are going to do a "renewal" as I have defined it.
We can say categorically that you will reach MANY of the people who registered in 2009.
You will also, however, reach some people who are no longer in business or who no longer need to do UCR.
You will NOT reach those who registered in 2009 but whose address is changed.
Some of the people, some of the time.....
Other people you will not reach will be:
1) MCMIS carriers who are listed as active, interstate carriers but who have not had an inspection, crash, MCS-150 update or UCR registration in the last year
2) UCR Universe carriers who did not register in 2009
Some of these carriers might be relatively high-dollar carriers.
UCR registration is a trade-off. You can try to reach MORE carriers and endure more returns, more rejects, etc. or you can concentrate on a higher-probability population (those who registered in 2009, for example) and increase the likelihood that things will go more smoothly.
As a practical matter, I would take a hard look at how much money I collected in 2009 from the population I'm soliciting in 2010. The further I was below my cap, the more I would be inclined to cast a wider net. I'd rather collect more money and have to deal with more bad addresses, out of business carriers, etc. than collect less money and have a "neater" renewal season. But that's just me. "Neatness" might count a whole lot more for you than cash. Your call.
Have a great weekend! Keep looking over your shoulder, Maine! :)
Unregistered Carriers on 11/13/2009 - 1678
Maine - 93.10%
Illinois - 92.11%
I have given considerable thought to 2010 UCR "Renewal".
I use quotation marks because the very word "renewal" already suggests a particular approach to the task - send a UCR form/letter/postcard/email to everybody who registered for UCR in 2009. But that's only one approach - and it may not be the best approach for you and your state.
Let's suppose that you are going to do a "renewal" as I have defined it.
We can say categorically that you will reach MANY of the people who registered in 2009.
You will also, however, reach some people who are no longer in business or who no longer need to do UCR.
You will NOT reach those who registered in 2009 but whose address is changed.
Some of the people, some of the time.....
Other people you will not reach will be:
1) MCMIS carriers who are listed as active, interstate carriers but who have not had an inspection, crash, MCS-150 update or UCR registration in the last year
2) UCR Universe carriers who did not register in 2009
Some of these carriers might be relatively high-dollar carriers.
UCR registration is a trade-off. You can try to reach MORE carriers and endure more returns, more rejects, etc. or you can concentrate on a higher-probability population (those who registered in 2009, for example) and increase the likelihood that things will go more smoothly.
As a practical matter, I would take a hard look at how much money I collected in 2009 from the population I'm soliciting in 2010. The further I was below my cap, the more I would be inclined to cast a wider net. I'd rather collect more money and have to deal with more bad addresses, out of business carriers, etc. than collect less money and have a "neater" renewal season. But that's just me. "Neatness" might count a whole lot more for you than cash. Your call.
Have a great weekend! Keep looking over your shoulder, Maine! :)
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Clawing Our Way To The UCR Crown - Part 2
Unregistered Carriers on 11/11/2009 - 1694
Unregistered Carriers on 11/12/2009 - 1709
Okay, so where was I ...? Oh yeah, our strategy for catching up with Maine, which I articulated in the last post as follows:
We're going to try to reduce our unregistered list as much as possible.
Here's my thinking, oversimplified for this illustration:
We need a net reduction of approximately 300 carriers from our unregistered list.
In looking at our unregistered list, we have approximately 350 carriers who haven't updated their MCS-150 in at least two years. Some MCS-150 updates go all the way back to the early part of the millenium. Chances are good that these guys aren't even in business any longer.
Our goal will be to either register or deactivate these 350 carriers over the next three weeks.
We have a procedure we follow for deactivation, depending on whether the carrier is private or for-hire, incorporated or not, intrastate or not, etc. Our due diligence seems to be working because we haven't had any complaints yet regarding "premature deactivation". {:
And while I'm on this subject, I'd like to ask you a question. Which of these three scenarios is most beneficial to improving our registration percentage:
1) registering a carrier who is not on the unregistered list?
2) registering a carrier who IS on the unregistered list?
3) deactivating a carrier on the unregistered list?
In order, the most benefit goes to 2, 3 and 1 respectively. If you're remotely interested in the particular amount of benefit each provides, I'll be happy to share my "research" with you.
With 11 work days left in November, we could catch Maine by the end of the month ... if we reduce our unregistered list by a NET of 20-25 records per day.
So, now you know my strategy! And I have a new mantra, too. With apologies to the late Johnny Cochrane, here it is:
"If you don't registrate ... you must de-activate."
Unregistered Carriers on 11/12/2009 - 1709
Okay, so where was I ...? Oh yeah, our strategy for catching up with Maine, which I articulated in the last post as follows:
We're going to try to reduce our unregistered list as much as possible.
Here's my thinking, oversimplified for this illustration:
We need a net reduction of approximately 300 carriers from our unregistered list.
In looking at our unregistered list, we have approximately 350 carriers who haven't updated their MCS-150 in at least two years. Some MCS-150 updates go all the way back to the early part of the millenium. Chances are good that these guys aren't even in business any longer.
Our goal will be to either register or deactivate these 350 carriers over the next three weeks.
We have a procedure we follow for deactivation, depending on whether the carrier is private or for-hire, incorporated or not, intrastate or not, etc. Our due diligence seems to be working because we haven't had any complaints yet regarding "premature deactivation". {:
And while I'm on this subject, I'd like to ask you a question. Which of these three scenarios is most beneficial to improving our registration percentage:
1) registering a carrier who is not on the unregistered list?
2) registering a carrier who IS on the unregistered list?
3) deactivating a carrier on the unregistered list?
In order, the most benefit goes to 2, 3 and 1 respectively. If you're remotely interested in the particular amount of benefit each provides, I'll be happy to share my "research" with you.
With 11 work days left in November, we could catch Maine by the end of the month ... if we reduce our unregistered list by a NET of 20-25 records per day.
So, now you know my strategy! And I have a new mantra, too. With apologies to the late Johnny Cochrane, here it is:
"If you don't registrate ... you must de-activate."
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